Falling ill needs struggle

Those who know swimming are aware how easy and effortless it is to float on the water. You need not do anything at all. Just relax the body and lo! you are floating on the water surface. When you stiffen your body and struggle, it is a prelude to drowning. 

Staying healthy is akin to floating. We have to just relax mentally, whatever the situation outside and the body takes care of its health. When there's a cut, immediately the blood is rushed to the area to bring the white blood cells and other cells to heal the wound. If we fill our mind with negative thoughts at this time. the blood flow will be sluggish, the immune system will not work satisfactorily and the wound may not heal.

To become a diabetic or develop a high blood pressure, it requires years of negative thoughts. Yes, we really struggle so much for so many years to develop the chronic diseases. Which means, if we struggle as much or a little less, these diseases can vanish too!! Eat healthy, remain active, and be happy always. Then health and wellness are yours to enjoy!

Destiny believers

A major part of my life has gone in the confusion whether man is a puppet in the hands of destiny or he is in control of his future. Believers of destiny claim that not even our thoughts are in our control. So, are we, the humans also completely programmed like plants and animals?

Keenly observing my own life and the lives of others around me, at last I have reached a conclusion. That as humans, we do have the power of discrimination. At every turn of life, we are given at least two paths to choose from.

Those who are at peace within themselves and are rooted in the self, choose the right path.

When one takes a wrong path and is made to suffer later, it is so much easier to blame the destiny than to own that it was due to a wrong decision making. For particularly those whose actions don't have the back up of thoughtful decisions, blaming the destiny is a very convenient short cut

Learn the basics

It is a heartening trend seen these days that many youngsters are turning to spirituality. But many of them don't seem to know the basic requirements to advance in the spiritual field. For example, the moment they get interested in spirituality, they want a live guru.

This is like asking to be taught quantum theory of physics without learning the alphabets. Discipline in life is the very basic requirement for spiritual progress. Then one should have control over the tongue, both in relation to the taste and in talking. When too much food is consumed too frequently, the body is always busy digesting and assimilating the food. The blood circulation is always more around the digestive system.Talking too much and unnecessarily drains a lot of mental energy and keeps the mind in a wound up stage.

In a person eating only enough food to sustain life, there will be ample blood circulation to his brain, he can have a clear thinking and he can think of linking his heart to the brain and experience the higher truths of life. Then he has to seek company of spiritually oriented people, read spiritual books and when he is ready, a live guru will manifest.

Gurus are always seeking disciples. But they can't impart the highest truths of life to those who are not ready or capable of receiving it.

Destiny versus Karma

            Before we start debating on this issue, consider the fact that we belong to the solar system. Sun is heading this system and all the planets and satellites revolve around it. For the system to sustain, it is very important the basic rules have to be strictly adhered to. Suddenly if the earth stops, it can create havoc. Along with revolving around the Sun, the earth rotates around its axis too.

            Let us presume that the revolution of the earth around the Sun is destiny and its rotation is karma. But the earth doesn’t have any control over the rotation too. So is the case with all other beings except humans. Plants have no control over their growth, flowering etc., similarly animals don’t have control over their actions. If they are hungry and there is food in front of them, they will eat.

            Human beings, the highest of all creations, have been endowed with the power of discrimination. He can decide to observe a complete fast in spite of the fact that he may be hungry and food may be available to him. He has control over the karma (earth’s rotation) whereas the destiny (earth’s revolution) is fixed. It is because of the destiny that he takes birth in a particular country to certain parents.

            Those who are believers of destiny will argue that a decision to observe  fast is also fixed by destiny. This group consists of great escapists. They don’t want to shoulder any responsibility for their actions and so this argument suits very well. Our Vedas teach us to take responsibility of our actions and to not expect any fruits thereof. This attitude is sure to bestow mental peace and inner contentment.

            Do your actions with the faith that everything depends on your actions, but believe that the results are decided by the destiny. This would seem a balanced approach to follow.

Let yourself loose

While plucking jasmine flowers today morning, I was really captivated by the beauty of the small plant laden with white flowers spreading the heavenly scent all around. It got me into a pensive mood. The plant with brown stem and green leaves has snow white flowers at the tip if its branches. My head bowed in reverence to the great creator who has spread such beauty around me. How blessed I felt at the moment!

            I have been watering the plant with great love, but I couldn’t have induced the plant to produce the flowers. Patient waiting only brought this result. If I had become impatient and stopped watering the plant, it would have simply died. Many of the life’s situations are also like this. We have to just keep on doing what is needed to realize our dreams and when the suitable time comes, the wonderful results have to just materialize!

            Getting impatient or stopping our efforts will only lead to disappointment and frustration. We should learn to let ourselves loose and just enjoy doing the task at any given moment. The secret of remaining rooted in happiness while living in this world of strife and chaos is that- letting yourself loose! Just as you can float in water by just leaving the body loose, you can float in happiness during your daily activities, and each day will be a day to celebrate!

           

Kalyug is in microcosm, not macrocosm

According to the Hindu scriptures, it is interpreted that the most corrupted of the four ages, the Kalyug has started and it will prevail for many more years. Thousands of Hindus thinking in this fashion day in and day out will add power to the corrupt parties and make the living environment difficult.

It is quite possible that there may be a flaw in the interpretation. It may be in the context of the microcosm, and not in relation to the macrocosm that the present age may be laden with corruption and cheating.

It is for the benefit of all that we have to concentrate on all the good elements and open hearted individuals and give them the power through our collective positive thinking, to overcome the evil forces. Kalyug is the easiest period to attain mental peace, it just needs japa, whereas in the earlier yugas, many years of penance was needed. So let’s make use of this and start sending positive waves right from this moment!

Your life’s puzzle

Each and every creation of nature is beautiful. It fills a place in this vast universe that is unique for itself. Human beings are no exception. Whatever we think of ourselves, we occupy a unique position in this Universe, each one of us.

The problem is, when we are born, nature doesn’t reveal this picture. It is made into a jigsaw puzzle and the task is ours to complete the picture. We can very well put the pieces together and complete it during our life time.

The trouble starts when we look at others’ lives and lament,’ If only my pieces were like that, it would have been so nice’. Comparing our life with that of others and getting depressed, we lose time and by the time our life is over, we are nowhere near completion of this unique picture. Come on, let’s work with the pieces we have got, to compete it and admire its beauty!!

Eternal emptiness?

You touched my heartstrings

With the love rays from your eyes,

The melody that followed

Filled my heart, my lips trembled,

And my body quivered.

Those intense feelings of mine,

Solidified into ice, with your love gaze,

Forming a block of love.

It preserved my happiness, cooled my passion

And sustained my life.

Then the gaze wandered,

And my love block melted.

I felt the emptiness creeping in,

As the melting feelings dripped down,

Though my fingers were tightly closed.

When the alien vibrations encircled them

My hands cracked, and exposed

The emptiness as I opened them.

I stand with my open palms,

Is this emptiness eternal?

And the loneliness fixed

By those alien ripples?

Alone, yet not alone

In this fast paced life, everything around you is out to distance you from the actual and real journey that you have undertaken at the time of birth. We spend a precious life time amassing perishable goods and toiling hard to build up relationships that are mortal.

There is a brilliant truth residing inside you, in all its splendor, which can get you in touch with the ultimate bliss. Removing the innumerable veils that are masking this truth is a strictly personal exercise. If anybody thinks that there may be a companion to the path to salvation, it is a big mirage.

No two human beings can be on the same spiritual level and this makes communication between them an impossible task. It is only that the tolerant ones can listen to other view points, but aggressive persons will snub and ridicule. They just broadcast their view points, not even giving the other a chance to air their thoughts.

Companionship is valuable only to the extent of performing the worldly duties, bringing up family and fulfilling the social obligations. In the journey towards the inner truth, no mortal being can be your companion. At the same time one is not alone in the abstract sense. The ultimate truth, of which you are a part, is waiting eagerly to guide you in each step that you willingly take towards it. Search your inner core with complete devotion and you will be instantly in touch with this greatest companion of all!

The great jigsaw puzzle

We as humans are the only species that plan the future for the whole life. We have explicit ideas as to what we want to eat, what type of house and vehicle we should own and how others should be behaving with us (!). We can’t be happy if our expectations don’t materialize. Strangely enough, we can’t be happy even when they materialize, because by then new expectations have arisen.

There is nothing wrong in striving to achieve things in life. But majority of us fail to see our aspirations in relation to the whole picture of life. In this huge picture, we are just jigsaw pieces. So then, there is a limitation to what we can aspire and materialize.

It is when we overlook this aspect that we try to harm and overstep others for our selfish motives. This may go on for some sometime, but ultimately such attempts will backfire because they are not in tune with the master plan of Nature. Deceptions, lies and treachery have to get exposed with time and the concerned persons will get their due ‘rewards’ without any doubt.

Have an anchor

When you are going through your day today life, once in a while just stop and ponder whether you have an anchor in your life. When you experience the ups and downs of life it is this anchor that keeps you sane.

The anchor may be anything that one chooses for his life. Religion is one that serves millions of people around the world. Whichever anchor you choose, it helps you to grasp the underlying truth of life, that there is a power greater than you. It is this power that controls the movement of the planets, the heat of the sun, movement of the wind etc,
It is also the power that provides food for the umpteenth living organisms.
The moment we grasp the truth that there is a limitation to what we can do, we experience humility and this brings a different dimension to our lives. The world will go on even if we don’t do anything. Whatever we do, it is for our own sake, our own enrichment and experience. We will put in our best efforts and at the same time be thankful to that greater power for having given the opportunity to do. Give five minutes everyday to think about your anchor and see the life spreading a heavenly fragrance.

Independence Day

Millions fought for our sake
For us to get the much coveted Independence
Thousands died without even blinking,
For they were sure that we will take
Our Motherland to new heights.

On this sacred day that we got our country
Back into our own hands,
Let us muse what we have done
To make our fore fathers proud.

The Father of our nation taught
The role of simplicity and dedication
Through his life, have we emulated
Even a part of what he envisaged?

We no longer have external enemies to fight,
Our sages have given us the ultimate knowledge
Even if we follow a fraction of the legacy that they left,
We will experience Heaven, here, right now.

Let’s make a pledge today,
That we will work for the good
Of others and our country, without ever forgetting that
The rewards come from Heaven, not from those we do good to.

Let’s make a pledge
Of removing the veil of ignorance,
Layer by layer, for the light
Of knowledge to shine through.

Let’s use our intelligence
To tame our minds, to do deeds divine,
To realize our true selves,
And make our Motherland a Heaven on earth!

****************************

Keep your organs fit

There is a saying,’ When you have teeth, you don’t have food to eat, and when you get food to eat, you don’t have the teeth’. But nature has not designed it that way. Everything is designed for man to enjoy his life to the fullest. But man through his negligence, and sometimes ignorance, doesn’t take care of his assets that were supposed to last a life time.

Just look around and you will see examples all around you. See what strong and shapely bodies people have in their youth. But due to excessive and improper eating, they convert this beautiful creation into a barrel. Body is like a machine after all. For the health to remain for a life time, proper care needs to be taken.

People may spend hours at the gym developing muscles. It is definitely good to develop muscles. But one has to also think what runs this body efficiently. It is the internal organs that keep the body working. These organs need stimulation, exercise and oxygen to remain in health. These are provided by doing pranayama and yoga.

If one wants to enjoy the fruits of his labor in the later years of life, he has to start thinking about it right during his youth and spend some time daily for the proper care of his body.

Keep depositing

Our lives have an efficient banking system. Just like you can withdraw money from the bank only if you have deposited money, you will get life’s experiences depending upon the type of your thoughts and deeds. And remember, whatever experience that comes to you, is a matured account ready for release, though you may have forgotten the type of deposit (good or bad) you made years back.

Like the banking system, you will get simple interest and compound interest based on the time period. Inflation aspect is one thing people overlook in the life’s experiences. One good deed done in a life time, and they think its return should be indefinite and should have the same value. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen and they tend to turn bitter and miss out on the joys of life.

So remember the life’s simple rule, to keep on getting love and respect from others, you have to keep on giving same to all around you. Apart from getting infinite returns, it purifies your soul. Well well, isn’t this a sufficient incentive to put on your bright smile and love and help others?

Care for the body

 

 

I just got the servicing done for the body. And wasn’t it a heavenly experience! Since I got the address of this Ayurvedic centre, I have been on the look out to go there for the rejuvenation therapy. And it materialized recently.

 The stay itself in that rural setting with 100 year old trees around was an exhilarating experience. After my morning meditations, the songs of different birds and sounds of insects served as music for my ears.

The Ayurvedic doctor decided the type of oil for massage depending upon my body type (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). The massage and steaming brought out the toxins that have been accumulating in the body for years and with the passage of each day, I could feel the change in the muscle tone and skin texture.

Ayurveda is a gift of our ancient sages to maintain body health and mental tranquility. An Ayurvedic doctor makes his diagnosis taking into consideration the body constitution and mental make up, not considering organs as separate entities. There are so many ailments which can be corrected by consuming simple food materials. For example, drinking the soup of drumstick leaves maintains the blood pressure.

Some basic knowledge of Ayurveda will help the lady of the house to maintain the health of the family members and keep the medical bills low.

Be open

When the warmth of the day rose

And people were drenched in sweat

Down came the rain, bringing

The much needed respite.

Anything that goes up,

Has to come down,

This unwritten law of Nature,

Is accepted by everything, but the man.

As the rain poured down heavily,

Bringing strong wind that shook,

The trees so violently, but did I hear

The trees crying?

Do the trees have the intelligence

To know that the stronger the winds

They withstand, the sturdier their

Wood become?

There was a commotion on the street,

Dogs and cats running to find shelter,

Even they were not crying,

Over their wet bodies and the chilly wind.

Inside the house, watching the rain

Through the windows,

Men were cursing the rain ‘cos

The current went off due to fallen branches.

Isn’t man the only ‘closed’ Being

On the earth, refusing to accept

Nature and its diversities wholeheartedly

And enjoy the changes that it provides?

Maintain your tool

Today morning I was standing out in the balcony, listening to the chirping of the birds. My attention was drawn to the morning walkers. There was a couple; I had seen the lady being brought as a new bride eight years back. She was tall, thin and beautiful. Today she looks like a barrel, her neck has disappeared among the bulges of flesh. Her graceful walk has changed to a wobbling movement. I felt sad. What a beautiful body God had given her! In just eight years she has changed it to this form. Very soon she may fall victim to many long term diseases.

Then there was this man in the prime of his youth, with a big pot belly. Every few yards he had to stop to catch his breath. He is known for his late night parties and unlimited alcohol consumption. He has been diagnosed with diabetes recently.

If we think that we have just one life to live, wouldn’t we like to complete all that we want to do? What is the only tool that we have got to realize our dreams? It is this physical body. And whose responsibility is it to maintain it in a healthy condition? Still we don’t think twice when we abuse it to any extent, by stuffing with unhealthy food, acidic drinks, smoke and depriving it of the precious sleep. If we abuse our car in the same way, it will stop running in just two days.

The Nature is so lenient that the body still keeps on working after so much of abuse, until it finally breaks down. Being the most intelligent species on earth, isn’t it our primary duty to take care of this precious tool, our physical body?

Awaken your compassion.

We all shudder at the thought of murdering another human being. Neither do we want to inflict physical injury to others. In day to day life of an ordinary human being, there is equal participation of the physical body and the mind. Just like the pain elicited from a physical assault, verbal assault can also give extreme pain.

Verbal assaults are longer lasting. The intensity of a physical assault cannot be felt the same way when it is remembered at later date. But the caustic remarks, even when remembered years later, will cause the same amount of mental pain.

If only you care to be a little sensitive, you can visualize the bleeding minds when people are being ridiculed or snubbed. This causes their DNAs to shrink, which will hamper their immune system, leading to physical diseases. And you know what – when his/ her DNAs shrink, so do your own DNAs! Hence by our verbal murders, we are jeopardizing our own health too.

It is not necessary to even mouth our remarks, just thinking negative about oneself and others will cause the same effect on the DNAs. Awaken your compassion and speak and think only good about self and others to enjoy and spread health!!

Blocking our rewards.

It is common to hear people complain that in spite of putting in hard work the rewards seem to elude them. Some parents have the complaint that in spite of so much sacrifice on their part, children don’t give them the love and respect that they ‘deserve’.

Well, it is Nature’s law that whatever effort has been put in, its outcome is inevitable. By getting impatient and by too much attachment to the outcome, we create negative forces that repel the rewards that are on their way to us.

Keep on doing your duties and go with the flow of Nature. Concentrate more on your deeds and less on the outcomes. And just watch the rewards piling up for you!!

Attract the positive waves

The whole world has seen the fury of Tsunami. The tremendous destruction that resulted has been broadcasted umpteen times on TV channels. Let us pray for the departed souls and for those who were directly affected, so that they can put their lives back to normalcy.

Just as there is a positive side for every negative thing in this Universe, let us search and experience the positive contribution of Tsunami. Close your eyes, hey sensitive souls, and try to feel the lashing waves of Tsunami. For a second, your whole being will be shaken up by the impact. Stay calm, go deeper, deeper and slowly you will start experiencing tremendous calm and peace. You will feel strong surges of energy. It will bring bubbles after bubbles of happiness.

This is also of significance to all the healers of the world since this healing energy that you have experienced can augment whatever healing methods you have adopted. Let us all take advantage of this. It can really give you a leap in your spiritual journey, and together, let us direct this energy for world peace and happiness!