1 nirjira: jar means death. so nirjara means immortality

2 one's soul is tied to his deeds. deep meditation free's the soul. and that is called nirjara.

From the very first time I blessed my eyes on you, girl,
My heart says follow through.
But I know, now, that I'm way down on your line,
But the waiting feel is fine:
So don't treat me like a puppet on a string,
'Cause I know I have to do my thing.
Don't talk to me as if you think I'm dumb;
I wanna know when you're gonna come.
See, I don't wanna wait in vain for your love;
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love;
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love,
'Cause it's summer is here,
I'm still waiting there;
Winter is here,
And I'm still waiting there.

Like I said:
It's been three years since I'm knockin' on your door,
And I still can knock some more:
Ooh girl, ooh girl, is it feasible?
I wanna know now, for I to knock some more.
Ya see, in life I know there's lots of grief,
But your love is my relief:
Tears in my eyes burn - tears in my eyes burn
While I'm waiting - while I'm waiting for my turn,


See, I don't wanna wait in vain for your love;
I don't wanna wait in vain for your love;

NIRJARA

The word Nirjara is made up of "Nir" and "Jara". Nir is prefix while
Jara means to fall off. Hence, in the Jain philosophy Nirjara means
falling off, destruction, or removal of karmas from the soul. In the
discussion of asrav and samvar, we gave the illustration of boating.
Let us again go over that example which also explains how nirjara
works. Let us pretend, as if you went boating. You were having a good
time and suddenly noticed the water rising on the floor of boat. You
immediately felt that the boat had a hole and if leak was not sealed
the boat would sink. So, the first thing you did was to find a hole
and then seal it so that new water would stop coming in. Then, you
started pouring out the collected water so that the boat would be dry
again. This removal of water is called a nirjara. Karmas are
accumulating in the soul through asrava. These karmas cover the
attributes of your soul, and the removal or destruction of these karmas
is called Nirjara.

The more effective the nirjara, the faster the attributes of the soul
will shine. Once all the karmas are shed, the soul will go to salvation
and then, it will be able to exhibit all its attributes in a full
capacity. In fact, as we are constantly accumulating and stopping
karmas, we are also to some extent shedding karmas too. In respect to
quantitative shedding, nirjara is grouped into two kinds:
1) Desh (limited) Nirjara, and
2) Sarva (total) Nirjara.

In Desh Nirjara there is limited shedding of karmas, this is experienced
by all while suffering from adversity or performing austerities, or
prayers etc. This shedding is done during all the stages of
gunasthanaks.

Sarva Nirjara is the total shedding of karmas and occurs right before
the soul is liberated. Whenever the soul becomes a Kevali, it has shed
off all ghati karmas forever, but still has to shed aghati karmas. The
rest of the aghati karmas are shed off forever right before the soul is
liberated and achieves salvation. These souls are called Siddhas.

When karmas mature they give rise to their results and once these
results are experienced completely the karmas are considered shed off.
Nirjara can also be divided into two kinds by the process of shedding
karmas. They are:
1) Akam Nirjara,
2) Sakam Nirjara.

When karmas mature automatically at their due time they cause suffering
accordingly. Thus, we have no control on the timing of such suffering
and we have not put any special effort or shown special desire or
intention to suffer on our side. Once the supposed suffering is over
then those karmas which caused this suffering are considered shed off.
This natural process of maturity and shed off the karmas is called Akam
Nirjara. Example: When someone suffers from hunger not voluntarily or
willingly but due to unavailability of the food then those karmas which
caused these suffering will be shed off passively.
On the other side when karmas are brought to maturity ahead off their
due time by special efforts voluntarily or willingly to give their
results then those karmas will be shed off sooner then expected. Thus,
we have a control on to this process and this active process to shed
off the karmas prematurely is called Sakam Nirjara. Example: When we
perform fasting (not eating) voluntarily and willingly even though the
food was in abundance then we brought out suffering actively ahead of
the time which in turn will shed off the karmas prematurely.

Therefore in akam nirjara, conditions for shedding off karmas are ripe,
and karmas exhaust themselves after producing their results. When
karmas lose their bondage in this way, it is called swathaha,
self-destruction. In sakam nirjara, the destruction of karmas
occurring ahead of their natural time by special efforts, by means of
tapas (austerity), is called Upayanirjara, initiated destruction.

Our life is a live drama consisting of accumulating karmas and shedding
of karmas. This drama never stops until we reach salvation. Depending
upon what kind and with what intensity we commit sinful activities
(pap), nirjara may be easier or harder. In order to simulate the
process of nirjara, different examples are given to show how hard it
would be to remove dust or a stain from an article of clothing.

1) The easiest one is compared with how easily dust which becomes
stuck to dry clothes can be removed.
2) It becomes a bit harder to remove the dust if the dust is stuck to
clothes which are wet.
3) It becomes still harder to remove the dust if the dust is stuck to
clothes which are oily.
4) It would be ever more harder to remove a stain from the clothes of
those who work at a gas station.
5) It would be almost impossible to remove a stain when it is from
coal-tar.
6) There are times when you can not remove a stain and just have to
through the cloth away.

>From these examples, you can imagine how simple a process or how
complicated a process nirjara can be. In some instances, one would have
no choice but to bear the results of one's karmas. This last kind of
karmas are called nikachit karmas. At this time, it would be wise to
remind us that nirjara is done most effectively by humans only, because
other destinies have their own limitations. But for humans, the
limitations are set by humans only.

The special efforts to destroy karma is done through Tapas or
austerities. Austerity means restraint, which is done willingly by
giving away some of the bodily comforts to discipline our mind from
passions and pleasures. Austerities are performed at various occasions
and in various different ways. All austerities have their own
uniqueness. Austerities may be performed at two levels:

1) Physical manner or
2) Psychic manner.

In the physical manner the person performs the austerity, but does not
have the inner desires to change his or her life and therefore, it is
just a physical act. While in the psychic austerity the person controls
his or her inner desires along with performing a physical act. Unless
the austerities are performed in psychic manner, they do not produce
the much needed results. After all, the whole purpose of austerities is
not just to simply make the body suffer, but to change our desires.
Once that happens the person will be on the path to spiritual uplift.
Austerity is part of right conduct.

Austerities are categorized into two groups:
1) External, and
2) Internal.

1) External (Bahyantar): External austerities are noticed by others
because they have a greater component of physical than psychic manner.
2) Internal (Abhyantar): Internal austerities are not noticed by
others because they have a greater component of psychic than physical
manner.

Each of these two austerities are further divided in six types:
1) External (Bahyantar)
a) Fasting Completely (Anasan),
b) Partial Fasting (Unodari),
c) Limiting the number of items of food (Vruti Sankshep),
d) Limiting desired tasty food (Ras parityag),
e) Bodily Endurance (Kayakalesh),
f) Controlling of the Senses (Pratisanlinata).

2) Internal (Abhyantar)
a) Atonement (Prayaschit),
b) Politeness (Vinay),
c) Serving others (Vaiyavachch),
d) Giving away (Vyutsarg),
e) Spiritual study (Sajzaya),
f) Meditation (Dhyan).


1) External Austerity
a) Fasting Completely (Anasan):
Anasan means fasting, renouncing food and water, etc., for a day, for
many days or throughout one's life. One day of total fasting is called
upavas. Fasting completely until death is done when life is close to an
end. Such fasting is considered very auspicious and is called Physical
Anasan.

Bhav Anasan refers to the total control of our inner desires for a short
or a long time. If this austerity is cultivated then only will we be
able to strive for spiritual uplift.

b) Partial Fasting (Unodari):
Unodari means eating less than what one�s hunger is. The Jain dharma
prescribes thirty-two handfuls of food per day and in order to perform
this austerity, one may eat a few handfuls less than the prescribed
amount.

Bhav Unodari means to limit our desires to some extent. It may be more
difficult to do this than to control them totally, but once this starts
then we will limit our desires for things in our daily life.

c) Limiting the number of items of the food (Vruti Sankshep)
In Vruti Sankshep, we put a limit on the number of items we may eat
during a single sitting or throughout the day.

Bhav Vruti Sankshep means to limit our desires for some part of a day or
a whole day. This austerity will help us to control our desires so that
our mind will keep from wandering.

d) Limiting desired tasty food (Ras Parityag)
Ras Parityag means to renounce tasty foods which one likes very much. It
can be done partially or in total for short time or prolonged period of
time.

Bhav Ras Parityag is more difficult to perform than the other
austerities because in this we limit our most desired thoughts. An
austerity of this nature will help us to control our passions even in
the most tempting situations.

e) Bodily Endurance (Kayakalesh)
Kayakalesh means to stand or sit in a particular posture for a long
period of time. This austerity may cause pain, but one should ignore
the pain.

In Bhav Kayakalesh one stands firm in controlling passions even if
temptations are great.

f) Controlling of Senses (Pratisanlinata)
In Pratisanlinata one controls all types of senses in order to prevent
pleasant and unpleasant temptations. In order to perform this austerity
one may stay in isolation for one or more nights.

In Bhav Pratisanlinata one controls oneself from lying, telling the
distorted truth, or from participating in sensual activities. Thus this
austerity helps to control passions like anger, pride, deception, and
greed.


2) INTERNAL TAP
a) Atonement (Prayaschit)
In Prayaschit, one asks for forgiveness for the various errors of
commission and omission, the faults and sins committed knowingly or
unknowingly. This austerity may be performed in the presence of a monk
or nun or can be done alone. Prayaschit helps us to reflect upon
ourselves in a way that leads to self correction. Even for a small
fault we begin to say " Michchami Dukkadam."

b) Humility (Vinay)
One must cultivate humbleness towards everyone. This austerity leads to
tolerance and sympathy towards others and helps us to overcome ego and
anger.

There are four types of Vinay:
i) Jnan Vinay - One should be humble and respectful to those who are
superior in knowledge and wisdom.
ii) Darshan Vinay - One should be humble and respectful to those who
have
acquired the true insight of religious principles.
iii) Charitra Vinay - One should be humble and respectful to those who
have good morals and follow religious principles.
iv) Mana Vinay - One should pay respect and be humble to all saints who
help
others in their spiritual uplift.

c) Serving others (Vaiyavachch)
Vaiyavachch means serving religious teachers, ascetics, virtuous people,
sadhus, colleagues, and companions with devotion. One should especially
render services to the sick and weak. Though this austerity seems to be
external activity it makes a person humble and serves the purpose of
overcoming ego and hatred.

d) Giving away (Vyutsarg)
In Vyutsarg, not only one gives away sinful physical activities but also
gives away sixteen different inner passions.

e) Spiritual study (Svadhyay)
Svadhyay means to study scriptures or can also mean to understand the
self. Through study we try to answer the questions: who am I? Who
should I be? Through Svadhyay we realize that a soul is a pure thing.
This will lead us to contemplate on the question: what am I doing in
this body? Thus, study will lead you to be a pure soul. This study is
divided into five levels:
i) When one starts reading the scriptures it is called Vachana.
ii) While reading some doubts may arise and trying to resolve them is
called Prachana.
iii) After understanding what is right and contemplating on it is called
Anupreksha.
iv) After realizing what is right, one should contemplate on it again
and again so one can stay in focus. This repetition is called Amnaya.
v) After learning what self is one should teach others the same. This
is known as Dharmopadesh.

All five of above are external svadhyay, but they will lead us to do
internal svadhyay about the self. Thus, one will acquire right
perception and right knowledge which will lead to right conduct and
will open up the path to ultimate liberation.

f) Meditation (Dhyan)
Dhyan means concentration of thought. This concentration could arise
from intense passions like attachment, lust, or animosity or from the
search for the truth and from absolute detachment towards worldly
affairs.

Dhyan is divided into four categories:
i) Arta dhyan,
ii) Roudra dhyan,
iii) Dharma dhyan,
iv) Shukla dhyan.

In arta dhyan a person reflects on the i) loss of dear ones (Ishta
Viyog), ii) development of a new relationship with an undesirable or
unpleasant person (Anishta Samyog), iii) physical illness (Roga chinta)
and iv) future planning (Agrasocha or Nidanartha).

In roudra dhyan one is absorbed in taking total revenge for some damage
or loss caused by others. There are four types: i) Hisanubahndhi, ii)
Mrishanubadhi, iii) Steynubandhi, and iv) Samrakshanubandhi.

Both arta and roudra dhyan lead to accumulation of bad karmas and
therefore art and roudra dhyan should be avoided.

Dharma dhyan means reflecting on the ways and means towards realization
of self.

Shukla dhyan means reflecting on the purity of the soul.

Dharma dhyan and shukla dhyan lead to the removal of karmas. Therefore,
for the purpose of nirjara we shall contemplate on dharma dhyan and
shukla dhyan. If contemplation on dharma dhyan is at the highest level
then we can completely destroy Mohniya karma and within 48 minutes of
the destruction of Mohaniya Karma, Jnanavarniya, Darshanavarniya and
Antar�y Karmas are also destroyed and one becomes a Kevali.

Other Austerities (Tapasyas)
There are some other common external austerities. They are:
1) Navkarsi: One must take food and water forty minutes after
sunrise. Even the brushing of one�s teeth and rinsing of once mouth
must be done after sunrise.
2) Porsi: Taking food and water three hours after sunrise.
3) Sadh-porsi: Taking food and water four hours and thirty minutes
after
sunrise.
4) Purimuddh: Taking food and water six hours after sunrise.
5) Avadhdh: Taking food and water eight hours after sunrise.
6) Biyasan: Taking food twice a day sitting in one place.
7) Ekasan: Taking food only once sitting.
8) Ayambil: Taking food only once in one sitting. The food should not
have any taste and spices and should be boiled or cooked. Also, one
shall not take milk, curds, ghee, oil, and green or raw vegetables.
9) Upavas: One must not take any food for twenty four hours starting
from sunrise to sunrise the next day.
a) Tivihar upavas: One may drink only boiled water during upavas.
b) Chauvihar upavas: One does not even drink water during upavas.
10) Tivihar: After sunset no food or juice shall be taken, but one may
take only water until sunrise the next day.
11) Chauvihar: After sunset no food or water is taken until sunrise the
next day.
12) Attham: Upavas for three consecutive days.
13) Atthai: Upavas for eight consecutive days.
14) Masakshaman: Consecutive upavas for one month.
15) Navapad oli: During every year for 9 days starting from the 6/7th
day in the bright fortnight until the full moon day in Ashwin and
Chaitra months, one does Ayambil. This is repeated for the next four
and half years. These ayambils can also be restricted to only one kind
of food grain per day.
16) Other austerities are: varshitap, Vardhaman, and visasthanak tap,
etc.

In Ekasan, Biyasan, Ayambil, or upavas one drinks boiled water only and
that too only between sunrise and sunset. It is better if one can do a
chauvihar or tivihar day before starting these austerities. If any of
the austerities allow food, one shall not take raw vegetables,
underground roots, and raw grains while performing such austerities.

nagetemo mou imi datta chigiretetta kuso kurae omoide nanka

It’s useless to cry over it
I tore my memories apart, they can eat shit for all I care

one day it will all be over. i'll get to finally escape all the misery and sorrow "this" life has brought me.

you confused tumb of nauseating dog meat
You pitiful apology for defective walrus blubber.

On we go…

You pitiful crock of dehydrated monkey zits.
You dismal lump of fossilised hog swill.
You demented sack of second-hand cow pies.
You insignificant box of nauseating stomach acid.
You atrocious crock of musty swamp mud.
You retarded ball of dusky dirty underwear.

You shameless eruption of fermenting kangaroo vomit.



Thou churlish, elf-skinned rudesby.
Thou roguish, pale-hearted waterfly.
Thou vain, rude-growing hedge-pig.

this is the list of things that are bullshit:

1. wars overseas that dont mean DICK to the average US citizen
2. government cares more about special interest groups than its fucking citizens that pay all the fucking taxes.
3. war on drugs that wastes billions and billions of dollars that utimately doesnt accomplish DONKEY DICK!
4. everybody is fucking fat
5. everybody is fucking stupid
6. the media is full of horseshit. instead of presenting actual news stories without bias and presenting facts, we get this partisan horseshit and facsination with fucking dipshit celebrities that i couldnt give a fuck if they all were hit by a fucking bus right now.
7. these fucking dipshit morons that spew out words like "socialist" "nazi" "communist" "liberal" "conservative" "neocon" etc etc fucking etc, that get their info from the fucking television and couldnt point to a fucking country on a map if it meant the firing squad.
8. healtcare is bullshit. we have made the health industry a for-profit industry, which basically mean fuck everyone over we can and make as much money off the poor bastards as we can. if we spent half the money we spent on these bullshit wars and this bullshit nation building neo-conservative horseshit strategy we have adopted in this last century, we would pay for healthcare for every citizen many times over.


what the fuck happened to this country? we have lost our way. this could be the greatest country in the world, as it once was, but instead somewere along the line a significant few decided that making money and fucking everyone over was more important than basic human kindness. and THAT is FUCKING BULLSHIT.

remember, they want us to fight and be divided. united we stand, divided we fall. whatever.

if you disagree, at this point i dont give a rat's tits (or something like that)

I know you've suffered,
But I don't want you to hide,
It's cold and loveless,
I won't let you be denied

Soothing,
I'll make you feel pure,
Trust me,
You can be sure

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognize your beauty's not just a mask,
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

You trick your lovers,
That you're wicked and divine,
You may be a sinner,
But your innocence is mine

Please me,
Show me how it's done,
Tease me,
You are the one

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart,
I want to recognize your beauty's not just a mask,
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Please me,
Show me how it's done,
Trust me,
You are the one

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart,
I want to recognize your beauty's not just a mask,
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Kingofsorrow2: Hikaru's Revenge

He's a prince of lassitude
a king of sorrow
as he sits on his throne
and looks out at tomorrow
He reigns over the kingdom
of the land of the dead
but he still hears the voice
of Hikaru in his head
As he sees her from a Distance
across the Deep River
It's Ultra Blue
and leaves him with a shiver
Can you keep a secret?
We will wait and see
I'm a prisoner of love
yearning to break free
It's the flavour of love
the flavour of life
It's a beautiful world
as I kiss and cry
She was my first love
but now she is dying
in the colours of passion
keep trying...
And I never fail to be overwhelmed
by my fascination
So meet me across the Ultra Blue Deep River
and be my last
at Heart Station.

I look around at the ignorant masses. smiling, laughing, joking. talking of their shallow music and movies. one look at them tells me they've never questioned their existence.

pretending to enjoy their alcohol and pot-smoking fuelled weekends. damaging their bodies, dieing younger. all the while unaware of how pointless their mindless existence is.

probably think they're going to "heaven". infact i find it hard to believe they actually think consciously. sometimes i wonder if they're free of anxiety at all times, on auto pilot. i thought the existential dread was engrained in the human psyche... but in these fools, im not so sure. I can't cope knowing all these morons don't know how pointless their fleeting existence is.

ah, to be a simple man. i wish to break free of this terrible existential struggle. my heart wearies. my will grows weaker by the day. Is it possible to escape this, in a world of morons?

"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

The heat boils their blood, the blood travels to the brain, and it burns the estrogen. When estrogen burns it realease a gas called hatemenagain. The hatemenagain is absorbed into the blood and goes straight to the Mitchondria (the powerhouse of the cell) and that is what makes women crazy.

top 51 oxymorons

51. Friendly Weapons
50. Act naturally
49. Found missing
48. Resident alien
47. Advanced BASIC
46. Genuine imitation
45. Airline Food
44. Good grief
43. Same difference
42. Almost exactly
41. Government organization
40. Sanitary landfill
39. Alone together
38. Legally drunk
37. Silent scream
36. British fashion
35. Living dead
34. Small crowd
33. Business ethics
32. Soft rock
31. Butt Head
30. Military Intelligence
29. Software documentation
28. New York culture
27. New classic
26. Sweet sorrow
25. Childproof
24. "Now, then ..."
23. Synthetic natural gas
22. Christian Scientists
21. Passive aggression
20. Taped live
19. Clearly misunderstood
18. Peace force
17. Extinct Life
16. Temporary tax increase
15. Computer jock
14. Plastic glasses
13. Terribly pleased
12. Computer security
11. Political science
10. Tight slacks
9. Definite maybe
8. Pretty ugly
7. Twelve-ounce pound cake
6. Diet ice cream
5. Rap music
4. Working vacation
3. Exact estimate
2. Religious tolerance
And the Number One top OXYMORON:
1. Microsoft Works

NEWLY ADDED

jumbo shrimp

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Interesting?
A lesson learned in economics......

A college economics professor just failed an entire class...

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan."

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the third test rolled a round, the average was an F. The scores never increased. Bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. Could not be any simpler than that.

A New Sith, or Revenge of the Hope
Reconsidering Star Wars IV in the light of I-III

If we accept all the Star Wars films as the same canon, then a lot that happens in the original films has to be reinterpreted in the light of the prequels. As we now know, the rebel Alliance was founded by Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. What can readily be deduced is that their first recruit, who soon became their top field agent, was R2-D2.

Consider: at the end of RotS, Bail Organan orders 3PO's memory wiped but not R2's. He wouldn't make the distinction casually. Both droids know that Yoda and Obi-Wan are alive and are plotting sedition with the Senator from Alderaan. They know that Amidala survived long enough to have twins and could easily deduce where they went. However, R2 must make an impassioned speech to the effect that he is far more use to them with his mind intact: he has observed Palpatine and Anakin at close quarters for many years, knows much that is useful and is one of the galaxy's top experts at hacking into other people's systems. Also he can lie through his teeth with a straight face. Organa, in immediate need of espionage resources, agrees.

For the next 20 years, as far as 3PO knows, he is the property of Captain Antilles, doing protocol duties on a diplomatic transport. He is vaguely aware of the existence of the princess but doesn't know much about her. Wherever 3PO goes, being as loud and obvious as he always is, his unobtrusive little counterpart goes with him. 3PO is R2's front man. Wherever they land, R2 is passing messages between rebel sympathisers and sizing up governments as potential rebel recruits - both by personal contact and by hacking into their networks. He passes his recommendations on to Organa.

Yoda is out of the picture by this stage, using the Force-infused swamps of Dagobah to hide himself from Vader and the Emperor. Or something. He is meditating on the future and keeping in touch with Obi-Wan via the ghost of Qui-Gon Jin, which as comm systems go has the virtue of being untappable. Obi-Wan, on Tattoine, keeps in touch with Bail Organa and the other Rebel leaders by courier, of which more later.

As Star Wars opens, R2 is rushing the Death Star plans to the Rebellion. R2, not Leia. The plans are always in R2. What Leia puts into him in the early scene is only her own holographic message to Kenobi. Leia's own mission, as she says in the holographic message, is to pick up Obi-Wan and take him to Alderaan - or so she thinks. Actually, her father just wants her to meet Kenobi, which up to this point she never has. There's a reason for that.

Obi-Wan has spent the last 20 years in the Tattoine desert, keeping watch over Luke Skywalker and trying to decide on one of the three available options:
A) If Luke shows no significant access to the Force, then leave him alone in obscurity
B) If Luke shows real Force ability, then consider recruiting him as a Jedi. The rebellion needs Jedi. Now.
But, if Luke shows any signs of turning out like his father, then C) sneak into his house one fine night and chop his head off. With great regret but it'll save a lot of trouble later on.
Knowing this to be the case, Bail Organa (perhaps at the insistence of his wife) has found excuses not to send Leia to Ben for assessment of Jedi potential, largely for fear of option C.

To be fair to all concerned, Leia has shown no overt signs of a link to the Force. Luke on the other hand has. In his home-built hotrod aircraft, with no formal fighter pilot training and no decent instrumentation, Luke can regularly score centre-hits on 2-metre targets in complicated zero-altitude maneouvres. Until he attends the briefing on Yavin, Luke has no way of knowing that hardened combat pilots would consider that nearly impossible. To him it's easy. Obi-Wan, who saw Anakin's performance in the Pod Race, is nervous.

Much of Obi-Wan's behaviour in this film, and Yoda's in the next, can best be understood if they are frankly scared to death of what Luke might become. (Ben is also scared that he himself will make all the same mistakes he made with Anakin.)

Now, with the existence of the rebellion at stake, Bail Organa has finally told Leia to go see Obi-Wan and has sent her along with R2. The original plan would then be for Obi-Wan (with optional Luke and/or Leia in tow) to leave his exile and take the Death Star plans to Yavin, where they can be put to use. R2 (with Leia if Ben doesn't want to take her) would then carry on to Alderaan to maintain the cover story. The original plan does not survive contact with a large Imperial Star Destroyer.

R2 and 3PO bail out in an escape pod, landing in vaguely the right area of Tattoine, where R2's first priority is transport. He arranges to be captured by a group of Jawas and, once on board their transport, he makes a deal with them (possibly using emergency funds stored about his person) to take him where he wants to go. The Jawas refuse to go directly to Kenobi for fear of marauding Sandpeople but they agree to R2's second request : transport to the Skywalker farm. They even get to keep the purchase price if they can sell R2 and 3PO there. The Jawas shake on it and go through with the plan.

Seeing 3PO fail to recognise the farm where he worked for 10 years gives r2 a moment's amusement but, as soon as possible, he gets away and heads for Kenobi. Luke and 3PO follow, which may or may not have been part of the plan.

On first seeing R2, Obi-Wan has a twinkle in his eye and calls him "my little friend". Well, he is. However, when Luke wakes up and says that R2 claimed to be owned by an Obi-Wan Kenobi, he blandly says "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid." Ben has in fact owned several but the remark is aimed at R2 and translates as "You keep quiet. I'm not about to tell him everything just yet." Obi-Wan thinks fast and tells Luke a version of his past that does not involve a father who became a dark lord of the Sith. He wants to examine Luke a lot more closely before he risks telling him the real truth.

Although the Death Star plans need to get to Yavin as soon as possible, Obi-Wan needs to make one more diversion first. If the Empire knows that Leia is a Rebel leader, then they also know about her father and the whole Organa family may need immediate evacuation. Fortunately, before coming to Tattoine, R2 had already arranged transport, which is waiting at Mos Eisley, under the command of the Rebellion's other chief field agent and espionage asset. Chewbacca.

20 years earlier, Chewbacca was second in command of the defence of his planet. He's there in the tactical conferences and there on the front lines and is a personal friend of Yoda's. When he needed reliable people to join the embryonic Alliance, who else would Yoda turn to but his old friend from Kashykk? Given his background, there is no way that Chewie would spend the crucial years of the rebellion as the second-in-command to (sorry Han) a low-level smuggler. Unless it's his cover. In fact, Chewie is a top-line spy and flies what is in many ways the Rebellion's best ship.

The Millenium Falcon may look like a beat-up old freighter but it can outrun any Imperial ship in normal space or hyperspace, hang in a firefight with a Star Destroyer or outmaneouvre a dozen top-of-the-line TIE fighters. It's a remarkable feat of engineering and must have cost a colossal fortune to build. How does Han come to own a ship like that? He only thinks he does, actually it's Chewie's. Half-way through RotS, we see the Falcon landing at the Senate building on Coruscant. If it's the same ship (which of course it is) then it was the personal transport of one of the senatorial delegations - a much more likely source to commission its design. That delegatino must have later joined the Rebellion and given it the use of the Falcon. In fact, if the delegation is the one from Kashykk, then the ship may have belonged to Chewbacca as early as RotS.

Han is Chewie's front man. It's much better, and safer for him, if he doesn't know what's really going on. Chewie used to work with Lando Calrissian in a similar way but Lando wanted to settle down, so Chewie arranged for him to lose the Falcon in a card game to Han Solo, an even better choice as partner. Han and Chewie's working method is pretty much what we see in the cantina scene: Chewie make the contacts and sets up the deals, then turns them over to Han who haggles over the price and gives the final yea or nay. This lets Chewie wander the seamy underside of the galaxy pretty much at will, making contacts, gathering and passing information with no-one was the wiser, especially not Han.

Chewie persuaded Han to do business with Jabba the Hutt so he could make regular runs to Tattoine, where Chewie could pass messages between Kenobi and Organa. When R2's urgent message came through only days before, the only way for Chewie to get back to Tattoine in time was to make the "mistake" that forced Han to dump his cargo to avoid capture. As a down side, this led to Solo's getting a death mark out on him from Jabba the Hutt. Chewie was a bit upset about the need for that but figured they weren't going to be dealing with Tattoine for much longer.

En route to Alderaan, R2 and Chewie play stop-motion chess. This is the latest in a series of games they've played over the year in the back rooms of space stations and cantinas across the galaxy, but this is the first time they've done it in front of their respective straight men, so they put on a big show.

Then it all goes wrong again. Alderaan is gone and the Falcon is caught and brought aboard the Death Star. Only Han, Luke and 3PO don't know just how much trouble they're in but Obi-Wan has a plan and seems confident (but Jedi always do). Soon afterwards, R2 finds Leia in the detention cells and shouts that they have to rescue her, to which Chewie can only agree. If Vader learns he has a daughter, then they're all in deep trouble, so Chewie does his bit to persuade Han to go along with Luke's plan.

Then, on the verge of escape, Vader himself turns up only yards from both of his children, one of whom is leaking Force all over the place. Obi-Wan stages a distraction by letting himself die and go into the Force while the others escape. At this point, Chewie suddenly realises that he's been left in charge, not only of the Death Star Plans and the survival of the Rebellion but of the secret son and daughter of Darth Vader. With the Organas and Kenobi all dead, only Chewie, R2 and Yoda know who Luke and Leia are. And only Ob-Wan knew where Yoda has been hiding. Chewie is stressed out by the responsibility and R2 (who keeps making crude jokes about the whole affair) is being no help at all.

Chewie's first problem is what is happening between Luke and Leia. With a psychic link they can feel but don't understand, thrown together in a life-or-death escape, they are looking at each other with a sparky intensity that Chewie gradually recognises as Romantic Tension. He's no expert on human relationships but Chewie is fairly sure that that's Wrong, so he does the only thing he can under the circumstances - he throws Han at her. Han is at first not interested but after a while starts to warm to the idea with an intensity that gives Chewie new worries.

When they reach Yavin, Han decides to take the money and run and Chewie decides to go with him. Looked at in cold light, it's for the good of the Rebellion. Even if Yavin is destroyed, there'll be one agent who knows what's going on who can try and put something back together, but he doesn't feel good about it. When Han decides to turn around and join the attack, Chewie is all for it.

Han and Luke get medals but Chewie doesn't. Actually, Leia offers him one but Chewie turns it down. He got one of those things from Yoda about 20 years ago, but there's no way he can tell her that.

As the film ends, the three founders of the Rebellion are all gone. Bail Organa is dead, Yoda is out of contact and Obi-Wan's ghost can only talk to other Jedi. (So that would be Yoda then.) Thus, the field leadership of the rebellion has just been turned over to the daughter of Darth Vader. Chewie is really hoping that someone with an official rank greater than hers will get here real soon before he has to think really seriously about option C.

© Keith Martin 2005

well, the lord came to me in the form of a pop-tart and told me that he was sending me his "tool". after assuring him i had no desire to handle his tool, he pointed out that i would be saving a great many people. he then told me that i would be the keeper of god's furnace-- see, the devil exists in all forms of printed money, and the only way to rid the world of his evil is to burn that money. thing is, if you burn it on a regular fire, the devil just flies off, or sometimes, he flies into you! with the furnace, i can capture the devil when he is released, therefor, money can ONLY be burned in MY furnace. i beg all of you to send me your money. please. for your OWN good. i am a servant of god and i am willing to RISK my soul for YOU. just please, send me all your cash. do it . today. it is the lord's will. i promised god i would devote myself to getting your money.

trust me.