SERENITY

Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*~*~*~* December 2, 2025 SERENITY Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, … TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 106 As I continued to go to meetings and work the Steps, something began to happen to me. I felt confused because I wasn’t sure what it was that I was feeling, and then I realized I was experiencing serenity. It was a good feeling, but where had it come from? Then I realized it had come “. . .as the result of these steps.” The program may not always be easy to practice, but I had to acknowledge that my serenity had come to me after working the Steps. As I work the Steps in everything I do, practicing these principles in all my affairs, now I find that I am awake to God, to others, and to myself. The spiritual awakening, I have enjoyed as the result of working the Steps is the awareness that I am no longer alone.

Who is greater, Vishnu, Shiv, or Bramha?

Who is greater, Vishnu, Shiv, or Bramha? Well, if we go by Mahabharata all these three deities are said to be the same and there is no difference between them. But according to Vedas, it is only Sri Rudra who is superior to Sri Vishnu and Brahma Ji. The Shiva Sankalpa Suktam clearly state it. Vedas always will have more authority than Itihasa and Puranas. Hence Vedas clearly state that Sri Rudra is superior to Sri Vishnu and Hiranyagarbha. Sri Rudra is also said to have none equal to him (TS 1.8.6.2). परा᳚त् परत॑रो ब्र॒ह्मा॒ त॒त्परा᳚त् पर॒तो ह॑रिः । त॒त्परा᳚त् पर॑तो ऽधी॒श॒स्तन्मे॒ मनः॑ शि॒वस॑ङ्क॒ल्पम॑स्तु ॥ 18 Greater than the great is Brahma, greater than the great Brahma is Vishnu. Greater than the greater Vishnu is Isha (Shiva). May my thoughts be filled with Shiva. - Rig Veda Khila, Shiva Sankalpa Suktam, 18th Mantra. Regarding the authenticity of Sri Shiva Sankalpa Suktam:

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

You know what repenting is? This is what it is: "Oh! You made a mistake! Repent!" Repenting is not the right attitude. Instead, Prayaschitta - "I have to make little corrections. A little correction needs to be done." Now, how do you correct? You say, "Okay, let me sit and do more meditation," or “Let me watch my food, go on a liquid diet, and fast for a day or two." Hmm? All this changes the chemistry in the system. Your action is only a projection of the system. Just correcting an action, cannot correct you! You have to correct the system - the nature in the system. How does one do this? Sing! Sit and sing! Sing some bhajans! Do some meditation! Do the pranayamas! All these are called "tapas" "Tap" means heating; "tapas" really means toasting! Turning the fire on! Fire purifies! There is no greater tapas than the pranayamas! The pranayamas burn out all the unwanted things in the system. They bring a balance amongst the gunas and they raise the level of sattva.

Kindness Pays

INDNESS PAYS........ One stormy night an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia, USA trying to get out of the rain. They approached the front desk in order to get some shelter for the night. “Could you possibly give us a room here?” – the husband asked. The clerk gave a broad smile , looked at the couple and explained that it was unfortunate that there were three simultaneous conventions in town. “All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said. “ But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.” When the couple declined, the young man insisted . “Don’t worry about me, I shall be fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man appreciated the kindness of the clerk and said to the clerk, “You deserve to be the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in town. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed an exceptional manager. Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with imposing elevation and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky. “That,” said the older man, “is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.” “You must be joking.” – the young man said. “I can assure you I am not.” – said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth. The older man’s name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw that a single act of kindness would catapult him to become manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels. Be kind to everybody. It will enrich you multi fold in the long run. One stormy night an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia, USA trying to get out of the rain. They approached the front desk in order to get some shelter for the night. “Could you possibly give us a room here?” – the husband asked. The clerk gave a broad smile , looked at the couple and explained that it was unfortunate that there were three simultaneous conventions in town. “All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said. “ But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.” When the couple declined, the young man insisted . “Don’t worry about me, I shall be fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man appreciated the kindness of the clerk and said to the clerk, “You deserve to be the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in town. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed an exceptional manager. Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with imposing elevation and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky. “That,” said the older man, “is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.” “You must be joking.” – the young man said. “I can assure you I am not.” – said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth. The older man’s name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw that a single act of kindness would catapult him to become manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels. Be kind to everybody. It will enrich you multi fold in the long run.

Why didn't Kansha (Krisna's uncle) simply keep Vasudeva and Devaki separate

Why didn't Kansha (Krisna's uncle) simply keep Vasudeva and Devaki separate so that they could not stay together and thus no child would be born? There are 5 reasons. Reason 1: Kansa wanted to prove Aakashvani, that said Devaki's 8th son will kill him, was wrong. So he kept Devaki and Vasudeva in the same prison cell. Reason 2: Kansa thought it is easy to kill the 8th son on the day he is born. He totally underestimated Lord Vishnu. Reason 3: Kansa thought once the 8th son is dead, he can live rest of his life with a peace of mind. No wonder why he killed the first 6 kids of Devaki. Reason 4: Separating Vasudeva and Devaki would send a message among common people that Kansa is scared of a kid that is not even born. Ego issues, you know. Reason 5: If Kansa separated Devaki and Vasudeva, then Devaki would not become pregnant in the first place. And there would be no 8th son. This would prove Aakashvani wrong. And Aakashvani is never wrong. In short, destiny found its way.

FOOL’S GOLD

Good Morning!!! FOOL’S GOLD Around the Year with Emmet Fox November 28 In mining country, one comes across a valueless substance that is so like gold ore that inexperienced people cannot always tell the difference. This is called Fool’s Gold, and many a young prospector has wasted much time and hard work before discovering that he has been deceived by the spurious article. Old timers used to say to the tenderfoot: “When you think you have found gold you probably have not; but when you do find it, you will know it for certain.” So, it is with the prospectors on the mountain range that we call life. There are many kinds of fools’ gold to be found, but when you meet the genuine article you will have no doubt in your mind. The true gold will give you a sense of peace and poise, a sense of freedom and power because you will no longer be in bondage to passing material things. It will set you free from much of the tyranny of time and space beliefs. The true gold is that sense of the Presence of God with us, to obtain which is the object of this life. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” James 1:17

*Dangers of flying into Volcanic Ash*

*Dangers of flying into Volcanic Ash* On the night of June 24, 1982, British Airways Flight 9 floated high above the Indian Ocean. A Boeing 747 carrying 263 passengers, gliding peacefully through clear skies. The world below was silent and dark, and inside the cabin, most people were asleep. In the cockpit, Captain Eric Moody and his crew enjoyed a calm, uneventful flight. Then something strange began to happen. A soft blue glow appeared on the edges of the cockpit windows. At first it looked like harmless static, almost beautiful. St Elmos fire, they thought. But then the glow grew brighter, crawling across the glass like electric fingers. Out on the wings, shimmering sparks trailed behind the aircraft as if the giant jet had dipped its wings in fire. The crew exchanged uneasy glances. They had thousands of hours of flying experience. They had seen storms, turbulence, and unusual weather. But nothing like this. Then the first engine failed. Engine four wound down with a low, sickening sound. Before they could react, engine two followed. Then engine one. Then engine three. In less than ninety seconds, every engine on the 747 shut down. The aircraft became a silent glider, falling through the night from thirty seven thousand feet. In the cabin, passengers watched sparks dance outside the windows. Oxygen masks dropped. Smoke filled the aisles. The calm night had turned into a nightmare. Some people cried. Some prayed. Some wrote final messages to their loved ones. Then the intercom crackled. Captain Moody spoke with the calmness of someone announcing turbulence. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our best to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.” A small problem. All four engines gone. Seven miles above the ocean. It was more than calmness. It was quiet, steady leadership when panic could have taken over. Meanwhile, in the cockpit, chaos and determination mixed together. The co pilot’s oxygen mask broke, leaving him gasping for air. Moody descended quickly, trading altitude for breathable air to save his colleague. The flight engineer scrambled through engine restart procedures, while the first officer tried to coordinate with Jakarta control. They attempted to restart the engines again and again. Nothing happened. The aircraft continued to fall. Fifteen thousand feet. Fourteen. Thirteen. Somewhere below lay the mountains of Java, invisible in the darkness. Just when hope felt thin, engine four coughed. Then roared back to life. Moments later engine three restarted. Then engine one. Then engine two. After thirteen minutes of silence, every engine was alive again. Relief filled the cockpit, but the danger was far from over. When the crew looked through the windscreen, they saw nothing. The glass had been sandblasted to a cloudy white. They were almost flying blind. They used side windows for glimpses, trusted their instruments, and relied on the calm voices from Jakarta approach control to guide them. And somehow, unbelievably, Captain Moody brought the wounded aircraft down safely at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. Not a single life was lost. All 263 passengers and crew walked away. Only after landing did they learn the truth. They had flown straight into a massive volcanic ash cloud from Mount Galunggung. The ash was not visible on radar. At night it blended into the sky. When the engines inhaled it, the tiny particles melted, stuck to the hot engine parts like molten glass, and choked the engines. When the aircraft descended into cooler air, the melted ash hardened and broke off, allowing the engines to breathe again. It was luck. But it was also skill. The skill kept them alive long enough for the luck to matter. Flight 9 changed aviation forever. From that night onward, the aviation world created real time volcanic ash warnings, new air routes, global monitoring systems, and new training for ash encounters. What happened to Moody and his crew became a lesson for every pilot who would ever fly through the night sky. Captain Eric Moody continued flying for British Airways for many years. He is remembered for his steady hands, his calm voice, and that famous line that has been quoted around the world. “We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped.” It was the understatement of a lifetime. And it saved hundreds of lives. The story of Flight 9 teaches something deeper. The impossible can happen. Calmness saves lives. Persistence matters. If the crew had given up after their fourteenth restart attempt, the aircraft would never have made it. But they tried again. And on that fifteenth try, the engines came back. British Airways Flight 9 became the night the sky went dark but human courage shone brighter than anything outside the aircraft windows. It is a reminder for all of us that even when every engine in life seems to fail, you keep trying. You stay calm. You do not quit. Because sometimes, the final attempt is the one that brings you safely home. Credit: WW&F