An annual Pun Competition was held by the New York Times. Here are some submissions:

An annual Pun Competition was held by the New York Times. Here are some submissions: 1. I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now. 2. England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool. 3. A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail. 4. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress. 5. Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He's all right now. 6. A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired. 7. When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she'd dye. 8. I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me. 9. Did you hear about the crossed-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils😀 10. Dad, are we pyromaniacs? Yes, we arson. 11. Why is ‘dark’ spelt with a k and not c? Because you can’t 'c' in the dark. 12. Why is it unwise to share your secrets with a clock? Well, because time will tell. 13. Prison is just one word to you, but for some people, it’s a whole sentence. 14. I’m trying to organize a hide-n-seek tournament, but good players are really hard to find. 15. I’ve started telling everyone about the benefits of eating dried grapes. It’s all about raisin awareness!!!

Up, upper, uppam!

Up, upper, uppam! Message from Tharoor… *UP* to you to believe it or not… 🤔😝 One word in the English language that could be a noun, verb, adj, adv, prep is "UP". Read until the end... you'll have a good laugh !!! This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word. That word is, *'UP'*. It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v]. It's easy to understand *UP*, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake *UP*? At a meeting, why does a topic come *UP*? Why do we speak *'UP',* and why are the officers *UP* for election, if there is a tie, it is a toss *UP*, and why is it *UP* to the secretary to write *UP* a report ? We call *UP* our friends, brighten *UP* a room, polish *UP* the silver, warm *UP* the leftovers and clean *UP* the kitchen. We lock *UP* the house and fix *UP* the old car. At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir *UP* trouble, line UP for tickets, work *UP* an appetite, and think *UP* excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed *UP* is special. And this *UP* can be confusing. A drain must be opened *UP* because it is blocked *UP* !!! We open *UP* a store in the morning, but we close it *UP* at night. We seem to be pretty mixed *UP* about *UP* !!! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of *UP*, look *UP* the word *UP* in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes *UP* almost 1/4 of the page and can add *UP* to about thirty definitions !!! If you are *UP* to it, you might try building *UP* a list of the many ways *UP* is used. It will take *UP* a lot of your time, but if you don't give *UP*, you may wind *UP* with, *UP* to, a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding *UP*. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing *UP*. When it rains, it soaks *UP* the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry *UP*. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it *UP*, for now...... my time is *UP*! So, did this whole thing, crack you *UP*?🤩 Send this on to someone you look *UP* in your group .... or not... it's *UP* to you.

11. My Mother, A Woman of Substance - Bala Sriram

11. 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.

The Pandemic Continues

9. The Pandemic Continues First up, we brace with some cold numbers. Towards the end of December, 2020 as many as 75 million humans were afflicted by the dreaded novel Corona virus or COVID-19, accounting for 1.6 million deaths. One of the most highly developed nations in the world, the USA lead the pack in terms of those afflicted as the inauguration of Joe Biden took place amidst extraordinary political, public health, economic, and national security crises, including the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic and former President Donald Trump’s ugly and brazen attempt to overturn the Presidential results amidst storming of the Capitol Hill by a rampaging mob. Erudite scientist, Stephen Hawking had advanced the argument that man would need a new planet to inhabit as they would have to counter nuclear warfare, climate change and biological warfare in the near future. Did the English cricketer Jofra Archer in his prescient tweets predict the pandemic or was it mere coincidence? But certainly, there are early references to pandemics in the Bible and treatises like the Yoga Vasishta. As per the Old Testament, as man was overcome with avarice and practised idolatry, he earned the wrath of God. As a result, ancient Egypt was afflicted with plague during the times of Moses. Yoga Vasishta is a dialogue between sage Vasishta and Lord Rama, while Rama was a tutee of the sagacious sage. Apparently, there was a female demon (rakshasi) who survived high in the Himalayas. Through rigorous penance she obtained a boon from the creator, Lord Brahma, to be able to metamorphose into the form of a needle. This needle or suchika afflicted humans in the heart, pulmonary tract and the spleen and normally survived in filth. Today, as India has opened up after a series of lockdowns and initially the frontline workers and senior citizens are being inoculated with the two vaccines available. India has managed to unleash two vaccines in form of COVISHIELD and COVAXIN, which should keep naysayers and predictors of doomsday at bay. AN ODE TO MY PARENTS 10. 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.

Life in times of Pandemic

Life in times of Pandemic There was once Bubonic plague and then it was followed by the Spanish Flu aeons later, which claimed millions of lives across the globe. In fact, Spanish Flu resulted in loss of more human lives than the two World Wars put together. Such was the cataclysmic catastrophe which left humanity numbed. In 2019 an invisible microorganism which apparently originated from Wuhan in China locked down nations. Lives have been lost and by the day numbers are spiraling. Further, economic activity hit rock bottom. Is it apocalypse? A pandemic swept across the swathes of the globe, and afflicted people in every corner. In a globalised, inter-connected world, humans wear masks, have now to resort to social distancing and several worked from home; isn’t this the ultimate irony? This is the price humanity pays as COVID – 19 takes over. Indians like rest of the world went through a series of lockdowns and gradually opened up various sectors of economic activity. Even now several educational institutions are functioning virtually impinged with large scale uncertainties. Economic wheels are slowly churning back in the faint hope of a revival as the process of vaccination has finally begun. Origin of lockdown in India The technique of lockdown involving the masses was also employed by the Mahatma during the Civil Disobedience movement. It was an absolute shut down across swathes of the land when Satyagraha, prayer and non-violence and non-cooperation were deployed as tools against fiendish forces represented by the British. The novel method shook the very foundations of the British suzerainty. These were political stratagems to combat the demonic powers of foreign occupation. Today humans through self-imposed home-exile and social-distancing developed a stratagem to grapple with this vicious and virulent virus which assumed an octopus-like grip over humanity, as finally vaccine visible on the horizon. But yet we need to maintain social distancing and not lower our guard against the disease as several new mutations emerge. Plagues and other epidemics have struck humanity with ferocity in the past as well; the Great Plague in Europe and parts of Central Asia in the 14th century and the small pox epidemic in Mexico in 1520 being two well-known examples and of course the Spanish Flu. In these times of adversity for human beings, nature is finally getting a chance to breathe freely. When the pandemic broke out it was reported that that streams in Venice witnessed large numbers of dolphins, fish and swans, species which had all but vanished. The airport at Tel Aviv was a testimony to Egyptian birds walk across like mannequin airhostesses, baboons in Singapore were found straddling the streets and seem to obeying the regimented laws of the city state. This ought to teach us to live in harmony with other species. But this is possible only if humans are not caught in the vortex of self-aggrandizement and acquisition. The silk-stocking and upmarket individuals necessarily need to eschew their habit of avarice and contribute towards sharing, caring and expressing unalloyed love. The USA had reduced funding to WHO, but the ultra-rich across the globe can contribute towards poverty alleviation, medical services, protecting the environment and reducing pollution levels through tempering their wants and desires. As we slowly begin to operate from the sanctuary of our dwelling places, humans need to differentiate between loneliness and solitude. Loneliness will make us mental wrecks. We will not be joyous and loving but grumble, and develop antagonistic attitudes. This loneliness needs to be transfigured and metamorphosed into solitude. Solitude is a state of becoming antarmukhi; a state of being in harmony with the outer world while looking deep within in order to suffuse the mind with efficacious thoughts and draw on our inner reservoirs of energy. Spending time at home, humans were required to develop their immune system and several had given this an immediate priority. There are solutions aplenty. Eschew white sugar totally. Apparently even one table spoon reduces immunity levels by half. To remain fit one can, tend to the greenery in our balconies or garden, do plenty of yoga (what about 108 sets of Suryanamaskars), spot jogging etc. This is the time to pray, fast and meditate. Pranayama and deep breathing techniques help expel toxins from the body and act as immunity boosters. When the country first shut down to combat the ailment on 22 March, people re-discovered yoga, pranayama and observe deep silence. In that silence Indians cogitated on the sound of the Universe, the Soham Swarup of this majestic creation and a state of “thoughtlessness”. So in the times of this pandemic savour the solitude. Take deep breaths and clear your mind of the shroud of cacophonous fear. Wherever you are, just relax, relax, relax, rejuvenate your minds and bodies, connect with your families, learn new skill sets and crafts … and discover the YOU in the silence.

Looking Back at 2020

C WITH CORONA 7. Looking Back at 2020 Life is brimful of peaks and valleys. There are highpoints and then one hurtles into a precipice. Human life is akin to a synodic curve. There are moments of extraordinary achievements, celebrations and then the unexpected occurs. As Buddha says, “The only permanent thing in life is impermanence.” This is so apt in the rapidly changing environment. In 2016, I had published two books, conducting Art of Living Courses, learning Hindustani Classical music, but was not professionally satisfied. I yearned for a challenging posting in the Indian Railway Traffic Service. And then the wheels of fortunes altered and I was posted as the Chief Operations Manager, North Eastern Railway, Gorakhpur. From the proverbial loop line of the railway, I was in the mainline. And within a year, I was posted as the Principal Chief Operations Manager, North Central Railway Allahabad (now referred to as Prayagraj). This is one of the most demanding and exacting position on Indian Railways handling freight and passenger traffic. The world saw Corona in 2020 and during the lockdown and several periods of work from home, I could author three books, two translations and wrote for two anthologies. Creativity was as its peak. The last four years have seen me write with gusto and also perform with credit professionally, but was to lose my parents – my father in 2019 and mother in 2020. I was distraught with the tragedies and am still to overcome the grief of bereavement. In December 2020, I contracted COVID-19 and so did my mother, and I bear this cross, with my mind always cannonaded with the thought as to whether I transmitted the infection to her. The thought of lighting the funeral pyres of my parents have deeply impacted my mind and feel the house to be to be desolate and forlorn. In particular, consigning my mother to flames at the electric crematorium wearing the PPE suite as I was still recovering from Corona haunts me to this day. For me writing is a passion and a therapeutic exercise. We worked on a novel, which has been put on the pause button for certain inexplicable reasons. This again is indicative of recurring changes which take place at the subterranean levels about which the gross mind is absolutely unaware of. Only the subtle mind and energies can perhaps fathom the reasons. Meanwhile, to fuel the passion and to calm my frayed nerves, I pulled out a bunch of articles which I am sure readers would connect. It is my journey and voyage of several others ……an attempt to make a paradigm shift from negativity to positive mindset. While, maintaining strict protocols, a Swami, a seeker and a novitiate settled down to their sadhana unmindful of woebegone news which spread across the globe. They loosened up after an early morning bath, followed by Suryanamaskars (Sun Salutations), Padmasadhana (a set of yogic exercises), followed it performing Sudarshan Kriya and meditating for a while and then went about their daily routine of performing seva/service Later in the day, they participated in meditation programmes conducted by the Master himself. This has provided ballast and robustness to their existence. Seva is an integral part of Art of Living and, the group have been conducting in a quotidian manner an online breathing and meditation programme which has provided succour to thousands. A year back Hong Kong and Shenzhen are the twin cities in the magnificent Pearl Estuary of China. As the crimson red sun sank for the final time on 31st December in South China Sea a group of batch mates from an estimable management institute in India landed at the Hong Kong International airport. They caroused at the voguish beaches and market places of Hong Kong and then drove to Shenzhen the gleaming tech park city of China whose landscape is dotted with skyscrapers and marked opulence. Amidst all the revelry and ho-hum the group also ventured to discover tranquillity and hush and sush at the preeminent Phoenix Mountain Temple and the Dragon Temple which is nestled in exotic mountains. Some of them marvelled the architecture and others paid obeisance to Lord Buddha. No sooner were they back to Hong Kong that news of a virus which had flu like symptoms spread like wild fire. Very soon information filtered that the virus emanated from the Wuhan province of China with speculations rife that it either emanated in a laboratory on account of an accident, or through nocturnal mammals like bats or from some filthy places. However, the great firewall of the government blanked out the information. And soon the opulent Indians beat a hasty retreat back home. The oldest alive Kane Tanaka the 117 years old Japanese is the oldest surviving person on planet earth who was a witness to the outbreak of the scourge of Spanish Flu. She celebrated her most recent birthday in a nursing home in Fukuoka, Japan with pieces of delectable cake. Kane revels to keep her mind active, and on a normal day at the nursing home, she wakes up at 6 a.m. and in the afternoon often studies subjects such as maths. One of Kane’s favourite pastimes is a game of Othello and she’s become an expert at the classic board game, often beating the staff. And like several Japanese she practices Zazen breathing and meditation practice which explains her longevity. T-20 The year gone by has rolled like the tumultuous and breathtaking game of the faster version of the game of cricket unlike the riveting test match cricket which has twists and turns. 20-20 bludgeons its way to the rambunctious crowds and deep pockets of the numerous stakeholders. We have witnessed in this clamourous T-20 of our lives in the form of Covid Pandemic which has accounted for a 1.7 million deaths, Joe Biden worsted Donald Trump to assume the august office of Presidency, the racial riots in United States of America following the inhuman elimination of a black man George Floyd in Minneapolis by brute power of the state police, China emerging as a singular economic power through the predatory tactics of a wolf, tanking of the oil prices across the globe and the biggest migration of labour in India. Amidst all this despondency as in Twenty-Twenty (T-20) emerged a super over. The super over for the world today is the vaccine to combat the lethal virus is the vaccine which will act as a protective shield for swathes of population across the world There are primarily three vaccine candidates which need the approval of WHO-EUL/PQ authorisation. Way back in 1995 New Year’s was a grand celebration...like every other day. All those present were in a state of Divine reverie and Sri Sri was astonishingly radiant and sparkling with joy. Guruji merely uttered, “Joy is dissolving...losing your identity. Rest is dissolving...losing your identity.” The message for 1996, Sri Sri said is- Just BE Relax and Just BE A curious devout asked Guruji – What is the nectar of Life? Sri Sri replied – Infinity and Divinity. Optimism Sun will sink again on the 31st of December and luminosity will eclipse tenebrosity as humanity will survive another day with hope payer and Sri Sri’s message for 1996- JUST BE.

Keys to De-addiction

Keys to De-addiction Do those dependent on alcohol have it in them to stay half-an-hour without alcohol? Alcoholism is a pestilence and I was afflicted by it for several years. The disease impacted me immensely. It was only my wife and parents who stood by me, offering support in my most trying moments. My wife enrolled me for the Part 1 course of the Art of Living while I was posted at Jaipur. Winter had arrived in Jaipur and the weather was chilly. Any stock individual would have preferred the warm climes of a quilt. Yet my wife faithfully dropped me to the centre and picked me up from there for seven days when I had undertaken the course. Like a zombie I used to attend the course. Addicts need to upend the pyramid, detoxify their minds and bodies and once again discover love in their lives. It is paramount that they discard feelings and emotions of futility, guilt, inadequacy and self-rejection. They have to strengthen their minds and make it robust to eschew dependency on alcohol. Such craftsmanship and techniques are encompassed in the Pragna programme of the Art of Living and is providing succour to addicts. Various Art of Living programmes address different sections of society to provide alternative and holistic therapies to ameliorate the physical and mental conditions of overwrought people. How does one conduct the course for hardened alcoholics and drug addicts, who are in a perpetual state of self-denial? They look at the teacher in the most disgusted manner possible, with disbelief writ large on their faces. Courses of the Art of Living for addicts need to be supplemented with regular follow-up sessions. The breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya and the knowledge points of Gurudev begin to unfold, with a salutary impact on the minds of the addicts. Slowly, the determination to metamorphose and transfigure their lives and eschew dependency on the substance begins to develop. What really touches the heart is when an addict takes the first step. They break down as they seek help. “Sir, aap humko chod kar jaoge toh nahin?” (Sir, you will not forsake us?) “Sir, aap roz aoge na?” (Sir, will you come and meet us every day?) is the common refrain, as they develop a bond with the teacher. One recalls the gloomy but riveting movie, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest; how the inmates lodged in a mental asylum had reached a state where they were determined to break the bondage and run away. Similarly, the youth and middle-aged persons with families and children back home yearn for love and affection and pine to be with their loved ones. The addict becomes determined to break the four walls of the rehab centre. Normally the mind of an alcoholic borders on futility, guilt, a gargantuan burden of inadequacy, self-rejection, self-depravation and self-dejection. After the initial treatment at the rehabilitation centre and subsequent exposure to the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya they began to believe in the “Power of Now”, the efficacy of “Living in the Present Moment”. Every day is a new day, a harbinger of hope and the addicts realise their self-worth and the “Power of Love and Acceptance” and begin giving themselves positive strokes. The concepts of the “Power of Now” or the “Present Moment” have been postulated by several masters of the past, in the oriental and occidental world. In India, Maharishi Patanjali, Gautama Buddha, the Advaita saint Adi Shankara have written and spoken about it extensively. In present times the quintessential rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya transmogrifies the human mind to the present. Authors like Eckhart Tolle, Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra and Louise Hay too have emphasised on reengineering the human mind to remain in the present moment to combat various challenging situations in life. In Gorakhpur is a centre run by a doughty lady whose husband was an alcoholic. As a goodwill gesture the couple inaugurated the centre and have made it their mission to provide shelter and comfort to those suffering from alcoholism. The inmates of the centre could remain half-an-hour without alcohol, can you? This is the question that resonates in my mind, the question I pose to any addict. The answer is simple; it is possible only through surrender to a higher power, the supreme intelligence of the Universe. “If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel,” wrote Robert Louis Stevenson.

Efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya

5. Efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya Some years ago, while I was posted at Gorakhpur, an Art of Living devotee happened to read my maiden book, The Matter of the Mind, wherein I narrated the efficacy of the Sudarshan Kriya technique and how it extricated me from the cesspool of alcoholism. It seemed aeons ago, when my mind was subsumed by tenebrosity and hurtling down the hubristic path on account of excessive drinking. My wife in sheer desperation enrolled me for the Part 1 course (now called the Happiness Programme). Today by the grace of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya I am sober. The devotee connected me to an estimable psychiatrist and soon along with two other faculty members, we began conducting courses for alcoholics and drug addicts at a rehab centre. They were around 40 and we were three. Some looked menacing, others disenchanted, a few enveloped by ennui. But in our arsenal was the potent cassette of Sudarshan Kriya and enveloped with the divine benediction of Gurudev. We began with gentle warm ups. This was followed by pranayama and finally Sudarshan Kriya. A few hardened addicts attempted to derail the Kriya. But the febrile minds gradually settled as the rhythms of Soham resonated the dingy hall. Meaning of Sudarshan Kriya The unique breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya is the fulcrum of the Happiness Programme of the Art of Living. Su means proper, Darshan implies vision and Kriya is a purifying action. Through the actions of our breath, we appreciate a proper vision of who we really are. It is momentous to understand that nature runs on a rhythm. For instance, the sun rises and sets at a particular time, similarly seasons arrive and exit at predetermined times. Humans feel hungry or sleepy at certain times. Our emotions, feelings, thoughts are all cast in the symphony of rhythm. We are unable to distinguish between cacophony and symphony in this frenetic pace of life which is cannonaded by innumerable thoughts, continuous action and noise. When sounds are harmonised by the syllable of Soham we can term it as magical music. Enlightenment is not accruing anything providential but harmonising our whole being rhythmically. During the breathing process participants feel varied sensations, emotions, tingling sensations, laughter, weeping among others. But the objective is to keep breathing to the syllable of Soham in (chanted in Gurudev’s voice). Eventually all the accumulated stress is extricated and a person is thoroughly relaxed. One can experience this entire process only by undertaking the course. The breathing technique was cognated by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar after being in silence for a period of 10 days on the banks of Bhadravati River at Shimoga, a small town in Karnataka. Cassandras of doubt and prophets of doom have questioned the salutatory benefit of the course and the breathing technique. Researchers at NIMHANS and AIIMS have zeroed on the impact of the breathing technique, which improves the heart rate, benefits cognition, improves breathing pattern, restores calmness in the mind and body, arrests Alzheimer’s affliction, works positively on the endocrine system, all of which increase energy (or prana) levels in the human body. This technique has been used successfully used on victims of trauma, on terrorists and Naxalites. This wonderful knowledge and wisdom have triggered humanness to blossom. Every cell and article of the body overflows with jollity and life is abundant with the glow of love and the body becomes the wick. Love and belongingness become a natural process of our inner being if practiced unflinchingly and unfailingly. Several practitioners feel they can practice the breathing technique at home. But that is only walking half the path. It is indispensable and paramount that one must practice the technique daily and attend the follow up once a week, where a certified Art of Living teacher plays the chant of Soham in Guruji’s voice as it reinvigorates the body and mind. One should also be wary of imitations available on YouTube these days. Breath is the very kernel of our very existence. Therefore, it is essential to breath to the correct technique. A person will gain more spiritually and physically by traversing on this journey by taking part in the bouquet of courses offered by the foundation. The entire voyage is to spread waves of happiness across the universe.

Magic of Mudra Pranayama

Magic of Mudra Pranayama Pranayama is the fourth principle of Ashtanga Yoga as delineated by Maharishi Patanjali. Pranayama should be coupled with mindful eating and breathing. Yogic science of mudras Lord Krishna in the Bhagvad Gita says, “there is nothing as sacred as knowledge”. Knowledge can be acquired by the human mind through the 5 Ds- dedication, determination, dynamism, devotion and discipline and one H- Humility. The human mind can harness this potential only if it is in the present moment and not in a fragmented state. By practicing proper breathing techniques, like Sudarshan Kriya and Nadi Shodhan Pranayama and through regular meditation the mind becomes wakeful and alert to delve deep into this knowledge. It is indeed salutary and efficacious to learn about mudras. Practice of mudras is not just in the domain of dancers, painters and artistes, even stock individuals who have nothing to do with the art world ought to learn about mudras. The science of mudras, is intrinsically related to the esoteric knowledge of yoga and which can be further segregated into the five elements, the five life forces (or subtle forces of energy called the pranas) and the three doshas. The five elements are namely – Akash (ether or space), Vayu (air), Agni (fire), Jal (water) and Prithvi (earth), and the five life forces or pranas are Prana, Udana, Samana, Apana and Vyana and the three doshas are vata, kapha and pitta. Humans unconsciously practice mudras. For instance, the Namaste Mudra or a young child begins learning to walk with his thumbs raised which is called the Meru Dand Mudra. An infant in a deep slumber, his index finger would involuntarily touch the thumb and the other three fingers are on the base of the palm (Chinmaya Mudra). The universe in its auto-mode conjures these processes to take place about which we are totally oblivious to the occurrence. Some other mudras which need to be practised are: (a) Jnana mudra This is performed to increase brain power, improves memory and for the removal of negative thoughts and thereby one attains peace and bliss. (b) Prithvi mudra This helps in balancing the five sense organs, improves blood circulation and enhances our energy levels. Practicing of this mudra assists in increasing our alertness. (c) Apana mudra This facilitates in an improved elimination process, revitalising the digestive system, improving the gums and strengthens immunity. (d) Prana mudra This mudra addresses the problem of fatigue; it also provides essential vitamins to the body besides increasing stamina and vigour to the human body. It also helps in maintenance of the health of our eyes. (e) Dhyana mudra Essentially, this mudra helps in making us mindful and wakeful and we are at peace with ourselves. Over a period of time, we attain peace of mind. (f) Shunya Vayu mudra Practice of this mudra helps in combating problems of flatulence and gastric ailments. The gut houses our solar plexus, which is also referred to as the second brain. We need to take adequate care of our abdomen as a majority of human ailments arise from this part of the body. Therefore, there is enormous merit in the adage, ‘Health is in your hands’.

Power of Pranayama

3. Power of Pranayama India and the world are combating a lethal microorganism. The novel Corona virus has afflicted millions of people across the globe and some cold statistics stare us in the face. Across continents many have contracted the pestilence. Of those, unfortunately several have capitulated and precious lives have been snuffed out. The virus strafes the lungs first and thereafter could go on to affect other parts of the body too. Therefore, it is paramount to strengthen and bolster the immunity to ward off the malady. The immune system is a complex network of cells and proteins that defends the body against infections. It makes sense to keep this system well-tuned. Wearing of masks, maintaining social distance, consuming plenty of warm water preferably laced with honey and lime are standard recommendations. We need to add breathing exercises, yogic practices, a nourishing diet and meditation (to keep the mind calm in such stressful conditions) to the above list. Need for pranayama The word pranayama can be broadly shivered into two segments. Prana implies the vital source of energy (the subtle life force) and yama is the control or extension or expansion. Therefore, pranayama can be enlarged as the extension of this dimension of prana. When our energy/prana or chi levels are low, we feel enervated. This invariably occurs when we eat in gargantuan proportions rather than partake of smaller more suitable quantities, either sleep excessively or do not have adequate rest. In all such cases there is a significant expenditure of the vital life force. In these testing times, replenishing doses of energy is paramount. Energy can be restocked through the regular practice of pranayama, yoga and meditation. This fortifies the flow of prana through the nadis or energy channels in the human body to support our immune system. Depletion of energy takes place on account of disruption in our life style, dietary indiscretions, emotional upheavals, or lack of physical exercise besides the human mind undergoing unnecessary stress, as it is relentlessly cannonaded with information about the spike in the cases of COVID-19. By nature, humans who do not live in the present moment latch on to the coattails of Sisyphean and antipathetic thoughts. The human body becomes weak and depleted of energy when we compromise on the four vital sources of energy. These are essentially food, breath, rest and a calm and meditative state of mind. Negligence on our part leads to excessive pressure on the body and mind and thereby the immunity system of the body is enfeebled. When the human mind is not in the present moment it oscillates like a pendulum between the past and the future and invariably feels distressed and distraught. Consequently, our breathing pattern becomes rapid and shallow. Proper breathing acts like a tonic in manifold ways. It strengthens the immunity system, recharges our depleted batteries and assuages an overwrought mind and helps to live in the present moment. Thus, there is a deep and subtle connecting between the breath, body and mind. Effective and rhythmic breathing ensures that we live in the present, thus the mind is calm, collected and in a meditative state. In such a state, positive endorphins are released and the body is healthy and robust to be able to combat disease. Now through regular practice of pranayama and breathing techniques like the Sudarshan Kriya, the mind gets entrenched in the present moment. The human body is powered by five primordial elements. These are earth, water, fire, air and space. These are all extremely important, interwoven and interrelated but it is vayu (air) that sustains our life. We can be without food or water for a few days but cannot survive without breathing. Our rishis have succinctly opined that pranayama is nothing but the worship of Vayu Devata or the Wind God. The powers of vayu are immense and were known to our ancestors and the rishis. No wonder we pray to Lord Hanuman during our trials and tribulations. He is the closest to Narayana, nourishes and sustains us and strengthens our bodies physically and mentally. Yoga is a much-misunderstood word. It is assumed to be merely a set of physical exercises. That is an incorrect perception. Yoga in Sanskrit actually means yuj (that is the union with the self and divine). Yoga transcends to the metaphysical and is not merely confined to the realm of mere physical plane. These are keys to balanced physical and mental health. Fortuitously the generation today is verily being exposed to the secrets of breath and this is a positive development. “Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment,” says the spiritual master and writer Thich Nhat Hanh.

Breath is a Blessing

2. Breath is a Blessing What is the very first act upon being born? No rocket science here, we inhale! Our very last act is to exhale. All masters have at length deliberated on the subject. Yet we need to develop the habit of being mindful of our breathing patterns and style. From our first breath on, every minute of our lives, we continue to breathe, taking this miraculous ability for granted because our body’s autonomous system does the job so masterfully – and yet, we can control the breath and in doing so change our state of being. We tend to think that only food provides us with the energy to survive. This is an incorrect assumption. Essentially, there are four sources of energy that sustains us. These are food, breath, rest and a calm and meditative state of mind. The quantity of food partaken is also very significant. As per Ayurveda there are three containments in the stomach. One- third meant for food, one-third for air and one-third for liquids. If we cup our palms together, it gives us an idea of the quantity of food we need to consume. Prior to every meal, a glance at cupped palms might remind us to be mindful of what we consume. We have neglected this essential aspect of life. There are innumerable bonuses to be had by practicing conscious breathing or the ability to observe the breath, not necessarily control it. 1. Physically, we can be aware as to how our breathing pattern provides oxygen to our organs. To stimulate the body’s relaxation response, we need to focus on long, deep Ujjayi breaths. In this technique, practitioners should experience a sensation in the throat region. Ujjayi breaths help in elongating the breath, making it fine, smooth and also helps in the practice of yoga. Each yogic posture we undertake can be held for a longer duration to reap maximal benefit. In fact, we barely use thirty percent of our lung capacity. Through mindful breathing we can also expel ninety percent of toxins. There are several on-line classes being conducted by the faculty of the Art of Living under the tutelage of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar from which individuals can learn and appreciate the magical, therapeutic prowess of pranayama. We can undertake pain management through proper breathing exercises. If a certain part of body is aching, one can draw all the attention to that part and observe the breath. This coupled with Mudra Pranayama works as a tonic in mitigation of pain. “As a fire blazes brightly when the covering of ash over it is scattered by the wind, the divine fire within the body shines in all its majesty when the ashes of desire are scattered by the practice of pranayama,” wrote the polymath Yogic Guru Shri B.K.S Iyengar. 2. The human mind keeps oscillating between the past and the future, never remaining in the present. Willy-nilly this results in emotional upheaval in our system. The mind can be brought to the present moment through the unfailing practice of the rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Mind is like the kite and the breath is like a string.” This string can be effectively used to calm the mind through mindful breathing. 3. We can practice meditation by beginning with Nadi Shodan pranayama. This relaxes the body, muscles and nerves and we seamlessly slip into meditation. Meditation is an act of de-concentration where we strive to embrace all thoughts, never resisting any thought or emotion. The reality in life is that whatever we resist actually persists. Meditation eventually leads to mental sharpness and clarity and increases levels of concentration. 4. Human minds are cannonaded by innumerable thoughts. This leads to a state of perennial mental chatter. For a moment let us draw our attention to animals chewing cud, the process of regurgitation. This is exactly how we humans keep feeding on our negative thoughts and fears, re-living them every moment. Through mindful breathing we can arrest this tendency and reduce the mental chatter, bringing our minds to the present moment. “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves,” said Buddha. Profound silence dawns on us through mindful breathing and over a period of time antipathetic thoughts and fears in the mind dissolve, as we learn to be in the present moment, connecting to our inner self; living in harmony with our environment and our existence. Spiritually, conscious breathing helps to remind us that energy is constantly moving. As Einstein famously said, “Nothing happens until something moves.” Well, since energy is always in motion (vibration), then change is a constant in our lives! This is a truth which cannot be ignored. Let us all practice mindful breathing from this very instant!

STRETCHING INTO INFINITY

STRETCHING INTO INFINITY 1. Shirshasana — Sovereign among Asanas Shirshasana enhances the blood supply to the brain and pituitary gland, and in the process revitalizes the entire body and mind. Regular practice disgorges perturbation and other psychological intrusions which often become the bedrock of numerous disabilities. On the 21st of June, Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, for three years in a row now, millions across the globe have assembled in schools, parks, offices, educational and scientific institutions, various establishments. In unison they have performed Yoga. It is truly a momentous occasion where it seemed that all of humanity had gathered under one roof – the sky – and followed the universal protocol to perform different yogic techniques and to merge with the cosmic splendor through the powerful technique of meditation. The United Nations has not only endorsed observing International Yoga Day, but given a major thumbs-up to this ancient Indian practice and has taken up popularising it across the universe. Greece to Gujarat, Iceland to Istanbul, spanning all the seven continents, humans performed yoga. Achievement enough for Indians to well up with pride. A symphony synchronizing the body, mind and soul As a music lover, one fondly recalls the iconic lyrics of ‘Across the Universe’ by the Beatles. Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup They slither wildly as they slip away across the Universe Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind Possessing and caressing me Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s going to change my world Nothing’s going to change my world Nothing’s going to change my world Nothing’s going to change my world Jai Guru Deva implies victory of the big mind. Om, when fragmented into three syllables – ‘AAA’ (the hubbub that emanates from the abdomen), ‘UUU’ (the reverberation emerging from the chest region) and ‘MMM’ (the resonance materialising from the head region) expatriates all Sisyphean and nugatory emotions and suffuses the mind with efficacious thoughts. Physical countenance of yoga Yoga is a kind of exercise in which a practitioner locomote the human body into several distinct and diverse positions in order to attain physical fitness and flexibility. While performing yogic exercises the sadhak has to invariably pay attention to the breath. It is always rewarding to take in deep Ujjayi (breath of victory) breaths while performing the asanas. To attain maximal benefits, the practitioner ought to inhale while moving upwards or backwards and exhale in locomotion downwards or stretching forward. Its metaphysical demeanor The root of the word Yoga lies in the Sanskrit word – Yuj – authentically meaning to conjoin. It is not merely a set of somatic exercises but a union with the Divine. While Lord Shiva is believed to be the original progenitor of this ancient science, Maharishi Patanjali revealed to humanity the intricacies of Yogic science through the much-vaunted Patanjali Yoga Sutras. An insight into Shirshasana The asana basically involves inverting the body, with hands, neck and shoulders bearing the entire weight of the body. The first step is the Vajrasana. Through a series of fluid steps to be executed in slow, measured pace, the practitioner moves from Vajrasana to the final pose where the legs are held straight up, toes pointing upwards and the arms cradling the head, with the elbows bent at right angles for further support. As a practitioner holds the pose, it works against the pressure of gravity, assisting in draining impure blood from the lower limbs and also enhancing blood flow to the head and neck regions. Moving out the asana has also to be done at the same measured pace in order to prevent injuries. This involves literally tracing all the steps backwards until one moves into Shishuasana. It is advisable to rest the body in Shavasana following this asana. Regular practitioners can remain in the position for as long as 30 minutes without any encumbrance, while beginners are advised to start with as little as 3 minutes. My astrophysicist cousin in Canada practices this yoga asana unflinchingly for 3 to 5 minutes. This is preeminent time which is vanilla for general health. Novitiates are advised to practice Shirshasana at the end of their yogic asana programme while advanced practitioners can perform it either at the beginning or the end of a Yogic session. As mentioned earlier a brief session of Shirshana should invariably follow a session of Shavasana. It may be mentioned that the asana is very brawny to awaken the Sahasrara chakra, which is responsible for the lofty position this sovereign among asanas enjoys. Shirshasana enhances the blood supply to the brain and pituitary gland, and in the process revitalises the entire body and mind. Regular practice disgorges perturbation and other psychological intrusions which often become the bedrock of numerous disabilities. The asana is therefore, recommended for the prevention of asthma, hay fever, diabetes and menopausal imbalance. It also assists to rectify several forms of nervous and glandular disorders, especially those related to the reproductive system. A note of caution Shirshasana is contra-indicated for those individuals suffering with high blood pressure, heart disease, thrombosis, arteriosclerosis, chronic catarrh (excessive build-up of mucus in the nose or throat), chronic constipation, kidney problems, impure blood, severe near-sightedness, weak eye blood vessels, conjunctivitis, and chronic glaucoma, inflammation of the ears, any form of haemorrhage in the head. It should neither be practiced during pregnancy nor during menstruation. While it is recommended as a preventative measure for headache or migraine, it should not be practiced while suffering from the ailment. It goes without saying that the tutee should learn the craft under the careful guidance and supervision of a trained Yoga instructor and practice for some time under the grace of a Guru.

They call us "The Elderly"

They call us "The Elderly" We were born in the 40-50-60’s. We grew up in the 50-60-70's. We studied in the 60-70-80's. We were dating in the 70-80-90's. We got married and discovered the world in the 70-80-90's. We venture into the 80-90’s. We stabilize in the 2000’s. We got wiser in the 2010’s. And we are going firmly through and beyond 2020. Turns out we've lived through EIGHT different decades... TWO different centuries... TWO different millennia... We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long–distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world. We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and Whats App. From live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, colour TV and then to 3D HD TV. We went to the Video store and now we watch Netflix. We got to know the first computers, punch cards, floppy disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on our smartphones. We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long trousers, Oxfords, flares, shell suits & blue jeans. We dodged infantile paralysis, meningitis, polio, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID-19. We rode skates, tricycles, bicycles, mopeds, petrol or diesel cars and now we drive hybrids or electric. Yes, we've been through a lot but what a great life we've had! They could describe us as "exennials," people who were born in that world of the fifties, who had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood. We've kind of "Seen-It-All"! Our generation has literally lived through and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life. It is our generation that has literally adapted to "CHANGE." A big round of applause to all the members of a very special generation, which will be UNIQUE! Class dismissed

*Jargon Monoxide:* The Corporate Cancer That’s Killing Your Business

*Jargon Monoxide:* The Corporate Cancer That’s Killing Your Business There’s a silent killer in your company. It’s not competition, bad hires, or even a broken business model. It’s jargon monoxide—a steady stream of meaningless corporate gibberish that seeps into meetings, emails, and strategy decks, suffocating clear thinking and real action. You’ve heard it before. The executive who insists “We need to leverage cross-functional synergies to enhance stakeholder engagement.” The consultant who claims “Our approach is to drive transformational outcomes via customer-centric innovations.” Translation: Nobody knows what the hell they’re talking about. Jargon monoxide is what happens when people prioritize sounding smart over being smart. It’s corporate carbon monoxide—odorless, invisible, and quietly poisoning your company’s ability to think clearly and execute fast. How Jargon Monoxide Spreads It starts with one person trying to sound more competent than they are. Instead of saying “We need to sell more,” they say “We must drive topline revenue expansion by leveraging omnichannel opportunities.” No one wants to be the idiot who asks, “Wait, what?” so they nod along. Before you know it, every meeting is filled with people saying things like, “We need to optimize synergies to unlock value through scalable innovation.” It’s a linguistic arms race. The minute one person starts talking like a McKinsey PowerPoint, everyone else has to keep up or risk looking uninformed. The result? A workplace where people talk in loops, meetings take twice as long as they should, and nobody actually does anything. The Four Flavors of Jargon Monoxide Jargon monoxide isn’t just one thing—it’s a disease with multiple strains, each more toxic than the last. First, there’s convoluted crap. This is when a simple idea gets buried under unnecessary complexity. A restaurant owner could say, “We need to serve food faster.” Instead, they say, “We’re optimizing throughput via enhanced queue management solutions.” If your sentence could double as the instruction manual for a nuclear reactor, you’ve lost the plot. Then, we have meaningless bxxxxxxt—sentences that sound impressive but say absolutely nothing. Think of a tech CEO proudly declaring, “We’re driving a paradigm shift in agile methodologies to disrupt legacy frameworks.” What does that even mean? Nothing. But people still nod as if they just heard the wisdom of Socrates. Next is in-group lingo—words designed to make outsiders feel stupid. A finance executive might say, “We need to enhance our liquidity position through a more favorable capital structure optimization process.” Translation: “We need more cash.” If a smart person outside your industry wouldn’t understand what you’re saying, you’re not communicating—you’re gatekeeping. Finally, there’s the jargon blender—when someone just throws together every buzzword they can think of and hopes no one notices. Ever read a company’s mission statement and seen something like, “Our mission is to empower scalable, AI-driven, next-gen solutions to revolutionize the digital ecosystem”? That’s not a strategy. That’s a Mad Libs page from a management consultant’s notebook. Why Jargon Monoxide is Killing Your Company This isn’t just annoying. It’s actively making your business worse. First, it wastes time. If every meeting needs an extra 20 minutes to decode what people are actually saying, your company is moving at half speed. It also leads to bad decisions. When ideas aren’t clearly explained, nobody can tell the good ones from the bad. If you pitch a project as “a disruptive, game-changing initiative leveraging best-in-class technology,” it sounds amazing. But what are you actually doing? Spending millions on an app nobody needs? Jargon monoxide also destroys morale. Nobody wants to work at a company where leadership speaks in riddles. People don’t quit companies; they quit bosses who can’t communicate. And it pushes customers away. If your marketing sounds like a legal contract, customers will go somewhere else. Nobody trusts a company that says, “We offer scalable, AI-powered, cloud-native solutions that revolutionize the digital ecosystem.” They trust the company that says, “We make software that helps you run your business faster.” How to Kill Jargon Monoxide The antidote? Call it out. Next time someone in a meeting says, “We need to align cross-functional synergies,” stop them and ask, “What does that actually mean?” If they can’t explain it in simple terms, they probably don’t understand it themselves. Set a rule: no buzzwords without definitions. If someone says, “We need to be more customer-centric,” ask them, “Okay, what does that look like in practice?” Write like a human. If your emails read like a corporate memo from 1987, rewrite them. Cut the fat—if a sentence can be five words instead of fifteen, make it five. And most importantly, reward clarity. The best leaders don’t tolerate empty words—they push their teams to think clearly, explain things simply, and focus on real outcomes. Final Thought: Simplicity is a Superpower Great companies move fast, and fast companies communicate clearly. Jargon monoxide is a sign of a slow, bureaucratic culture—one that’s more interested in looking smart than being effective. The best CEOs don’t hide behind complexity. They say what they mean, get to the point, and expect their teams to do the same. So next time you hear someone say, “We need to unlock synergies through innovative, best-in-class solutions,” take a deep breath and reply: “Or… we could just get to work.”

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20. Shirshasana- Sovereign among Asanas

20. Shirshasana- Sovereign among Asanas On the 21st June, Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, for five years in a row now, millions across the globe have assembled in schools, parks, offices, educational and scientific institutions, various establishments. In unison they have performed yoga. It is truly a momentous occasion where it seemed that all of humanity had gathered under one roof – the sky – and followed the universal protocol to perform different yogic techniques and to merge with the cosmic splendour through the powerful technique of meditation. The United Nations has not only endorsed observing International Yoga Day, but given a major thumbs-up to this ancient Indian practice and has taken up popularising it across the universe. Greece to Gujarat, Iceland to Istanbul, spanning all the seven continents, humans performed yoga. Achievement enough for Indians to well up with pride. A symphony synchronizing the body, mind and soul As a music lover, one fondly recalls the iconic lyrics of ‘Across the Universe’ by the Beatles. Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup They slither wildly as they slip away across the Universe Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind Possessing and caressing me Jai Guru Deva, Om Nothing’s going to change my world Nothing’s going to change my world Nothing’s going to change my world Nothing’s going to change my world ‘Jai Guru Deva’ implies victory of the big mind. ‘Om’, when fragmented into three syllables – ‘AAA’ (the hubbub that emanates from the abdomen), ‘UUU’ (the reverberation emerging from the chest region) and ‘MMM’ (the resonance materialising from the head region) expatriates all Sisyphean and nugatory emotions and suffuses the mind with efficacious thoughts. Yoga is a kind of exercise in which a practitioner locomotes the human body into several distinct and diverse positions in order to attain physical fitness and flexibility. While performing yogic exercises the sadhak has to invariably pay attention to the breath. It is always rewarding to take in deep ujjayi (breath of victory) breaths while performing the asanas. To attain maximal benefits, the practitioner ought to inhale while moving upwards or backwards and exhale in locomotion downwards or stretching forward. Metaphysical demeanour The root of the word yoga lies in the Sanskrit word – yuj – authentically meaning to conjoin. It is not merely a set of somatic exercises but a union with the Divine. While Lord Shiva is believed to be the original progenitor of this ancient science, Maharishi Patanjali revealed to humanity the intricacies of yogic science through the much vaunted Patanjali Yoga Sutras. An insight into Shirshasana The asana basically involves inverting the body, with hands, neck and shoulders bearing the entire weight of the body. The first step is the Vajrasana. Through a series of fluid steps to be executed in slow, measured pace, the practitioner moves from Vajrasana to the final pose where the legs are held straight up, toes pointing upwards and the arms cradling the head, with the elbows bent at right angles for further support. As a practitioner holds the pose, it works against the pressure of gravity, assisting in draining impure blood from the lower limbs and also enhancing blood flow to the head and neck regions. Moving out the asana has also to be done at the same measured pace in order to prevent injuries. This involves literally tracing all the steps backwards until one moves into Shishuasana. It is advisable to rest the body in Shavasana following this asana. Regular practitioners can remain in the position for as long as 30 minutes without any encumbrance, while beginners are advised to start with as little as 3 minutes. My astrophysicist cousin in Canada practices this asana unflinchingly for 3 to 5 minutes. This is preeminent time which is vanilla for general health. Novitiates are advised to practice Shirshasana at the end of their yogic asana programme while advanced practitioners can perform it either at the beginning or the end of a yogic session. As mentioned earlier a brief session of Shirshasana should invariably follow a session of Shavasana. It may be mentioned that the asana is very brawny to awaken the Sahasrara chakra, which is responsible for the lofty position this sovereign among asanas enjoys. Shirshasana enhances the blood supply to the brain and pituitary gland, and in the process revitalises the entire body and mind. Regular practice disgorges perturbation and other psychological intrusions which often become the bedrock of numerous disabilities. The asana is therefore, recommended for the prevention of asthma, hay fever, diabetes and menopausal imbalance. It also assists to rectify several forms of nervous and glandular disorders, especially those related to the reproductive system. A note of caution Shirshasana is contra-indicated for those individuals suffering with high blood pressure, heart disease, thrombosis, arteriosclerosis, chronic catarrh (excessive build-up of mucus in the nose or throat), chronic constipation, kidney problems, impure blood, severe near-sightedness, weak eye blood vessels, conjunctivitis, and chronic glaucoma, inflammation of the ears, any form of haemorrhage in the head. It should neither be practiced during pregnancy nor during menstruation. While it is recommended as a preventative measure for headache or migraine, it should not be practiced while suffering from the ailment. It goes without saying that the tutee should learn the craft under the careful guidance and supervision of a trained yoga instructor and practice for some time under the grace of a Guru. 21. Sri Sri Yoga Sri Sri Yoga has been developed by coined after the contemporary yoga and spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is a form of Hatha Yoga that has an emphasis on the overall well-being of the body while nurturing the mind and spirit of the seeker. It goes beyond toning muscles, reducing flab and possessing a washboard abdomen. The bedrock of this yogic technique is strongly based on the traditional eight limbs of yoga as expounded by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras and other ancient yoga scriptures like Hatha Yoga, Pradapika and Gherand Samhita. Sri Sri Yoga ensures the wisdom and techniques of yoga are brought to the practitioner in a joyous manner. These are 10 prepossessing quotes on yoga by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar which helps one to appreciate the depth of yoga and leave one wonderstruck. 1. “Like a flower bud, human life has the potential to blossom fully. Blossoming of human potential to fullness is yoga.” Sri Sri Yoga is a discipline that is both gentle and powerful for uniting body, breath and mind in awareness. It integrates elements from all the different paths of yoga where in you get glimpse of Raj Yoga (Sahaj Yoga), Ashtang or Hatha Yoga (eightfold yoga), Karma Yoga (selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion with soulful chanting and singing) as well Gnana Yoga (yogic wisdom), making the yoga experience wholesome and complete. It is a beautiful combination of disciplined practices, wisdom and fun leading to blossoming of full human potential. 2. “Yoga brings knowledge, passion and action together.” Yoga is not just doing some body-twisting postures – it is experiencing the union of the body, mind and breath – and Sri Sri Yoga gives that experience. Sri Sri Yoga is taught globally by certified teachers of the Art of Living Foundation (registered under Yoga Alliance), who have chosen to teach and promote yoga wisdom as a passion and selfless service to humanity across the world. 3. “Yoga is a study of life, study of your body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, and ego; study of your inner faculties.” The practice of yoga has been known for centuries to produce benefits in the areas of health, mental clarity and spiritual connection. It is designed in such a way that the practice of Sri Sri Yoga touches all levels of your existence – the body, breath, emotions, intellect, memory, ego and self. Thus it expands to benefit not just the outer most or gross physical existence but the inner most faculties are also sharpened. This helps tremendously to integrate the yoga wisdom to day-to-day living. 4. “Withdraw your senses from the object to its source, then the union happens, then the yoga happens.” During a Sri Sri Yoga Retreat, one learns the correct way of doing asanas and pranayama, one learns to stretch yet relax in asanas, one learns to harmonize breath with asanas. One also learns precautions to be observed and common errors that are likely while doing asanas and pranayama. Ultimately one learns how to let go and delve deeper into the practice to experience that “union” which yoga promises. 5. “Peace is our very nature, and yoga leads you to inner peace.” Sri Sri Yoga teaches one how to pay attention to what one experiences inside, what the state of mind is while practicing rather than how much the body can bend. While off the yoga mat, life seems to be constant struggle, here one learns how to become effortless to experience that inner peace which is our real nature. 6. “The purpose of yoga is to stop suffering even before it arises.” Sri Sri Yoga is a holistic way of energizing and integrating mind, body and spirit. This ancient knowledge made applicable for modern times can be easily added to the daily routine resulting in a lasting experience of true inner power and overall well-being. Its regular practice has helped thousands to prevent sufferings. 7. “Yoga is not just weight-loss programme; it is a science to make one feel lighter. It helps to lose the mental stuff of anger, jealousy, hatred, greed, etc.” During the Sri Sri Yoga basic program that is taught in 10 to 12 hours at the Art of Living Retreat, certified teachers help to experience the real depth of yoga that brings benefits not just at physical level but at the mental, emotional and spiritual level too. A complete experience, Sri Sri Yoga will leave one feeling rejuvenated inside and out. 8. “One of the rules of yoga is to cultivate the practice of being happy.” Everybody ultimately wants to be happy. But what is real happiness? Wise say shifting gears from pursuit of happiness to being happy, making happiness a journey rather than destination is the key. How to unlock the gates to happiness with this key? Consistent and disciplined practice of Sri Sri Yoga facilitates a happier approach to life and a healthier lifestyle. 9. “The wisdom of yoga transforms one from arrogance to self-confidence; meekness to humility; from dependence to a realization of interdependence.” One may wonder if yoga a self-help program. Taught in two different programs – Sri Sri Yoga Level 1 and Level 2, the programmes bring one in touch with the ancient yoga wisdom which nourishes one’s inner beauty as a human being. 10. “The wisdom of yoga transforms one from craving freedom to recognition of the ‘unboundedness’, from limited ownership to oneness with the whole.” Does it seem incredulous? But yes, this is indeed the real potential of yoga. Simple yoga postures, rejuvenating breathing techniques, blissful meditations integrated with invaluable ancient wisdom of yoga put one definitely on the path of life transformation. As a yoga explorer with over a decade and a half of experience, I invite my fellow explorers to dive deeper and experience what it takes to be real yogi (or yogini). 22. Importance of doing Sadhana in a Scientific Way Sudarshan Kriya is a unique rhythmic breathing technique which has been cognated by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. This breathing technique when practised properly and unfailingly brings back rhythm in the life of the practitioner. Everything in life has a rhythm. The sun rises at a particular time and sets at a particular time. Birds leave the sanctuary of their nests and return back at a set time. Imagine listening to a guitar which is not strung properly. Such music would not resonate in our mind, instead it would be cacophony. The seeker has to necessarily follow a laid-down routine which would enhance the quality of sadhana. The first step is to loosen up the body and follow a strict yogic regimen to derive maximum benefit from the practice. Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutation The Sun God grants us the vital energy and radiance which provides us with enormous abundance in life. This illuminating star suffuses our lives with heat and light and consequently energizes our mind, body and souls. Ayurveda extols the virtues of the Sun as the provider of health. Hence the worship of the Sun assumes tremendous significance. The worship is performed through mantra, japa, Surya Namaskar and pranayama. Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar is more than a mere physical exercise. It exorcises fear from our mind. As per the Ramayana, Lord Rama was imparted this esoteric knowledge by the sages Vashistha and Vishwamitra. As a result he attained the necessary strength to vanquish Ravana. A practitioner needs to be in total harmony with his breath (prana), sound and the physical movement while performing the Sun Salutation. Regular practice of the Sun Salutation increases our intuitive ability. The focus is on all parts of the body but particularly the solar plexus. The solar plexus which is normally the size of an almond enlarges to assume the size of a human palm through methodical and faithful practice. The physical exercise is an obeisance to the Sun and takes the form of twelve yogic postures, which are performed in a sequential manner of movements and flow. Breath and sound simultaneously flow rhythmically while performing this yogic practice and the practitioner receives bountiful cosmic energy. The practice should not be associated with any religion or a ritual. It has a deep spiritual connect with the cosmos and opens up frontiers of profound dimensions of awareness and mindfulness. Meticulous and punctilious practice has a salutary effect on the human mind and body which results in startling benefits and changes us from within and without. A fifteen to twenty minute practice of the Sun Salutation augments the vitality and beauty of the yogic practitioner and makes him joyous and radiant. Most importantly it enhances bliss, compassion and love in the individual and leads one to discover the eternal truth. However it should be remembered that this is more than a mere physical exercise. It is a sadhana to the life giver of this planet. Normally six to twelve sets of Surya Namaskars strengthen the body, mind and build our intuitive abilities. This is followed by the practice of Padmasadhana (a sequence of yogic postures in Ujjayi breath (or the breath of victory). As per the Agama tradition, it is believed that the Devi (Goddess) is seated on a five-layered seat or asana. The base of this seat is a tortoise, which represents stability. However stability is not sufficient. The sadhak needs awareness as well to delve deep inside. Thus the second layer is the snake, which represents awareness. Awareness propels activity in the mind. Now above the snake is perched the lion, which symbolizes grace. And seated atop the lion is the Siddha, the perfect sage. Finally, above the perfect sage is the lotus, which is symbolic of absolute blossoming. When the yoga postures have all the five qualities that is stability, awareness, grace, perfection and full blossoming, only then does divinity dawn on the seeker and that is the quest of Padma Sadhana. This particular sequence ought to be made an integral part of our daily morning and evening yoga practice to unlock the inner energy. Upon completion of these yogic practices, the sadhak or practitioner has to practise Sudarshan Kriya. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also extols virtues of ‘group’ sadhana as positive energy pervades in abundance and the mind is tranquil and robust to go about our daily routine, to become enlightened citizens and to undertake selfless service to society. This is a complete package of performing sadhana in a scientific manner. 23. Efficacy of Mantras Truly, the Almighty is all-pervasive and omniscient. Let us take the case of devout Hindus. Each day is dedicated to a deity and a mantra is chanted to invoke divine benediction. Chanting Om Namah Narayana on Sundays, the faithful beseech Lord Vishnu for love, opulence, strength, power and glory. Mondays are dedicated to Lord Shiva. The mantra Om Namah Shivaya helps to banish all attachments and material consciousness. Om Sri Subramunyaya Namaha chanted on Tuesdays is a potent mantra to expatriate evil influences from the human mind. This mantra assists in seeking spiritual victory in all combats. In the Hindu pantheon of Gods, Lord Krishna is all pervasive, with humungous authority. Chanting the mantra Om Namah Bhagavate Vasudevaya on Wednesdays bestows the munificence of Lord Krishna. Indisputably, parents are our first teachers. One can continue to receive the grace of the Guru/teacher by chanting Om Namoh Bhagavate Shivanandaya on Thursdays. The shakti which fuels and propels energy in humans is only through the divine orison of Devi shakti. Goddess Lakshmi provides humans with prosperity, truthfulness, sagacity and perspicacity to strive for the quintessential truth and by chanting Om Sri Mahalakshmiyai Namaha on Fridays the seeker traverses an error-free path. Lord Hanuman makes the mind brawny and provides strength, unparalleled success in devotional activities and helps the human mind attain elevated realisation. Chanting Om Sri Hanumate Namaha on Saturdays unflinchingly assuages frayed nerves and distraught minds. The divine tattva By way of our actions and non-actions, the human body, mind and soul become fragile and enfeebled. Chanting mantras with utmost concentration and purity of thought enables the mind regain vigour and robustness resulting in an alchemical transmutation. Consequently we are able to enhance the Shiva Tattva, Narayana Tattva and Guru Tattva in our selves. This is further buttressed with orison to the Goddess, making the mind aerobicized. Mantra – the bedrock of all organised religious groups The above narrative was regarding Hinduism. However, all religious orders and spiritual organisations endorse chanting of words and syllables. The intent of these words is to silence the mind, helping it move from cacophony to symphony. Among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs it is the cantillation of Om. Those professing Islam undertake incantations of Qur’anic passages, or the names of Allah. Christians offer praise to the Lord by chanting scriptural texts, especially the Psalms. Jews too chant from the biblical texts (Old Testament). Practitioners of Sudarshan Kriya, a rhythmic breathing technique, inhale and exhale to the syllables So-Ham. The entire exercise is to expatriate negativity. The mantra acts at the subconscious level of the mind and amortises turbulence. Mystery behind the mantra Aeons ago lived a Zen Master who specialised in teaching mantras. The foundation of his teachings was absolute faith in the mantra being chanted. Two young tutees once approached him and expressed a desire to learn a mantra that would help them fly in the sky. The wise Master wanted to know if they were sure that they would carry out his instructions in toto and with absolute faith. The mentees eagerly agreed to do so and regularly practise the mantra. Very soon they began to levitate and over a period of time began to fly like majestic birds and gain momentous heights. Somewhere in the stratosphere one day, the two postulants met and exchanged notes. Said the first novitiate, “Brother, what is the syllable imparted to you by the Holy Master?” “La,” replied the second freshman. “Oh! I was given the mantra ‘Ba’,” remarked the first greenhorn. They surmised that if they were to combine the two mantras, surely their powers would get magnified and they could then circumnavigate the universe. In their minds they thought it extremely unfair on part of the Master to impart only one half of the mantra to each of them. Their energy and enthusiasm doubled, but faith punctured, they chanted the mantra ‘Ba-La’. Much to their surprise they came hurtling down and landed with a big thud. The enlightened master in his percipience had disseminated the sacred words his students. The power of the mantra lay in selfless and unswerving chanting. However, avarice and doubts deflated their faith and led them to make the first wrong move. They were consumed by venomous vipers like in a game of snakes and ladders and their virtuosity dissipated in the sands of time. Upend the pyramid Meanwhile there lived a young boy, whose mother appeared to be on the last leg of her life. His father and the entire family were traumatized and overwrought. The young boy overheard the doctor tell his father that only a miracle could save the patient. In all innocence he rushed to the chemist housed in the hospital and placed all his savings, adding to a few paltry rupees, on the counter. He wanted the magic drug called ‘miracle’ to treat his dying mother. Taking pity on the child, the chemist gave a few vitamin tablets. The child prayed to almighty God and handed over the ‘miracle’ medicine to his father, certain that his mother would now be saved. Much to the amazement of the medical fraternity and the family, the lady of the house regained consciousness and slowly recovered. The ‘wonder drug’ had a placebo effect in the mind of the child and the entire family was subsumed with positivity, which resulted in the startling recovery of the mother, much to the amazement of the medical fraternity. Buddha once famously said, “We are shaped by our thoughts.” Thus, the efficacy of a Mantra is not in merely parroting it but imbibing its intrinsic pristine quality. 24. Learn the Art of Forgiveness Recall the iconic lines of one of the most celebrated troupers of India- Amitabh Bachchan. In his baritone voice, body punctured with bullets and bleeding profusely, Vijay- as he was addressed in the outstanding movie Deewar – looks intently at the idol of Lord Shiva and says, “Bahut khush hoge tum!” Bachchan, in the movie essayed the role of a contrabandist, who is an atheist. However, eventually in the final stages of his life, he surrenders to the supreme power and seeks absolution for the sins of omission and commission. His mind transfigures and the ossified self-melts when the quintessential truth dawns that holding on to anger only singes the concerned individual. True enlightenment is the art of living in a compassionate manner. The human mind and heart reach a point of inflexion where an act of pardon remains an inescapable reality. The sagacious, blessed with a brawny mind attempts to discover something charitable in all individuals as he/she perceives the image of divinity in them. Such emotionally evolved souls embrace saintly characteristics and traits even in a terrorist or a brigand. The mind of a prosaic individual is unable to separate the chaff from the grain. It is so full of antipathetic thoughts that he cannot transcend the barrier and is unable to exonerate anyone who has inflicted pain or hardship on him, no matter how insignificant. The mind, full of gloom ridden and obstructive thoughts cannot perceive the divinity in others. Consequently, it remains perpetually in a state of conflict. Such an emotionally distraught person would castigate even angelic and divine figures out of callowness. It is ironical that the Mahatma, who was a staunch opponent of capital punishment, was felled by the bullets of an assassin. His last words were Hey Ram. Similarly, Jesus the son of God was to famously implore the Lord to pardon the ones who crucified him as he was convinced that the perpetrators of the act were not conscious of the gravity of their actions. Several organised and structured religions lay prominence on the art of forgiveness. If an individual does not rise to the sublime spheres of compassion and forgiveness, then he gets trapped in the whirlpool of cause and effect. The unabated Karmic cycle continues without any resolution. The pivot is to fortify and protect the human mind to make it robust and compassionate. It attempts to extricate the self from the cause and effect of actions and even non-actions. Action and non-actions of humans indeed leave an indelible impression on the human mind. It would be a perspicacious to pose as to how non-actions are also a kind of Karmic activity and in what manner it impacts the human mind and consciousness. Non-action in a way represents not taking up the gauntlet. The cardinal principle of Christianity is compassion though it is not based on the cause and effect theory. The Church impinges on the faithful to purge negativity from their minds; solicitude and benevolence being the Holy Grail. It is interesting to point out that Christians seek forgiveness of the Almighty while in the oriental religion of Jainism, savants ask for lenience from people at large. During the festival of Kshamavani, followers of the religion can seek quarter from society for mistakes committed consciously or unconsciously. Sage Ashtavakra who authored the treatise Ashtavakra Gita posits a theory that an individual should break the bondage of guilt and anger in order to invoke the grace of remission. It is noteworthy to mention; the singular gift mankind can give to itself and society at large is to train minds to be forgiving and compassionate. This will end the senseless circle of detestation, despondency, anger and violence. We need to be compassionate and calm from within to construct a divine society that eschews violence. There is poignant Zen story which explains the exemplary tenets of compassion and forgiveness. Aeons ago a Zen Master summoned his tutees in a Temple of Knowledge and asked them if they harboured the antipathetic emotion of hatred in their minds. “Yes!” exclaimed the disciples. The Master directed his disciples to place a potato each in their bag and always travel with it as a reminder that despite the practice of meditation and breathing exercises their prana level was not high enough to exterminate and expatriate hatred and inculcate compassion. The number of potatoes was to increase depending on the quantum of anger and would be directly proportional to the antipathy in their minds. Some young monks ended up carrying a bagful of potatoes, which over a period of time became malodorous. In sheer exasperation, the harried disciples sought refuge in the grace of the master to dispense away with the bag. The Zen Master guffawed and chided his students to abandon the negative trait of abhorrence from their minds, lest the malodour of these traits become a burden all through their lives. In order to lead a warm, happy and healthy life individuals should embark upon the path of forgiveness and compassion. This suffuses the mind with immense strength and courage of conviction. There is a marked jump in the emotional and intelligence quotient. It would be insightful for any individual to make positive affirmations, reinforcing love for every animate and inanimate object to build a divine society. Such affirmations would train the mind to remain unruffled and spread the quintessential gospel of forgiveness. Thereby humans would truly embrace fellow beings. If we construe the human mind to be the hardware, compassionate thoughts and forgiveness are part of non-negotiable software. 25. Being Compassionate is the Road to Happiness A Zen Master assembled his tutees at the Temple of Knowledge. The monks had completed a vigorous session on meditation were suffused with efficacious thoughts. It was time to question their cerebral robustness. “What do you mean by compassion?” he posed. Replies from the disciples varied from love, generosity, affection, care, kindness to liberality. The Zen Master went on to narrate a story. Once near a Temple of Knowledge lived a mendicant. One day an old lady dropped a coin in his begging bowl. A little later a propertied Prince happened to pass by and looking at his pitiable condition dropped in five gold coins and walked away in a haughty manner. Subsequently a small monk who lived within the precincts of the Temple of Knowledge emerged. He was carrying a few coins to buy flowers for a function in the Temple. On his way back, he handed over the bunch of flowers to the mendicant. “So friends, who was the most compassionate of the three?” In unison, the tutees proclaimed that it was the opulent prince since he had parted with five gold coins as alms. The Zen Master shook his head in disagreement and remarked, “The old lady gave a coin as an act of pity, the deep-pocketed prince brazenly displayed his haughtiness, while the young monk was deeply touched at the pitiable condition of the individual and gave the flowers meant for a ritual to be performed in the Temple of Knowledge. He felt a deep empathy within his being and parted the flowers without a degree of hesitation and could invoke a smile on the face of the alms-seeker.” “Compassion springs from the fountain of love, while lust is the bedrock of passion,” exhorted the Zen Master to the assembled disciples. Aeons ago lived a young prince named Siddhartha, belonging to the fearsome Sakyan kingdom, a noteworthy republic of the period. Sage Asita however, forewarned King Suddhodhana that his son Siddhartha would indeed become the emperor of the world, but not in battle fatigues rather by donning ochre robes as compassion was in the very DNA of the child. This forewarning acted on the overwrought Sakyan sovereign. He encircled Siddhartha with a luxuriant life, inciting carnal passion in him, simultaneously goading him to be brawny enough to take part in warfare. The monarch assumed that matrimony and parenthood would veer the mind of the strapping youngster away from monkhood. However, Emperor Suddhodhana could never truly encircle the mind of Siddhartha, as the Prince pined for the quintessential truth. One fine day, without any warning, the young heir abdicated all gross and corporeal things in life and plunged headlong into a life of tapas. The Sakyan prince not only discarded his battle fatigues but also transfigured his mind. The robust and intrepid mind had to sift through the nugatory thoughts of sorrow and happiness, logic and feverishness to become pristine, full of compassion, love and non-violence. The transmutation of his mind and self was an arduous journey of deep introspection. It was not largesse bestowed by the Universe. Non-violence became the springboard to complete the transformation into a compassionate human being. Planet Earth hosts myriad life-forms. It is the only planet which nourishes life, deriving vital prana from the Sun. Degradation of the environment and ecology on account of man’s avarice and rapacious covetousness is torpedoing the very process of living. We are no longer compassionate to ourselves, or to the flora and fauna or even the rivers, seas and farmlands. Humans spewing negativity will soon turn the host of creation into a ghost land. Once, Buddha was in the midst of an assembly. Those present were engrossed in meditation. A raging and wrathful businessman reached the spot. The magnate hailed from an opulent family and was distraught that his wife and children had given up the luxuriant ways of life and spent hours meditating at the conclave. He saw Buddha sporting a beatific and serene smile. Wrenching his fists in vexation, he spat at the compassionate one’s face much to the chagrin of all present before rushing out. But it was a tumultuous night for the entrepreneur, barely snatching a few winks. He recalled that this was the first occasion in his life that a person on whom he spat maintained remarkable poise and equanimity. His body shivered and he felt that there was an earthquake in his mind. Deeply distraught, he reached the conclave the next morning, apologising profusely. “Holy Sire, please forgive me. I did not know what I was doing.” Buddha, maintaining his calm demeanour merely remarked, “I cannot excuse you.” The assembly was taken aback. Buddha looked intensely into the eyes of the industrialist and merely stated, “Why do you ask for pardon? You did nothing counterfactual.” “Holy one! I was the mentally wrecked person who had the temerity to spit on your face.” The businessman added, “And for this wanton act I am devastated.” Buddha parried the question, dexterously stating, “Oh! That individual is no longer in our midst.” In case I ever meet that gentleman, I shall ask him to pardon the person who is currently amidst us. Son, you have done no wrong, remove the heavy stone of repentance from yourself and heart.” Compassion never mushrooms from not pardoning someone or making a person feel the victim or inducing guilt. The act of forgiveness is so subtle that the individual granted clemency is unaware of the charitable act. Compassion stands for lenity which emerges from love, while animosity and tyranny appear from lust and covetousness. Love exudes warmth and embraces all animate and inanimate objects, while lust embarks an individual on the path of sabotage and often self-destruction. “If you want others to be happy practice compassion. If you want to be happy practice compassion,” says the Dalai Lama. 26. Be Calm and Composed Aeons ago in ancient China lived an old farmer who had worked on his land for many years. He was blessed with a perspicacious mind. Abruptly, one day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, a motley group of neighbours came to commiserate with him. “Such misfortune, such ill luck,” the agitated group of villagers reacted. “Maybe,” nonchalantly replied the farmer. A few days later the horse returned, accompanied by three wild horses. Another group of villagers made a beeline to the house of agriculturist to sympathise. “Maybe,” was the taciturn reply of the aged farmer. The following day, the farmer’s son tried to mount one of the untamed horses and was thrown off. Consequently, the strapping youngster broke his leg. The overwrought neighbours once again queued up to offer their sympathies at this misadventure. “Maybe,” was the desultory answer yet again. A few days later some military personnel swooped on the village to draft young men. Looking at the incapacitated stripling he was disqualified from being recruited. The exuberant neighbours congratulated the old grazier on the unexpected turn of events. “Maybe,” was the laconic reply yet again. Import of the story What could be the gravity and consequences of this unconventional Zen story? The remarkable ability of the aged farmer to remain unruffled, whatever the unwelcome turn or misadventure one may encounter in life. Second, to remain in the present moment and possess the uncanny ability to accept people and situations as they are. This transmutes and metamorphoses the mind to remain pacific in every situation and maintain equanimity. Aphorism of the Art of Living Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the Spiritual Master has succinctly elucidated the significance of the aphorism, ‘to accept people and situations as they are’ in his teachings. Any individual who undertakes the Happiness Programme of the Art of Living is imparted this knowledge. This sutra engineers a radical change in the personality. The 4 Ds of Abnormal Behaviour Abnormal behaviour can be construed as a behaviour which is disturbing (socially unacceptable), distressing, maladaptive (or self-defeating), and often the result of distorted thoughts (cognitions), as per Wikipedia. There are four strains in this abnormal behaviour. These are deviance, dysfunction, distress and danger. Deviant behaviour is usually different, extreme, and unusual and could even include bizarre behavioural patterns. The second in the series is distressing behaviour. People who are related to such individuals feel unpleasant and unsettled in their presence. Dysfunctional behaviour discommodes the patient to such an extent that it acts as a deterrent in his day to day functioning and behaviour and interferes in his range of activities. The individual is no longer constructive to himself or to society at large. They are individuals who are plainly dangerous or even lethal in their behavioural approach. This impacts their lives and the lives of those with whom they get intertwined in some manner. Anxiety disorders and their symptoms There are five specific patterns of anxiety disorders which fall into this category. The first is termed as General Anxiety Disorder. This is a prolonged, vague, quite inexplicable fear having no objective basis, accompanied by hyper vigilance and attached motor tension of the brain. Next is what in quotidian parlance is called Panic Disorder. These are none other than perpetual and frequent anxiety disorders and attacks which are accompanied with psychological symptoms such as breathlessness, palpitations, a trembling feeling, dizziness and even a sense of total loss of control over the self. The individual suffering from such a pestilence could even harbour morbid thoughts. Next in the line of mental disorders are phobias. Humans have irrational phobias such as Acrophobia (fear of heights), Glossophobia (fear of addressing an audience), Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), Aviophobia (fear of flying). There is yet another phobia which impacts the human mind. This is called OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In such a situation a human being is preoccupied with a wide range of thoughts, which are normally viewed by sane people as absolutely irrational. Such persons are habituated to inspecting and checking on things in their immediate surroundings, at home or outside, washing clothes in order to be absolutely freshly attired or always found counting things or even money. Last, but no less distressing – on this ill-fated checklist is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These individuals suffer repeated and recurrent nightmares, flashbacks, impaired concentration and emotional numbing which invariably follows traumatic or stressful events. The way out Our country is plagued by three major issues namely, addictions, women’s issues and psychological disorders. A large mass of denizens approach tantriks, babas, and other quacks hoping for a miraculous cure. In all such mephitic issues, it is essential and mandatory to meet a qualified medical practitioner. The first step to recovery is medication under the expert guidance of a doctor. Next, after a period of treatment, it would be prudent to contact self-help groups, which sustain and nourishe the treatment. For instance, undergoing the Happiness Course of the Art of Living, where a person is taught the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar calls the breathing technique as romance with the breath. Human breath has the remarkable potential to expatriate toxins and fears and paves the roadway to recovery. “No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again,” said Gautama Buddha. 27. The Art of Letting-go: Relish Life to the Fullest There once lived a cerebral physicist who taught at an estimable university. He had unravelled several mysteries and riddles pertaining to the origins of universe through sedulous and almost pertinacious investigation and exploration. The professor was decorated with awards and worldwide recognition followed. As he became a celebratory figure, he soon developed a swollen head. His affectation was to become his hubris. Once the sovereign of his field, he lost his equilibrium and was charged with salacious behaviour towards students and some colleagues. As his public image became tarnished and could no longer be ignored, troubles came shooting at the professor like meteors from the skies. Troubles come in threes The government and administration stripped him off all the awards bestowed, and his prepossessing wife deserted him. The esteemed professor was unable to grapple with these misadventures in life. Quite ironically the physicist who had been on the verge of decoding the mysteries of the universe was soon enveloped by tenebrosity. At his tethers end, his edifice of wisdom collapsed, he began dabbling with drugs and alcohol. He became addicted to alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, which had a pernicious impact on his body and interpersonal relationships. Sakhya Muni, Lord Buddha had said, “Be strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak. Be humble not shy, be proud but not arrogant.” These aureate words were apparently lost on the once-upon-a-time dynamo mind of the physicist. Baby steps to recovery Some well wishers from his fraternity commiserated with him and were filled with compassion for their once effulgent colleague. The physicist was wheeled into a rehabilitation centre and under a detoxification regimen was slowly weaned off alcohol and drugs. As alternative therapies, the professor underwent meditation and yoga sessions. He also underwent the Happiness Programme of the Art of Living and learnt the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya which provided the ballast for his recovery. The course helped him to eschew dependency on alcohol and drugs. Over a period of time the physicist regained sobriety. Second Innings: Seeking spiritual solace The once extolled and accomplished professor who was condemned by society for his avarice, pomposity and hedonistic lifestyle slowly regained equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity through the twin approaches of medication and meditation. Upon recovery he rediscovered his mojo and attempted to regain his lost sovereignty by unearthing the quintessential truth of the origin of universe. The process of letting go begins “Indeed the sage who’s fully quenched rests at ease in every way, no sense, desires, adheres to him whose fires have evolved, deprived of fuel. All attachments have been severed, the hearts been led away from pain, tranquil, he rests with utmost ease. The mind has found its way to peace,” said the Sakhya Muni, Lord Buddha. The professor though sober now and purged of his hedonistic tendencies was still feeling saturated from within. His soul was yet to feel satiated. He developed a profound interest in the spiritual dimension of life and the universe. After sustained deliberation the professor embarked upon a spiritual sojourn. There was something burning and arid in his self which made him set-off upon this quest. The spiritual peregrination took him halfway around the world till he arrived at a remote village, high in the Himalayas, at the feet of an accomplished master. This suzerain of the sacred texts of different religions had gained remarkable adroitness and virtuosity in Zen Buddhism. The enlightened, holy person dressed in ochre robes and exuding jollity welcomed the professor with a warm embrace. His searching and lustrous eyes scanned the professor. The physicist narrated his story. He concluded by adding that he was now trying to fathom the mysteries hidden in the womb of the universe from the spiritual and scientific points of view. “But this is what you were doing at the university and in your laboratory, is it not professor?” enquired the seer. He felt that the Zen Master could ignite the missing spark from his life and help him expatriate antipathetic thoughts from his mind so that he could upend the pyramid. He had successfully extricated himself from the whirlpool of gloom once and he could see light at the end of the tunnel. Yet there was something amiss in his life…! It was dry like the autumn leaf that drops from the branches of the tree. Time you let loose “So, what new are you attempting to unravel? Ok, let us have a cup of tea,” said the venerated soul. The professor appeared at ease as the perspicacious and sagacious soul poured the tea. Soon the cup began to overflow. Seeing this, the professor exclaimed, “Holy Sir, the cup is overflowing!” “Precisely, and I was examining your reaction,” remarked the Holy One. “Unless you just let go of your haughtiness and self-conceit the way the tea overflowed from the cup, you will never learn anything afresh. This is the secret,” stated the Zen Master in an absolutely matter of fact manner. “Drop all your desires when you approach a Master. Let go of your baggage,” he added. The Zen Master was to further add, “Buddha advocated four concepts- Observe the body (Kayana Paschana) Observe the sensations (Vedananu Paschana) Observe the flow of mind (Chittana Paschana) Observe your true nature (Dhammanu Paschana).” The professor realised that he had forayed into unchartered territories but without understanding his mind. His mind was brimful of demonic and arrogant thoughts and ossified. He was neither simple nor humble or aware. These were the keys for him to let go and be absolutely pristine and lucid. 28. Amazing Power of the Human Mind Realisation and awareness are two unique qualities that shine the light on the amazing power of the human mind. Aeons ago lived, lived an ambitious king named Suddhodhana, chieftain of Sakyan republics. He was captivated by the thought of perpetuating the dynasty. However, his battle-fatigued son Siddhartha was not ensnared by the Mara of trappings and adornment of power, carnal pleasures or family life. Siddhartha eschewed violence, cast away royal clothing and donned ochre robes in the search of quintessential truth. And over a period of seven years of intense and gut-wrenching tapas which transfigured his mind, he metamorphosed from Siddhartha to Gautama and then into the Buddha. It was at Sarnath that he delivered his first sermon on the Four Noble Truths, which was soon followed by the Eight-Fold Path for citizens to pursue. Upon attaining enlightenment, the Compassionate One dissected the bewildering characteristics of the human mind. He was soon to decree in an unostentatious and plain sailing manner that, “We are what we think and our thoughts shape our lives.” A person may be a stock individual, a seeker or a savant; all are governed by this cardinal principle of how the mind operates. In case the mind is bestowed with efficacious thoughts, humans are endowed with the enriching aura of positivity. This eclipses Sisyphean and nugatory thoughts and the persona is encompassed with the stamp of alluring, shimmering jollity. However, if the human mind is cannonaded by antipathetic thoughts, there is depletion in the prana level. The mind is then not resplendent or robust nor suffused with ennobling thoughts. On the contrary it is brim-full of gloom-ridden patterns which are distressing and obstructive. Individuals become mere retainers of negativity. Over a period of time, the mind does not get propelled to become empowered. It will not be able to unyoke itself from its negativity, rendering it unable to take up adultness or responsibility. Ironically, the moment an individual realises the magnetic potential and prowess of the human mind the Universe suddenly becomes magical in its desire to support all efforts. The mind remains an enigma. Our resoluteness and positivity are the lodestars to harness its embryonic ability. This is the key to scale the summit of triumph and glory. Once there was a Good Samaritan, Sudhakar (name changed). He happened to read the maiden effort of a civil servant called ‘Enormous Vistas of Human Mind’ and a few other articles that he had written. This gentleman, with some trepidation became a ‘Facebook friend’ of the mandarin and began persuading him to be interviewed by a few T.V. channels. However, the thought process of the public functionary –a recovered alcoholic- kept misdoubting the sincerity of the ‘Facebook friend’. In disgust, he ‘blocked’ and then again ‘unblocked’ the gentleman, more perhaps to quell the pangs of his own conscience. Finally, in a dawdling manner and in sheer vexation he gave in to the entreaties of the ‘Facebook friend’. Soon an amazing pattern emerged and the government administrator was invited by several media houses and estimable institutions to deliver lectures as to how he combatted and conquered the battle against the bottle. Only much later did he realise that Sudhakar had lost some close relatives to alcoholism and he found succour in espousing the cause of conquest over the disease. The autarchic mind of the bureaucrat was ossified, looking life through the prism of tunnel vision. One day, after a series of interviews, the functionary received a distress call from a lady, who had listened to one of his interviews and was also reading the book penned by him, which captured his triumph over alcoholism. On receiving the call, he could empathise with the woman’s husband who was fighting a grim battle against alcoholism. He silently thanked Sudhakar, who had provided the much-needed platform to address the grievous misadventure of millions of unfortunate souls. There was a sudden transmutation in the mind of the public servant. As tears of gratitude flowed from his eyes, he embarked upon the odyssey to combat this life-threatening disease in all sincerity. Several centuries ago, Gautama Buddha was travelling with a group of disciples. The compassionate one felt thirsty and desired some water to quench his thirst. He asked a disciple to fetch some water from a nearby lake. The enthusiastic disciple rushed to the lake but was horrified to find the water turgid as a farmer had just crossed the lake on his bullock cart. He returned back remorsefully as he could not fulfil the wish of the Holy Master. Buddha was to send the disciple a couple of times to fetch water to quench his thirst. But to the dismay of the tutee on each occasion the water remained dirty and turgid. While the devotees were fidgety and distraught, Buddha remained patient. Eventually, the devotee animatedly brought fresh water from the lake and offered it to the Compassionate One. Buddha smiled and drank the water. He was to say, “You did nothing. The mud settled down and the water was purged of the impurities. Let your mind also settle all the dust accumulated over a period of time.” Make no effort, let the mind settle. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar succinctly says, “Effort is a state of the body and effortlessness is a state of the mind.” This can be achieved through regular and unflinching sadhana of yoga, pranayama, meditation and the unique rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya. Thus, effortlessness is the trailblazing quality of mind. This is the state of total surrender, where the grace of the Guru flows and miracles unfold.