Planning or spontaneity?

Should we plan things or just be spontaneous? There are people who will argue vehemently for both the views. As always, I look upon Nature for guidance. Does Nature plan things? You bet. Just as the summer heat spreads, we find water melons ready to be eaten. If the flowering didn't happen at the time it did, do you think the fruits will be ready? The birds prepare nests before laying eggs. We will get ample examples around us.

But we as human beings are an elevated lot, right? As for me, it is not whether one should plan or not, the important aspect is in not getting attached to the result of our planning. Using our intellect and common sense, we have to plan things that need to be planned, but if they don't go the way they are planned, it should not affect our mental status. It also helps to have the faith that something better is in the offing, that's why the plan didn't materialize.

Then there are aspects where spontaneity is needed. Let's enjoy the surprises in life too.

For one who does multi tasking, planning makes life smooth and enjoyable, otherwise it can be hectic and very tiresome. Like if I want to enjoy home made dosas on Sunday morning, I have to plan and start preparations right from Saturday morning.

At the same time, I enjoy the surprises during a vacation trip, when minor aspects are not planned. So it is for us to decide which aspects of life need planning.

Words of wisdom from an octogenarian

Just back from kerala and the sweltering heat. While happily boarding the A/C compartment, little did I realize that the journey was going to be educative as well. There was an old couple sitting adjacent and we struck a conversation with them. They were siblings, the lady 87 years old and the man 85!. She is a spinster and when asked why she didn't marry, she told ' never felt the need to do so.' The younger brother was a family man, but since his wife doesn't keep good health, he tours with his sister to explore new places.

We were curious to know what her understanding of life was, from 87 years of experience.

'Stand for truth, be true to yourself. Try to achieve perfection in whatever you do' was her clear message.

What does she think of the new generation?

'They are blindly following the rat race, without realizing that materialistic things cannot give lasting happiness. But they don't have any role models now. Money has assumed to status of God for many.'

Both of them acknowledged to the fact that there are ample good people around, and because of them the world is going on. Many people help them during their travels by fetching drinking water and exchanging their lower berths.

As always, I asked for some tips to maintain a healthy body in the old age.

'Get up early in the morning. do yoga and pranayama for at least an hour. Eat less and have more of raw food.'

I couldn't resist my standard question I have for any healthy lady above 80 years of age. 'Do you wash your clothes?'

'Yes. of course, I sit and wash all my clothes. Only the bed sheets go into the washing machine.' Is it just coincidence that all the 80 years and above healthy ladies (I have encountered about half a dozen) cook and wash their clothes?

To my li’l sis

Diwali is here, and my heart wrenches

At the thought I won’t hear your voice,

Wishing me all the luck and happiness.

I always knew yours was a higher soul,

But it was this pure and innocent,

I came to know only after you left me.

Your face was so serene and blissful,

I felt your eyes will open any moment,

And your lips will widen into a beautiful smile.

Your cheeks were cold to my touch,

How I wished I could infuse

Warmth into your body from mine!

Your feet were hard, did it hurt

When you remained

In the cold chamber for long?

You never liked cold,

And I’m sure you were aware

How fervently I was praying for you..

If my healings have contributed

To your passing away so peacefully,

I am for ever indebted to God.

Though you got many a rough deal from life

You never showed it on your smiling face,

Truly you were a God’s child!

You touched the lives of many,

And always had something worth

To impart to all those who met you.

You were Grace personified while accepting gifts

Your brightened face compensated for

All the troubles I had in selecting them for you.

You never complained they were not up to your liking,

Because you could sense the feelings behind!

I am thankful to God for giving me

So many wonderful years

Of togetherness with you

I am thankful to God for never

Bringing materialistic thoughts and things

Into our relationship

I am thankful to God for giving us

Opportunities and the mindset to enrich

Each other’s lives in so many ways

I’m sure you are waiting to welcome me

To join you in Eternal Bliss

If we have to take earthly forms again,

It is my prayer to the Almighty,

To make us sisters again!

-----------------------

Mind vs body

A tree cannot come into being

Without a seed that sprouted long ago

Nothing can manifest in the body

Without a seed that was implanted in the mind!

Breathe in love

Breathe through the nose,

To keep the body alive.

Breathe through the skin,

To keep the world alive.

Breathe in love,

Breathe out love,

And watch the world around

Transform into a dreamland!

Just enjoy

Worry about whether the Sun

Will rise tomorrow?

Just enjoy the light,

And heat of Sun light.

Worry about what tomorrow

Holds for you?

Just enjoy

The gifts of today!

Clear your eyes

You come into this world

With a bunch of diamonds around.

As you grow, those precious stones

Look like coal when viewed

Through anger, jealousy and hatred.

Clear your eyes, enjoy the beauty

And soak in the peace

Before you leave this-

Short stint called Life.

Lightning of reality

Her eyes shone bright

With the love that came from the heart,

Which was a pool of trust and faith.

When the lightning of reality struck,

She was blinded,

And the connections from the heart

Were burned.

How many births will it take,

To regenerate those connections,

And make those eyes,

Deep pools of love again?

Expectation

While walking through the maze of time,

I left you in pursuit of new experiences

Expecting to find you

Exactly where you stood,

Little realizing that not even a rock

Is static over a period of time!

Listen to the silence

With the rising Sun comes

The messages for each day

But we are lost in the world –

Of language, to get those messages

Go beyond the land of words,

Listen to the silence and..

Live in tune with the Divine Laws

To enjoy the peaceful Bliss!

Business, unlimited

Our ancestors made the caste system based on the occupation. Business community was supposed to earn a living by doing trades and owning shops.

Entry of multilevel marketing has changed all that. Anyone can become a businessperson now. People trying to rope in others into multilevel marketing have become the greatest threat to peaceful living these days. ‘You have been a loyal customer to the shop for long, what has he given you? ,‘they ask. It shows that ‘What is in it for me?’ syndrome has taken firm roots in our minds.

‘This is a good business opportunity. You don’t need infrastructure, no office hours, no great investment when compared to the return you will be getting’

Sounds great. What am I to do to get the returns in five or six digit figures? ‘You just have to spend half an hour everyday. That too, in the initial stages, we will come to help you, till you gain confidence.’

The illusion vanished when they took away thrice that much of time period from my busy schedule.’ You have all the time in the world to spend with your near and dear ones. This NASA scientist, after five years of his profession, realized he wasn’t getting enough time with his wife. Then he joined this venture, and finally he left his job at NASA. He is now totally into this business.’

I was horrified to hear that. ‘What about his professional satisfaction?’ And spending time with family is a mind set. Those who want to do that will find time in spite of their busy schedule.

‘Don’t you like to have all the good things in life? Toiling from morning to evening, how much can you earn? Just by spending half an hour daily, doesn’t this figure look attractive to you?’

I remembered my good old uncle’s advice years ago. He had asked my plans after finishing post graduation. ‘I’ll go abroad and earn a lot of money.’

‘Always remember one thing. Whatever comes too fast, will vanish also in no time. When a tree grows its roots deep down, taking its own time, it can withstand the storms. Take time grow in your profession. Returns will come by themselves.’

But that dictum is outdated for today’s generation, who want all goodies in life at the blink of an eye. When everybody is out there to get rich overnight, why should I be left behind?

‘From where will the money come to me?’ A bit of analysis showed me that the business venture means, when a customer buys the soap solution or any other product, I get my cut. Once the returns start coming, I’ll taste blood and will start netting more and more people in to keep on getting more and more cuts. I will have to forget about my Sundays because that is when I can go and convince my professional friends to get into the ‘business venture’. Because it will be easier to convince one’s friends than a total stranger.

And to make sure they won’t escape from my business talk, I will have to barge in without prior appointments. If I want to avoid that, I can just hand over their addresses. My partners in the business will go and meet them. But would I like to subject them to the torture, for just being my friends?

The calling bell is ringing…. I open to see a close friend, seeing after a long time. My face lights up in joy, when I hear,’ I have come to announce a great business opportunity. The investment is…..’

Oh God! Not again….

Tissue culture

The title has got nothing to do with the laboratory tissue culture, but it concerns the use of toilet tissues. While visiting the Heidelberg castle in Germany, the guide explained that in olden days when toilet paper was not available, poor people used straw to do the work while the elite class used soft ferns.

Coming from a country where we use water to clean after answering the nature’s calls, I was finding reasons why water was not used there. May be in cold season it was difficult, or may be there was water shortage. But what about the habit being continued in the temperature controlled modern apartments, with adequate water supply? It is even more interesting to see NRIs in America taking to this habit.

Being a dentist, I was fascinated to see the importance given to a project work by an American school girl on tooth brushes. She established that simply washing and drying the tooth brushes don’t clean them thoroughly and recommended disinfecting them by other means. I was fascinated to think that for one end of the alimentary canal they are advocating disinfection of tooth brushes, without having any idea how many millions of bacteria may be teeming at the other end, in their undergarments because the cleaning has been done only by a tissue wipe!

When I saw a toddler wincing while being wiped with a toilet tissue and again wrapped up in a diaper (diaper is on 24 hours a day), I really felt sorry for the tiny tot. But then he was being dabbed with all sorts of creams to keep the skin smooth and fragrant. Curiosity got over me to think what all creams ladies may be applying to keep off the smell of blood during their menstrual cycle. Also, I couldn’t help musing; do they use water to clean at least before their most intimate moments, especially before the auxiliary methods?

Finally, we can’t ignore the ecological aspect. Thousands of trees are felled every year to manufacture those tons of toilet papers. The garbage generated is also in gigantic proportions. Usage of water involves neither of these problems.

Newton’s Law

It was the medical jargon behind me that attracted my attention during my wait at the air port. After a while I looked back, to see a man instructing a group. When he finished and went off, I struck a conversation with one of them. Yes, they were a group of medical doctors, being taken for a tour of Singapore and Malaysia. What was interesting was that they were all medical practitioners from different remote villages.

Were they going for some medical conference? No, it was a pleasure trip. How did they all come together? And how come this sudden interest in foreign pleasure trip?

The information I got shook me to the inner core. A drug company arranged free foreign trip for doctors who completed a certain quota of medical prescriptions. In their eagerness to finish the quota, these doctors prescribed the medicines left and right.

If the patient is having an infection, at least two strong antibiotics are prescribed, with a justification that ‘at least one of them will act and bring immediate relief’.

When the patient’s condition is such that he doesn’t require medication, a minimum of two vitamins and a tonic are prescribed, ’to increase the immunity’. Am I justified in complaining when I know the psychology of many a patient? They want immediate relief from any sort of problem. They don’t want to listen to the fact that strong medications have strong side effects and that the body itself is capable of correcting many a disorder, given a little rest and time.

This patient psychology is conducive to the over prescription by doctors. Apart from financing foreign trips, there are many lucrative offers to the doctors who can push the medicines ruthlessly. They arrange for interior decorations of the doctor’s cabin, provide plush sofa sets for the waiting room, and pay for the conferences.

Until recently, doctors were considered no less than Gods by the patients who approached them. My heart grieved over the fact that they have surely fallen down from that pedestal. But then, how can doctors be different from the society? Their behavior can be explained by Newton’s law, ‘Every action has an equal and opposite reaction’.

We may feel angry on hearing about an unnecessary appendicectomy of a five year old kid of an income tax officer, by a junior doctor, just to gain surgical experience. But we may be forced to believe that it is just a manifestation of Newton’s law when the fact is known that this officer had harassed another doctor, by passing unjust orders against him because the officer was in a hurry to finish his work and didn’t study the case properly.

Word Power

The unique feature that is the legacy of man is his ability to communicate through words. Majority of our waking time is spent in using words for communication. But you can bet that very few recognize the tremendous power that a spoken word carries.

In this age of growing technology, even a child knows that when you type a word into the computer, it can perform a variety of functions. But he is totally ignorant that when he utters those quite often heard words these days 'Oh! Shit', what an effect he is creating in the aura around him!

Our culture has given a lot of importance to the way we communicate. We don't believe in calling everybody by name. Importance is given to relationships. When we call 'Beta', 'Papaji', or 'Bhabhiji', those words carry the love, respect and affection associated with them. If you are not convinced of the power of words, just think of the chain of reactions starting in your body when somebody hurls two simple words 'You fool' at you. Just four words from Draupadi could lead to the great Mahabharata war.

When you call a thief a thief, half of his sin is supposed to be transferred to you. But if you call an honest man a thief, you will acquire two times the sin of a thief. The current tendency is to achieve success in life fast. Nobody is willing to spend years of toil. Everything has to be acquired here, and now. In that pursuit, it is very common to reduce competition by hurling baseless accusations at others.

According to our scriptures, abusing others is equivalent to murdering them. Think of the term 'Character assassination'. There is a story that once Arjuna was about to kill Yudhishtira when the latter swore upon Arjuna's bow, which was very sacred to him. Arjuna had vowed that he would kill anybody who did that.

Lord Krishna intervened and told, 'There is no need to spill blood. Hurl abusive words at Yudhishitra . It is equivalent to killing him.' Arjuna did that. Again he took his weapon. To Krishna's question, he answered that since he had committed the crime of killing his elder brother, he had to face the punishment by taking away his own life.

Again Lord Krishna had the solution. He asked Arjuna to do self-praise, which was equivalent to suicide. In this context, if we look around, it is interesting to see how many people are committing murders and suicides each moment. According to our scriptures, for every sin, there is atonement, except one sin, and that is self -praise.

Self -praise has now become second nature to man. When a tree is laden with fruits, its branches droop down. Man is supposed to take hint from this, that when he acquires knowledge, he should become more humble. But usually it is the opposite. We are surrounded by people who project their self-image in a highly blown up manner through their own words.

When one is determined to attain the ultimate goal, the 'moksha', he has to start his journey by controlling his lower senses. Controlling his taste buds and words are the first exercises. A word that comes out of your mouth is like an arrow that is shot. You cannot take it back and it will do its job. First, you learn the control of stopping those words that are detrimental to your progress in life from being uttered. Remember that at times, 'Silence is golden'. Only when you attain this control can you go to the next step of controlling your thoughts.

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!

Forever energetic

Aren’t we blessed to be in a Land,

Where we are sure to see the Sunshine?

When we go to sleep in the darkness so bland,

Aren’t we sure we’ll wake up to the warmth,

And brightness in the morning?

The sun that shines so bright and majestic,

Giving us all that’s needed to sustain

this drama of life, Have you ever sensed,

The sun complaining of tiredness?

With the food that the Mother earth gives,

And the life energy from the sun,

Do you think we need anything else,

To put to good use this body machine of ours?

It is time to remove the word ‘Fatigue’

From the dictionary of our lives

Know that it is but a state of mind.

We are forever connected

To the source of energy eternal,

All that we need is to keep ourselves open!!

Your body and you

If there is one basic thing for a stable life, it is the awareness that your body is not you. Lot of pain related to attachments immediately gets eliminated. Body is just like a dress that is used for sometime and thrown away when torn or faded. It is an instrument to experience the illusion of life and to learn the cosmic lessons to purify the spirit.

When we realize from our inner core that the body is not us, the undue important given to the relations crumbles down. One who is your mother now may have been your brother in the previous birth and in the next birth she/ he may be your friend or enemy depending on how you end up your relationship in this birth.

This being the case, where is the necessity for undue sorrow when somebody leaves for the heavenly abode? Understand the cosmic drama and enact your role to the fullest capacity and enjoy all that the nature has provided. And most importantly, let others also enjoy!!

Into those unknown terrains

When we are young and fresh,

Bubbling with ideas for the future,

How strong are our dreams that

We can change the world!

But as we face obstacles

At each step we try to fly high,

Our optimism starts declining,

And we tend to lose Hope!

Change the world we can,

But it may not be in the ways we envisage,

Nature wants us to try new methods,

Follow new paths.

How often we tend to be complacent,

Once used to the familiar surroundings,

Then the destiny gives us a push,

To terrains unknown.

For it is by treading new horizons

That our souls can be enriched,

And learn the lessons of this birth.

So when the destiny pulls the floor

Of familiarity from beneath our feet,

We must offer thanks for the

New direction shown, for there lies the

Path to our goal, which will change

Our future, and that of the world around us too!

Mode of healing

Recently my friend’s father’s medical condition was complicated by jaundice. She asked me desperately, ‘why is it that there is no treatment for jaundice in allopathy? Why aren’t the doctors in USA researching to find a cure?’

For how many medical conditions do we have cure in allopathy? For arthritis? Diabetes? Asthma? Cataract?

The major flaw in allopathy is that it doesn’t take into consideration that ultimately it is the body that can bring about the healing. Of course allopathy is great to take care of emergency situations, but we have to agree that it doesn’t cure majority of the ailments. What it does is the symptomatic treatment OR alleviation of the symptoms.

By masking the symptoms, it delays or stops the body from bringing about the healing. When the body has brought about the disease, we should know that it IS capable of reversing the situation too. But allopathy shouts from the roof top that once you are a diabetic (or with so many other problems), you have to live with it for the rest of your life. Even if somebody wants to believe that the body has the capacity to heal, he is not allowed to do so because of the powerful anti messages from all around, from his friends, physicians and media.

Majority of the diseases are due to faulty food habits. Recently I read, ‘Stop eating for the doctors’, which means your faulty eating is sure to bring ailments, for which you have to go to the doctor and it is beneficial for him. So, you are eating this way for the benefit of the doctors!!

Power and responsibility go hand in hand

Everybody wants to be in power, whether it is at home, in the workplace or in the world at large. There is nothing wrong in attaining a position of power. But what is most often overlooked is the responsibility that should be accompanying the power.

For example, the head of the family has to shoulder the responsibility to provide shelter, food and safety for the members. Head of an Institution should manage the team of his workers in an amicable way and make sure the workplace is conducive to maximum output of work. A social figure has the maximum responsibility because there are millions out there, including children and teenagers, who are the country's future, looking up to them and waiting to emulate their actions.

But how many of our social icons remember this when they appear in commercials? It is a known fact that aerated soft drinks are bad for health, but don’t you see how they are being promoted? Watching them, even tiny tots are getting aerated drinks when their mothers fill it in their feeding bottles. Who do you think will have to pay for this social erosion? Every body needs to make money for a living, but when one adapts this type of means, it is going to reflect in the lives of those who do such things and their near and dear ones.

Raw food can work wonders for your body and mind

This body of ours is programmed to work faultlessly for hundred odd years. But we treat it so shabbily that it starts breaking down. If we treat our car the way we do our bodies, it has to remain in the garage most of the time.

As we age, the requirement of the food start reducing. Also, too much cooking and processing of the food accumulates poison in the body, especially in the muscles and joints. That is why arthritis is a very common problem. If the fried items are completely eliminated from the food of an arthritic person, within a week he/she will start getting relief.

Raw/uncooked food helps in rejuvenating the body.

You can take advantage by eating at least one time of the day only raw foods. If it happens to be dinner, even your sleep will be peaceful. If you can’t make it completely uncooked food, see to it that the cooked food constitutes only one third. Let the remaining be fruits and salads.

And did you know that alcohol affects the thinking pattern of a person? Alcohol hastens the irrational thinking pattern and aging process. Drink lots of water and see the skin start to sparkle!

Spread your fragrance anyway

When I opened up the curtains
Before the Sun came up over the hills,
Sweet smell of the jasmine wafted through the air,
And greeted me with the best ‘good morning’

I could ever get.

The frail little jasmine plant that was put
In the yard months ago, had to undergo
A lot of tribulations that will put
A complaining jack to shame.

When it was just starting to grow,
Got crushed under the feet of a cow
Without a murmur of protest it started
Picking up life again by putting forth
Tender leaves so beautiful!

The street urchin thought nothing
Of beheading my beloved plant,
Did my tears of agony
Cause you grow back so fast?

When the tiny blushing buds
Were about to bloom,
Came the neighbor’s child on his bike
And trampled my jasmine plant!

Now at last the buds have bloomed,
Spreading the divine fragrance
We think plants are lowly creatures,
But are they really?

Whatever the circumstances,
They always try to give to the world around
Unlike man, who is on the lookout
To amass things for himself,
Whether he needs it or not!

Eating for Health

If you know that your thought waves are created
From the food you eat, you’ll be careful
Of the things you put into your mouth.

Treat your body as a machine or a temple
Of your soul, if you treat it like a machine,
Remember, you won’t put petrol in a car
With a full tank.
Then why over pack your stomach
When it is screaming,’ I’m full?’

If the body is your temple,
Eating becomes like a puja,
Consuming satwik food with
A mind filled with gratitude
Purifies your soul and spreads
Peace all around.

At this very moment, somebody is dying,
At some part of the world,
From lack of food, then how can
You eat beyond your needs?

You may eat to live OR
Live to eat.
Eating to live will see you healthy
And happy till your last day.
While living to eat is the sure
Way of digging the grave with your teeth!

Open up the dream world

The greatest truth one has to understand in life is that the macrocosm and the microcosm are one ad the same. Till you understand this, there will be strife in life. Ultimate peace cannot be experienced before this truth sinks into your being.

If you behave one way in your home, treat things differently outside, you cannot have access to the boundless prosperity that is just hovering around you. For example, you use your electric kettle at home very carefully and use it roughly at the office; you will be blocking the nature’s gifts that are due to you.

Handle everything with respect, thank nature for whatever you get to enjoy in life and see how a dream world unfolds before you!

Keep up the Trust

When somebody places a trust in you, 

Don’t you think that we should keep it up? 

Or for what else has God made us the 

Most intelligent beings on earth? 

One time you break somebody’s trust, 

You are pushing a sword into his heart, 

There may be a chance the bleeding heart 

Eventually heals up. 

But you keep breaking the Trust again & again, 

You are burning his soul. 

Have you seen a body with third degree burns, 

Looking normal again even after 

Multiple surgeries by the best Plastic surgeons? 

Just like the body is scarred for life, 

Remember, you are scarring his soul for a lifetime. 

In your deathbed, what you remember will be 

The dreams, the hopes and the love you shared with others. 

So keep up the trust the loved ones put in you 

It is worth all the efforts!! 

Anger is a double-edged sword

Anger is a wasting emotion, just like guilt. You get angry because you don’t like something a person has done or something that is happening around you. The moment the waves of anger surround your aura, you repel the solution for the problem, which may be just hovering around you.

It is another thing whether your anger makes any difference to the person against whom you are angry. But it will definitely make undesirable changes in your body. This will lead to tightening of DNA coils of each and every cell of your body and cause physical disease and mental agony.

Next time when you get angry, take five deep breaths and think coolly what can be the probable solution for the problem at hand. And you will be surprised at what a speed you arrive at the solution!

Think beyond the body

In a day of 24 hours, how much time do we spend to do things concerning food? Do you think we are just these physical bodies? Are you a body with a soul or a soul with a body? This point needs to be thought about during our lives. Otherwise nature will force you to think by bringing you to such a point of events. Intelligent ones are those who do without having to encounter catastrophic events in life.

Animals do eating, breathing, and procreation too. What do you think is the difference between animals and human beings? We have been bestowed with the power of discrimination, and the power of choice of action. If we don’t utilize these faculties, we are just living like animals.

We do so many things for the upkeep of our body. From today, make a pledge to do something for the healthy upkeep of your mind and soul as well. You have to just make the decision and then watch how the Nature keeps guiding you. When you enter a dark room suddenly, you can’t see anything clearly. But as your eyes adjust, things start revealing itself. Same way, once you make this decision in life, unbelievable things will start revealing themselves in your ordinary day-to-day life.

Hold onto your goodness

Next time when somebody irritates or shows his anger towards you, hold on a second before you start reacting in the same fashion. Take five deep breaths and look at his face. Keeping your glance at his face, relax your facial muscles, especially the eye muscles. You will be in for a surprise. You will see the actual mental status of the person written all over his face.

It may be loneliness, depression or sadness. He is trying to overcome that by throwing his tantrum at you. So, instead of retorting, bring out the goodness in you. Respond in a calm and matter of fact way. Or just flash an understanding smile.

When he/she is behaving nastily, if you stoop down to that level, you have let him/her win. DonÂ’t let anything make you lose your goodness, hold onto it!

Next time when somebody irritates or shows his anger towards you, hold on a second before you start reacting in the same fashion. Take five deep breaths and look at his face. Keeping your glance at his face, relax your facial muscles, especially the eye muscles. You will be in for a surprise. You will see the actual mental status of the person written all over his face.

It may be loneliness, depression or sadness. He is trying to overcome that by throwing his tantrum at you. So, instead of retorting, bring out the goodness in you. Respond in a calm and matter of fact way. Or just flash an understanding smile.

When he/she is behaving nastily, if you stoop down to that level, you have let him/her win. Don’t let anything make you lose your goodness, hold onto it!

Enact your role, don’t identify with it

If you are acting in a drama or a movie, once you finish your performance, you come to your normal self. This world is a stage and we are all performing our varied roles. It is  along path. The sad aspect is that we identify with the role so much that we never come back to our real selves.

See for example people writing ‘Ex- minister’ or ‘Ex- Principal’. They are not ready to leave the past behind. What are you at this very moment? Are you a good human being? Are you helping anybody in any way, at least by giving a beautiful smile?

When you started our life, you were somebody’s son or daughter and that was the primary role you had to do. Later more roles will be adding on to this and they have to be performed. But all the while you have to introspect and try to find out who the real you are.

When finally your children go away and you retire from your job, you get more time to be in touch with your real self and experience the joy and peace within. This is possible only if you have been doing the introspection during the early years. Those who have not been doing this, well, God save them. You can very well identify these people; they will be full of complaints and finding fault with everything and everyone around them.

Make your tomorrows beautiful.

If we boil down all religions and sieve the remaining potion, what will remain? The ‘Cause and effect’! The whole creation runs on this universal law. If only we understand this and consider it seriously, life will become happier and peaceful.

Whatever we are experiencing right now, is because of our past actions or thoughts. If this realization sinks into our being, we will know that our tomorrows can be made better by today’s actions and thoughts.

Stop for a moment and find out what is the thought in your mind, or what is the action you are doing. What do you think will be its implication to your future? The effect of the causes you are creating will definitely materialize. It is only a matter of time, which we can’t predict.

So, be in complete awareness all the time and enjoy beautiful tomorrows!

Finding the solution

The problems in life that hold us down, delay our progress, have not originated in a day or two. It has been amalgamating over a period of time, through our own doing, or lack of doing.

If we take half an hour to walk down a certain distance, how much time do you think we will need to get back to the starting point? It will take the same amount of time, unless a friend happens to drive past and he decides to give you a lift.

Similarly, the time to find solution for a particular problem will take about the same time that you have taken to create it. But once you start searching for the solution earnestly, the Nature goes all out to give you that lift to take you to your goal in a jiffy!