Something light about liquor

Something light about liquor. 🍾🍾🍾 A friend of mine who knew everything about liquor and little else, was asked by his old Headmaster to be the Chief Guest at his School’s Annual Day. At the function, he was asked to give an inspiring message to the students. He spoke : “Friends.... in life you will face a number of problems. You should face them like 'Napoleon', walk like 'Johnny Walker' and sing like a 'Bagpiper'. Only then, the world will give you a 'Royal Salute'. Otherwise it will call you an 'Old Monk' and stick a 'Black Label' on you." He sat down to a thundering ovation. 👋👋👋

Gurudev’s address at WCF

Gurudev’s address at WCF It is such a beautiful occasion to celebrate our diversity. Our planet is so diverse yet there is underlying unity that is human values. They spend time in science, literature, humour, music and dance. Music is part of every culture. Part of human spirits expression. It is necessary that we celebrate this without sense of competition. With a sense of cooperation, conviction, Today mental health is big issue. Aggression or violence on one side, depression on other. Celebration can help! We need 3 things - passion for a greater cause We need dispassion, we can’t have good sleep. In America, there is a song- I am a dreamer When it gets too much, we say let it be. Relax and get back to your true self. I am there for you - that attitude we all have No child is born as bad guy. We need to realise that we are one world family. It is the loneliness, mental health challenges so prevalent. Don’t pass by any face that is unhappy. Say hello to them, few words of wisdom can bring change. When mind is serene, calm then there is peace. One person unhappy can make whole family unhappy. Let’s commit oversleves on this occasion - create more happiness, wipe tears. That’s humanness! We are made up of these values. No celebration has depth - without wisdom. We are all unique and we are all one! Happy to see you! Let me tell once again - we all belong to one global family. Let’s celebrate our life. Life is too short to think about conflicts. Baby starts asking questions - sign of intellect getting matured. When we grow older we ask - what is the purpose of my life. These questions - matured Let’s reaffirm our faith in goodness of humanity. Let’s dream for a better future for this and coming generation! Gurudev’s address at WCF It is such a beautiful occasion to celebrate our diversity. Our planet is so diverse yet there is underlying unity that is human values. They spend time in science, literature, humour, music and dance. Music is part of every culture. Part of human spirits expression. It is necessary that we celebrate this without sense of competition. With a sense of cooperation, conviction, Today mental health is big issue. Aggression or violence on one side, depression on other. Celebration can help! We need 3 things - passion for a greater cause We need dispassion, we can’t have good sleep. In America, there is a song- I am a dreamer When it gets too much, we say let it be. Relax and get back to your true self. I am there for you - that attitude we all have No child is born as bad guy. We need to realise that we are one world family. It is the loneliness, mental health challenges so prevalent. Don’t pass by any face that is unhappy. Say hello to them, few words of wisdom can bring change. When mind is serene, calm then there is peace. One person unhappy can make whole family unhappy. Let’s commit oversleves on this occasion - create more happiness, wipe tears. That’s humanness! We are made up of these values. No celebration has depth - without wisdom. We are all unique and we are all one! Happy to see you! Let me tell once again - we all belong to one global family. Let’s celebrate our life. Life is too short to think about conflicts. Baby starts asking questions - sign of intellect getting matured. When we grow older we ask - what is the purpose of my life. These questions - matured Let’s reaffirm our faith in goodness of humanity. Let’s dream for a better future for this and coming generation!

*Sometimes,*

These Beautiful lines by Robert Drake are worth many a repeat… *Sometimes,* I feel I want to go back in time... Not to change things, but to feel a couple of things twice.. *Sometimes,* I wish I was a Baby for a while... Not to be walked in the pram but to see my Mother's smile *Sometimes,* I wish I could go back to school... Not to become a child but to spend more time with those friends, I never met after school.. *Sometimes,* I wish I could be back in college... Not to be a rebel but to really understand what I studied *Sometimes,* I wish I was a Fresher at my work... Not to do less work but to recall the joy of the first pay cheque. *Sometimes,* I wish my kids were younger.... Not because they grew fast but to play with them a bit more. *Sometimes,* I feel I still had some more time to live... Not to have a longer life but to know what I could give to others. *Since the times* that are gone can never come back, let's enjoy the moments as we live them from now on, to the fullest.. *Let's Celebrate our Remaining Life - Every Moment and Every Day.

"You should not cut your nails on Thursdays".

I was trimming my nails when my Grandfather said with a sigh "You should not cut your nails on Thursdays". I had never adhered to these superstition but out of curiosity I asked, "What happens when I cut my nails on Thursday?" He explained, "You see the weekend starts tomorrow Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's difficult to open the beer cans and the bloody plastic namkeen packets without the nails." *Moral: Some superstitions do have a scientific reasons!

Harnessing Psychological Skills

Harnessing Psychological Skills Maharishi Patanjali in the celebrated treatise Patanjali Yoga Sutra, wrote, “Tado drashtuhu swarupe avastham,” (Sutra 3), implying that the seer then rests or remains in his/her own nature. This exalted state can be achieved by a disciplined mind. Discipline is to unite oneself, to integrate all loose ends of one’s existence. It would be worthwhile to perceive and comprehend Sutra 4; “Vrutti sarupyamitarata,” that is, a seeker identifies oneself with the modulations of the mind all the time. Nature of the mind The human mind is perpetually cannonaded by innumerable thoughts and at the same time is engaged with the outside world all the time. With eyes wide open in a wakeful state an individual is ensnared by senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Or else a human being revisits the world of sleep or inertia where the mind blanks out the sensory perception to delve deep inside itself; so much so that one may become the object being perceived in such a state. In such a state it empties and transfigures the mind; attains a tranquil state to metamorphose itself to achieve something atypical and unexampled. The quintessential character or chitta of the mind in such a stage is to purge itself of all antipathetic and Sisyphean thoughts and embrace efficacious ones and discipline the mind to develop and nourish psychological skills. Painter from Milan An estimable Italian painter was intrigued and fascinated by the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma and the epic Mahabharata. This consummate occidental artiste from Milan was overwhelmed with the celestial and divine portraits of Hindu deities by the legendary Indian painter. Raja Ravi Varma had successfully carved a niche for himself through dexterous fusion of European techniques with Indian sensibilities and made the paintings affordable for Indian art lovers through lithographs. Meanwhile, the proficient Italian painter embarked upon his odyssey to delineate the story of the epic Mahabharata on canvas. He visited several libraries, researched the subject and spent close to ten years to acknowledge, cherish and perceive various nuances, undercurrents and emotions of the saga penned by sage Veda Vyasa. He psychologically coached and up skilled his mind through techniques of looking back into various incidents in his life, understand the meaning of love and affection (since they act as a springboard to scale the summit), discovered bonding and togetherness among erudite scholars of Mahabharata and the fraternity of painters, empathised with the loneliness of every aspiring artist and with immense jollity shared their altruism besides the benignity of the painting community. He celebrated life with gratitude of his Indian friends and the subtlety of the chronicle seeped in his mind and he could then put paint to brush and made splendacious creations. Fundamentally and predominantly the Italian painter developed advanced psychological skills to achieve the laid down objectives. Discipline, identity and understanding The term psychological skill-sets can be broadly delineated as a degree of proficiency of faculties, or dexterity that a seeker acquires through vigorous training and vast experience in life. It is paramount and mandatory that the individual keeps the apertures of the mind open to various evolving concepts, propositions and abstractions. The human mind over a period of time becomes robust by assessment of individual differences, behavioural modifications and various guidance skills. Continuous and vigorous training disciplines and lays down what can be termed as a quotidian regimen to harness and upgrade skill-sets. The mind is then prepossessing and lustrous like fresh dew on rose petals, resonating with ideas. The mind demands proof An untrained mind perennially demands proof. It is not a disciplined mind and is still not open to develop psychological skills. Sutra 5 of Patanjali Yoga Sutra states that, “Vrutayaha panchtayyaha klishtaklishtaha,” meaning that modulations in the human mind are five-fold and could be agonizing or not painful at all. There are some vruttis or modulations of the mind which are unwelcome and unbidden. This has been further explained in Sutra 6, “Pramanaviparyayavikalpanidra-smrutayaha.” The human mind is either in quest of proof, on the path of wrong understanding, in a state of imagination, in a state of sleep or memory. Natural states They may well appear paradoxical but all these are natural stages in life. And it is perhaps essential that the human mind is exposed to such thought processes; for it is from doubts that solutions arise. And any scientist will vouchsafe for this trajectory of thought process. But it is essential to clear the dark clouds of doubt that envelope the human mind in order to seek clarity. This too can be achieved through developing psychological skill-sets of practice (abhyasa) and discipline to achieve the desired target. The examples of the Italian painter and ace archer Arjuna immediately figure on the list; how their minds could become robust by singularly pursuing the path through practise and discipline. As one develops psychological skills, individuals develop interpersonal skills too; cognitive skills, effective skills, personality and attitudinal skills, expressive and reflective skills grow. It helps one to grow in the knowledge of self, nature, acquire the ability to work with people various backgrounds, respect diversity and accept with sensitivity preferences of various individuals and their ideologies. “Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is a strength, mastering yourself is true power,” wrote the renowned scholar Lao Tzu.

Zen Buddhism: Law of Attraction

Zen Buddhism: Law of Attraction Aeons ago a strapping youngster gained admission into an estimable temple of knowledge. He was fortunate to be imparted precious pearls of wisdom of Zen Buddhism by sagacious and prescient masters. Along with the other tutees, he was to learn the craft of breathing techniques, mindfulness, meditation, awareness and understanding various contours and shades of the human mind. Over a period of time, he attained a reasonable degree of compassion and insight into the human mind. During the course of his tutelage what struck him most was the simplicity, humility and truthfulness of his teachers. The tutee firmly resolved that honesty, modesty and straightforwardness would be his badges of honour; the trademarks of his personality irrespective of the depth of knowledge acquired. “True compassion and an awakened state lie in accepting everyone and I shall endeavour to do so,” he mused. By now his mind was no longer febrile but had become a fertile ground to assiduously pursue Zen Buddhism. What is Zen Buddhism? As per Norman Fischer Zen Buddhism is singularly: “A special transmission outside the scriptures. No dependency on words and letters. Pointing directly to the human mind. Seeing into one’s nature and attaining Buddhahood.” The cornerstone of the practice is that over a period of time, through unflinching practice of the appropriate techniques, a postulant becomes aware and awakened. The mind of such a person becomes pristine and gains clarity in thought process. The mind acquires Siddhis to perform what seems Mandrake like magic. However, the Siddhis remain with a person only if these are deployed for public good. However, it is well almost impossible to effectuate or reify such a state without the grace of a Guru, who can be thought of as the doorway to the ambrosia of divinity. Without the grace of the Master one only encounters misadventures and roadblocks along the path. Such an elevated state of consciousness is attained only when the mind is subjugated. The human mind of such a gifted individual becomes absolutely irreproachable and unblemished. He/she becomes clairvoyant, an authentic magnetic personality shimmering with abundance of radiance and luminosity. The young monk upon was directed by the Masters of the monastery to spread the knowledge of Zen Buddhism. Significantly, the now more spiritually aware monk uttered only truth and never denounced anyone. His heart and mind were transfigured and he metamorphosed into an angelic soul brimful with divinity and innocence. He then embarked upon the task of disseminating the freshly acquired wisdom and propagandising and heralding the knowledge in order to dispel tenebrosity and light the lamp of efficacious thoughts among ordinary denizens. Powers of the human mind Exhausted and weary after relentless travel, he sat under a majestic blossoming tree. The monk was feeling ravenous and wished that his hunger would be satiated. Quite unexpectedly a maiden walking that way offered him a bowl filled with food, no sooner the monk expressed his desire. He was taken aback at the turn of events and expressed his gratitude to the damsel. After the hearty meal the talapoin felt extremely thirsty. He pined for a glass for water and sure enough a stripling youngster offered him juices to quench his thirst. The monk was extremely beholden and appreciative of this serendipitous act of kindness. The mind of the monk was now suffused with jollity as his twin desires of food and liquid were satiated with remarkable ease. He now wished to sleep. Suddenly it darkened and there was a cloud cover across the sky. The weather which was arid and hot turned salubrious and he fell asleep. After sleeping for hours together he felt sufficiently reinvigorated. The monk, when hungry was satiated with food, when thirsty was provided with energising drinks and was comforted by angels of sleep when he felt worn-out. So, what was operating? The Law of Attraction The mind of the religieux through relentless breathing and meditation practice had become suffused with efficacious thought processes. The innocent streak in the monk made him a magnetic personality. He acquired miraculous powers and Siddhis and all his wishes materialised and assumed form. His thoughts and words were resonating in the universe and the mind became a unique springboard wherein whatever he wished for, eventuated. It is singular and preeminent that there is absolute clarity in our dreams for the Law of Attraction to operate. There should be no ambiguity in the thought process. The human mind should be extremely focussed and translucent like the bowman Arjuna. Once trained, the mind should develop a few qualities. It should be luminous and radiant, light as a feather and not weighed down by the baggage of antipathetic thoughts. The monk was hungry, thirsty and deprived of rest. He meant it; there was no dubiety or incertitude in his mind. The mind was not wavering and his desires did not oscillate between “hope to be fed” or “if provided will partake of food”. Those following the spiritual path should not stop to check the veracity of thoughts incessantly. Once we plant a seed, water and protect it, the sapling would blossom into a robust tree one day. But if we are constantly anxious about the growth of the tree, willy-nilly we place impediments in its growth. A brawny, robust and a radiant mind which can authentically develop the qualities of Law of Attraction is one which knows the art of letting go, dropping all affectation. It is innocent like a child and the universe responds to its call. The unique mantra of this success is when an individual authentically believes in the materialisation of dreams and corrals thoughts to be efficacious ones. Pre-eminently the individual has faith in the technique, his Masters and that life can be radically altered. Blessed with these attributes, the Law of Attraction operates and resounds. “All that we are is a result of what we have thought,” said Gautama Buddha.

A Successful Leader

A Successful Leader Only a trailblazer entity with innovative thinking has the virtuosity and versatility to upend the pyramid and produce dramatic results. This is true of an individual or an organisation. Needless to say, a successful leader must be highly motivated, a team worker, independent thinker and be highly focused and disciplined. A successful leader or entity needs a skill set that goes beyond the obvious, to provide the cutting edge to deliver at the world stage. A master tea maker Aeons ago, perched on a hill top was a consummate tea maker. His virtuosity in the craft was unparalleled. Serpentine queues of curious onlookers, expectant youngsters seeking to become apprentices and tea lovers desirous of savouring the elixir of life called tea, were commonplace outside his cottage. One day a querulous Samurai happened to singe his tongue while sipping the Master’s tea. Piqued and incensed, he challenged the master to a duel. The battled hardened Samurai raised his sword and charged towards the Master tea maker. “I am an ignoramus in strategy and warfare. My entire life has been spent perfecting the art of making tea,” exclaimed the Master tea maker. He took a momentous decision to pass on his legacy and the reins of the establishment to his favourite mentee. The ashen faced acolyte beseeched his master to accept the gauntlet. Giving him his sword, he asked the Master to face the challenger by raising the weapon in the same manner that he raised the teapot. Accepting the advice, the Master raised the sword without a glitch, undeviating. The combatant was awe-struck seeing the Master wield the sword with remarkable countenance. Assuming the Master to be skilled in wielding the weapon, he beat a hasty retreat from the cauldron. The story reveals how authentic mastery of one craft is of greater significance than attempting to master multiple skills just to appear more formidable. Certainly, an individual can multitask but only after becoming proficient in one craft. To be a successful leader it is always advisable to acquire expertise in one area of specialisation. Core competency matters As a marketing strategy, gargantuan corporations like the Tatas and the Reliance group have cannonaded the electronic and print media about their products. The focus on their core competency never wavers, even as they diversify into various product lines. Reliance incessantly focuses on petrochemicals even as it forays into telecom, jewellery, clothing, footwear etc; similarly, steel manufacturing by the Tata group is strategically displayed even as they sell salt. Phenomenal all-rounder cricketers like Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Garry Sobers, the talismanic Chappell brothers, Shaun Pollock among others have embellished the game of cricket with their splendid stellar performances. They were either gifted batsmen or bowlers. They honed their skills in one particular aspect of the game to produce high octane performances and over a period of time improvised their skill set in other departments of the game too. Albert Einstein, one of the two pillars of modern physics are better known for his scientific contributions rather than his ability to play the piano, even though he was more than an amateur in the latter craft. Coke and Pepsi have ventured into more than fifteen brands while continuing to market their primary product- the soft drink. Upgrading and enriching skills The unrevealed secret of any triumphant leadership is to burnish a particular expertise and then make forays into unchartered territories. Psychologists have zeroed in on certain compelling traits that separate celebratory individuals and organisations from the pedestrian. These are intellectual and personal skills and enhancing creativity to deliver in such a manner as to be the cynosure on the world stage. Brawny organisations and the gallant never hesitate to undertake a SWOT analysis. They are neither enfeebled by the opprobrium of covetous self-seekers nor overwhelmed by the eulogy of legions of followers. Intellectual and personal skills Primary among these skills is the ability to establish a connection, to empathise. The finesse and aptness to lionize interest in other’s cultures, experiences, values, point of view, goals and desires provides the cutting edge. This can be exhibited through gestures, in writing or verbally and is an invaluable strategy to foster esprit de corps among the workforce. Exceptional leaders have the uncanny skill of disentangling and decoding the most complex and vexed problems. This is often the defining moment in their lives and careers. The momentous decision of Dhoni to tweak the batting order against the Lions of the Emerald Island piloted India to victory in the 2014 World Cup final. The iconoclastic Steve Jobs was expelled from Apple, the company he co-founded, yet he went on to establish Pixar which dramatically altered the contours of the animation industry. Jobs revolutionised the major industries of movies, music and phones. The trait of an accomplished and contented person is perspicacity. He/she would not exhibit intolerance, ambiguity or uncertainty in grappling with contentious situation. Such well-developed affective skills go a long way in soothing frayed nerves and preventing absolute bedlam in an organisation or in the personal lives of individuals. Communication: A two-way process Personality attributes defined by an attitude of glasnost and perestroika are centrifugal characteristics of achievers. They wade through the swathes of covenants, conventions and doctrines to discover perceptible solutions. Intrepid and mettlesome individuals or organisations have the quintessential ability to communicate ideas, feelings and emotions both formally and informally. This dissemination of thought processes can be verbal, non -verbal and written.

Reclining Wind God

Reclining Wind God Prayagraj is a prominent city in the most populous state of India that is Uttar Pradesh. There are as many as 80 Lok Sabha seats from this gargantuan state. There is a significant saying, that the party which is the sovereign and suzerain of Uttar Pradesh (the Hindi Heartland) conquers India. The road to Delhi traverses through Uttar Pradesh. Quintessentially, the state has sent Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Chandrashekar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Narendra Damodardas Modi to the Parliament of India, who all were catapulted to scale the summit and become the Prime Ministers of the largest democracy of the world. Even Gulzari Lal Nanda who was to twice hold the prized and coveted position of the Prime Minister of India albeit as a caretaker hailed from Uttar Pradesh. Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical and invisible Saraswati rivers, is considered to be pre-eminently holy by Hindus. The Sangam is in close proximity to the 16th century Allahabad Fort, built by Mughal Emperor Akbar. In the fort are several architectural marvels such as the ancient sandstone Ashoka Pillar, the underground Patalpuri Temple and a sacred banyan tree. The estimable Allahabad University where eminent Hindi poets like Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Firaq Gorakhpuri (Raghupati Sahay) imparted English was once known to be a factory churning out dozens of civil servants. With the passage of time, this “Oxford of East” has lost the prima donna spot. The bustling city which is the cradle of “Kumbh Mela” organized once in twelve years is teeming with a large population and is quintessentially catholic and pluralistic in nature. The landscape is dotted with mosques where the muezzin reads passages of the Holy Quran and several churches and Christian landmarks and edifices dot the city, apart from Hindu temples. The Nehrus had handed over the sprawling Anand Bhawan and Swaraj Bhawan to the Congress Party and Gandhiji to launch the struggle against foreign yoke. This is also the place where the revolutionaries were to wage a war against the diabolical and tyrannical British rule. Chandrashekar Azad fired the imagination of the youth to pull the trigger to combat the British. The history of the idol of Shri Bade Hanumanji, situated at the Sangam Kshetra of Prayag is very unique. The story connected with the history of the idol goes like this. In the city of Kannauj an opulent but issueless trader resided. He was blessed with large sums of money and material and all the enjoyments of life; but tragically did not have a child who could carry on the legacy. In sheer desperation the trader traversed to the foothills of to construct a temple for Hanuman ji in order to fulfil his wish of being blessed with a son. In the chain of hills of Vindhyachal the merchant had constructed a huge statue of Hanuman ji out of stone. He decided to bathe the statue of Hanuman ji at several places of pilgrimage. While bathing this statue of Hanuman ji at different pilgrim spots he eventually arrived at Sangam Kshetra of Prayag. While he was taking rest as the shadows fell and the sun sank in the womb of the Prayag, he dreamt that if he would leave the statue at this holy place all wishes would be fulfilled and the hankerings would drop. At crack of dawn the following day he decided to work on the lines of the previous night’s dream. Thus, he left the statue at Prayag Kshetra and the luxuriant purveyor left for his city, Kannauj. After a passage of time, a son was born to his wife by the munificence of Shri Bade Hanuman ji. After some time, the huge statue of Shri Bade Hanuman ji remained submerged in the waters and got embroiled under the sands. Meanwhile a mendicant Mahatma who was performing penance with Vyaghracharma arrived at Sangam Kshetra in the holy month of Magha to take a dip at Triveni. The pious and perspicacious sage was known by the name Balgiri. Fortunately, one day when the Mahatma was piercing his trishul in the sand to form his dhooine, he got an inkling of a gargantuan statute, through his clairvoyant powers. The sagacious Mahatma Balgiri began to sift the sand from the spot. He soon spotted the Shri Vighrah (statue) of Shri Bade Hanuman ji. After purifying the Shri Vighrah, he meditated on the valorous qualities of Lord Hanuman. Populace in the neighbourhood were subsumed with the effulgence and radiance of Lord Hanuman and the devotion and miraculous qualities of sage Balgiri. The aura and fame of Shri Bade Hanuman ji expanded rapidly. There is another twist to the tale of the Shri Vigrah. It is believed that Mahatma Shri Balgiri ji Maharaj was bestowed with the mammoth statue of Lord Hanuman. He made valiant efforts to make the statue stand erect but he failed. Subsequently the statue was tried to be laid in the fort. After numerous abortive efforts, devotees were unable to remove the idol from its place. Thus, it was conjectured and concurred that Shri Bade Hanuman ji did not wish to be removed from that particular place. All efforts were terminated and consequently the statue was left at the place where it was first established by saint Balgiri. To this day thousands pay their obeisance to Lord Hanuman on the banks of the Ganges.

DIVE INTO FAITH

DIVE INTO FAITH Ramayana by Valmiki There is an old fable that when Valmiki completed his Ramayana, Narada said, “It’s good, but the one written by Hanuman is better.” Valmiki was affronted by this remark of Narada Muni. He wondered whose Ramayana was verily better. He found Hanuman’s Ramayana inscribed on seven broad leaves of a banana tree. The plunderer-turned- saint to his amazement found it to be perfect. It had an exquisite choice of grammar and vocabulary, metre and melody. Soon he broke down and wept incessantly. A startled Hanuman wailed, “Is it so terrible?” “On the contrary, this one is a distinguished piece of art form,” remarked Valmiki. “If that be so, why are you crying?” asked a now comforted Hanuman. “The truth is, upon reading your Ramayana none will read mine,” replied Valmiki. Hearing these words Hanuman, the Wind God tore up the banana leaves declaring that no one would ever read Hanuman’s Ramayana. Valmiki was astonished at this act of Hanuman. Hanuman replied, “You need your Ramayana more than I need mine. You wrote Ramayana so that the world remembers Valmiki; I penned my thoughts in the form of Ramayana so that I remember Ram.” At that juncture Valmiki realized how he had been subsumed by the desire for validation through his work. He had not used the work to liberate himself from the fear of invalidation. The Ramayana of Valmiki was a product of ambition; while Hanuman’s Ramayana was a craft of sheer devotion. Therefore, Hanuman’s Ramayana sounded so much better. There are several people like Hanuman who do not scorch the ramps or receive ovations from rambunctious crowds. They merely accomplish their tasks and execute the role assigned. There are many unsung “Hanumans” in our lives… our spouses, parents, friends and colleagues. It is the art of gratefulness to be constantly thankful to them and acknowledge their role in making our lives better.

Overcoming Grief and Bereavement

Overcoming Grief and Bereavement Once humans begin to accept the unalloyed truth that there is no permanence, they can examine the present and overcome every situation. He was a nonagenarian and had led a life full of vicissitudes. There had been high noons and some cathartic moments too. But he was a contented person as his children and grandchildren were ‘settled’ in their respective fields. However, impermanence is a fact of life and he succumbed to multiple organ failure. Today only his memories linger in his son’s house, residing in a framed photograph. Ill-health prevented him from meeting his older brother, (a centurion himself), who had departed for his heavenly abode sometime earlier. This had rankled considerably and he never quite recovered. By the time life was snuffed out of his body he was absolutely emaciated, with glazed and haunted eyes which perhaps saw impending death, and a parched mouth, wide open. The entire body was bruised and punctured with innumerable needles. The vital prana or the subtle life force which provides human existence and energy was quenched away by the mandarins of death. That night the mortal remains were kept in the hospital mortuary. One reckons his soul would have been meandering, hoping for redemption when the body would be consigned to flames. It is said that parents are our first teachers. Parents act as cicerones for their children, urging them to take baby steps into the world and to eventually take decisions and face various challenges in life. Once in adulthood, children still look to their parents for percipient advice as they navigate their lives. ‘Children’ feel mentally at ease that their parents, though in the winter of their lives, are around to provide succour. But the demise of elders, relatives and in particular parents, shears the concealment of protection. What does one do when a dear one ceases to exist? “Time will take care of it. Definitely, if someone you love crosses over, grief overtakes you. But see it from a broader angle — we all have to go one day; someone has taken an earlier flight and we have to take a later flight. When you see the impermanence of everything, you will gain the strength to overcome the grief. Again, and again, you have to put your attention on the impermanence of everything,” says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Mindfulness and grief At the core of Buddhism is the concept of mindfulness, and it is inexplicably connected with impermanence. Impermanence is a Buddhist concept that has brought comfort to several people once they lose close ones. When humans value permanence they focus towards the future obsessively or dwell on the past. However, if the mind is convinced about impermanence humans begin living in the present moment. Sages from the ancient times – with enormous perspicacity- have developed palliative techniques to overcome cataclysmic situations. These include chanting of mantras, listening to religious texts, meditation, pranayama, Vipassana and the rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya. Mindfulness can act as a centrifugal force in life; a state in which one becomes aware of the present; of thoughts and feelings, various physical experiences, and the world around us. Once humans begin to accept the unalloyed truth that there is no permanence, they can examine the present and overcome every situation. How do mindfulness and acceptance of impermanence act as a sword to combat grief and the sense of bereavement? There are two common ways many of us cope with grief – either one is completely subsumed by the thought and feels entrapped like a bird in a cage. Or the mind is channelled by the techniques mentioned to become robust and mettlesome to grapple with ill-disposed thoughts and is aware of an alternative paradigm to move on with life despite adversity. A question does plague the mind as to whether humans can conquer the devastation of grief in its entirety? The truth is perhaps that that does not occur. But it does help in altering the trajectory, intensity, the shape and form of the aftermath. Mindfulness, awareness and acceptance of impermanence assist in arresting the trend of obfuscation of mind by demons of gloom. This sets in the motion the acceptance of the reality of bereavement. It is said that time is a great healer to overcome grief and bereavement. Perhaps a few notches above that, is performing seva (service to the society) and surrender to the vast universe and the Almighty to combat grief.

My Mother, A Woman of Substance - Bala Sriram

My Mother, A Woman of Substance - Bala Sriram “The rain drops 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 Krishnamurti, Mahesh Yogi and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Not to forget her association with Mother’s International, Mother Teresa, 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 upended the pyramid and became a qualified medical social worker and worked diligently at the Rajan Babu TB (RBTB) 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 Shankar Pathak of Delhi School of Social Work, Shri A.V.K. Chaitanya a Trade Union leader and confidante of Shri George Fernandes, Bibi Amtus Salam, 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, RBTB Hospital became the melting pot of all religions to forge hands and assist in the mammoth task of rehabilitation of the afflicted. The hospital became a unique template for the methods adopted by doctors, para-medic staff, social workers, government bodies and NGOs 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 said, “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 heartbeat 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 the 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. Absorb all that suffering, pain and misery in your heart, and see a miracle happen,” said 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. My mother imbibed the trait of service to mankind by reading extensively about Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda. The year 2020 A virulent virus which is assumed to have originated in the dragon land of China assumed monstrous proportions and spread like a pandemic across the swathes of the globe. India and Prayagraj too were not spared by the lethal pestilence. The robust lady, a woman of substance contracted the disease on the 23rd of December, a day after I was detected positive with the pestilence. Six days prior to when she would have celebrated her eighty-fourth birthday, and in spite of testing negative for Covid, life was snuffed out and she entered the empyrean. She was on the ventilator, something my mother would have abhorred as the lethal virus had entered her lungs. Strangely at 7:30 a.m. that morning, though enfeebled by the pernicious disease, I was performing Sudarshan Kriya and had a premonition that my mother had entered vaikuntha. The previous night belts hung in my cupboard kept falling repeatedly for no particular reason. Was it an indication that the soul was precariously swinging between the Zion and earth where mortals dwell? A few minutes later my wife knocked on the door and with misty eyes and a choked voice conveyed the news. My sister was soon connected through WhatsApp call and the news was broken. Uma. my sister was devastated hearing about cataclysmic tragedy… We are yet to recover from the body blow. There is profound silence in her room where some belongings are kept… along with the photograph of H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Hanumanji. I visit the room every day and feel her presence. I would attribute the tranquility in the room to her sadhana. Mother used to get up at twelve in the night and follow a strict regime which included Vipassana meditation, Pranic Healing, Siddha Healing, Mudra Pranayama and then Sudarshan Kriya. This lasted for almost six hours. She was also religious in taking her short walks …. Not the proverbial 10,000 steps but reasonable for her age. So how did she contract the disease and leave for heavenly abode. Destiny, Karmic Cycle? These are perhaps rationalization by the human mind. Death by Khalil Gibran This a poignant tome on life and death as I gather my thoughts in melancholia. Then Almitra spoke, saying, we would ask now of Death. And he said: You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life? The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light. If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one. In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity. Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour. Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king? Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling? For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered? Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

AN ODE TO MY PARENTS

AN ODE TO MY PARENTS My Father, An Erudite Pluralist- V. Sriram The date was 27 February, 2018. His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar travelled from Varanasi to Lucknow and thence to Gorakhpur on a Rail Yatra, similar to the one he had undertaken in Andhra Pradesh in 2014. That evening he came to our house. While ecstatic devotees were waiting to have his glimpse and seek his blessings, “Gurudev” as he is called by legions of his followers walked up to my ailing father, Valluri Sriram, garlanded him and uttered, “I have come to see you.” Exactly a year later, 27 February, 2019 the mortal remains of my father, whom my younger sister Uma and I addressed as Appa would be consigned to flames. Appa passed away last evening, after his fourth hospitalisation at Prayagraj, succumbing to multiple organ failure. He was stricken with complications of the heart, COPD (he was not a smoker), Parkinson’s and finally brain atrophy. Witnessing the organs of a nonagenarian capitulating is a dreadful sight. It is quite like a forlorn parrot in a cage seeking freedom. There is an intense battle between the body, the spirit, the mind and the soul. Ultimately it only proves that despite modern technology at human disposal we are mere mortals. Appa seemed to have lost the will to continue once his elder brother Valluri Kameshwar Rao (ICS retd.) passed away in November 2018 at the grand age of 104. Confined as he was to the wheelchair, Appa could not attend the last rites of his dear brother, something that devastated him enormously. The youngest of six siblings, my father was born on June 10 in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh in 1927. Despite being born into an orthodox Brahmin family he had chartered a separate path altogether. He joined the non-vegetarian mess in Andhra University where he was a tutee of economics. After completing his M Phil, he migrated to Delhi University to pursue his doctorate under the towering Dr V.K.R.V. Rao. Here he was to rub academic shoulders with such intellectual giants as Dr K.N. Raj, Dr Amartya Sen, Dr Sukhomoy Chakroborty and none other than Dr Man Mohan Singh. He was always in pursuit of perfection and excellence and thus often missed the wood for the trees. He was unable to complete his thesis, though he wrote several papers on Macro and Micro Economics. Pandit Nehru was singularly impressed with my father’s intellectual prowess and Appa went on to be a member of a team that visited China in 1955 and interacted with eminent Chinese leaders like Chou En-Lai and Mao Tse-Tung. Appa used to narrate in an animated manner about the growth in China and the Great Wall of China, the only man-made structure thought to be visible from Earth’s satellite moon. Appa had several friends and associates. Late Shri P.H. Vaishnav, a sterling bureaucrat of the Punjab cadre was one among them. My father and Vaishnav Uncle, both avid Wodehouse fans would often recall snippets from Wodehouse and the house resonated with laughter. The turning point in my father’s life was the birth of my sister Uma. She was his talisman and soon he was to work in FICCI, followed by ASSOCHAM and finally as secretary to Shri Hari Shankar Singhania. Shri Valluri Sriram was a socialist by heart and ideological training. He shared a close association with several socialist stalwarts including Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, Shri Jai Prakash Narayan, Shri George Fernandes, Shri Chandrashekar, Shri Madhu Dandavate and the popular Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Appa was part of the committee which drafted the manifesto of the Janata Party in 1977. I fondly recall when Telugu Desam was the principal opposition party, Shri Madhav Reddy, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Shri P. Upendra would visit our house seeking advice on a broad spectrum of economic issues. Professor S.H. Pathak of the Delhi School of Social Work was his close friend. It was at Pathak Uncle’s house that we would meet eminent theatre and film personalities like Girish Kasarvalli, B.V. Karanth and Girish Karnad among others, which fuelled my deep interest in dramatics. However, Appa was deeply distressed during the 1984 riots and the dismantling of the disputed structure at Ayodhya which reflected his pluralistic nature, a trait he continued to deeply cherish till his demise. Certainly, he was neither religious nor spiritual by nature. He was cast more in the mould of an agnostic attempting to unravel the mysteries of the universe through the prism of Nehruvian thinking and his training in economics. Whilst his elder siblings had unflinching faith in Sathya Sai Baba and I am ardent follower of H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar my father attempted to discover the virtuosity of nature by his readings of Stephen Hawking, Jim Holt, Steve Jobs, Carl Sagan among others. Obviously, the logical side of his brain was developed immensely, always demanding proof. In this pursuit, he found robust companions in my children Siddhartha and Tejala, both of who are highly sceptical of “gurus”. My parents in particular have been highly catholic by temperament and I was educated at St Xavier’s School, Delhi and my sibling at the Presentation Convent. We were also closely associated with the church through priests like Bishop Rego and Bishop Remegius and also Mother Teresa. This certainly opened several vistas to my thought process. Among the myriad experiences I have had in life was the visit of Shri Sundar Lal Bahuguna, the noted environmentalist to our home because of my father’s association with FICCI and ASSOCHAM. Appa always rued the fact that he could not complete his doctorate nor join the Indian Administrative Service, a cross he bore all his life. It was ironical that last evening as we stepped out of the hospital, it began to pour. Even the Gods in the empyrean had tears to shed and would be getting ready to welcome Appa (a copy of his favorite Economist magazine in hand). Today his mortal remains lie in the mortuary at the Central Railway Hospital before being consigned to flames in the evening. But when he was physically fit, he flitted between dargah, church and temple in search of the quintessential truth owing allegiance only to financial and intellectual truth. May, his soul rest in eternal peace. For sure, he would now have the chance to discover the eternal truth. “How’s the josh?” the doc asked Father, who mumbled something incomprehensible. Sodium and other electrolytes appeared to be low and the nonagenarian could not distinguish between day and night, between tenebrosity and luminosity, between sanity and insanity. This was the fourth occasion that he was admitted into the ICCU in the last few months. The doctor persisted. Father looked askance; a glazed look in his eyes. He had slumped in bed that afternoon, with BP and pulse not registering. And the oxygen monitor read an ominous zero. For the first time, I saw a flushed look on my mother's face. It was red, not radiant. As devout Hindus, she, my wife and my sister who had come over from Boston switched on the Hanuman Chalisa, the Rudram and the Lalita Sahasranamam in quick succession. The Gods were invoked on the pretentious gizmos to resuscitate a person who appeared to be choked. “How’s the josh?” the doctor enquired once again. Prana levels were ebbing. The patient’s josh was revived partially with the help of a saline drip. With repeated pestilence there was atrophy of veins. But perhaps Almighty God, my unflinching faith in H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the resonance of the mantras conjured a Mandrake like magic and he was wheeled in an ambulance to Heartline. “How’s the josh?” Father had recovered partially and a feeble smile played on his emaciated face. Father was administered the Holter Monitor test and the doctor was of the opinion that he would be discharged the next day. “How’s the josh?” Our josh was spirited and we felt relieved. I placed a photograph of the Gods below his pillow beseeching them to be his guardian angels. But the following day the frail body was inflicted by septicaemia. Blisters had formed on his feet as they were exposed to high temperatures when a hot water bag was placed to alleviate pain. Father in the hazy and muggy state felt that a patient on the adjacent bed was his brother who refused to engage in a conversation. My uncle had cracked a century four years back and cast his mortal remains just a few months back. This perhaps had had a deleterious effect on Father’s mind and body. How did our fabled Rishis live for hundreds of years? Pranayama, diet, meditation and no antipathetic or Sisyphean thoughts. That was their josh and the elixir of their lives. Gandhiji once famously said that he would live up to 125 years. That was his josh - his diet, Kriya Yoga learnt from Paramahamsa Yogananda and daily evening satsangs. His Holy Grail of course was non-violence. “How’s the josh?” the doctor asked Father to bolster his courage and conviction. But soon the entourage of specialist doctors recommended a CT scan. The nonagenarian was wheeled out from the hospital to a CT scan centre. That is the state of medicare in the country. Fortuitously the CT scan report suggested atrophy and nothing worse. The result was slowed down reflexes and an inability to swallow food orally. He is now being fed through a nasal pipe. The stripling youngster serving Father is quite distraught that this is the only way to feed him. Father remains incoherent, with an unchanging distant and forlorn look in his eyes. Life in the ICCU for the patient is pathetic and for the kith and kin who attend to him is depressing. We are keeping a vigil outside the hospital, with prayers on our lips and trying to fortify our josh. “How’s the josh?” Well, we attempt to keep it unflagging for optimism is the only key to overcome any misadventure in life.

How did Lord Kartikeya die?

How did Lord Kartikeya die? In Hindu mythology, Lord Kartikeya (also known as Murugan or Skanda) is considered to be immortal and is not known to have died. Lord Kartikeya is one of the sons of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, and he is believed to have been born with six heads to defeat the demon Taraka. He is regarded as the god of war and victory, and is also associated with wisdom, knowledge, and intelligence. There are no stories or legends in Hindu mythology that describe the death of Lord Kartikeya. He is still worshiped and revered by millions of people in India and other parts of the world.

Maturity is a mindset, not age.

To resolve a dispute, two people are required but to forgive and forget, one is sufficient. Maturity is a mindset, not age. Success comes from what we do consistently, not occasionally. In school, first lesson then test - In life, first test then lesson. Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t. When we build a house every brick counts and when we build our character every thought counts. The key to absolute freedom and joy for each and every one of us is to let go of fear.

Fund Raising

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he shared the following: 'I believe that when a child like Shay (my son), who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story: Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. B y the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team. 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Zen Buddhism- Law of Attraction

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2023/columnists/zen-buddhism--law-of-attraction.html

Mizzlizzy89

Mizzlizzy89 · Following Apr 20 My husband caught me texting another man romantically. The other man and I never met, but my husband still wants a divorce. Isn't he taking things too far? No, I do not believe he is taking things too far. If you were in his position, are you telling me you wouldn’t at least consider divorce? I have a hard time believing you would not. Either way, your behavior is a clear violation of your husband’s trust. For me, once the trust has been destroyed in a relationship, especially in regards to infidelity, then divorce becomes a very real option.

*Gurudev in satsang today*

*Gurudev in satsang today* Someone asked “Why are we on this earth ?” Gurudev responded “Thats a very good question. The fact that you feel why are you here means that you know you don’t belong here. That can happen in heightened awareness or when you feel lonely and go deep within” “You are both a witness and a doer, the skill and wisdom is in switching between the two. And at one point, you see everything as a witness or everything as your doing. And then you will see that whatever is your intention is also best possible to happen.” “Knowledge and meditation are complimentary. In deep meditation authentic wisdom comes up. And with deep wisdom meditation deepens” “Don’t try to stop your thoughts, just let them be, let it be…be a witness…but don’t misuse this!”

THE UNIVERSE = GURUDEV SRISRI RAV SHANKAR

THE UNIVERSE IS AN EVER FLUCTUATING, MULTIDIMENSIONAL SYSTEM THAT IS ALWAYS SELF CORRECTING. IT'S LIKE A QUANTUM SUPER COMPUTER CALCULATING MILLIONS OF PROBABILITIES, LEAVING NOTHING UP TO CHANCE. NOTHING THAT HAPPENS IS AN ACCIDENT, EVERYTHING IS PERFECTLY METICULOUSLY CALCULATED SO THAT YOU ARE EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE, EXACTLY WHEN YOU NEED TO BE THERE. Good morning everyone !!

*A Free Ride To Life*

*A Free Ride To Life* *(CATCHING WILD PIGS)* *Karl Marx* once said- "Remove one freedom per generation. Soon you will have no freedom left and no one would have even noticed. One day while the class was in the laboratory, a Professor noticed a young man kept rubbing his back and stretching, as if his back hurt. The Professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him that he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting Communists in his native country, who were trying to overthrow his country's Government and install a new Communist regime. Then, the student looked at the Professor and asked a strange question- *"Do you know how to catch wild Pigs ?"* The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punchline. The young man said that it was no joke at all. "You catch wild Pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting Corn on the ground. The Wild Pigs find the Corn and begin to come every day to eat the Free food. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence on one side of the place where they are used to coming regularly. At first, the Wild Pigs are scared, but when they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The Pigs, which are used to the Free Corn, start to come through the gate to eat that Free Corn again. Then you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly, the wild Pigs have lost their freedom. They run around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the Free Corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity and they are slaughtered thereafter." The young man then told the Professor- "That is exactly what is happening in many countries today. *The Governments keep pushing the people towards Socialism* and keep spreading the *Free Corn* out in the form of programmes such as Free Rations, Free Electricity, Tax credits, Caste Benefits, Farm subsidies, Welfare Schemes, Free entitlements, Free medicines, while *the people continually lose their freedom* , just a little bit at a time." One should always remember *a simple Truth:* *There is no such thing as a Free Lunch.* If you think that the *Free Ride is essential to your way of life* , then God help you when the gates slam shut ! Most of the problems we are facing today, are because the people who work for a living are now outnumbered by those who vote for a living ! *Sounds Familiar ??* Think........

EXACTLY ALIKE

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^*~*~*~*~* September 29, 2023 EXACTLY ALIKE Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 89 A man came to the meeting drunk, interrupted the speakers, stood up and took his shirt off, staggered loudly back and forth for coffee, demanded to talk, and eventually called the group's secretary an unquotable name and walked out. I was glad he was there— once again, I saw what I still could be. I don't have to be drunk to want to be the exception and the center of attention. I have often felt abused and responded abusively when I was simply being treated as a garden variety human being. The more the man tried to insist he was different, the more I realized that he and I were exactly alike. *********************************************** Courage and Prudence When fear persisted, we knew it for what it was, and we became able to handle it. We began to see each adversity as a God-given opportunity to develop the kind of courage which is born of humility, rather than of bravado. << << << >> >> >> Prudence is a workable middle ground, a channel of clear sailing between the obstacles of fear on the one side and of recklessness on the other. Prudence in practice creates a definite climate, the only climate in which harmony, effectiveness, and consistent spiritual progress can be achieved. << << << >> >> >> "Prudence is rational concern without worry." 1. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1962 2. TWELVE CONCEPTS, P. 65 3. TALK, 1966 ************************************************ One is happy as a result of one's own efforts, tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, of that I now feel certain. — George Sand

IMMUTABLE LAW

IMMUTABLE LAW Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 29 I once came across an old sermon that was delivered in London during the French Revolution. The author said, referring to the Sermon on the Mount: "Surely it is justifiable to hate the Arch-Butcher, Robespierre, and to execrate the Bristol murderer." This pronouncement perfectly illustrates the fallacy that we have been considering. You might just as well swallow a dose of prussic acid in two gulps, and think to protect yourself by saying, "This one is for Robespierre; and this one for the Bristol murderer." You will hardly have any doubt as to who will receive the benefit of the poison. A woman said: "I have a right to be angry," meaning that she had been the victim of very shabby treatment. This, of course, is absurd. There is no one to give such a permit, and if general laws could be set aside in special instances, we should have, not a universe, but a chaos. If you drank a deadly poison inadvertently, you would die because such is the law. For the same reason, to entertain negative emotions is to order trouble— quite independently of any seeming justification that you may suppose yourself to have. “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23

hat are Indian teenagers up to nowadays?

Agastya · Following touch me, MidasJan 27 What are Indian teenagers up to nowadays? My observation says: Some of them are busy filming short videos and reels on Facebook, Instagram etc. Some are venting their inner thoughts and feelings by writing on Quora, which they couldn’t have done in real life. Some are hustling for competitive exams like JEE and NEET. Some of them are working hard to break the chain of poverty or mediocrity running in their family’s financial history. Some of them are desperate for romantic relationships. Hopeless romantics to be precise. Some of them are finding peace in the path of God. In order words, they are building their relationship, not with other humans but God himself. Some of them are depressed, but for a variety of different reasons. Like, someone might be depressed for a break-up while someone else is depressed seeing downfall in his/her marks after opting for Science stream in 11th standard. Some are into Gaming. Although this is just a phase, which mostly boys go through. It either sticks around for the rest of your life, or you step out of Gaming permanently. Some of them are after attention on social media, contemplating how many likes and comments can their posts achieve. Some of them are trying to figure out the purpose behind their life or even the meaning of existence in general.

Did Ramayan and Mahabharat actually happen or is it just a moral story?

Did Ramayan and Mahabharat actually happen or is it just a moral story? Let me tell you a story. Let at some point in the future, somehow mankind ended, like shown in the movies. But only a few hundred people survived on an island. They didn't had any food or modern technology to survive. So they started living like early man. In order to retain the information of human civilization, they passed on the knowledge of human history like astronomy, mathematics, moral values, medicinal knowledge and history including world war 1 and world war 2. All of them were translated orally, in English. After 500 years, their population multiplied. The civilization also discovered writing technique. So they wrote down whatever they remembered or retained, as told by their ancestors about the human knowledge, in manuscripts, in English. Over the next 1000 years, the thing that was supposed to be history, science and philosophy took the form of a religion. Those who believed in the history and science were called to be the followers of that specific religion. As the years passed, variations in language came and most of the people forgot the English language. Finally, in the year 4000 A.D., the then human civilization attained 20th Century like technology. Soon the question of the manuscripts and religion were brought to discuss among the scientists, whether they were true or not. One scientist said, "Lol, how could such an ancient civilization exist 2000 years ago.” Another one claimed, "You mean there were flying machines which dropped atomic bombs in world war 2? How could it be possible? We invented aeroplanes and atomic bombs recently, how can they exists before 2000 years ago."

ARE YOU DYNAMIC?

ARE YOU DYNAMIC? Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 24 Many people think they would like to be what is called dynamic but it does not appear that they always have a very clear idea of what that expression really means. Aggressive and noisy? Bombastic in manner? A dynamic person is one who really makes a difference in the world, who does something that changes things or people. The magnitude of the work done may not be great, but the world is different because that person has lived and worked. The real secret of a dynamic personality is to believe that God works through you, whatever you may be doing; to put His service first, and to be as sincere, practical, and efficient as you know how. “know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind." 1 Chronicles 28:9

*A SOLDIER’S FATHER*

*A SOLDIER’S FATHER* *By : WING COMDR VENKI IYER* ~~ The helicopter appeared over the late morning horizon. We were to receive Mr Lachhman Singh Rathore who was visiting our Flight Unit to perform the last rites of his son, Flying Officer Vikram Singh. ~~ Only the day before, I had sent the telegram, “Deeply regret to inform that your son Flying Officer Vikram Singh lost his life in a flying accident early this morning. Death was instantaneous.” It was the first time for me- to meet and manage the bereaved next of kin, in this case the Father of the brave officer. ~~ While most of the desolate family members insist on seeing the body, many a time there isn’t a body to show !! Flying Officer Vikram Singh’s remains were only a few kilos –scrapped from what was left in the cockpit. We had to weigh the wooden coffin with wood and earth. ~~The pilot brought the helicopter to a perfect touchdown. Soon Mr Lachhman Singh Rathor was helped down the ladder.A small and frail man he was, maybe of 80 years, clad in an immaculate dhoti. ~~As I approached him, he asked in a quiet and dignified whisper, “Are you Venki, the Flight Commander?” “Yes Sir.” “Vikram had spoken to me about you. I’d like to speak to you alone for a minute.” ~~ We walked to the edge of the concrete apron. ‘I have lost a son, and you have lost a friend. I’m sure that you have taken great care in arranging the funeral. Please tell me when and where you want my presence and what you want me to do. I’ll be there for everything. Later, I would like to meet Vikram’s friends, see his room and, if it is permitted, visit his work place. I then would like to return home tomorrow morning.” ~~A commander couldn’t have given me clearer instructions. ~~The funeral, with full military honours, was concluded by late afternoon. After the final echoes of the ‘Last Post’ faded away, Lachhman Singh spent the evening talking to the Squadron Pilots. Vikram’s roommate took him to see Vikram’s room. Lachhman Singh desired to spend the night in his son’s room instead of the guest house we had reserved for him. Early next morning after a tour of the squadron area, my boss took him to his office. ~~A while later, the staff car took Lachhman Singh to the civil airfield two hours away. ~~As the car disappeared round the corner, I remarked to my Boss, “A brave man he is. Spoke to me like a General when he told me exactly what he expected from us during his stay here. I have never seen a more composed man on such an occasion. I admire him.” ~~ “Yes, Mr Lachhman Singh Rathore is a warrior in his own way. He sired three sons and has laid to rest all three of them. ~~ His first son Captain Ghanshyam Singh of the Gurkha Rifles was killed in Ladakh in 1962 War. His second son, Major Bir Singh, died along the Ichogil Canal in 1965 in an ambush. His youngest, Vikram Singh, who had the courage to join the Air Force, is also gone now. more to our country’s defence than All of us combined.” ~~Yes, he is indeed a brave Indian ; in fact HE is MORE INDIAN than anyone else - His sacrifice can never ever be repaid by the Country !! He is almost a Martyr himself !!

Why did Lord Rama choose Angad instead of Hanuman to face Ravana, what was the secret?

Why did Lord Rama choose Angad instead of Hanuman to face Ravana, what was the secret? Lord Shri Ram chose Angad instead of Hanuman to face Ravana. According to a story in Ramayana, when Shri Ramchandra ji reached Lanka, he thought of sending one of his messengers to Ravana. Everyone proposed in the assembly that Hanuman ji has made a splash of his power in Lanka. That's why once again Hanuman ji should be made an ambassador and sent to Ravana's court. But Ram ji wanted that this time someone else should go as a messenger in place of Hanuman. So that such a message does not spread that only Hanuman ji is strong in Lord Shri Ram's army. Then it was decided that someone else should be sent as an ambassador to Ravana's court, who is as mighty and intelligent as Hanuman ji. Suddenly Ram ji's eyes fell on Angad, who was sitting quietly in the assembly. Ram ji said that why not send Kumar Angad, the son of the mighty Vali, as an ambassador. It is both mighty and wise. With his departure, the morale of Ravana's army will weaken. Because they will feel that not only Hanuman but many other mighty men are present in Ram's army. Angad maintained the faith of Ramchandra ji and reached Ravana's court after taking his permission. Going to Ravana, he spoke about the bravery and power of Lord Rama and also challenged Ravana. If there is any hero in Lanka, then show me by lifting my feet from the ground. Ravana's big warriors and heroes started lifting Angad's feet from the ground. But all failed in front of the power of Mahavir Angad. In the end, when Ravana himself came to lift Angad's feet, Angad said. Why do you hold my feet... If you want to hold, then hold the feet of my lord Ram. He is kind and surrendered Vatsal. If you go to his shelter then your life will be saved, otherwise you will get death along with your brothers and brothers in the war. When Shriram ji came to know about this bravery of Angad, he was very happy. On the other hand, people in Ravana's assembly also came to know about Angad's prowess and intelligence. Jai Shri Ram……………..

Sri Sri:

Gurudev, if all the pain I am going through in this life is because of the Karmas of my previous life, then that makes me feel more sad. How do I face it? Sri Sri: Don’t keep your head turned backwards. Look ahead and move on. You are trying to walk forward with your head turned backward. This is why you feel miserable. Just let go! What good will you get by analyzing the past? It is all nothing. In life, everyone goes through pleasant and unpleasant times. Just walk ahead with courage. There is so much knowledge and joy on the path. Despite all this, if you are feeling sad and miserable then what is the use of this knowledge? Just have this deep faith that only the best will happen for you. So what if right now there are some difficult times to face? Face them with courage and a smile. Just keep yourself busy with something or the other.When we go deeper on the spiritual path, and in meditation; only then will we be able to overcome and rise above these minor problems and events in life. Only then will we be able to experience true bliss. The path of knowledge is very juicy and full of joy. It brings you on the path of righteous action. It gives you the experience of love that is so total and eternal, and you find peace that is so everlasting. Having this, you can move ahead in life with confidence. That is why it is said: 'Charaiveti! Charaiveti! Charaiveti! ' (From the Upanishads, meaning: 'Move on! Move on! Move on!') Our Vedas proclaim the same thing, just keep moving on in life, do not get entangled in anything. One who moves on in life, being firmly established in self-knowledge, attains the ultimate goal of life. But one who runs here and there feverishly behind cravings and desires, loses sigh of the very purpose of life.

THE THREE GIFTS

THE THREE GIFTS Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 26 In the old fairy tales, we were often told that when a little prince was born the fairies came to the christening with gifts. One is tempted to ask what gifts we would choose for ourselves if we had the ordering of such matters. What are the three best gifts that a child could be born with? I suggest the following three: a good constitution, a good disposition, and horse sense. I think that a child endowed with these three qualities would have very few difficulties to meet in life. I put a good constitution first because health is the greatest of all human blessings. On the other hand, people do not always realize how much difference a good disposition makes in oiling the wheels of everyday life. Finally, plain sense; I believe that horse sense, as it is called, is more important than the possession of any kind of mere ability or even great talents. We have all known men and women of the utmost brilliance, who apparently had every gift for success in life, but who, owing to a lack of simple, plain sense, came to shipwreck. Now, supposing you feel that you were not endowed with one or any of these gifts, what can you do? Well, the Jesus Christ teaching tells us that no good thing for which we pray is withheld. If you want any of the above gifts for yourself, pray for it each day, by claiming it; and build it into your character by acting the part in every circumstance that arises. “What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” Mark 11:24

Ganesha Om- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Ganesha Om Science has discovered that within a single human DNA strand there can also be found the DNA of every other species on the planet. Therefore, we also carry the quality of every animal in us, in fact, this has been known since the ancient days. The principal qualities of the elephant are wisdom and effortlessness. Elephants don’t walk around obstacles, neither do they stop at them – they just remove them and keep walking straight on. For instance, if there are trees in their path, they will just uproot those trees and proceed. So, when we worship Lord Ganesha, these elephant qualities within us, are kindled and we take on those qualities. The reason being that whatever you keep your attention on, you take on those qualities. So if you meditate on Ganesha, who has the head of an elephant, you will get the qualities of an elephant. You will overcome all obstacles. The ancient rishis were so deeply intelligent that they chose to express Divinity in terms of symbols rather than words since words change over time, but symbols remain unchanged. For instance, in any language, a skull and two cross bones indicate danger. Similarly, Ganesha signifies ‘Shubti’ (auspiciousness) and ‘Laabha’ (prosperity). The elephant has special qualities. It has an enormous head, which signifies Knowledge and Wisdom, it has large ears that fan, small eyes which convey that it is wiser to follow that which you hear and understand rather than to follow appearances. So what you see must be co-related with what you hear. Also the elephant used its trunk for dual functions – it smells and acts through its trunk. Likewise in wisdom we smell and then act. With the merest hint of something (like smelling smoke, of course!), a wise person will take immediate action, that is the wise act as soon as they smell something. The elephant also possesses tusks that are visible for all to see while its teeth for grinding purposes are not as they are in its mouth. So what is the significance of Ganesha? - Shiva and Parvati (this is where the word ‘Power’ comes from; (Parvati represents power) had been celebrating with great enthusiasm and Parvati had become dirty – signifying that celebration can easily become Rajasic or feverish and take you away from your centre, so she removed all the dirt (symbolic of ignorance) from her body and created a boy – doll from this. She gave the doll life and asked him to keep guard at the door while she bathed. When Shiva (representative of Supreme Innocence, Peace, and Knowledge) returned to Kailasha the boy could not recognize him and so obstructed his passage preventing him from entering. This signifies that Ignorance (dirt) does not recognize wisdom or innocence, however, truth can be stopped by ignorance and so Shiva chopped off the boy’s head – the head of ignorance and entered. But when Parvati realized what had happened she explained to Shiva that the boy was their son and Shiva had to save him. So he instructed his helpers to go and find someone with his head pointing to the North, someone in tune with the natural flow of energy and to bring back his head. They searched far and wide and were only able to find an elephant in such a state. So they brought back the head of the elephant and this became Ganesha. Now Ganesha is always depicted with a big stomach, his big belly represents generosity and total acceptance. The story goes that one day Ganesha drank so much milk that his belly burst, so he grabbed a Cobra and tied it around his stomach. This signifies that the acceptance of people and situations (big belly) without deep awareness is of no great value (akin to accepting people when we are sleeping! That is easy!) However, when there is awareness – the Cobra is symbolic of great alertness, and then there is ….or that is true acceptance and love. Ganesha’s upraised hand (in ‘Abhaya’ mudra, depicting protection) means ‘fear not – I am with you’ and his lowered hand, palm facing outwards (in ‘Varada’ mudra, symbolic of giving boons) means – unending giving as well as an invitation to bow down. (Bowing down signifies merging with the earth again, recognizing the truth that we will return to the earth. In the womb our position is one where our heads are bowed, our body is in a circle. Even at birth, we come into the world head down. It is our nature to bow down). Ganesha also has a single tusk which implies single-pointedness. One also sees very often, the posturization of the moon laughing at Ganesha as he tries to do the ‘Saastanga Danda Pranaam’ to his parents. Here the moon signifies the mind – the mind laughs at wisdom. Ganesha is mostly seen sitting on a lotus, now an elephant supporting on a lotus is kind of odd! This signifies that he is very sensitive; also Ganesha is always seen riding on a mouse. This is the most unexpected mode of travel, imaginable –an elephant on a mouse! However, the significance runs deeper, the mouse snips nibbling away at ropes that bind. The mouse who gradually nibbles through things is like mantra which can cut through sheets and sheets of ignorance and carry even an elephant. There can be nothing but absolute darkness and all that is required is a single tiny ray of ray that can illuminate us – free us from our ignorance. Not much is required at all – just this tiny persistent awareness. Even the implements Ganesha wields are symbolic, He carries in His hands ‘the Ankusha’ (the goad/stick that is used to prod an elephant awake; this signifies ‘awakening’) and the ‘Paasa’ (the noose which signifies control) now with awakening a lot of energy is released which without proper guidance can go haywire. Sri Sri Ravishankar

Jai Ho Sanatana Dharma

Sri Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri Peeth refused to bless Rahul and Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM). The Jagadguru said to them, "Thank you for coming to the Math. But, don't you know what you are doing, we cannot bless you."* *During the meeting, Jagadguru told Rahul and Siddaramaiah that if you have intolerance towards Hinduism, instead of creating disharmony in Hinduism by your actions, please stay away from Hinduism. The government has taken over the management of Hindu monasteries and temples. Not only that, the money coming in the form of hundi is not being used to rebuild the temples, but the same money is being spent on the welfare of other religions, which is unacceptable.* *It is good that you come to our Math, but we cannot give you blessings for the way you are doing anti-Hindu activities* Jagadguru directly told both of them. *Both politicians Rahul and Siddaramaiah did not expect such sharp comments from Jagadguru. Both were very hesitant and after coming out of the meeting, they started discussing how to stop Jagadguru's reaction from reaching the media. All the devotees and staff associated with the Math were overjoyed on hearing Jagadguru's response and shared it at every level without delay.* *I wish all our sages and saints were like this* *Mostly due to the influence of authority, blessings are also given to unrighteous people and fanatics, such unrighteous people and fanatics should not even be allowed to enter the temples.* Share this msg as much as possible..🚩 🕉️ Jai Ho Sanatana Dharma

C O C O N U T

C O C O N U T In the United States, an estimated 5.4 million people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This figure is growing rapidly with the ageing population. One of them was Steve Newport. His wife, Mary Newport, was a doctor. Dr. Mary learned that her husband had severe Alzheimer's disease. When the doctor examined her husband at the hospital, he asked Steve to paint a clock. Instead, he drew a few circles and then drew a few figures without any logic. It was not like a clock at all!. The doctor pulled her aside and said: "Your husband is already on the verge of severe Alzheimer's disease!" It turned out that it was a test of whether a person had Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Mary was very upset at that time, but as a doctor, she would not just give up. She began to study the disease. She found out Alzheimers disease was associated to glucose deficiency to the brain. Her research says: "The dementia of the elderly is like having diabetes in the head! Before one has the symptoms of Diabetes or Alzheimer's disease, the body has already had problems for 10 to 20 years." According to Dr. Mary's study, Alzheimer's disease is very similar to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The cause is also insulin imbalance. Because insulin has a problem, it prevents the brain cells from absorbing glucose. Glucose is the nutrition of brain cells. Without glucose, brain cells die. As it turns out, these high-quality proteins are the cells that feed our body. But nutrition for our brain cell is glucose. As long as we have mastered the source of these two kinds of food, we are the masters of our own health! The next question is, where to find glucose? It cannot be the ready-made glucose that we buy from the store. It is not from fruits such as grapes. She started looking for alternatives. The alternative nutrients for brain cells are ketones. Ketones are necessary in brain cells. Ketones cannot be found in vitamins. *Coconut oil* contains triglicerides. After the triglycerides in *coconut oil* is consumed, it is metabolised into ketones in the liver. This is the alternative nutrient for brain cells! After this scientific verification, Dr. Mary added *coconut oil* to her husband's food. After only two weeks, when he went to the hospital again to do painting and clock tests, the progress was amazing. Dr. Mary said: "At that time, I thought, has God heard my prayers? Wouldn't it be coconut oil that worked? But there is no other way. Anyway, it's better to continue taking the *coconut oil*." Dr. Mary was now part of the traditional medical practice base. She clearly knew the capabilities of traditional medicine. Three weeks later, the third time she took him to do a smart clock test, the performance was better than the last time. This progress was not only intellectual, but also emotional and physical. Dr. Mary said: "He could not do his running but now he can run. He could not read for a year and a half, but he can read again now after taking *coconut oil* for three months." Her husband's actions had already begun to change. He did not speak in the mornings. Now she noticed a lot of changes: "Now after he gets up, he is spirited, talking and laughing. He drinks water himself and takes utensils for himself on his own." On the surface, these are very simple daily tasks, but only those who have come to the clinic or have demented relatives at home can experience the joy: It is not easy to see such progress! After frying the greens & onions in coconut oil, making cakes with coconut, after taking 3 to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil per meal, 2-3 months later, the eyes too can now focus normally. Her studies proved that *coconut oil* can really improve the problem of dementia in the elderly. Apply *coconut oil* to bread. When coconut cream is used, the taste is unexpectedly good. Young people can also use it for maintenance of health and prevention, and can improve if they have symptoms of dementia. Dementia is caused because nutrients cannot be transported to brain cells, and nutrients must be passed from the body to the brain by insulin. Especially for diabetic patients it's not easy to get insulin secretion. “Nutrition cannot get to the brain. When brain cells are starved to death, they are deprived of intelligence.” *Coconut oil* contains medium-chain triglyceride, which can supply nutrients to the brain without using insulin. *So, it can improve Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.* After reading the article, don't forget to share it. *Found this interesting and Helpful as we are getting Old in Age.. Someone could need this. Thanks.

Women's Reservation Bill

PM addresses MPs in Central Hall of Parliament during Special Session PM addresses MPs in Central Hall of Parliament during Special Session Published By : Admin | September 19, 2023 | 11:30 IST Share Comments Quote“We are heading to the new Parliament building with the resolve and determination to transform India into a developed nation” Quote“Central Hall of Parliament inspires us to fulfill our duties” Quote“India is full of new energy. We are growing rapidly” Quote“Amidst new aspirations, framing new laws and getting rid of outdated laws is the highest responsibility of the Parliamentarians” Quote“We have to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat in Amrit Kaal” Quote“We have to carry out reforms keeping in mind the aspirations of every Indian” Quote“India will have to work on a big canvas. Time has gone to get entangled in small stuff” Quote“During G20 we have become the voice of the Global South, a ‘Vishwa Mitra’” Quote“We have to fulfil the resolution of an Aatmnirbhar Bharat” Quote“Samvidhan Sadan will continue to guide us and will keep reminding us about the great personalities who were part of the Constituent Assembly”

A “LIMITLESS LODE”

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^*~ *~*~*~* September 22, 2023 A “LIMITLESS LODE” Like a gaunt prospector, belt drawn in over the last ounce of food, our pick struck gold. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds. Father feels he has struck something better than gold. For a time, he may try to hug the new treasure to himself. He may not see at once that he has barely scratched a limitless lode which will pay dividends only if he mines it for the rest of his life and insist on giving away the entire product. Alcoholics Anonymous Pages 128 & 129 When I talk with a newcomer to A.A., my past looks me straight in the face. I see the pain in those hopeful eyes, I extend my hand, and then the miracle happens: I become healed. My problems vanish as I reach out to this trembling soul. *********************************************** Have You Experimented? "Since open-mindedness and experimentation are supposed to be the indispensable attributes of our ‘scientific’ civilization, it seems strange that so many scientists are reluctant to try out personally the hypothesis that God came first and man afterward. They prefer to believe that man is the chance product of evolution; that God, the Creator, does not exist. "I can only report that I have experimented with both concepts and that, in my case, the God concept has proved to be a better basis for living than the man-centered one. "Nevertheless, I would be the first to defend your right to think as you will. I simply ask this question: ‘In your own life, have you ever really tried to think and act as though there might be a God? Have you experimented?’" Letter, 1950

FACING TWO WAYS

FACING TWO WAYS Around the Year with Emmet Fox September 22 Are you double minded? Jesus says that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, and that such a person need expect nothing from the Great Law. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” James 1:5-7 This is very obvious common sense. If you affirm one thing now, and the opposite in half an hour; if you meditate helpfully and then go downstairs to talk trouble; it is entirely natural that you should fail to influence people with the peace that comes with prayer. If you stepped into a taxi at Grand Central and told the driver to take you to Central Park, and then, after a block, told him to drive you to the Battery, and then after a couple of blocks asked him to go to Central Park again, you could hardly expect the driver to land you at any destination. And yet this is what a good many of us do in practice. We affirm both harmony and disharmony until the subconscious mind is completely muddled, anti, of course, our lives are in confusion. Where our words and deeds reinforce one another the effect is powerful and the result certain. Where they are not in accord they cancel out, leaving us where we started, or more likely worse off.

Four Stages of Elimination in Life:

Four Stages of Elimination in Life: At 60, the workplace eliminates you. No matter how successful or powerful you were during your career, you'll return to being an ordinary person. So, don't cling to the mindset and sense of superiority from your past job, let go of your ego, or you might lose your sense of ease! At 70, society gradually eliminates you. The friends and colleagues you used to meet and socialize with become fewer, and hardly anyone recognizes you at your former workplace. Don't say, "I used to be..." or "I was once..." because the younger generation won't know you, and you mustn't feel uncomfortable about it! At 80, family slowly eliminates you. Even if you have many children and grandchildren, most of the time you'll be living with your spouse or by yourself. When your children visit occasionally, it's an expression of affection, so don't blame them for coming less often, as they're busy with their own lives! At 90, the Earth wants to eliminate you. Some of the people you knew have already departed forever. At this point, don't be sad or mournful, because this is the way of life, and everyone will eventually follow this path! Therefore, while our bodies are still capable, live life to the fullest! Eat what you want, drink what you desire, play and do the things you love. Remember, the only thing that won't eliminate you is the Whatsapp group. So, communicate more in the group, say a hello, maintain your presence, be happy, and have no regrets!😀😀

Was Lord Krishna a non-vegetarian?

Was Lord Krishna a non-vegetarian? NO, NOT AT ALL. Vrishnis were strict vegetarians. All of the Vrishni men (except Krishna who was a teetotaler) were reputed to be heavy drinkers of the special varuni wine. This included Balarama as well. The food items of interest for Lord Krishna: Milk Butter Fruits Laddoo Puffed Rice So that is the answer.

How lonely are you?

How lonely are you? This year I got 0 birthday wishes. It's not that I expected it's just that the more I am trying to find myself the more people forgetting me. And it's a fact and accepted and moved on without carrying anything in my mind . From past 6–7 years I am alone in my journey.I am not active in any social media except quora. Initial 3–4 years was daunting cause I was going through severe depression. None of the person gave damn about it. I tried to fake smile all the time. But deep down I was so much into pain . But from past 3 years I chose to be live in alone. Cause that fake filtered world already gave me so much things which I can't even share with anyone in future. Like seriously that world is so relentless for me. I realised ‘No one truly cares untill you become successful.’ Quora is the only place where I can share my emotions and active here just to vent out my emotions. When I started to improve my life again something happened! It's seems stagnant it feels it don't want to move forward. I believed my life never going to happen better. I can't be happy from inside like others. But somehow I gathered courage again and trying each day to build myself and it's being a herculean task for me. Now, I don't feel anything extra in my heart . I have so much faith in myself cause I am trying even to get all those shits better and subsequently best . I got to know Feeling is the key! And the only thing I cherished about it my followers here when I started writing here many people texted me so many beautiful message and I am very blessed that I found quora mistakenly. I never knew that such people even exist. Trust me I love you all ❤️ Whenever I feel like to quit that I immediately go into my message section and read that to elevate my mood. I feel some kind of Positive energy which going gradually into my brain. It doesn't matter whether you wish me or not It doesn't matter when you give hate comments in quora It doesn't even bother me when you ask about — oh, you career oriented, and failed so many times. It's just that doubters and non believers can never stop me. Each day I am passing with so many obstacle but still I am not giving up. I know no one wants to listen the struggle story without result. But it's okay I have said that.