Waves of Beauty - Non Duality

1983 , was a landmark year ,when the Indian cricket team won the Prudential  World Cup under the stewardship of Kapil Dev . India, Indians and the Indian cricket team became one as victors. This symbolized non duality. The same year, set against the pristine Himalayas , the classic Sanskrit film Adi Shankara was awarded the best film, screenplay, cinematography and audiography at the national level.

Who was Shankara? He is considered as Lord Shiva by many; rock solid in logic and certitude and standing as tall as the Himalayas. Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru wrote,  ” In his brief life of thirty two years, he did the work of many long lives and left such an impress of his powerful mind and rich personality on India that it is there in evidence today”.

Can a monk perform the last rites of his departed mother in the 21^st century India harried by questions of tolerance and intolerance?  The answer may be unutterable and ineffable to many .But this is what the Sanyasin had done way back in 9^th century AD. He truly was a mutineer against the established order.

Born to Aryamba and Sivaguru at Kalady in 788 AD, Shankara cast his mortal self at Kedarnath in 820 AD. He was mentored and by Govinda Bhagvatpada.

Aryanism/Brahmanism or Hinduism prior to Shankara had dwindled in its space and sphere of influence on account of its orthodoxy and dogmatic approach; consequently there emerged as many as 62 heterodox sects. Prominent among them were the Charavaka philosophy, Tantra and the astonishing growth of Buddhism and Jainism.

However with passage of time, Buddhism which ushered in a platform of change to the seekers became elitist and secluded in nature, mirroring the fallacious practices of orthodox Hinduism, it too   was also on the wane. The death knell was inflicted by Shankara through his philosophy and doctrine of Advaita (non–duality). His commentaries were spellbinding and demoralized Buddhist scholars.

Shankaracharya composed devotional hymns eulogizing Shiva, Vishnu and the Divine mother. Advaita (non-duality) was constructed on texts like Upanishads and Bhagvad Gita. Burnished with this repository of knowledge he debated extensively with the scholars of Mimamsa and Acharyas of Buddhism.

Shankaracharya articulated effectively that Buddhist metaphysics were an imitation of the ancient Santana Dharma and appertained the Maya of Buddhism into the fold of Vedanta and the Vedic traditions of Hinduism. Some of his critics called him Prachanna Buddha or the camouflaged Buddhist. But they fail to recognize that he infused fresh blood in the moribund Hinduism and resurrected the ancient texts and revved up the religion through his astute scholarship.

His path breaking work “Saundarya Lahiri” (Waves of Beauty) purged the objectionable features of Tantric worship of Devi which had crept into the propitiation of the Mother Goddess.

Non duality amplifies that the universe and all its multiplicity are ultimately the expressions or appearance of one essential reality.

 

 

His concept of monism made the Brahman the absolute reality. This metaphysical exposition was to be the cornerstone of his argument. The individual soul in the ultimate analysis merges with the absolute soul. This could be achieved through only Jnanayoga . This proposition was not priestly or canonical.  The seeker was not separate from the creator.

Shankaracharya however did not condone the caste system, he was really ahead of his times by accepting in principle that any individual irrespective of his caste could attain the pinnacle of knowledge that could lead to the liberation of the soul.

He batted deftly by being a realist. The renegades of Hinduism were brought back into the fold of the religion.

He was a voyager and travelled India extensively establishing four Maths (fountainheads of knowledge) . These were established at Shringeri in Karnataka, Dwaraka in Gujarat, Puri in Odissa and Badrinath in Uttarakhand.

One is bewildered at the farsightedness of Shankaracharya. He connected the four corners of the country.  Seeds of Incredible India! were sown with extraordinary precision. In fact the concepts of pilgrimages and even tourism were laid. Pt Nehru writes,” Whatever the religious significances of these pilgrimages in the minds of the people might have been, they were looked upon also, as they are today, as a holiday time and opportunities for merry-making and seeing different parts of the country”.

Shankaracharya multitasked as teacher, philosopher, reformer and also a synthesizer. Most importantly he was an inquirer! He was an existential who tried to understand the nature of human mind through ontology. Thus he can also be called a psychologist.

Change is inevitable and evolution of thought process continues. Over a period of time Vaishnava saints gained in prominence. Prominent among them were Madhvacharya and Ramunajacharya.

The philosophies of Dwaita and Vishishitadwaita  (dualism) struck roots in the country and  challenged the tenets of monism as propounded by Shankaracharya.

The proponents of duality distinguished Atman from the self. There is separation between  Man and Nature. It is also stretched further as the essential difference between mind and matter, mind and body.

It is largely conceded  that the  esoteric Hindu philosophy has been simplified by the contribution of  Adwaita , Dwaita and Vishishitadwaita .

HUMANITY AT ODDS WITH ENVIRONMENT

 A red alert is sounded in Beijing, and through the barrel of the gun and stringent measures adopted, noxious toxins drop by a whopping 30% in a matter of a week; while Delhi struggles with its odd and even policy to address pollutions levels. Poor school children have been deputed to undertake environmental policing.

We are part of an ecosystem. It includes animate and inanimate objects and natural forces. The living things provide conditions for development and growth as well as danger and damage.

Paris was burning from within and without, yet managed to adopt a resolution inked by 195 countries to reduce global temperature by 2 degrees Celsius. This conference was an improvement over the Copenhagen Summit held in 2009, but diluted the Kyoto protocol of equity of 1997.

 The US and the EU have contributed close to 40% of all the emissions while India accounts for a measly 2.8%. It will be worthwhile to note that to adhere to the target of 2 degrees Celsius, the rough estimate of carbon budget available with the world is 29,000 billion tonnes of which 1,900 has already been emitted.

But environmental protection is beyond mere statistics. We need to revere “Mother Earth”, our planet. Mother Earth personifies nature as a life giving force which sustains and nourishes us. It provides us with the vital “prana”.

“You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have a real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer “writes Thich Nhat Hanh.

Modern day lifestyle based on globalisation, commercialisation and capitalism generate   vast deposits of pollutants. The fuels which we use for our existence like coal, gas, oil, nuclear energy are all impacting the climate.

There have been as many as 99 nuclear accidents of which 57% have taken place in the US alone while we are aware only about Fukushima (2011) and Chernobyl (1986).  

Man’s avarice and his rapacious attitude have virtually destroyed our ecosystem. Of the 44,838 species on the planet, 905 are extinct and 16,928 are endangered. As vultures are slowly becoming extinct, the Parsi community face serious problems in disposing off their dead.

The Himalayas, cradle of both Hinduism and Buddhism, houses 9 of the ten top peaks in the world including Mount Everest   and is  a source of major Asian rivers which regulate our climate face melting,  with denudation of flora and fauna, construction of dams,  and criminal network operating to poach wildlife. The Haridwar Dam constructed by the British in 1854 has diminished the water flow and the Kotli-Bhel Dam at Devaprayag has denuded 1200 hectares of forests, wiping out aquatic and wildlife. Such carnage results in earthquakes like the ones in Kedarnath.

Samuel Johnson wrote,” Road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  I am not a Luddite, but obviously this model of economic development is not for public good and has negative externalities attached to it.

 The river Ganges provides water to 40% of our population. It runs across 29 cities of the country where in we are pumping human and industrial waste. Several religious festivals and rites also compound the problem. Effluents from tannery industries, chemical plants, textile mills, slaughter houses and hospitals are polluting and desalinating the river. Operation cleaning of Ganga began in 1986 and we continue to clean it without any tangible results.

Al Gore a pioneer in Climate Change says,” Today we’re dumping 70 million tonnes of global warming into the environment and tomorrow we will dump more, and there is no effective worldwide response. Until we start sharply reducing global warming pollutants, I will feel that I have failed.”

We cannot rely only on big ticket environmental reforms by governments alone. Individuals need to take small steps which would yield positive results. To save energy we can opt for co-housing,  carpooling, the Gandhian model of co-operative economic development, reduce our wants, clean our environs by constructing toilets and contributing to the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, improve hygiene, setting up of  bird feeds and help to  keep the bio diversity intact. Let us be clear in our minds that we will not have a society to live in if we destroy our environment.

Noted physicist, Stephen Hawking while  acknowledging the acute problem of  widespread pollution writes,” Human race will not survive next thousand years, unless we spread into space.”

OVERCOME ADDICTIONS THROUGH SUDARSHAN KRIYA

OVERCOME  ADDICTIONS  THROUGH  SUDARSHAN KRIYA

Harilal Gandhi  was addicted to alcohol . He tried in vain to   give  up drinking  but could never kick the habit  and  eventually succumbed to the lethal disease called alcoholism . He also used to smoke . Gandhiji's son  also committed adultery. and for a brief while was converted to Islam  and was known as Abdullah Gandhi , much to the chagrin of his illustrious parents.

" I   had very little opportunity to be very close to him,but the little time I spent with him convinced me that he was not a bad  man. I regard him to be  the most intelligent of the four sons of Bapuji. He was very humorous,very generous and very hospitable ; yet he was given to drinking . Why?Who is to be blamed?" writes Saraswati K Gandhi ( Harilal's  daughter-in -law). Perhaps it was the troubled relationship with the Mahatma that  derailed Harilal's life.

Tobacco  and excessive consumption of alcohol  lead to severe  physical and psychological disorders . It has a deleterious and debilitating effect on the human body.  Any  individual can be addicted to sex, substance,food(bulimia) ,cinema, television  or even social media. Such addictions weaken our resolve and diminish our aura. It depletes our physical and mental energy.

Talking of smoking ,  our parliamentarians came up with  outlandish   theories stating that there is inadequate Indian evidence to correlate tobacco and cancer .

WHO estimates that tobacco caused 6.4 million deaths in 2014 and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century. Similarly , the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco as "the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and important cause of premature death worldwide."

Smoking  is a major risk factor for heart attacks,strokes,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) including emphysema and chronic-bronchitis and cancer(particularly lung cancer , cancers of larynx and mouth, and pancreatic cancer).Cigarettes sold in underdeveloped countries tend to have higher tar content , and are less likely to be filtered ,potentially increasing vulnerability to tobacco smoking related diseases in these regions.

Given this grim scenario   how does one quit smoking  and  those addicted to Bacchus give up drinking? .  With my wretched experience with relented  smoking and drinking , I would recommend  the courses of Art Of Living as a palliative for these addictions.

We need to breathe properly  to overcome these vices. The pivot of Art Of Living Courses is the unique breathing technique called the Sudarshan Kriya.

Sudarshan Kriya harmonises the rhythms of the body , emotions and puts them back in tune with the  rhythms of nature. Being in sync , we feel  positive about ourselves ,love flows naturally in all relationships( say  what was lacking between MK Gandhi and Harilal Gandhi). Sudarshan Kriya technique enables us  to skilfully use the breath to change the way we  feel , and start having  a say over our emotions . It reinforces the default rhythm within an individual and negative emotions of discomfort , discontent , unhappiness get purged.

Regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya  , pranayama , yoga and meditation  brings about a 360 degree change in the personality of an addict  or a person who is only looking back in anger .

A  renowned cardiologist from Hyderabad Dr Ramachandra  of Sri Sri Holistic Hospitals   recommends Sudarshan Kriya to all his patients  for quick rehab . Further he opines this breathing technique  is almost like hyperventilation and relaxes an individual  tremendously . Continuous practice puts a person in an auto mode(default mode of the nature).

We  are beset with  almost 50000 thousand thoughts a day . Most of them are negative in nature . Sri Sri Ravi Shankar(founder of Art Of Living ) says breath is like a string and your mind is like a kite . Proper breathing ensures you float  and  not crash land in the journey of our lives.

So let us breathe our problems away.

Meera Bai in Junoon

An article published by E- Magazine of Life Positive

Hema Malini  enacting the role of Meera was in a state of reverie in the motion picture filmed by Gulzar  and similarly  Rajesh Vivek  gyrating like a Yogi  absolutely  mesmerised was in  a state of trance enacting the role of a Sufi in Shyam Benegal’s Junoon. These images are etched and engraved in our minds.

Aslam, my driver at Benguluru too experienced a similar feeling while participating in the advanced mediation course of the Art of Living. He confided, reliving    a similar mystical occurrence, experience at Khwaja Salim Chisthi tomb at Ajmer.

The mystic or the seeker surrenders the self to a deity or a supreme power without any spiritual apprehension or shame, which is beyond any discernment.

Sufism was essentially a faith or an intellectual and emotional reserve where philosophers, authors, poets and mystics sought sanctuary which was free from bigotry. The main branches of the Sufi tree were Chisthi, Suhrawardi, Qadiri,Nqshbandi,, Shattari and Raushaniyah.

“There are two aspects of individual harmony between body and soul, and the harmony between individuals. All the tragedy in the world, in the individual and in the multitude, comes from lack of harmony. And harmony is best given by producing harmony in one’s own life” says Hazrat Inayat Khan .

The strands of history underwent change with the advent of Islam in India. The political history was marked with violence, bloodshed, conquests and proselytization.

Feathers were ruffled at the subterranean level following the conquest by  Islam. of India.The Bhakti and Sufi movement provided the necessary road bridging and harmony among the denizens. Sufism and Bhakti movement brought the potentate and the populace almost on one platform.

Akbar and his great grandson, Darah Shukoh played a decisive role in spreading Sufism in India. While Akbar during his reign played the role of an eclectic and a peace maker, Dara Shukoh   discovered pantheism ( tauhid) in Vedanta . As many as 50 works of Upanishads were translated into the Persian language.

Poet Amir Khusrau , Nizam –ud-din Auliya among others contributed to the growth of Sufism . The tradition of Pir, Murid, and Shaikh mirrored the Guru Shishya Parampara of Hinduism. This reveals the plurality of the prevalent culture.

The Ulema considered Sufis as heretics and iconoclastic. However that did not deter the spirit of inquiry by the Sufis and some among them gave credence to the fact that as the millennium was approaching, the redeemer (Mahdi) would restore the pristine Islamic faith.

Hinduism meanwhile was influenced by conversions to Islam, and  there was resentment against the prevalent orthodoxy of Brahmanism, further  some seekers of the Bhakti movement were inspired by the concept of one God, one text and a single papal authority as in Islam In fact this  is also true of Christianity aswell.

To challenge the rigidity constraining Hinduism, saints like Madhvacharya(  proponent of  Dvaita - dualism) and Ramunajacharya( advocate of  Visishitadvaita ) emerged. They provided a much needed  gateway to the unlettered and also to the Mleccha( untouchable).On account of an earthquake  at  Udipi, the  principle deity( Krishna)  is placed towards  Paschmabhimukha ( western side) and so are the other idols. And this was the only aperture, from which Kanakadasa (belonging to a humble caste) could view the Lord. This has been recorded by Madhavacharya in his treatise Tantrasara Sangraha.

Meanwhile Important saints like MeeraBai, Vallabhacharya, Kabir, TulasiDas, Namdev, Chaitanya Mhaprabhu , Visveswara, Vaishanava Alvars and Shaivite Nayanars emerged and spread the gospel of truth particularly among the lower classes of the society. Reconciling the faith of all denizens became their modus vivendi.

Significantly idol worship as also the nirguna movement flourished in tandem and it was accessible to all castes. This was the biggest benefaction of the Bhakti movement.

The plurality in the Indian thought process can  be further  appreciated from the fact that the couplets of Raidas (a cobbler by profession and belonging to the Nirguna School) find place in Guru Granth Saheb.

The Bhakti movement lead to the renaissance of Hinduism , which lead to the  emancipation of people , contribution to art,  culture, literature, music ,poetry,  translation of Bhagvad Gita,  Ramayana and Mahabharata in vernacular languages. This lead to the magnification of regional languages.

But there were some inherent deficiencies. The movement impacted only the flotsam and jetsam of the society. The opinion makers  remained outside the coverage area. The much desired emancipation of women could not take place. The appalling practice of Sati and Jauhar continued in the country.  The success of any movement depends on the economic development of the people. Economic prosperity was ignored by the movement.  And most importantly the torch bearers did not carry forward the movement with the same  intellectual vigour as their  masters (saints/ philosophers).

Despite all the contradictions, the Bhakti and Sufi movements provided a dynamic voice to Hindu- Muslim unity and an opening for the deprived classes. Thus MeeraBai was not in a state of flux, she was in Junoon with her Krishna.

Overcome Fear

An article published by E- Magazine of Life Positive

Lance Naik Mohan Goswami  posthumously  received the Ashok Chakra  this year  for displaying unparalleled bravery , while tackling terrorists  in the Kupwara sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The award was received by his widow  from the Supreme Commander of our armed forces , the President of India.  It was a poignant moment .

The army personnel had definitely  conquered fear  in pursuit of the ultras . There would have been no trace of fear in him.Our armed forces are trained in such a manner and are blessed with this quality of fearlessness. I recall my friend used to narrate the events at NDA. How the cadets were to jump from a height of 20 feet in the swimming pool.

Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger , pain or harm.

There is a telling passage from The Game Of Thrones by George Martin," Bran thought about it . Can a man still be brave if he's afraid? That is the only time a man can be brave his father told him."

Fear  subsumes us  essentially in four forms. Namely through phobias , feelings, anxiety and emotions.

Phobia is the Greek word for fear . It could be say fear of heights ( acrophobia)  or  say  fear of dogs( cynophobia)  or fear of water ( acrophobia)  or fear of darkness ( acacachluphobia,nyctophobia,lygophobia).The symptoms of phobias include a  racing heart , shortness of breath, discomfiture , embarrassment caused to self and others or in form of discomfiture in chest.Phobias are persistent pathological emotions which are in response towards specific objects or events. It is primarily externalised and can lead to panic attacks.

Fear can also arise from feelings. Feeling is an emotional state of reaction. It is a subjective reaction and is largely explainable. There is a sense of uneasiness and gets released in dreams or in responses. Feelings towards  our loved ones may undergo a change . Feelings are never  a permanent state. We may have a perception that  in a group activity our friends are ignoring us. It could be both veracious or untrue. But our thoughts play a pivotal role in forming opinions and feelings. " Thoughts are shadows of our feelings always darker , empty and simpler" wrote Friedrich Nietzsche. Thoughts  can be positive or morbid. Morbid thoughts breed fearful feelings. And we become victims to such thoughts.

Anxiety is another contributor to accumulation of  fear . It is normally intenalised , largely unexplained  and unconscious and there are bodily reaction to such anxiety attacks. Marcus Trescothick was one of the finest cricketers of England , but suffered anxiety attacks when he first toured the subcontinent and later when he traveled to other countries . He became a mental wreck and quit cricket . It was indeed a pathetic  situation. " People tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things . So the mind then becomes obsessed with negative things with judgement , guilt and anxiety produced about the future" says Eckhart Tolle . This inevitable when we live either in the past or the future and never in the future.

Such people suffer from  panic attacks, sleeping, sweaty palms , shortness of breath, palpitation , inability to remain calm , have dry mouths and numb feet and hands.

Yet another contributor to the magnification of fear are our emotions.  Emotions are not based on logical reasoning or thinking . It primarily based on situations and strong reactions. We tend to react in dealing with people and situations rather responding to them . If the response is calm , then we are not engulfed by negative emotions.

Gretcha Rubin writes," Negative emotions like loneliness , envy , guilt have an important role to play in a happy life they are reliving flashy signs that something needs to change." If left untreated this situation can lead to psychosomatic diseases, loss of appetite , ill health , self deprecatory attitude and even schizophrenia. It can lead to disorders of persecution and hallucination among others .

So how does an individual overcome fear. D Lovato puts it so succinctly," I do not let anyone's insecure emotions and opinions bother me. I know if I am happy , that's all that matters to me."

Fear can be overcome through  faith , hope and surrender to the Divine . Recitation of Hanuman Chalisa and Sundara Kanda cleanses of our sins, gives immense valour and strength . Likewise all faiths have inspirational texts  to energise our body mind and soul. Reading of Bible, Gita, Koran provides the faithful tremendous hope.

Then there are excellent breathing techniques like practising Vipassana  and Sudarshan Kriya which brings the mind to the present moment. The Art of Living founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  offers a bouquet of courses like the Happiness Programme , the Advanced Meditation Course , Yoga course and in particular the Divya Samaj Ka Nirman Course( DSN) which  generates the spirit of fearlessness in the seeker and assists in breaking the comfort zone . Outside the comfort zone , humans can break the negative emotion of fear.   Being in the present moment sows the seeds of valour in us.

Practising yoga, meditation, sporting a smile, being surrounded by positive people, avoiding the company of negative thinking people, taking up responsibility , doing immense service to the society , realising that even this will pass away, that there is no perfect picture , pursuing a passion , playing a sport , taking long walks or footslogging on a treadmill( added benefit - one can maintain weight) , reading autobiographies of inspirational leaders and achievers and being grateful are additional  techniques to combat fear .

My colleague tells me quite frankly that it is not that there are no dark moments in life  or the mind is not plagued by negative thoughts , but she purges it by making an attempt to declutter the mind. There is no harm in making an attempt!

Zone of Happiness

An article published by E- Magazine of Life Positive

" A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; and an optimist see the opportunity in every difficulty" writes Winston Churchill.

Positive oriented people seize opportunity and events unfold automatically. They do not complain and grumble. Those who grouse and bleat about  are non -achievers.

There are only three in  cricketing history   namely  Garry Sobers, Ravi Shastri and Yuvraj Singh

who  struck  6 sixers in an over . They were in their zone . They were in a zone of happiness.

An uncluttered mind , is  a mind in the present moment  and is in peace with itself  and in zone. When an individual is in  zone,it remains  focused.Be it sports like cricket or soccer , or  the spiritual world or  even while  performing daily chores , which may appear quotidian or prosaic , an individual needs to give 100 percent. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in his teaching  lays importance on being in the present moment and giving 100 percent.

A child always gives 100 percent  as he is living  in the present moment . A child is in a meditative state . He does not get easily  distracted   and  luxuriates even  while eating his chocolate or playing with his toys.

Children do not complain. They ofcourse  demand attention which is quite  charming in nature.

Stephen Hawking puts it aptly." People won't have time for you if you are always complaining or angry." We have all the time for children as they are endearing , loving , caring and attentive.

Let us take a case of a harmonious household and a house filled with negative vibes . We are attracted to the former . Nature provides abundance to such households . The grace of the Divine, the grace of the Guru flows like a waterfall .Imagine a household which  has an alcoholic father , a demanding mother and irritable  irritable children! It spews of negative emotions and thought process. They keep complaining and grumbling , and lose whatever positive that  could have have bestowed by nature.

Positive thinking people should buttress on a couple of points . One be grateful and thankful after completion of the task , without waiting for the outcome and secondly  once the result is know be eternally grateful and thankful for the result even if it is not favourable!

This generates a  positive aura around us and the universe conspires to provide us with several more such  opportunities . Many times we may not get the desired result which  we aspired for , but nature or the universe blesses us in some other manner. This is a secret . We need to be happy in our disposition. Happiness begets more happiness and the magnetic aura around us expands providing us with several more  opportunities.

Can we be happy always, can we be positive always ? These doubts perennially  crop up. Such is the character of the mind. If the mind does not think about always , it will be happy atleast in the present moment. This requires relentless Sadhana  or practice .

May be knowledge alone  does not provide answers or succor to our problems. Then it is our  faith and surrender to the Divine that helps. We need to surrender our past, present and future to the Guru  and Divine. Both Guru and Divine are interchangeable.

" Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do. So throw off the bowliness, sailway from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream , Discover " wrote Mark Twain.

This should be the endeavor to discover and execute  with a positive frame of mind .   Then we are in a zone of happiness like a child.

Don't just watch them simmer

The art of healing

Harnessing the potential of Mind

The amazing world of physics

Acceptance

Harilal Gandhi ( 1888-1948) , Manilal, Ramdas and Devdas were the four sons of Gandhiji and Kasturba . However , the children could not really accept their father . The bore resentment that the illustrious father did not impart formal education to the children.

Harilal Gandhi , became an alcoholic, an embezzler, known for public drunkenness and destitution  was an apostate . He converted to Islam and was known as Abdullah Gandhi. Though he loved his parents , he could not accept the ideology of parenting by his father.

What do we really mean by acceptance? Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality or situation , recognising a process or condition( often  a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it or protest . The concept can be mirrored as acquiescence.

" Each one of us, in the cosmic perspective ,is precious. If a human agrees with you ,let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies , you will not find another." says Carl Sagan

A woman is married in a family and brings with her the baggage of her ideology . Similarly the family she is married into have their thought process . Are they able to accept the lady?

Nathan Branden says ," The first step towards change is awareness . The second step is acceptance."

A rich person during the times of Buddha , was desirous of becoming  a monk  and join the Sangha . Buddha the compassionate was willing to accept the person in the fold but made it clear that he needs to accept everyone in thought and deeds . The wealthy person with all abundance meditated and returned back to Buddha and accepted the condition . But added that he could accept everyone save two people. Buddha smiled and said , that the Sangha  would make an exception in the case of the individual , that he need not accept 98 persons , but accept those two individuals.

" The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance' says Brian Tracy . That is the power of acceptance.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ,  elucidates  further that there is a concept of active and passive acceptance .  Incase there is corruption in the society . We may just tolerate the corruption and do nothing about it . However incase of active acceptance , we take a stand . Given this background , Guruji established India against corruption ( IAC) , which fired the imagination of  youth and populace.

In our minds , we need to create a space where we are willing to accept all the  qualities( may be acceptable or not) of a person . Only through unconditional love we can accept a person.

But this is possible only if we are able to live in the present moment. A meditative mind , would be in  a state to accept situations, conditions and people . The locale and circumstances keep changing thus our minds should be trained in such a manner , that it is willing to accept those situations . As Buddha says , the only permanent thing in life is its impermanence . So if the compartments and the walls of our minds are fixated in certain patterns , without realising the ever prevalent change in the society , we would not be able to accept people or situations . As everything is so transitory in life .

By not accepting people and situations we are only torturing our minds . Our minds need rest and peace. Unnecessary thoughts keep cropping up in our system as to what the other person feels about us without discerning that the concerned individual is not even bothered about what is our state of mind.

To save our minds from mental destruction , we need to open the windows of our minds and accept various facets of life.

To my mind all religions and faiths need to accept each other to maintain sanity in the world . Political barriers have collapsed  with increasing globalisation and technology .The world has become flat , thus individuals and nations need to accept all ideologies , to avoid conflict.

John Lennon penned those iconic lines  , ' Imagine there's no heaven

Its easy if you try

No hell below us Above us only sky

Imagine all the people..........

" The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favour wish that he might have done you a great one" wrote Martin Luther King Jr

Responsibility

Responsibility implies the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or or having control over some one.  Do we feel empowered by taking up responsibility? Or do we feel enervated by taking up responsibility.

A working woman , despite all the work at school, or her workplace cannot escape the responsibility of not performing the tasks outlined in her house . Similarly a father has to work , earn money to run his homestead or dwelling place . This is because we feel responsible for the family.

In this age of incessant frenetic activity , can we abandon our parents in their old age , when they are infirm or ill.  Will our conscience not prick.

"   One of the greatest titles in the world is parent, and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad" writes Jim De Mint 

Lord Rama , to fulfill the attestation of his father took up the challenge and responsibility and went in exile for fourteen years . He was responsible and took up the challenge.  Concealed , was the fact  that Lord Rama had to slay Ravana . 

" You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it  today." wrote Abraham Lincoln 

Our mythology is brimful with events which touch upon taking up responsibility and acting accordingly .Pandavas were expatriated and deported . They accepted the reality . On completion of their period of exile , they fought the Kauravas .  Arjuna faced a piquant situation . He was in a quandary and  a conundrum as to whether he should wield the Gandiva.

He was about to abdicate his responsibility . At that crucial  point in time and juncture , Lord Krishna intervened and  directed and guided Arjuna to take up the responsibility. Gita Updesh  unshackled the cloistered and foggy mind of Arjuna  and he   engaged the Kauravas .

The predicament of whether to take up or not to take up responsibility is in our minds . And only a mind which is living in the present moment has the power of discrimination to take up responsibility. The masters have always extolled this virtue of living in the present moment . Sri Sri Ravi Shankar , has made this as one of the important Sutras of his teachings .

Only those blessed with leadership qualities can take up responsibility .  He extends his hand , makes that additional stretch to makes his mind tensile to bring about a difference in his and the lives of  the society and the fellowship.

In the year 1935, Bill Wilson and Dr Bob Smith took up the responsibility to establish of Alcoholics Anonymous , which has provided a succor and umbrella for millions of addicts across the world .

"The first responsibility of the leader is to define reality, the last is to say thank you. In between , the leader is a servant." says Max de Pree

Harnessing the potential of Mind

Prayer

" Dear Lord and Great Healer,

I  kneel before you since every gift must

Come from you I pray

Give skill to my hands

Clear vision to my head(mind)

Kindness and meekness to my heart 

Give me singleness of purpose

Strength to lift up part of the burden 

Of my suffering fellow men and women

And a true realisation  of the privilege that is mine

Take away from my heart all guile and wordliness

That with the simple faith of a child , I may rely on You'

         - Mother Teresa

Responsibility

Responsibility implies the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or or having control over some one.  Do we feel empowered by taking up responsibility? Or do we feel enervated by taking up responsibility.

A working woman , despite all the work at school, or her workplace cannot escape the responsibility of not performing the tasks outlined in her house . Similarly a father has to work , earn money to run his homestead or dwelling place . This is because we feel responsible for the family.

In this age of incessant frenetic activity , can we abandon our parents in their old age , when they are infirm or ill.  Will our conscience not prick.

"   One of the greatest titles in the world is parent, and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad" writes Jim De Mint 

Lord Rama , to fulfill the attestation of his father took up the challenge and responsibility and went in exile for fourteen years . He was responsible and took up the challenge.  Concealed , was that Lord Rama had to slay Ravana . 

" You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it  today." wrote Abraham Lincoln 

Our mythology is brimful with events which touch upon taking up responsibility and acting accordingly .Pandavas were expatriated and deported . They accepted the reality . On completion of their period of exile , they fought the Kauravas .  Arjuna faced a piquant situation . He was in a quandary and  a conundrum as to whether he should wield the Gandiva.

He was about to abdicate his responsibility . At that crucial  point in time and juncture , Lord Krishna intervened and  directed and guided Arjuna to take up the responsibility. Gita Updesh  unshackled the cloistered and foggy mind of Arjuna  and he   engaged the Kauravas .

The predicament of whether to take up or not to take up responsibility is in our minds . And only a mind which is living in the present moment has the power of discrimination to take up responsibility.

Only those blessed with leadership qualities can take up responsibility .  He extends his hand , makes that additional stretch to makes his mind tensile to bring about a difference in his and the lives of  the society and the fellowship.

In the year 1935, Bill Wilson and Dr Bob Smith took up the responsibility to establish of Alcoholics Anonymous , which has provided a succor and umbrella for millions of addicts across the world .

"The first responsibility of the leader is to define reality, the last is to say thank you. In between , the leader is a servant." says Max de Pree

Miracles

The time was 11am . I  was drafting a letter . My PS pressed the buzzer and  mentioned that some one from Brittania industry wanted to meet me. The gentleman , hailed from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.  He was planning a trip to Tirupati and sought help for an emergency quota by a train.

During our conversation , I mentioned that  in the year 2005 ,  I had worked on Guntakal Division of South Central Railway. Guntakal is  essentially  a railway town , which was once  with Central Railway, then Southern Railway and now is a strategic division( business unit ) of South Central Railway .  A large number of freight and passenger trains crisscross the jurisdiction of this division . It is an important freight loading point and a money spinner for the Railways.

The town has not much to offer , but the division houses several important pilgrim, religious,spiritual  and historical spots. Tirupati, Pannipakam, SriKalahasti, Mantralayam  are very important spots which attract the faithful in large numbers .

Renowned  philosopher  Jiddu Krishnamurthi hailed from Madanappale ( also on Guntakal Division) . The famous Rishi Valley school  of Jiddu Krishnamurthi foundation  is  located at Madanapalle . It is beautifully ensconced in the valley and at the foothills of Horsely Hills.  Additionally , the  prehistoric Belum caves at Tadipatri attracts those interested in history and  to see the formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Tadipatri is also known for the Penna Cements.

There are cluster of cement plants , limestone units and  iron ore loading points( now non -functional following orders of the Apex Court ).

Adjoining , Guntakal Division is the Bangalore Division of South Western Railway . Prashanti Nilayam of Shri Satya Sai Baba is located in Bangalore Division of South Western Railway . And  at Bangalore , Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  has established , the Art of Living International Centre . Thus there are a large number of places of spiritual importance which  are located in the vicinity of Guntakal.

We were broadly recalling the importance  of these significant places .  And  then this person mentioned about  a famous Hanuman Temple at Guntakal , which I forgot to recall. Every railway officer who joins Guntakal Division  first  offers obeisance at the Hanuman Temple before joining duty . The same is true of Guwahati . Anyone posted on North East Frontier Railway  visits the famous Kamakhya temple at Guwahati. These are strange traditions built between railways and certain religious spots. Thereafter our conversation veered to Mantralayam .

Mantralayam is the place where Shri Raghavendra Swami entered Tejaroopa( spirit) in 1671 AD . That is  where he was interned in a tomb on attaining Samadhi . The faithful believe that Raghavendra Swami would be in the  state of Tejaroopa  for a period of 700 years . Raghavendra Swami succeeded his Guru Sudheendra Teertha as the head of the Mutt and served the Mutt from 1621 to 1671 propounding the Dwaita philosophy. He is also believed to be an incarnation of Bhakta Prahalad.

See any photograph and one is struck  with the pictures of Hanuma- Bhima- Madhva and Raghavendra . Born Venkana Bhatta  in 1595to Gopikaamba and Thimanna Bhatta , he was married to Sraswati Bai.

Following this discussion over a cup of tea and some Brittania biscuits , the gentleman left . No sooner he left , within a matter of a few minutes , someone came to my room , with the Prasadam of Raghavendra Swami. This was inexplicable.

Miracle is an extraordinary and a  welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed  to a divine legacy.

Osho says," Be realistic. Plan for a miracle." Can we plan for a miracle . This happens through " Positive Thinking", " Law of Attraction"  , " Law of Gratitude " , " Law of Spiraling Effect" and what Darren Hardy calls the Compound Effect.

For things to materialise , we need to develop  a highly positive intent . This positive intent sends signals to the universe and in return universe conspires to provide us with what we really need . But for the cycle to continue humans need to be extremely grateful. This is no rocket science . It is not so distant from our inner self . This is an intuitive ability which we need to develop and harness . Our ancient Rishis  realised this potential through yoga, meditation, pranayama and a  proper diet.

Yoga is not just performing  merely  Asanas . It has eight limbs to it, namely, Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and then reaching a state of  Samadhi . Samadhi is the state of complete bliss.  It is in that state , miracles just keep occurring without seamlessly .

Several years back , when  I was  posted at Guntakal , I was   addicted to Bacchus and a confirmed alcoholic . Along with my maternal aunts I went to Raghavendra Swami Mutt at Mantralayam . I smuggled a bottle of liquor in that state of arrogance . My mind was just fixated on the bottle  and was configuring as to how after circumnavigating the  " Brindavan"  I  would consume the spirit . This is the character of a monkey mind . Brindavan is the place where Raghavendra Swami is in Samadhi and in his Tejaroopa( spirit)

There was an unbearable stench in my room . To my amazement the bottle had cracked  and the liquor had leaked from the bottle . The seal was not broken . Everything was drenched with liquor except my Puja material and the notes of Art of Living Part 1 course. Thus Satan cannot affect what is pure and Divine . This too was a miracle.  " It is our faith that activates the power of God" said Joel Osteen.

However the human mind ignores and rubbishes such claims. Years later while traveling by a special train  ,  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  smiled in his inimitable manner and gave me Mantralayam Prasadam as we crossed  Kurnool district . This is the area where Mantralayam is located . Yet another miracle occurred, I recalled.

Faith is an integral part of any miracle. Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. It is a strong belief in the doctrines of a religion based on spiritual conviction than proof.  " Faithless is he that says farewell when road darkens" says JRR Talkien.

When the tunnel is really dark and our mind is plagued by fear we deeply pray for a miracle to happen so that we do not get subsumed by the vortex of negative power and thinking .   While thinking negatively , we send only transmit negative signals to the universe and thus in return we get shrouded by unfortunate events. Thus prayer , faith and miracles are all intertwined .

But for all these to happen , the intent of the human needs to be extraordinary .

" There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle", wrote Albert Einstein.

Happy Sankranti  and Positive Thinking  to all our  readers. Jai Guru Dev( that is victory of the big mind).

Mental Strength

Remember , Sharjah cricket stadium in early 80”s . Javed Miandad at the crease and Chetan Sharma was to bowl the final ball of the over. A four had to be scored for a Pakistani victory and Miandad hit a six and the stadium was populated with delirious Pakistani flags. Recall Lords, 1983 , India was defending a paltry 183 and Mohinder Amarnath ambled in and trapped Michael Holding LBW . We won the world cup for the first time . It was  a case of  positive thinking . The subcontinental teams crossed the Rubicon . A clear case of Yes Mind operating .

Bertha Calloway writes,” We cannot direct the wind , but we can adjust the sails.”

Why are some people mentally strong and some are not ? What distinguishes a  decisive person from a person who only frets and fumes and lives in the past.

To be achievers and surmount problems , we need to live in the present . A couple lost their daughter in a tragic accident , yet through the powerful techniques imparted by Art of Living in the form of Sudarshan Kriya , Pranayama , Yoga , Meditation and Seva were able to confront the problem and repaired their lives . Through continuous service , they were able to meditate deeper and that brought back their smile and started living in the present moment.

Another colleague lost his wife , but through the courses of Art of Living regained his mojo and is continuously conducting courses and spreading waves of happiness .

Yet another friend from the railways discovered that his daughter was suffering from life suffering cancer . It was his surrender to the Master and following the techniques of Art of Living that transformed his life . Today he quit railways and is running a software firm which is poised to break path breaking ground through the technique of live streaming .

All these people have one common strand . Their unflinching belief in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and following the fundamental tenets of Sadhana, Satsang, practice of Sudarshan Kriya, being in knowledge , performing Seva . This has brought sanity to their lives.

There are innumerable such instances , where Guruji has provided the direction and devotees have followed the path. And they are all living in the present moment.

A mentally strong person lives in the present moment.

Buddha , says” Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

A mentally strong person does not succumb to macabre thoughts. Such an individual maintains positive disposition and controls emotions and not the other way round.

Such individuals do not fall prey to stress easily, improve the quality of their lives and enhance their performance . But this the seeker can achieve through regular practice.

They do not wallow in self pity . “ Self-pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive , gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from reality.”

The Cosmic Dance

Last year on Navami at the Art of Living Ashram, Bangalore, fifty thousand devotees rose in divine delirium and joined the chorus as Padma Shri Ananda Shankar Jayant and her troupe danced to the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram.

The atmosphere reverberated with ecstasy and was surcharged with drama and emotion as the ensemble choreographed by Dr Ananda was performed at the sanctum sanctorum where Navaratri Pujas had taken place.

To my mind this is the place where Shiva (the auspicious) performs. Shiva performs the Tandava, a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution.  In a way it mirrored the   life of the protagonist.

I marveled at the thought that this was a rambunctious performance by a colleague who conquered mammary cancer and was perhaps in the midst of what can be termed as a concert of a lifetime. “I have not been afraid to take risks and I have not been afraid to follow a dream. That is the essence of who I am”, once remarked Ananda.

Dr Ananda Shankar Jayant, believes in freeing the mind and spreading the wings to achieve what is not possible. She invests a lot in the power of the mind to think positively and being grateful and counting our blessings.

To her it is imperative to transmit positive signals to the universe so that in return, the cosmos bestows us with abundance. The cycle is incomplete if we are not grateful. So the trajectory is, “Law of Attraction “, followed by “Law of Gratefulness”. All this leads to a spiraling effect which Daren Hardy terms “The Compound Effect”.

Dr Ananda Shankar Jayant, an Indian Railway Traffic Service Officer learnt dance under the tutelage of Rukmini Devi Arundale when only 11 at Kalakshetra.

Ananda is a multi-faceted personality, donning several hats- prolific dancer, choreographer, leading a talented ensemble, Artistic Director of Shankarand Kalakshetra, poet, writer, championing women’s issues, inspiring figure for youth and students, delivering lectures to the corporate world and a TED talker. She is a post graduate in Ancient Indian History, an MPhil in Art History and holds a doctorate in tourism.

Her body of work in Kuchipudi and BharatNatyam, earned her the Padma Shri. She is also a recipient of the much acclaimed Sangeet Natak Akademi Puruskar.

But then, strange are the vicissitudes of life. It is packed with peaks and valleys. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2008. But for her,   cancer was merely a zodiac sign and not a serious malady.

For a performer, such an affliction may seem to be the end of the road, an abyss .The mind gets clogged by negativity and fear. Fear to her was one of the Navarasas to be portrayed in a show and not something to live with. The malignant lump became a part of her physical and mental self. The Bold and Beautiful overnight transformed into Beautiful and Bald.

An affable personality became enfeebled by pain and agony and the mental chatter was depression. But she was a woman of substance who was mentally strong to combat the challenge.

In such a scenario only faith can perform miracles. Faith is confidence or trust in a person. She trusted husband Jayant (her pillar of strength), chemotherapy and dance talent. This was the imagery to overcome the crisis of lifetime.

Martin Luther King writes, “Faith is the taking first step even when you do not see the whole staircase.” From dancing three hours at a stretch, Ananda could barely climb a flight of steps. Such was the debilitating impact of the disease.

By her own admission, she believes in the power of positive thinking and has used it not only to overcome the disease but opened new avenues in form of writing and inspirational talks.

Statistics reveal that 1 in 22 urban Indian women suffer from this malady. Through her motivational  TED talks the danseuse is spreading awareness about the affliction and  encouraging people not to be subsumed by the illness but be proactive in life and focus on positive aspects of life.

 

 

 

My Mother

“The rain drop from the sky: if it is caught in hands, it is pure enough for drinking. If it falls in a gutter, its value drops so much that it can’t be used even for washing the feet. If it falls on hot surface, it perishes. If it falls on lotus leaf, it shines like a pearl and finally, if it falls on oyster, it becomes a pearl. The drop is same, but its existence & worth depend on with whom it associates.”

Always be associated with people who are good at heart. This is what Swami Vivekananda said.

My mother shares her birthday with Swami Vivekananda ( 12th January).

Association and Satsang have been her  strong points . She nurtured strong bonding with all religious faiths and spiritually inclined people . I recall her association with Satya Sai Baba, Ganapathi Sachchidanda Swamiji, Raghavendra Swami Mutt, Swami Chinmayananda , Jiddu Krishnamurthy  Mahesh Yogi and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar . Not to forget her association with Mother's International, Mother Teressa , CBCI and CARITAS.

She wanted to pursue medicine but life did not take that trajectory.  " Faith plus action becomes unstoppable'' writes Jonathan Lockwood Hue .  So she upend the pyramid and became  a qualified medical social worker and worked diligently at the Rajan Babu TB Hospital , Delhi .

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  says," Open your hands and sky is in your hands." Inorder to combat and challenge the disease of tuberculosis she initiated several  rehabilitation projects. This included creche for the children of those afflicted with this malady, stitching centre,candle and match making units.

She used to tell patients and their children that" Fear is only as deep as the mind allows."  Thus patients afflicted with TB , but not bed ridden participated in the projects . This was what she called " Diversionary Therapy." The patient's mind was diverted from the disease and recovery rate was rapid.   In these endeavors she was extended tremendous support from eminent people like  Shri A Rama Rao of Khadi and Village Industries , Professor sh  Pathak of Delhi School of Social Work, Shri AVK Chaitanya  a Trade Union leader and confidante of Shri George Fernandes , Bibi Altussalam  a veteran Congress leader , Shri Dhanraj Ojha a RSS leader  and Bishop Remegius and Bishop Rego of the Catholic Church( CBCI  and CARITAS). The mission was to serve . And religious barriers did not pose any problems. As the objective and goal were so lofty the universal energy ensured that the left, right and centre all collaborated with certitude .

" Mind is not a dustbin to keep anger, hatred and jealousy . But it is the treasure box to keep love , happiness and sweet memories." said Swami Vivekananda . Thus RB TB Hospital became the melting pot of all religions to forge hands and assist in the mammoth task of rehabilitation of the afflicted . The TB Hospital became a unique template for the methods adopted by doctors, para-medic staff , social workers , government bodies and NGO's all to contribute in the rehabilitation of the patients.

Climate changes, civilizations collapse , government change , political affiliations alter and even the best possible model collapses . This is inevitable . As Buddha says." The only permanent thing in life is impermanence." The lofty objectives were not approved by a new set of hospital administrators and the beacon of hope collapsed .

This was extremely traumatic for my mother and she became a patient of paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia( PAT) . This is a type of arrhythmia ( irregular heartbeat) . Paroxysmal means that the episode of arrhythmia originates and terminates abruptly. Atrial implies the arrhythmia starts with atria or in the upper chambers of the heart . The tachycardia results in significant increase in the heart beat per minute. It abnormally increases the pace , like an athlete on a treadmill. PAT significantly increases the heart beat of an adult from the normal 60 to 100 to 130 to 230 and among infants and children it shoots up from 100 to 130 to 220 beats per minute.

It is accompanied with severe sweating, dizziness,palpitations, angina and acute breathlessness. Normally a patient suffers from such a condition owing to emotional upheavals , physical exhaustion, deep anxiety , consumption of caffeine or alcohol.

I saw my mother suffering from this condition on several  occasions and being admitted to the ICU. It was a distressing and disturbing sight . While it is  not life threatening affliction ,  it certainly disorients the psychology and attitudes of the patient. During her suffering we saw her clutching on  to her rosary as a life saver , while we prayed fervently for her recovery.

She was administered medication but it worked only to an extent . The real help came in form of a  pentagon shaped talisman. That is through Siddha Healing, Pranic Healing , the 10 day Vipassana Course  and the Part1 and Part2 Art Of Living courses.

This is the infinitesimal power and scientific power of breath. Breathing techniques , meditation , medication and proper diet changed the trajectory  of  the life of the patient  and brought back the mojo in her life.

" When you take breath in , let become your meditation that all the suffering of all the beings in the world is riding on that incoming breath and reaching your heart , and see a miracle happens" says Osho.

She has retired now but continues with her Sadhana  unfailingly. Senior citizens , those in pain and agony and even the able bodied should undertake the  courses mentioned.

Swami Vivekananda  took Yoga to America  and spread the Ramakrishna Mission. He was the Arjuna of Shri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa. This article is a tribute to Swamiji and also to  my mother both born on 12th of January. My mother imbibed the trait of service to mankind by reading extensively about Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda.