MANDIR vs hospital debate1

A month ago Ram Mandir was inaugurated with great fanfare. A wait of nearly 500 years fulfilled. Since then there has been a huge rush of devotees estimated around 2-4 lakhs per day. Ayodhya has transformed and its just the beginning with more than a dozen 5 stars coming up and infrastructure and market to cater to spiritual tourism. However some people specially in the youth still feel that a mandir was not needed. It hurt the Muslim sentiments and also a hospital or school would have helped more people. And government should not waste its precious resources in such activities.

I strongly believe that a mandir was needed and its a magical formula to achieve more than one objective.  But first to correct the facts, the mandir was made with crowd sourcing. Infact interest from 4 times excess funds received was used largely. So it’s made in the true Yagna spirit. Now, coming to the other point as to why not build a hospital or a school instead.  One can build both, and with the kind of donations and worldwide interest, hundreds of such projects will come up around the mandir due to the impact of the mandir. So, mandir does the cascading  impact on social infrastructure. 

As to the argument of Muslims feeling bad, I think on the contrary it undoes the wrong activity done by mughals by breaking the Ram Mandir. Supreme Court has ended the years of dispute by settling the contentious issue one and for all.and based upon facts. Al religions can coexist peacefully in the new order. Current generation of Muslims should feel proud that they’ve undone the years or unjustice and the absence of any riots is a proof that our Muslim brothers have taken it in the right spirit as a land for making much bigger than original mosque allocated near the temple.

Now as to the benefits of the mandir, they are manifold. First and foremost it transform the lives of millions around ayodhya and impact would be felt as far as Lucknow too. Millions of tourists means billions of income . Investment in infrastructure like airports, railway stations, roads, parks, hotels, etc. This would create job and business opportunities for various service providers . More importantly it brings together a nation , its hope, its imaginations and revitalizes it like nothing else. Our God’s are powerful constructs which can motivate us to achieve the impossible, live a better and socially useful life and inspire to live the best version of ourself.

If one mandir can have an impact of billions of dollars with investment of few million, I could say then go on a make a dozen more. Make india the spiritual destination of the world. It’s not just cultural revival but also helps in economic and self esteem revival.

Love

Me

Me at Pema & Pema in me.

Was it to try a unique experience or fulfill my wife’s long standing desire or to take care of my body ( which started giving signals to start caring for it), we decided to book in for 8 day stay ( minimum allowed) at Pema Vizak.

Vacations are normally about good food and drinking nights but this was very limited healthy food, no tea coffee or hot chocolate, exercises, and massages. My friends were skeptical but my eternal pursuit of getting out my comfort zone made me actually look forward to it. I assumed after studying vedanata for so many years it will be interesting to put will power to test. Specially my fooding habits which have large doses of biscuits, bhujia , tea and chocolates.

Pema is 5 star in infrastructure, food and hospitality with over 160 treatments. But my doctor said ideally I should be 3-5 kg less weight by reducing fat. They prescribed a luxurious 600 calorie day 1 diet and said body wastes a lot of energy in digesting food so best to have more of soups, salads and juices. First time in my life I had slightly tearful eye regarding food and how could I survive on that much food which I had normally before food as appetizers. 

Survived the day rushing between massages ( men to men) , acupuncture, hot baths. Evening there was a nidra yoga and meditation session but by that time my head was aching so couldn’t concentrate on it. Instead of a pill the doctor said due to lack of stimulants I was used to ( tea coffee) brain nerves weren’t getting the energy and  gave me  acupuncture which led to more headache.

I was at my cranky best at the dinner table. All 3 equipments had ganged up together.  Body signaled it dissent with headache and low energy.  Mind threw its tantrums by leaving half of the 120 calorie cabbage salad and said it would be so boring to do this again 8 times and I must go back after 4 days. Intellect said that it’s not practical to live like this in real life and also questioned some of their methods. It was a perfect storm. Thankfully my understanding wife listened to all of it, game me a painkiller, applied some Vicks and i slept early to think about it with a fresh mind tomorrow.

Today morning I wake up fresher. I look back at the objectives which I wrote before coming to the programe. I feel blessed that I have the time and money to afford a rejuvenation of my body where 100+doctors, chefs, masseurs and housekeeping staff are working round the clock. Ofcourse the equipments resist change as they have been used to doing manmaani. But I feel stronger that I survived day 1 and did not have to eat the banana kept as SOS in my room.

That’s that from my internal struggles on the first day.

Who failed whom?

Have you ever read a suicide note ? Not as a random fwd but from someone you may even know by 2-3 degrees of separation. I read one yesterday.  I was shaken. So many things have to go wrong for a person to act against one natural instinct of self-preservation. How if any of those things were there, this loss of life and its impact on the living left could have been avoided. Few things we could have done as a society ( and could still do to prevent future ones ) as our responsibility towards it 

A 21 year old committing it is even more disturbing due to pressure to perform in studies and life. The education system had killed its self-confidence and made him believe he is probably good for nothing. Isn’t the purpose of education to get the best out of us. If nothing else , it can make us feel confident and optimistic to take on the world when we face it.  Isn’t school and college life supposed to be the best part of our life but unfortunately he and many others spend it on so much stress as to whether they will get admission in good college or jobs. Is that the end goal of life ?

Secondly, he mentioned that he had been in depression for a long time and had forgotten to smile. He had thought a few times before but didn’t have the courage. Now he was brave and doing it. People should be sensitive to such situations of people around and not dismiss them as attention seeking behavior or tantrum. The person who is part of the problem can not solve the problem. So instead of the same people giving him generic advice, one should rely on experts to counsel him. How I wish someone could have told him suicide was cowardly, and one needs bravery to face difficulties and come out a winner. Human life is precious. It’s a divine gift to a few after many births. Someone with the right mind could have replaced that seed. But who has the time? Closed ones should always look at signals and be careful.

Thirdly, he ended the note with the words I QUIT. That was straight out of 3 idiots where that student joy who sang that beautiful song Saari umra hum ..which so many could relate to. Unfortunately, this person could relate to Joy and took the same path in the same fashion as shown in the movie. He thought quitting is a viable solution like his hero joy. I wish amir had said a word or 2 about suicides and why that was the most stupid thing to do. Movies inspire more than we can imagine.

Fourthly he wrote on his note that there was no happiness left in his life and asked, “What is happiness ?” Where is it found ? There is nothing left in his life to look forward. I wish the schools could have covered these basic emotional development topics too instead of cramming information or improving English writing with AI can do better. I will start my next batch for children and teens to know themselves and pitch schools to take it up, too.

Last but not least, a note to parents. I know you have the best interest of your child and want him to do well in life. But stop pushing , taunting , criticizing, at times be littling his chances to do well in life. Some doors don’t open by pushing. The door to success also needs self pull. So instead always say to them how you trust them, love them irrespective of their grades, grades are nice but can neither buy you success or happiness. Encourage them, let them also enjoy this stage. Constant pushing , comparison, and taunts can make weak minds take irrational decisions, which could also be that my parents don’t love me, etc. So this is where you need to improve and not the child.

When a child commits suicide I don’t think he has failed his parents, but society has whole has failed him. The education system, his society for the pressure to excel, his friends to not have noticed anything and done anything, and poor parents who with good intentions in their hearts were pushing the child towards isolation. Let’s learn . Let’s do our role as a parent, teacher , friend, or society and make this world a place where any child makes this stupid choice.

A disturbed me.

God and my relationship with Him ..2023

People change and so do their relationships. However incase of God, He has been constant but I’ve changed and my understanding of him too. And it’s ever changing so like milestones these blogs only help me to assess my stage of evolution.

As a culture which firmly believes , has thousands of stories and daily rituals around God being like a Avatar it is difficult to stick to my spiritual classes discussion that I am God. The concept of duality , Him as the reward and punishment giver , One who can be prayed for favorable and feared for non favorable outcomes, etc is so strong that does give an alternate easy theory to base your beliefs upon.

However some understandings I’m able to carry to live in daily life and that truly what I believe is my stage of evolution. Not what I know or believe but what truly is the basis of my action. First and foremost He is the source of everything , all powerful, all loving . He has all the matters and laws that govern them.

Secondly he watches everything I do but does not interfere. The results of actions are not kept as a record in his book but within us as increase or decrease of vasanas. Vasanasa are wall separating us from Him. Whole spirituality is an exercise of Vasana conversion and exhaustion. He gives us free will to rise, fall or stay put.

Vasanas can be exhausted by doing non selfish work , reducing personal likes and dislikes and instead working towards an ideal by not working about results of fruits of action. I would like to reduce vasanas as that makes me calmer, more efficient and closer to him. If I can be his instrument to spread his message, reach people calling out to him with his gifts I will be able to identify myself more and more as his instrument.

One has work on their mind and intellect and vasanas if one wants to be happy, healthy and successful. Simply praying to him to do that means shirking off your responsibilities. He has made laws and we should understand them and work in accordance to them. That truly will make us happy and successful and not bribing the priest. Internal purification is a journey which one has to traverse himself.

As i was thinking about should i wrote a blog on same topic which i wrote 6 yeats ago, i came across a wall in lajpat nagar delhi whee 10 rules of arya samaj were written and my car stopped just next to it at the signal. It has similar understanding of advaita vedanta and idea was society that can live together in daily life with these values. Which means many people before me too have gone through similar struggle and took actions to create solutions. They may not have been perfect but an honest attempt to live as per your beliefs.

World is what you make of it. So is God. You can not believe in anything and miss this Higher power which can aid your development to greatest heights of evolution. You could believe him to be a power to keep asking favors . Or could belief anything us. What matters is is that helping you reduce vasanas and becoming more compassionate , loving and widens your family. Anything that helps you becoming a man man from the animal man most of us exist in.

Thank God for these signals which he sends but that again means he interferes. That’s how confused I am .

Love

Me

Am I spiritual?

A recent conversation at 2am at a after party  started this discussion that whether a non religious person could still be spiritual? While religion relies on rituals, being spiritual is alignment to the laws of spirituality. These laws work irrespective you know them or not so if you are leading a life full of happiness, success, deep satisfaction and are a producer of happiness and not just a consumer, its highly likely that you are leading a spirtual life. Most lead it accidently by closely observing what all actions have calming effect in long term while some go on to read the manual which mentions the laws and indicates various methods to align to them. Numerous Self Help books try to do just that and so does our religious books when understood and read. Ramanayan and Mahabharata have been reduced to stories instead of case studies which must be analysed deeply to study human behaviour and relationships. Vedas and Upnashshids which are the original source of such knowledge are too complex to comprehend. Their summary is Bhagvad Geeta which itself is so layered that hardly a few are able to understand and hence complete it. One should try reading and understanding them asap so that rest of the life can be lived after knowing the laws

As to the main question as to what traits would a spiritual person have, that’s a brief checklist

1. Live in the present as that’s where ego doesn’t operate

2. Be grateful to the almighty and people around instead of taking everything granted

3. Less atrrtacted to objects and ability to overcome instant sense gratification

4. Strong will power and determination, doing budimanni over manmaani, responding instead of reacting

5. Having a higher goal and working towards it with full vugour

6. Instrospecting ones actions to improve and quest to become better

7. Thirst and curiosity for knowledge through any source and trying to implement changes

8. Being fair in office, taking good care of employees and servants, sharing fruits of success with everyone

9. Not worried about results but focusing on the inputs and process and accepting results

10. Less Attachment to all mortal things imcluding relationships and thoughts. Living your role with a sense of responsibility and doing you best and letting go when required

11. Desires under control. Understanding that uncontrolled growth is called cancer and working on balanced growth.

While there could be so many more attributes to indicate, but these are top of my mind as of now. See for yourself if you are spiritual or not and ask if you would like to read the manual instead of simply guessing it

Love

Me

Pain and my relationship with it.

This topic will be skipped by most as we avoid unpleasant and uncomfortable topics. These topics make us travel into our aspects we have tucked in some corner and don’t want to open old wounds. But that’s not the solution. As RR Martin said

Science and Management both say that to solve a problem understand it. That’s what I shall attempt with pain. What is pain at diffferent levels, why is it caused, how can it be helpful and what is the solution.

Pain though unpleasant can be a game changer if you accept it. At physical level it my appear as a wound or ache or internal but often it’s a manifestation of a problem. It could be rooted in a bad habit like overeating I can’t quit or good habit like exercising which I can’t continue. It provides fuel for motivation for such habits for one who learns from this pain can eventually conquer it one day.

The key point is accepting the pain due to some visible or invisible past action of yours. It can fasten our evolution process. Never ask God not to give you pain but ask Him to give to the strength to ensure it. Without facing the strokes of hammer, has any statue or idol been ever made. Look at pain positively. Specially physical pain which is the easiest to conquer. In past, people did penance by hurting their bodies for they believed Lord will not be able to bear his children inflicting pain and come soon to answer their prayers. That was Tamasic Tapasya.

Pain at mental level is far more agonising. When someone close dies or relationship turns cold or sour. The heart still longs for that emotion which it assumes is possible only from that person. Attachment is the problem in such cases. Attachment to pain is suffering. We may feel pained about the loss of relationship or when our becomes more compassionate even at some distant distressing news but we learn to. Detach. For I’m neither my mind nor the emotions gurgling in them. Im grateful for the chance and the memories n the lessons leant and understsnd change is the only constant. Then why suffer when the soul simply changes its clothes. Or relationships move on leaving the old just as a rocket leaves a part in earth as it moves into the sky. I’m fine being either the rocket or that part that gets left behind.

Last is the pain experienced at intellect level often as dishonour or failure. Again with right attitude one can understand the play of ego. Children have committed suicide by failing in some class while adults after bankruptcy or something shameful. Their identification with ego is so strong that feel will not be able to face the world. But the wise men use their insults to change the world like gandhi. Once we identify with something higher, the vagaries of ego can’t trouble at our intellect level. Then we don’t have any fear of failing or shame in asking or hesitation in starting. It’s only our limited identification which is the cause of this pain. A gram of salt will make a cup salty but a bucket will have very little impact. Become the tank and the intellectual pain shall also dissappear. It will make you a kinder and a stronger person

Pain is beautiful. Pain is powerful. Let’s learn to use pain and not consumed by it.

Love

Me

War has No Winner

The pharma had their bull run for two

Now arms wanted to join the party too

An avoidable war between historical allies

Who kills, who dies and who banks the profit

A Country reduced to a giant rubble

Didn’t we already have enough trouble

Millions homes becoming refugees overnight

There’s never a winner in a war in hindsight

World watches war games in sympathy

Social media warriors available in plenty

Clapping n cheering for the David

Who is mercilessly beaten by the Goliath

So many families broken forever

So many dreams crushed undercover

The scars will run deep and never heal

The UN remained just a name and a seal

Humans will never learn as eternal fools

Greed, Ego and Non Compassion rules

Will we kill each other before climate we face

That I think is the most interesting race!

Goodbye 2021

Was this another year that will get lost in time. How will I remember this year for. My top 9 memories for 2021 are

1. On business front, tie up with Cloud Social, making the 7th floor, 5th floor and branding to make the concept shop while you dine work.

2. Holidays to Goa with friends n kids was the first kiddie vacation with gang. Later did beautiful ladhak too with kani kids

3. The second wave in May and people dying everywhere. Glad we started we care. Though it didn’t do much but atleast kept us busy

4. Feb trip with young designers to anaya resorts was memorable. Also hosted the iiid party and 10 years of landscape party at Designer Landscapes

5. Started new batch of kindle life so had reached 4 class target. This year will restart teen class’s

6. Converting into permanent membership n taking the q9 team. The last match with legends made me eventually play for legends in rpgl

7. Kerseong trip with youngsters followed by 2 parties on bhabi 50th bday celebration at ozora and Landscapes

8. Landscape wing bagged 2-3 projects above 50 lakhs. In December it bagged 85 lakh Surana project

9. Got sushma into Delhi landscape so that should revive the Delhi store. Revamped the store. Took megavebt Delhi agency.

Remembering Dadaji

Nearly a decade ago, my grandfather ( dadaji as I used to call him) breathed his last. However the fruits of his labour and ideals he lived by continue to inspire me. This one is for you Dadaji ( Mr Pannalal Sarda)

The first word that comes to my mind when I think of him is karmath, dedicated whole heartedly to his duties. He was meticulous in accounts and passed on that gene to my elder brother. He left for office at sharp at 10. And I remember seeing him maintain books till late evenings even after coming from office. The discipline and dedication he had towards work made us financially secure.

The second word that comes to my mind is simplicity. He had just a few white kurtas and dhotis which he wore everyday. His food was simple and fixed though later he developed a sweet tooth. Trademark slippers, fixed routine of morning walks which later became evening walks, puja and watching his favourite mythological serial for an hour.

The third word that comes is large hearted. He had much lesser than what he we have now but still went on to make schools and colleges, conducted eye camps and donated to causes. In salmari, people simply worshipped him. Such large hearted he was that he gave his second child to his elder brother. Such magnamity is rare.

Equally loving to all was the fourth quality. He took care of my fragile grandmother in his caring way. Loved and pampered his daughters. Told stories and ingrained values to his grandchildren. Had deep compassionate eyes which I can still clearly remember.

Last but not the least, he was honest and beyond corruption. People with accounts role can often be corrupted by temptation but his work and life ethics was so high and moral, he could not be dishonest.

I pray to God that may He be happy wherever he is. I thank him for so much he gave us including his genes which make me question that am I carrying his legacy forward properly or not. I hope I have the courage and heart to be like him and live these 5 values as my guiding light

Love

Me

Has vedanta gone through me?

Adras Tihor once wanted to check the impact of pilgrimage on the inner character. He took along with him a bitter gourd. Wherever he went, the bitter gourd went along. What ever he heard or rituals he did, he kept the bitter gourd by his side. After his journey ended he tasted the bitter gourd and found no impact of the shastras or the pilgrimage. The question that haunts myself and few cotravellers who have been studying vedanta is whether vedanta has gone through us? Are there any dipsticks to measure the extent of our progress, if any? In inner sciences measurements are very complex and we can to look at indicative symptoms rather than absolute as there are time lags and it’s a slow evolution.

If I were to introspect and say what would be my key parameters to check if I’ve progressed or not, they would be as follows

1. Increaesed Awareness about my inner self. Can I become an observer to my mind and see it throwing tantrums. Do I experience events at all 4 levels of BMI and soul and realise the cause of conflicts and regrets? Whether I see patterns in my thoughts which in turn create pattern in my lifestyle. Importantly have I become more equanimous to various situations and choose to respond over react? Yes I do see shades of grey in my response which indicates surely some distance covered but still a long way to go.

2. Reduced Attachment:

Once one has understood and experienced the limited and temporary nature of the happiness provided by objects, sense gratification, relationship based upon attachment rather than love, obsession with view points and ideas, one will surely try to see beyond them. Its good to have things but the craving to have anything must dissappear. Also the will power to abstain should have increased. Try to consume the drink rather than the drink consuming us.

3. Gratitude : with increased awareness, we truly understand the larger forces at play that enable us to enjoy even the simple things in life, no longer can one take life for granted. My heart is everful of gratitude for countless things that happen right everyday. The question one should ask the almighty is why do you love me so much? And for a few which don’t happen as planned, I take it as His will. I’m able to accept and forget them far easily than previously. Also just have lost the ability to hold on to grudges like a child.

4. Introvert :

As one starts getting more happiness inside its but natural he will look there. The outer world is nice and pleasant but compared to inner world, its just a small fraction. We aren’t not lonely when we are alone for there is so much to examine inside and around us. Interplay of emotions and living beings. The robotic existence and herd mentality is broken free and one can chart one’s own course. Also when the chatter of the mind is reduced there is so much more calmness, sureness and efficiency in life.

5. Freedom from slavery to uncontrolled desire. How much is enough is an answer very few people can give. Thanks to this journey one can know its always enough. Man postpones living his life, health and relationships to get a lil more. And that’s a moving goal. Uncontrolled growth is cancer and uncontrolled desire is cancerous. The desperation to control the output has gone. One must simply give its best and to Him leave the rest. Ensure having time for hobbies, vocations and vacations. Also attitude of sharing rewards with your fellow colleagues has changed.

Thank God I brushed into scientific study of spirituality a decade ago. My progress on these parameters make me believe surely some of Vedanta has gone through me too. Use these or make your relevant parameters and evaluate your journey too!

DOES GOD REALLY DO ANYTHING ?

The Atma also known as soul is the enlivening power behind all living beings lending power to those otherwise inert equipments to function. Its nature is it has been the changeless which neither began nor will end, illiminating and envlivenung and of supreme bliss. ( sat – chit – anand). It’s so subtle that words fail to describe it and intellect fails to understand it.

Atma meets with Maya ( illusion) to form this world. Maya has 2 powers of non apprehension and misapprehension and made up of 3 gunas namely satvik, rajsik and tamsik. GOD, the manisfestation of that atma is pure satva while Individuals are a mixture of the three. Our aim to move from Tamas to rajes by inducing passion, ambition, attachment, etc. But rajas also gives tension and troubles so aim is to then move towards satva. Satvik tendencies later can also be dropped to become nirguna.

It is said that atma is merely the witness or enabler but itself does not do anything. Then why do we expect its msnifestation as God to do things for us. We pray , beg and cajole in different ways but find sometimes some prayers are answered. We also find that western world which doesnt pray also is prosperous and seems to be happy. How do we then explain miracles? Is God listening to our prayers, watching our behaviour and keeping our account up above?

The first explanation is our view point of God varies depending upon our identification. I may think myself to be separate from God and pray to him with bhatti. Upon further refinement of the knowledge, I may realise that I am a part of the creator and view God as the whole whose part I am. Furthermore with complete understanding of advaita, I consider the divine soul myself as God. It’s just covered with impurities called Vasana which when reduced or eliminated will make me witness or be once again be part of the whole.

Then what’s the role of prayers? They quieten the mind and help in its integration with body and intellect. It’s also said that in prayer you talk to the creator and in meditation He talks back to you. Prayers are part of the preparatory process which cleanse the utencils rendering it fit for cooking.

Then how to miracles happen during prayers? The power lies in your BELIEF and not in the concept called GOD. Stronger your belief stronger is your God. With belief you tap in your sub conscious powers which are 10 times stronger than conscious powers. You use this concept to strengthen your belief. Since nirakar nirguna is difficult to relate to, stories of God are made so that you can learn your lessons from them and build your connection with him. Thereafter stronger your belief in Him, deeper is your connect with your subconscious.

Thus while a leaf also does not move without His will, He still does not actively do anything. He cant he biased. He made the laws and systems. People are automatically rewarded or punished in terms of their adherence to those laws in form of vasana reduction or increase.

Love

Me

Counting my blessings – happy birthday dear!

God has been kind, can’t count his blessings

A fit body, healthy mind and sharp thinking

Caring parents, talented children Godsend

Lovely cousin n sibling and to die for friends

Work like a game and game like a stroll

Time to pursuit passion, life has a goal

To tie these pearls, you need a strong thread

Thats my life partner, my better half, as said

Who has stood like rock, rain or sunshine

Whose belief in me beats me in mine

Who has cared like mom & scolded like dad

Whose found ways to cheer when im sad

Who manages clients n children with poise

At crossroads of life, she is my inner voice

Shes all real as abstains from makeup

Glad to see her face first after wake up

Underappreciated yet spreading cheer

Result of good deeds of past i get here

Thank you God for a such a good life

Thank you God for a wonderful wife !

Happy Birthday Anu

Life will happen, it is strange

My request, grow but dont change!

Love

Me

• 

Counselling for Technology Abuse

Tihor had lost count on how many arguments he had with Una, over the past year on the issue of their child getting out of hand. Their son Rohan was a academic prodigy with great flair for music and sports. His discipine and dedication at age of 13 was an inspiration to many including Tihor. No wonder they had dreamt big plans for him. Possibly rohan would touch new heights which no other Adras had done. Arguments were over how to handle their child who was addicted to technology. When rohan was not on computer, he was either on his mobile, xbox or television. He seemed to have lost his social skills completely and remained in his room . He was suddenly more aggressive too. Una believed that an iron hand was required as words had failed. She also blamed Tihors pampering parenting style for the mess and said one day he will live to regret it. Tihor felt that kids needed outlets to take out the stress of home confinement so there are bound to be some imbalances. Also his parenting philosophy was more liberal and believed that they need to let children make mistakes and learn lessons from them. However it wasnt often discussed so linearly but each tried to outshout the other about his viewpoint and both failed. One day Una snapped in between and said from today she will stop telling rohan what to do or not and it was solely Tihors responsibility.

The following Sunday Tihor sat with Rohan to discuss how his studies were going and other chit chat. He guided the conversation to larger goals and need of discipline to achive them. Also asked Rohan to set his own limits to technology time but stick to them. He explained few extreme side effects of technology abuse and warned that more than half of students would face attention disorders. Rohan was a bright kid and said he understood and will try to stick to the limits they both set that day

After a couple of days of disciplined timing, things were back to same. Infact with his mom not speaking to him, he got a free license to do as he felt. Dark circles below the eyes indicated how deep the damage was. Una kept telling Tihor how even at 10pm blue light was seen below Rohans door sil. She being the caring and doting mom couldn’t bear this cold stance against her son. She remained irritated and angry at Tihor and his velvet gloves approach had failed. Tihor knew something needs to be done. After a fortnight of no progress Tihor one day had a big showdown with Rohan and told Una he think theyve lost the battle to get back their son to normalcy. Now rohan didnt pay heed to either parents advice and not sure if there was anyone in the world to whom Rohan would listen to.

Una thought of a plan. She knew that Rohan was in absolute awe of his economics teacher Namit. He finished every of his homework, prepared for the class and looked forward to it. She told Namit the situation at home asked him to subtly counsel Rohan. Namit could possibly guide him to watch correct kind of movies or documentaries. He could explain economics of time, technology usage, etc. She opened out her heart and glad she found the solution to rohans technology addiction and fights at home.

After a patient half n hour of hearing Namit spoke. He told her that humans at large had lost the battle with technology so we need to accept that and not get angry with our kids. Infact with constant poking we are making it into a battle with child and technology on one side and us on the other. The only way to go about it was to get all of us on the same side. That would come through unconditional love. Deeper empathy and understanding and standing by their side. Doing technology and non technology things together. Discussing general and personal stories. Developing an adult adult relationship time with him. Main duty of every parent is to keep mind healthy. This isn’t the time to complain but survive. And hopefully once schools and extra curricular classes reopen half of the technology time will be gone. But its important that their minds and our relationship bonds remain healthy. Una listened in rapt attention and understood where she was going wrong. She said that her husband also believed in same philosophy but never explained her so well. She thanked Namit for his advice and decided to turn a new leaf.

She now spent lot of time with Rohan discussing her school days and wasnt asking him to stop using his gadgets. Rohan was pleasantly surprised and himself reduced his mobile and tv time to surprise his mom. Suddenly they were the best buddies like good ole days. One night Una told Tihor about how she had called Namit to intervene and the talk she had and how his advice was working. She also admitted that it was a lot similar to what Tihor said but much more gracefully explained. Tihor smiled and said glad it worked. He later went to the bathroom, picked his mobile and smiling whatsapped to Namit ” Glad it worked 😉”

Moral: its not always that our children need counselling. Since we arent trained formally in the role of parenting, sometimes we may also need. Kids arent show peices. They aren’t supposed to be perfect. And lets do all that we can do for them with absolute love with a sense of duty and not ownership. And dont expect any fruits of your action. They are their to teach us how we can love unconditionally. Lets learn n use that trait to make this world a better place

Love

Me

Desire – is it good or bad?

While all of us wish to be happy and successful, only few are able to achieve this delicate balance. While many will say i am both, deep inside some know the void in either one of the attributes makes us rarely achieve the state of true fulfillment. What is the solution? We need to dig deeper to find cause and understand if any formulas for happiness exist ( yes they do)

Western philosophy and education relies on achieving happiness by having and fulfilling as many desires as posisble. Fine dining, wear latest fashion, upgrade gadgets and cars, exotic vacations, etc. The list is endless. And to fulfill that you slog, bend rules, be ruthless, forget hobbies, travel and spend less time with loved ones. But you do achieve it largely with stress of tax, operations, competition and changing environment. So success takes a toll on happiness but few weeks of holidays and weekends make the daily slog worthwhile. Infact weve been doing this for so long that cant even inagine that there could be an alternate way of doing thing. A little less instead of a little more.

We are all under grip of uncontrolled desire. While desire and growth are vital but uncontrolled growth inside our body is called cancer. Many of us keep trying to find eternal happiness but stumble sometimes into it by living in the present and hope to keep stumbling into. Often we want to escape into it through drinks or drugs. Thats depresssion not expression. Geeta gives us the formula for happiness.

Happiness = no of desire fulfilled / number of desire entertained

So western way works well where we hope to keep collecting many fulfillments and hope they will add up. So we increase our desires and have them as the guiding goal. We get energy from that goal and we keep fullfilling it. But often desires run few steps ahead of fulfillment and we are often chasing it. The eastern philosophy works upon managing the desires but reducing the denominator. It works upon how desire is born through a sense of incompleteness as we are ignorant of our true nature of bliss. Once through right knowldge and selfless action we can reduce the desires, we can start feeling happier even with the current state. Infact results are much faster when denominator decreased rather than numerator increased. Its called desire management. It does not promote sitting idle . It says you must have big lofty goals but not just for personal selfish advancement but with the spirit of yagna where each stakeholder including society and environment is also taken for. Once our identification from petty body is reduced we can have bigger vision encompassing humanity, nature and the world.

Actions done without bothering much fruits of action and with a dedicated spirit of surrender to lord are the ways described as karma yoga. Once the enjoyer and doer feeling reduces, our ego and thus our vasanas also reduce. Lower vasanasa means lesser pressure of desires and you can then act in free will. Just as we dont have fever but the fever has us. Similarly dont simply end up being the snake whose purpose is to acquire and guard the wealth it has. Endless desires is the sureshot way to fall of man as when desires arent fullfilled man becomes angry, delusional and ultimately perishes.

Are the richest people like gates, musk, bezos, etc truly happy. Do they spread happiness. Theyve sucked the livlihood of so many through their endless desires and now want to do some charity to reduce their guilt. Anyways capitalists have ruled but not necessarily its the perfect system but thats topic for another time.

Understsnd cause of your endless strife and use the formula for happiness to achieve the delicate balance where you are both happy and successful

Love

Me

FYA: For Your Attention!

What is the HCF of highly successful people across industries like sports, science, writing, business, medicine or spirituality? What is that we can learn from their lives and imbibe that in us and our children? One of them was having a goal which drove them with infinite energy and the other was zen master like attention. And thats what is depleting even faster than oil reserves. The average attention span must have reduced to half or lesser in the last decade thanks to usage of multiple gadgets with each demanding its share of overlapping time.

About 60 years ago when gurudev chinmayanada went to the himalaya to study the 3 conditions laid to him failing any of which his course would be terminated then n there. First if attention wavered for a minute while his Guru was teaching, second being he could not make notes and third being he could be asked anytime any question from past lesson and he had answer. That requires amazing attention and super human memory. But we dont realize that former is the cause of the latter. When we dedicate our 4 levels into a study namely all senses of body, mind , intellect and soul, the impact of the experience is much deeper. Thus we can remember them long, analyze better, be more creative and most importantly quality of output will be better. As i write this blog the notification icon and beep sound makes a part of want to take a break, see the messages and then restart. But once this rhythm is broken the output will not be the same.

So inspite of so many advantages of attention, how it has slipped. First and biggest cause is technology. So many gadgets which each one uses to communicate. Thus its impossible to have a face to face communication without being disturbed by a call or glancing a whatsapp. Notification from news and other apps keep popping up our screen. It makes us feel in control but if you want total control, we have to leave this partial control and overcome our Fomo. Second reason is multitasking..we watch tv while we eat, chat while we are working on computer, check news while spending time with friends, and on and on. Thus we are never 100% into any activity. We are missing the joy of the artist of getting lost into an activity that we lose sense of time. Thirdly the kind of content thrown on us on social media assumes max attention span 15 seconds and lesser the better. ( our atention span of 8 sec is even lesser than of a goldfish 9 sec). Insta is full of videos like that which i see most people are scrolling all the time. They may not realise it but by constant exposure to 15 seconds or less video, we are losing out ability to focus for 30 minutes if ever required. 24 hours dont seem enough for our total technology diet so we double or triple overlap. Results can be seen that most output are simply rehashed articles on page 3-4 of google search. Original thinking has been kidnapped. Instant gratification is what people want.

We can reduce the speed of the car before asking it to turn. Lets first examine our lifestyle and acknowledge the problem. Analyse the pattern and catch some of the low hanging fruits. Thereafter build activities like chess, puzzle, painting, sudoko, crossword which require longer attention. Build a technology free corner in your home and spend time reading, cooking, playing, gardening, meditating or doing any of the old school activities. Tv, mobile, laptop and gaming devices together have enslaved us to them. We are gobbling data which will lead to a new disease of ” dataitis” caused by too much exposure to data. Jio must make counselling free for its patients as it was the main contributor by making data cheap but its treatment will not be.

Its delayed but no too late..slow and turn..now

Love

Me

Mamta ka vriksh

Ek chote se beej ko jo paudha bana deti hai

Us beej ke ankurit pe haste peeda sehti hai

Apne dhoodh se us paudhe ko seechti hai

Woh sirf ma aur sirf maa hi kar sakti hai!

Apni anchal se kadi dhooph se dhakaye

Khudh sookhe par patto ko bhar pet khilaye

Andhi toofan khud sahe par unhe bachaye

Woh sirf maa aur sirf maa hi kar sakti hai

Patto ko dhairye se khana banana sikhaye

Phoolo ko sajna aur mehakne ki kala bataye

Phalo ek andar pyaar aur gun ka ras basaye

Woh sirf maa aur sirf maa hi kar sakti hai

Ghar ki chintao ko Co2 ki tarah peeye

Poore 24 ghante auro ke liye jiye

Apne prem se use O2 mein badle

Woh sirf maa aur sirf maa hi kar sakti hai

Banjar hai woh dharti jaha vriskh nahi

Neeras hai woh jeevan jisme maa nahi

Is mamta ke sheetal chaav ka anand uthao

Woh sirf maa aur sirf maa hi de sakti hai!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love you mummy

Love

Me

Can we be the messenger of hope n love instead of fear n hate?

Im tired. Tired of corona forwards. Videos showing how people are dying. Tired of hearing modi bashing. I agree fear sells like nothing else but at what cost? Yes i may have liked modi as he didnt seem like many politicians who treat it like any profession with aim to maximizing personal wealth. And in process sell their soul and every resource to the highest bidder. He seemed different. Though i understand every politicians first priority is votes and taxes as thats what keeps country and their power running. They can and this time surely he did get extra focussed on winning bengal and many grave errors were made for a month or so. But since last fortnight or so they seem to have woken up and doing something. Wont label it too little too late as this pandemic isnt going soon.

What puts me in deep anguish is the attitude we indians have developed. Blame the government. For everything. Keep pointing fingers and not realising that a government is as strong as its people. How many of us pay taxes? How many didnt party in last 6 months? How many followed restrained lifesyle. Responsibility has to be shared between people and government. Central and state. I had read the best way different opposing parties can come together is when they have a common enemy. It has been Modi for other political parties for long but sadly large section of public too is now swayed by this emotion. Everyday i get 2-3 forwards full of sarcasm, blame and holding one person resposible for everything including the non developed medical infrastructure over the past 75 years! He has been only for 7.5 !

Anyways this blog isnt about defending modi but our attitude. Lets agree that after this pandemic is over and we will analyze objectively role played by each including modi and his government and take them to court or not vote. But today is not the time for infighting. Today is a time when 135 crore people should be together against the common enemy, the virus. Italy, Spain and France too had their share of deaths but were they blaming the government? International media is making india look like a banana republic. Are we that? Since time immemorial our infighting and divided views have been taken advantage of. Will we not learn anything from history? Also just to have a better chance to survive it, be together, be pleasant.

Today is a time to come together. Rise above your differences and understsnd we are humans first, indian later, left or right wing after that, etc. The fight is hard and long. If we want to last we have to do it together. Lets use our dormant energies productively. Lets help anyone in any way we can. Our employees. Our colleagues. Our business fraternity. Our neighbours. Or even the unrelated.

Lets stop spreading fear and hatred. Instead be messenger of hope and love. This pressure situation will change a lot of things including many people. Let it be for the better and not bitter. Everything else can wait except your compassion and unity which is the only need of the hour.

May God bless India

Love

Me

I CARE

Never before in history has sucha time come

Most are affected, untouched only some

When oxygen is more precious than gold

Horror stories plenty, best remain untold

Humans conquered famine, plague and war

Then this lil virus suddenly raised the bar

Invisible enemy seems lurking at the door

When thought its over, theres more in store

Everywhere is misery and clouds of gloom

In such dirty waters, ive seen lotus’s bloom

Help anyway you can, any form or shape

Remeber, not all superheroes wear cape

Feel the pain n suffering that sorrounds us

You have enough, time to loosen your purse

We can either hide and blame someone

Or be the hero, believe in the power of one

Each life is a story, please write it well

Whats in next chapter, time will tell

Today is all that me and youve got

Lets act now, dont get stuck in thought

At judgement day, when time to say goodbye

You will be able to look yourself in the eye

Your posture and shoulder may stoop

But you will die with your head high !

Do your bit. Forwarding messages is not good enough. Join us as we pledge to make a difference as we care. And it starts with I Care.

For your Eyes only !

Whats the price you are willing to sell your eyes? Even 100 crores bid was not sufficient to get a positive response from few teens i addressed it to. So we can conclude that surely our eyes are precious. As i observe children more closely i find more twitching their eye, making unusual eye movements and looking tired in the eye. Everyone has accepted that online education and work is a lifestyle change for the future. My daughter spends 830 to 3pm on online school ( with one short and one long break totalling an hour where she either chats with her friends on mobile or watches tv ). After school is atleast 1 online class, another hour on tv, some more time on computer to do homework or project and constant snap chatting with her friends. Her eyes seem to cry and say stop before its too late. She already has deveped power during lockdown and not sure whats next. Many adults also have similar problem with phone, computer and tv screen time taking a toll on our eye too. We all know this, talk about it but dont know what can we do about it.

We tried mobile screen time limiting apps but computer time is mandatory and tv time needed to relax. I dont see any one thing that can be done. But surely many small changes if done together can make a big diffference. These are some suggestions which we all can implement

1. Stack non eye activity after high eye activity so that eye gets rest. For example in school break dont watch tv or chat on mobile. Instead listen to some music or play some indoor game or sketch. Similarly after school a nap may be a good idea. Smart scheduling can help in reducing the stress.

2. After 9pm and on weekends, give your eyes some rest. Play sports, dance, sleep, meet friends in person, cook or do whatever you please. But dont binge watch movies and in between chat on mobile.

3. Do classes and watch tv from a distance. The pressure is that much lesser. Use anti glare spectacles while watching it

4. Take care of your eyes by washing it , putting rose water or eye drops as advised by a doctor, putting cucumber, eye exercises and sitting with eyes closed. Our eyes needs maintenance like any car or machine.

5. Every 6 months get your eye tested so thst problems if any can be addressed at earlier stage

6. Eat fruits and vegetables like carrot, almonds, leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, eggs, raw red pepper, sunflower seeds,etc.

7. Last but not the least is self discipine to stick to limits you have set. And importantly doing some of the things discussed.

The difference between proficiency and efficiency is that former knows it all while the latter actually implements what it knows. We are very proficient race with all knowledge but not very efficient.

The problem is severe for adults too and lifestyle changes to suit new demands need to be done. And changes to take care of the impact of this lifestyle change must be done too. I sincerely hope we stitch it in time as medium term results could be fatal. Lets start from the eye and move inwards.

Act on it.

Love

Me

Journey to Consciousness ! (Atma Yatra)

I can’t see it, touch, smell or hear
Hasnt been born, doesnt even die
Cant be cut wet dried or destroyed
Have so questions starting with whyIt is beyond space so is everywhere
Its is eternal so beyond time n change
Its even beyond words so indescribable
How to describe this phenomenon strangeExperts define it by whats its not
Its the mud not the mud pot
Its neither the body, nor emotions
Its not our intellect too, source of thoughtIts nature is sat real means ever present
Its chit consciousness means truly aware
Its is anand bliss being ever happy
Thats the way it was, is and will beIts the energy not the switch or appliance
Its the sun not the reflection on the pale
Its the cotton not the thread or bedsheet
Metaphors help when experiences failFew seconds more fulfilling than the day
Few years with it better than the whole life
When the reward is so unique and special
Worthwhile seems the worldly strifePaths to it are many but the goal is the same
Bhakti, gyaan, karma or hatha are the name
You may reach in this or carried to the next
Keep walking, as the spirit brand suggestsJust as you approach the sun it gets warmer
So should you become calmer and happier
World doesn’t change but only your capacity
Challenges become sharpening opportunityFaith is your passport
Persistence is your ticket
Satsanga is the forex currency
Wishing you a happy journey

Pressure of 3Ms on the youth !

We all relish our childhood memories for we could be true to our own nature and believe and behave a lot the way we wanted. With youth comes social, parental and peer pressure. The need to stay ahead so that can get those limited seats. Each child decides to put his interests and hobbies aside and adapts itself to fit the mould. These pressures to achieve come in different forms ( i call it the 3M) at different stages of life. First it is comes as Marks for they enable selection of desired stream and later admission in dream college. Board exams marks are not enough as everyone seems to get 95%+. Students need to do well in competitive exams and sat and cat too for higher studies. So till college and even post graduation, Marks seem to be the magic mantra untill one lands a job. Isnt it an irony that most of the startups started by college drupouts and many of the backbenchers create more employment than the toppers.

Therafter Money replaces marks as one needs to be first among equals. The pressure to get placed as early as posisble in highest paying companies makes most forgot what they love or wanted to do in their lives. Ive seen finance wizards happily accepting marketing roles and vice versa. And with their High IQ they are able to do well in that also. Igakai and psychometric evaluation results are pushed in some corner. The pressure to get placed in well paying jobs so that you can live up to the social expectation makes even the best doubt their abilities or plans. At job, if they are lucky to get access to the corporate elevator, they continue with the firm. Else they keep switching every couple of years untill they find their balance. Money is possibly the only common denominator to know who is successful and how much. So often happiness is discarded and assumed that money = success = happiness. Isnt it an irony that how many so called successful people are depressed, take pills and sometimes commit suicide too.

After job and before they turn 30, the most important M becomes Marriage. Find the right partner and the right balance with their spouse poses new sets of challenges. Many a couples divorce within few years and many remain unhappily married. They look to drown their miseries in alcohol and resort to it to find meaning and happiness in life.

Dealing with each of the 3M is indeed a challenge for it comes with huge expectation, presssure, high chances of failure and how to deal with it. Without proper training to handle ones emotions one is often found short on many parameters. While desire and passion can be useful, uncontrolled desire can be dangerous. I wish schools, colleges and b schools prepare students to know themselves before they know the world. If the marketing or finance manager himself is unsettled inside, how can he make prduent marketing or finance strategies. Lets empower the hand that uses the tool.

Many of these answers lie in our scriptures which simply need to be contextualised to addresss current challenges like technology addiction, reduced attention span, shallow relationships, excessive desire, non controlled senory pleaures and mind ruling our system. With inner management knowldge, we can manage not just the outer world of opportunities better, but can also make meaningful relationships with people and the world at large.

Im glad i made a small attempt 8 months ago with 15 children with inner science class where we studied the spiritual laws, culture, inspiring personalities, lessons from scriptures and so much more. Will share some.of their writings in the next blog to showcase how they have developed. I aim to start the next class for youth between 16 to 25 who need to deal with the pressure of 3M. Will start the same in February 2021. Incase you know somehow who should attend, let me know.

Be the change that you wish to see and this i my humble attempt to make a difference.

Love

Me

How to stop knocking on the doorway to hell – Anger

Anger is a trait most of us have in varying intensities. It expresses itself in various forms like irritation, frowning, resentment, rage , fury or wrath depending upon person, time and place. We really havent ever tried to dissect it and understand its source, benefits, implications, management or counter strategy. Thus we keep making the same mistakes again without much improvement as we never analyse the mistake and the cause of it. Nowadays even toddlers and preteens have it and expresses as tantrums, mood swings, snapping and rudeness which we term as immaturity. As they grow, only the forms change and expresses as contempt, indifference and showdown as they grow up. This has often lead to loss of relationships and creating a deep rift for rest. Gita has solutions to most problems and when I sought its view point in anger it said the following.

So anger has been described as one of thr three gateway to hell. Pity inspite that most keep knocking on that door so often.

We get angry towards adverse situations and people and Express our frustration in raising voice and shouting, physical outburst towards people or objects.

What is the cause of anger ? Excessive Desire is the root cause and when something comes in between us and our desires state we get angry. Thereafter starts the fall of humans as described in detail in gita.

Once Alexander was furious at a meditating sage for not bowing to him. The sage calmly replied that why should he bow to his slave’s slave. He elaborated that the great Alexander was slave to anger which the sage had controlled and made it its slave. Thus when anger controls us we are its slave. We believe that that will solve our problems but in rage we compound our problems. We become like the snake who when hurt by biting the saw tries to crush the saw by wrapping itself around it and himself dies. Similarly anger makes our system so acidic that once a baby died by drinking her furious mothers milk as it worked like poison.

So how to deal with anger and not manage but eliminate it. Once we understand that every situation will not go as per our will and let God’s will take place, we will transform anger into calmness by power of acceptance. Our anger against people can reduce when we develop empathy and get into their shoes. As we learn to respond and not react we will be able to reduce anger significantly. Also with the understanding that having anger is like picking burning coal and you burn first before it harms others will make us aware whenever we get angry. This awareness itself is a big first step and every time we are able to control it we will move towards our goal of being equinamous. We should not let any negative emotion stay long in our system and learn the art of flushing it out asap. Longer they stay, deadlier they become and then they Express as physical ailments in our body.

Buddha taught how to deal with anger. When an angry person spat on buddhas face he politely smiled and wiped his face. The person then left and repented the next day when his anger subsided. When he apologized to buddha and asked how buddha was able to remain calm, buddha has he pitied him and felt compassion for him. So anger doesnt kill anger. Calmness and compassion does. Meditation can help you achieve the former and expanding your identity can help with the latter.

A controlled anger to get office or kids in shape and against negative attitudes can be helpful but only when it’s under your control. Freedom from anger has been enumerated as the noble qualities which can lead to moksha.

With this knowledge, let’s be more pleasant and less angry

Love

Me

Lessons from the life of Swami Vivekananda which every Indian should learn !

Yesterday was Swami Vivekananda’s birthday which is also celebrated as National Youth Day. Most of us knew very little about him and what’s his one big contribution for which he should be remembered. Infact our history books are also written in such formats that we remember useless data like names, date and places as they can be quiz or exam questions but ignore the main jist. One should know about what qualities he had, how he developed rest, what was his goal which gave him so much energy and how he went about achieving his goal. We can then get inspired enough to develop some of our strengths too, have a worthwhile goal and go on to make an impact in the world.

The goal Swami Vivekananda had was to spread the message of vedanta to the world so that people understand the richness of Indian culture and respect it. It was born out of deep sense of nationalism as two centuries of rule by the British had made the image of India as land of superstition and slaves. When the world of rules by fanatics who emphasises why his religion was superior to others, he gave the world a new line of thought on religious harmony. He said that all religions have common source and common end. Just that each belief and path is different. He also stressed that secular science and spiritual science ( religion) are two sides of same coin and both are needed. While physics chemistry economics knowledge may improve you standard of living, spirituality will help you improve your standard of life. His propagated the knowledge of vedas received from his Guru Ramkrishna Parmahsnsa to the secular and spiritual leaders of the world. Many were highly attracted with his depth of knowledge and some of the illustrious names include nicholas Tesla, max muller, William James, jamshedji tata, JC Bose, etc. He spread the knowdlege of Yoga, meditation and Advaiata Vedanta ( one of the 6 schools of Hinduism which believes GOD is in us and not a different entity. )

He died at the age of 39 but made the world aware about the rich cultural heritage of India where so many religions coexist happily . He made the world aware that we have the land of the oldest civilisation where even 5000 years ago we had Nalanda (our version of Harvard) where 10,000 students from across the world studied. Indias contribution to mathematics is not merely zero but decimal, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and binary system of numbers. Indians astronomers knew about sun, moon , earth and planets and their movements and eclipses centuries before western counterparts even understood what they are. Indian medicine was so advanced that ayurveda, dental and cataract surgery was known in the first millennia. The architecture of kailasa temple in aurangabad , rani ka vav step and many Jain temples will make any monument in the world feel like nursery rhymes in front of phd knowledge.( Do read my another blog called roaring lion inside weeping lion outside to know more these). There is endless contribution in every other field like sports, agriculture, business, music, art, food, language, etc that all Indians should know and be proud that they are born in a country which such rich history.

Seventy years of corruption and two hundred years of slavery have made us forget the richness of 5000 years of rich cultural and economic impact India had on the world. Swami Vivekanada, born as Narendra tried to do that. Glad the other Narendra also trying to bring pride in swadeshi. India will again regain it’s lost glory when we can be proud of being an Indian and do actions worthy of our motherland. Indian is the largest identity was have as that connects us to 1.35 billion people and if there is shame or regret on that level of identity, it can lead to deep rooted under confidence or complex. Instead a pride in your largest identity can lead to living up to your legacy and make you do great things. Let’s first know and then feel proud and then spread the message of greatness of India and its culture. That’s what I learnt from Swami Vivekananda’s life.

Love

Me

10 lessons 2020 taught us

Some people say what a waste this year was. Infact should be removed from our age as didn’t do much. As usual, I disagree. This year was nothing that we ever imagined but everything that was always needed. As l say goodbye to it tonite, dont want to ever forget the lessons this year taught

1. E school , distance learning and online classes opened new avenues where distance is only in the mind. On can learn dance from the best in Mumbai or Boston sitting in kolkata. This paves way for true globalisation.

2. Being busy is different than being effective. Work from Home changed the way people will work and live in future as commute and office chatter time can be replaced with productive time

3. Many decision can be taken online and one need not travel at the drop of a hat. Saves costs, time, environment and let’s you spend more family time.

4. E commerce and social media is the only sustainable way to sell and market in the future. It gave us a glimpse of times to come after a decade or so.

5. There is no substitute for fitness and having better immunity naturally. Diseases like these will come in future too. One needs to be both physically fit and mentally strong.

6. Life is fragile. Many lost someone they knew. Infact the uncertainty of next week and life therein highlighted that life is uncertain and precious. Make the most of it today. Also number of people who are truly happy or sad in birth, wedding or death are just 50 so made both of them a far simply affair with limited guests.

7. Sunsets are beautiful from your terrace too. And with a few hacks many dishes can be made at home. We dont have to keep travelling to feel alive or eat out to have a good time. Both had been increasing in uncontrolled manner for many.

8. Time with parents and kids is precious and neither will stay for long. We spent a lot of time with them playing games and cards. This was invaluable. Some were able to work from their original hometown or parents home and spent wholesome time after ages with family. Surely family bonding gained this year.

9. Environment healed like never before. From clearer skies to lesser pollution the change was visible at global level. Nature needs just a few years to completely heal itself and glad it got its break this year during lockdowns

10. Importance of spirituality was understood with historic admissions in our geeta classes. The highly volatile external environment can be countered with a calm mind. Every calamity is also an opportunity and glad many used it to start their inner journey.

As we step into 2021, we should ponder what lessons of 2020 should always remain a part of it so that we dont go back to the imperfect normal of precovid times.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2021.

Love

Me

How to discover the Superman/ Wonderwoman inside you! ( Habits – II)

In the last blog we saw how habits can make or break your character and thus destiny. For every habitual act, our mind doesnt have to consult the brain and does it automatically thus conserving energy. Its very useful but not easy to build good habits or get rid of the bad ones. Our greatest resolves and self control gets weakened in no time and we slip back to old way of habits. As discussed last time there are 4 stages to habit actions namely cue, craving, response and reward with each leading to the other. If we can alter any of the steps it can help us start or stop what we want. Since it’s that time of the year when many make new year resolutions, maybe these will help as tools to help you implement your resolution by understanding the dynamics of habits better.

Will share 5 tools which can help you Start Good habits , 5 to Stop Bad habits and 5 Supertools that can be used for both. Thus as promised you will have 15 tools which u may use anytime in future for any habit you like and find appropriate. Its better to do the 2 tasks of Habit Scorecard and Identity before you start using any of the tools as they help you identify your bad habits and desired good habits. Knowing Yourself has to be the first step always.

A. Tools to help you start Good Habits

1. Habit Stacking: placing desired after or before current habits

There are certain tasks you do everyday without fail like brushing, bathing, eating meals, etc. Or some tasks are done weekly or monthly too. One can attach a desired habit after that task so that a current habit can become cue for the desired future habit. For example if I want to start running or meditating in the morning, i can try to do it immediately after brushing my teeth in the morning. So as I am ending my brushing , my mind will automatically go towards the next task after a few days.

2. Temptation Bundling : pairing of actions

Here we pair an action you Want to do with action you Need to do. There are certain things you look forward to do . It could be playing your sport or chat sessions with your friends. You can bundle some actions with it for example if I like playing golf thrice a week or watch a certain serial half n hour everyday, i can bundle some good habits I want to start with it like reading everyday could be clubbed with watching the serial.

3. Two minute rule to do small choices

Instead of planning elaborate tasks to do, we should aim to start with 2 minute versions. It could be short prayer or short stint at exercising or reading but its important to show up. Gradually we can increase time but first we need to drive consistency. Instead of planning to read one hour everyday I should plan to read atleast 2 minutes. Gradually our time with books will increase.

4. Reward yourself on being able to follow good habit routine.

We tend to repeat what gets rewarded. So gift yourself weekly or monthly for every habit you have been able to start and maintain. It could be a box of ferraro or spa therapy and congratulate yourself for your resolve. Rewards and recognition play an important role in repeating.

5. Make a Habit Tracker and Dont Miss Twice successively.

Track your progress by recording your progress on paper or mobile. You will see the larger picture when you view your actions monthly or quarterly. Also if you miss any schedule date ensure back to back misses never happen. A miss should remain an exception rather than an easy way out. Fit Bits can also help you track some of your habits.

B. Tools to help you stop Bad Habits

1. Change your enviroment

1. Dont do the same act in same environment if possible as sometimes environment is the cue to act in a specific manner. For example if you want to stop smoking, avoid going to that part of office or club where you take out the cigarette automatically. Instead sit in different part or go to different tea stalls where environment cues can be reduced.

2. Reframe your mindset from have to do to get to do. Highlight and focus on the benefit

When we have to do, the act becomes a pain metaphor which we want to procrastinate or avoid. But when we mentally understand and train our mind to look at its benefits instead we feel lucky we get to do it so that we can enjoy better tomorrow. For example I saw a nice video comparing two poseubkr ways one could live in 70s. Either at clubs and holidays surrounded by friends n family or at hospital with tubes attached and doctors around. Its determined by how you eat and exercise during 45 to 55. Thus I dont look at exercise or fruits so boringly as understand what they do for me and everytime I choose to exercise over sleeping I choose holidays over hospital.

3. Use a commitment device to restrict your future actions. It could be people or technology

From apps which measure screen time and even block it after certain hours to keeping your mobile inside almirah after 8pm or giving it to your parents or partner can help you atleast get rid of it for sometime. slowly you can build upon this success more victories and get in control of your screentime.

4. Make a habit contract. Make the costs of your bad habit public and painful.

One can set punishment rituals and humans by nature tend to avoid pain. Often long term pain caused by bad habits is underestimated so immediate pain can be introduced in terms to if you over drank again, you will not get to use social media or TV for a month. You could also give the power to your friend or partner to enforce the punishment.

5. Own the decisive moment.

Often in the pressure of rising desires and in the weakness of a moment we lose the resolve and control. At that moment one needs to take the decisive step. For example locking the phone inside almirah at 8pm will save you from nearly 3 hours of mindless chatting or social media. When the time to take the step comes, be bold and act quickly without thinking should I do the planned step.

C. Super Tools which can be used for both good and bad habits

1. Spelling out clear intention by mentioning day , time and place

Generic is the enemy of certainty. Make your intention and plan clear by spelling out the action, time and place where you intend to do or avoid it. Instead of I will start exercising one day you should be specific that I will start exercising on terrace every alternate day starting Jan 1 at 6am. Thus you have made it clear.

2. Design your enviroment and make the cues to what you want to start obvious and what you want to stop invisible.

You can be the champion of your enviroment instead of being a victim of it. We can design and place cues for habits we want to start. For example if I want to drink 10 glasses of water everyday I can place a water bottle next to computer, TV and golf bag so that water is within reachable distance. Similarly if I want to reduce sugar intake at night, I can lock the sweet cupboard and send keys to neighbour for a few days every evening. We can make the cues and response invisible or difficult to implement.

3. Join or abstain from cultures that promote that habit.

Family, friends and thr kind of groups you are in real life, social media and follow determined the kind of habits you will inculcate. If you are keen about spirituallty you can follow more groups on social media and join more spiritual organization in real world making you more into it. Similarly if you want to reduce whstapp usage you will exit from groups with mindless chatter all the time

4. Modify steps between you and the habit so that good habits become easier to start and bad habits take longer to do.

While environment design point is more about physical presence, we can also make the process of responding easier or more difficult. Removing the batteries of remote will make us do extra steps to watch the TV and we may abstain sometimes. Similarly if clothes are already set out night before we have higher chance of going for a walk in.the morning.

5. Focus not practicing instead of planning.

A lot of us like to talk and only talk and plan all the time feeling as though alreast something is happening. Talk is cheap. Put it in practice. Even small improvements are great building blocks for higher changes in future. Identify bad habits you want to stop through Habit Scorecard and drop it now. And use the tools learnt to maintain the drop. Similarly use the identity matrix to know what you want to be associated with and start habits. Drop a small bad one and replace it with small good one on Jan 1 noon. And if you are successful do another on Feb 1. In 12 months your improvement will have compilounding effect. You will be surprised to find the super you hidden inside current you. Discover your superman!

Love

Me

Habits – a Force far powerful than you can imagine !

Habits are the building blocks to character. While initially we make our habits but later they make who we are. Many habits get ingrained deeply in our system that they happen automatically. The purpose of habit is to solve problems with least effort as they become automatic and mind does not have to consult the intellect every time we do a habit.We often want mildly to start some and stop a few habits but often unable to do so. Either the control is too feeble but actually we dont know many techniques to make it possible. While there are no magical formula to do so but using a combination of various methods which I came across in James Clear’s Atomic Habits, many of us have a realistic chance in winning the battle with habit.

Before we get into the how, let’s ponder these points about the nature of habit

1. Small incremental changes done consistently have a snowball effect. A 1 % increase daily can make you 3700% of today in a year and 1% fall everyday can make you just 3%. Thus habits work like compound interest

2. Habits dont start in linear manner. After a critical threshold is reached they shoot up sharply like the bamboo plant. Thus one needs to be patient with it

3. One should focus on the process and not the goal because both winners and losers often have the same goal but process is what makes the difference. Also reaching goals can make us complacent while process is a daily commitment. Goals limit our happiness to few days we achieve it while once happiness is linked to process, we enjoy everyday.

4. There are 3 levels of change. Outcome , Process and Identity. We often focus on changing the outcome as that’s what we see. But ideally change should start first with Identity whereby you see yourself as the person with those habits. For example if you see yourself as an athlete you will automatically change processes of sleeping and eating and outcome of exercises and good diet will follow. One needs to decide what kind of person he wants to become and prove it by small wins.

5. There are 4 steps in any habit and once we understand them we can alter them too. They are Cue, Craving, Response and Reward. We need to make cues for good habits obvious while make cues for bad habits invisible. Our cravings for good habits need to be made attractive so that we feel like doing it while for bad habits needs to be made unattractive. Our Response for good needs to be made easy while for the bad hard. And the Rewards for good need to be made satisfying while for bad unsatisfying.

Using these 8 methods we surely can be masters of our habitsThe first 2 phase pertain to the problem part and the last 2 pertain to the solution part. But before we discuss how to work on each of them through various techniques, one needs to be aware of one habits. One can use the method of Habit Scorrcard to start with. Make a list of your good, neutral and bad habits . Give yourself,+1 , 0 and -1 for each one of them respectively. Thus you will become aware of bad habits and thats the first step.

You can thereafter based upon what vision you have for yourself decide which good habits you want to start. Start one habit and get it into your system for 1 month. Next month start another one. And if you can paarellelly remove one small bad habit too, after a year you will see the compound effect of 12 good habits and 12 bad habits removed would have changed your life already.

So before I share the technique, do the exercise of what identity you see yourself as. If you see yourself as fit or fat in future. Wealthy or average. Successful or struggling. Runner, writer , scientist or whatever . We can have many identity. For example I see myself as a balanced fit happy and successful businessman cum teacher. So I will do processes which will enhance those identity as I want to support it. Also make your habit scorecard to identify what your bad habits are . Pick 1 good and 1 bad habit for December.

Thereafter will share about 15 techniques which will help you in the journeyI’m an optimist and always believe my best is yet to come. Let’s move towards a better tomororow, together.

Love

Me

Arey tham ja re bande!

Jitna hum maut se roz hai darte

Kaash utna hi zindagi se pyaar karte !

Har lamhe ko mehsoos karte

Har din ek yaadien banate

Har mahina kuch naya karte

Har saal ek aur aastitva banate!

Poora jeevan hota har ek pal mein

Jeete hum aaj aur abhi naki kal kal mein

Abhi khul ke poori saans lete

Abji khul ke taheke bharte !

Bachon ke liye bahut kamaya

Ab thoda samay unme gamate

Jeevan tezi se kat raha hai

Aaj hi uski balance sheet banate

Kya mila kya kamaya aur kya udhari hai

Agle kuch saal deene ki baari hai !

Samay, Gyaan, dhan aur ek din dil ka tukda

Kaske pakda khoob,abb dheel ki tayyari hai!

Attitude is Everything!

Thomas Friedman in his book “Thank You for being late” mentions that technology and external environment has reached a stage that it becomes nearly impossible for humans to keep up with the speed of change. Even as I look back at last 4 years, there is demonitisation in 16, gst in 17 and covid in 2020 which changed the external environment significantly. Many feel helpless as coping with such massive changes as requires significant energy. Some businesses have lost their steam and closed for good. Not just business, changes in the field of student, employee , employer and to some extent housewife too. The most important attributes that that enable us to ride the wave of change is our attitude and motivation factors. How we define “what we do” and “why we do” ?

I came across a story which I shall amend and use it in context of labourer, student, business/ professional and housewife for these are the 4 main categories of workers around. Long ago there lived a king who ruled his kingdom very wisely. One day when he analyzed the performance of his various provinces on various parameters he found that satvikanagar was doing exceedingly well in all parameters like per capita income, health, education , lowest crime rate. Tamsiknagar on the other hand was pulling the average down significantly as its per per capita was half of average, maximum unemployment, maximum drop out from school. He was surprised that how can there be such a big difference in performance. He asked his wisest minister to visit them and find out the cause. The minister said that to understand it better he will also visit rajsiknagar which was doing average on all parameters so that he can have deeper understanding with 3 referance points.

Next week the minister went to tamsiknagar and started wandering. He met some masons chipping a large stone. He asked what were they doing? One of the Mason angrily replied he was breaking stones. On asking why was he doing it, he replied he needed food to survive and with the money earned he would buy food for his family and himself. A little ahead he saw some students bunking classes. He called them and asked why they studied and came the reply that if they dont they will fail and get beating from parents. He saw shops in poor condition and asked some shopkeepers why they worked and prompt came the reply that if they didn’t how would they pay rent and salaries. Lastly he went to a few homes to meet a few housewifged to understand why they worked. They said they have to work as dont have a choice? They felt like an unpaid employee who has to constantly do work of maid plus teacher plus cook. The minister noted in his report that the fear was the main driver for people in why they did work and they looked at work just as a means to an end. Also the attitude was myopic as they did not see larger picture. There was no joy in what they did.

From there he went to rajsiknagar as it was on way to satviknagar. There he was happy to see a lot of energy in the air as people went about their business with great passion and effort. There was lot of noise and everyone seems to be engrossed passionately in something or other. He first decided to meet some masons who were cutting stones. On asking what were they doing and why, they replied that they were making a statue as they were the craftsman of the city. He was happy to hear that for while they were also breaking stone like other masons he met earlier but worked because that’s what they were good at and defined their occupation in the society. Thereafter he went to a school to enquire students who seem to be memorizing the lessons and preparing hard for exams. They studied cause they knew good marks was their gateway to higher degrees and a secured future. It also differentiated the good from the weak. Shopkeepers also had large stores full of customers and long working hours. They said profits fuelled growth and helped set more stores. They wanted to reach higher economic standards by selling and expanding more. Lastly he went to few housewives to get their perspective as to why they worked. They worked with a sense of duty to be good at whatever their role was. They wanted their families to be role models and worked to ensure their children got best upbringing and other family members most comforts. He realised that overall the attitude was high desire and personal growth and each individual maximised his personal profits. Greed and passion were the key drivers in attitude.

Now he was excited and intrigued to visit satviknagar for that had the best results. What could be different as he felt that everyone was already giving their best. As he enquired the mason breaking stones what and why, Mason said that he was making a temple. He said that work gave his life meaning and purpose and that’s how he could Express himself and create. His employers valued his contribution in making the temple and paid him well. Students here seem to enjoy and relish in school. They observed nature and activities closely and found answers by questioning. Instead of chasing Mark’s, they seem to love the exploration of mysteries of nature. They wanted to create a better world with new unique solutions for tomorrow. The shops closed by 7pm and people were encouraged to spend time with family. Shopkeepers earned enough during the day and seem to be contend. The housewives took community roles and not just took care of their family but handled one function of the building or area. They were the key players in.functioning of the ecosystem. They made unique system to feed to hungry through extra food, home to homeless by makeshift beds in schools during night and many such noble ideas. Everyone was encouraged to think beyond me and my and take active responsibility. Culture and a larger community goal was the driving factor and shaped attitude of people.

He understood the basic difference in the functioning and output of the three provinces lied on their attitude and thus the cultures they had bred. He understood that while all masons were breaking stones but their attitude changed everything!

Replace the C word with the G word!

Thank you SSR for giving us a break

Mind was saturated, not sure if it cud take

More fun for us to solve a murder mystery

How long could one feast on same misery !

–

Last month has been about election

Festivities also provided the distraction

Pollution and AQI doing their winter wrath

Arnab was the high point, david vs goliath!

–

Media will now manufacture the next thing

To keep us occupied in new issues to binge

Netflix n Hotstar may be the stopgap way

Vaccines still far, world awaits that day!

–

The C word dominates all conversation

Of its symptoms and list of precautions

Of cases of complications and recoveries

Every group feeds on the same stories!

–

Let’s talk about change, the good its brought

Congratulate the spirit, bravely it fought

Let’s appreciate so much we took granted

Know whats left when most is decanted !

–

Start and build habits of meaningful things

Life is ebbing away, lets get back the zing

To think, do and be what we really want

Reset not just the pace but goals we daunt

Let’s replace corona with karuna which means compassion. For the ones who are staying inside for the safety of their loved ones. For the ones fighting it out in the open for livelihood. For everyone for however they may think or act. Lets be grateful for all that we have. So many things we can still do. So much we have and so much weve done in the past years. Let’s stop talking about the disease as now it seems it has infected our minds with it. Physical problems are far easier than mental problems. Let’s protect our mental health to by replacing the C word with the G word !

Love

Me

Why do we?

One way to develop your intellect is close observation and intellect enquiry as to why and how of various events in our life. Younger generation which holds logic and data as supreme will eventually throw most customs and rituals into the bin which doesn’t make sense labeling everything superstition. As someone asked how did the Superstitions start and do they really work. Well, they started in the 2nd age of human development when the mind had developed by intellect hadnt. So while mind looked for causes for events, it often linked it to correlated or unrelated events like shaking of a tree caused rain or black cat crossing the way causes bad luck. You can surely throw them out but in the cleaning process dont also throw the valuable rituals which are part of our culture which our rishis smartly integrated with our lifestyle. So let this diwali cleaning be throwing the superstition and dusting the ignorance off our rituals.

1. Why do we put tilak on God ( and ourselves) .

Tilas is a symbol of respect and welcome, good luck when we bid farewell. It is considered auspicious. As to its origin, many centuries ago it represented the varna ( determined by aptitude unlike caste which is decided by birth) . Brahmins had knowledge so put white tilak , kshatriya had valour so put red, vaishyas had prosperity so put yellow and shudra did labour so put black. It also represented your belief system as vaishnav put a U while shaiviks put |||. It is put at a place on our forehead which is the nerve centre or Ajna chakra . It cools the forehead and activates memory n thinking

2. Why do we chant Om

Om is supposed to be the most auspicious sound. Most mantra start with it and people also greet Hari Om. Its A U M symolise the 3 states of waking, dream and deep sleep or 3 deity brahma, vishnu and mahesh. The 3 sylabal are the only ones which can be said without using the tongue. A represents brahma the creator, U represent Vishnu the maintener and M Shiva the destroyer. Silence after that represents the soul. On deeper states of meditation u hear om. It can help us in calming our mind, getting peace and focus. We should use this powerful word to improve efficiency and calmness of our lives for they lead to success and happiness.

3. Why do we bow down to elders and do namaste?

Bowing down is a symbol of respect . It recognizes the selfless love and avoids developing of ego in relationships. Just as water and knowledge flow from higher to lower, we hope blessing or knowledge will flow from elders to us. These blessing are our Good Luck.

Its part of our culture and shows rich family ties. While doing Namaste, each palm represents and we acknowledge that each has a soul and that must be respected. So my soul bows is connected and respected with your soul.

4. Why is there Puja for every festival

Puja is our way to communicate with Gods. In previous times, this belief was very strong and elaborate yagnas were performed hoping Gods will bless us. So indra and other Gods were worshipped offering ghee and grains in the yagna fire and hoping he will bless us with rain. When we offer flower, we symolically offer smell of vasana. We offer fruits as the fruit of actions and light the lamp. Then we do the aarti to keep fire as the transporter to take our message to the lords. Also belief that someone powerful up is there and we can invoke power helps us harnessing power from the sub conscious.

5 Why do we light lamp and not bulb

Asato maa satgamaya ( false to truth)

Tamso Maa jyotirgamaya ( darkness to light)

Mrityorma Amritamgamaya ( death to immortality)

Diya symolises our inner self where the ghee or oil is our vasana and wick is the ego. As our wick is lit by spiritual knowledge it burns our vasanas and remove the ego. Similarly once we understand spiritual laws and start implementing them in our lives, gradually we will find the highest source of happiness and success as the walls of ignorance will break. Just as one lamp can light a hundred more lamps and similarly a single knowledgable person can spread knowledge to hundred more

6. Why ashes are flown into the river

Body is made up.of matter and spirit. When the soul leaves the body , it’s time that matter is also sent back to where it came. We are 72 % water , 12 earth, 6% fire and air each and 4% space. After burning the mass with wood and fire in air, the balance is sent flown to river. Hopefully it will flow into your sea, evaporate and rain back into earth to become food. Thus we give back the body to where we got it from.

7. Why worship God in temples when he resides inside you

Just as movie is better enjoyed in cinema hall it’s easier to find God in well designed temples help our vibrations to discover the God within. The architecture, the smell , sound of bell and peaceful environment helps create a vibration whereby its easier to connect with the God inside. The idol represents the ideal. Photo or idol of the person or God helps you remind of him and his qualities. Thus when we look at Krishna or Ramas idol, we should look beyond their face but into their lives and teachings. This teachings will help integrate our inner bodies and help us to discover them inside us.

Lets question things we dont understand. Instead of having a 1000 belief which we dont implement, let’s have a 100 which we truly believe and implement and integrate in our lives. India is the birth place to most of the religions and consisted the oldest culture. It’s our legacy and identity. It’s our duty to know it and spread it so that it does not die or get labelled as non secular activity. Each one should tell 5 more people about the richness of our culture and we can start with explaining the purpose of rituals to our children, family, relatives or friends .

Love

Me

Is desire bad?

Across the geeta, upanishads and various religious scripture desire has been considered as bad. If it is so how would human grow as desire has been the fuel for personal and collective growth of humanity.

The root cause of desire is ego. It expresses itself as I am and I want. It’s constantly longs for more or to be somewhere else in place and time for it has weak presence here and now. It makes us believe that we will be happier when we get that thing or relationship or status or power. Thus people keep chasing the golden elusive deer through our their lives. Desires keep multiplying and fulfilled desires give birth to greed and unfulfilled to anger and thus delusion.

It might seem a paradox to many as to how to balance it. Upon deeper introspection answers are given in geeta itself.

1. Dharmic desires should be welcome by unfair and adharmic desires should be shut the door. Sometimes to reach the end one starts adopting foul means and thus adharmic tendencies come in and multiply. Staying ahead of competition is one thing and trying to harm competitors is adharmic. Same with family or any other desires. Rajsik desires ( passion n creation) should replace tamsik desired ( laziness n wicked). Subsequently satvik should replace rajsik and one day when time to leave satvik also comes, it’s much easier to do so.

2. Balanced approach: We should balance our desire to acquire with the desire to give. Our duty towards nature, animals, family and society should be fulfilled by giving more than we seemingly consume. We can’t fathom the contribution of earlier generation in ensuring the world we live. So balance is vital. Similarly we should balance our worldly pursuit with spiritual study.

3. Controlled Desire: just as pressure, sugar or cholesterol isn’t bad for your system but excess of it is harmful, similarly desire is not bad but uncontrolled excessive desire can be dangerous. It needs to be controlled and as long as it meets the first 2 points criterion whereby you are desirous not to further inflate your ego but to Express the calling of your soul for fuller expression, it’s fine. If the growth is making you more arrogant and proudy or more humble is a simple test you can put yourself in to know is it egoist desire or dharmic desire.

The four fold purpose of life is Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Thus desire is part of the role but after u understanding dharma and in accordance to it as per your nature. One needs means of life and security like wealth , career. Kama stands for desire and should be after dharma and artha. As to moksha it is most important. Some get confused as to what should they do.

Thus answers to various other conflicts of life are found in the bhagwata geeta

Hari Om

Intellect and how to sharpen it

Subtler than the mind is the intellect. Intellect ( buddhi) is operates in the world of thoughts. It analyzes, discriminates, judges and decides. We should sharpen our intellect so that its capacity to face challenges increases. Currently the mind is much stronger than the intellect thus making us limping personalities mentally. By gradually strengthening the intellect to same level as mind, we will be able to control the mind. We will be able to choose shrey over prey and do buddhimani instead of manmaani.

So how do we strengthen the intellect? Before we answer that we must understand that intellect is different than the traditional intelligence we think of. That actually is more of our memory ( chita) which is the 3rd part of our subtle body. We also have a 4th part of subtle body called ego (ahankar). Will discuss these later as now we are to know then what exactly is intellect and how its different than the mind.

Intellect can be developed in the following ways

1. Close observation: look at things, people, nature outside and emotions and thoughts inside more closely. Learn to observe and not merely see.

2. Intelligent enquiry: have a curious mind. Ask questions and dont take anything for granted. Develop your intellect by using it more

3. Practice satyam or honesty at intellect level. It means that to have the courage and will power to do what you believe in. So believe in few things what appeal to you and your concept of the world. And then have the courage to walk and stick to your path.

4. Read or listen to good books and have the company of wise and good people who can influence you positively.

5. Win small victories over mind by choosing to do buddhimani rather than manmaani. It will give confidence to your intellect that one day it can defeat mind in the final war. Till then keep strengthening the intellect.

6. Try and control the mind by staying in the present as equinamous as possible. Dont worry about future or regret about past a d stay in present calmly. Dont get too excited or depressed on win or loss. Remain calm in both.

Happiness at intellect level is delight and last longer. Thus try to identify with the thinker in you and do actions to get medium term delight.

We have seen many examples in history of people with sharp intellect getting great success but harming the world tremendously if their intellect is not aligned with the soul. While efficiency is important for our intellect, what is even more important is direction and allignment. Hitler efficiently killed millions of Jews as he could not see the humanity inside them. The spiritual laws discussed as guide to the soul values. First we should remember them and next we should see that we imbibe them in.our lives and live them . That will be the best use of a sharp intellect which many people like vivekanand, chinmsyanandji, mother Teresa, gandhiji, modiji have done.

Let’s align and develop our intellect as that’s the key to advancement in inner science.

Love

Me

Mind and its madness

Mind, as per vedanta, is part of the subtle body which has 4 parts namely mann (mind), buddhi (intellect), chitta ( memory) and ahankar ( ego). It is the most important equipment as they say as the mind so is the man. The mind operates in the world of emotions and is the cause of our likes, dislikes, happy, sad, anger or jealousy etc states within us. We are the Feeler when we identify with level of mind. Parents, lovers and close friends operate largely at this level for they are willing to forsake the smaller sensory pleasure for the larger joy they experience at this level.Happiness infact is measured by the calmness of ones mind.

Mind is a flow of thoughts like river is the flow of water. Thoughts are not mind but the constant flow is just as water is not river. As the water so is the river, similarly as the thoughts so is the mind. To ensure river ganga is clean, first thing the government did was to put check upon the polluting industries that threw their wastes into the river. Either they were shut or asked to mend ways. Source of dirty thoughts can be poor company or poor television channels. We need to either shut or change them so that negative thoughts dont enter our mind. Parallelly we should ensure positive thoughts enter us through books, recommended Ted talks or inspirational movies or documentaries, discussion on right forums or company of wise inspiring people. Acceptance is also the magic word which can transform a negative emotion like envy, etc into its positive counterpart like inspiration, etc. Thus we should detect and transform the current impurities one by one to make thoughts clean. Bhakti yoga also helps in cleaning the mind.

To control the turbulence of the water we should limit the water through dams, etc. Similarly we should limit the inflow of thoughts through moderating the usage of technology as discussed in previous blogs.

The river banks should be strengthened to ensure river doesn’t overflow causing floods. Similarly our intellect should be sharpened by reading, close observation and intelligent enquiry so that mind can be kept in check. The intellect should control the mind and we should do buddimani over mannmaani and not vice versa.

Unfortunately mind which is just one equipment of our system has now not just ruled over our intellect but also controls us completely. True freedom is freedom from the clutches of our mind. That’s when we will be truly free and reach our full potential when we can do what we decide and set our goals upon. Often minds comes in between and either stops us from taking a lofty goal or distracts us.

It is like the office receptionist whose job was simply to collect reports from 5 sensory organs and pass it to manager intellect to decide what is to be done. But the undisciplined receptionist herself decides what’s to be done and tells action organs to do that. A company run by the receptionist is bound to fail like a body run with mind. Mind is a great servant but a dangerous master and we need to accordingly act.

Mind has also been compared to a drunken monkey with a sword in one hand. It is whimsical, dangerous and can cut himself too in its madness. It must be controlled.

We can take control of the mind slowly and gradually. First step is to know your opponent which we are doing it now. Second is to convert his allies into yours which we can be detecting negative emotions and accepting and converting them into positive. Then we can cut its supplies by reducing the vasanas which we will discuss in class after next.

You will fail a hundred times but remain focused and persistent. Victory one day will be yours. Till then try and get small victories by doing fasts, not doing what you feel like and depriving your mind of its kingship for even a few moments. Once in a quarter or a year we can do fasts. I personally decide upon so leaving one thing very close to me and part of daily habit for a year. This year I left biscuits as used to have 10-12pcs every day since last 20 years. It’s a great feeling to resist the bourbon biscuit and after first 10-15 days the object loses its power which we only give it .

A controlled mind can be your greatest asset. It can help you achieve the greatest goals with ease. Same atom bomb which was used to kill thousands can be used to generate energy for millions. We simply need to tame and harness its energy. Let’s be more aware of our mind, its tactics and its weakness and one day get victory over it. Till then, keep trying

Love

Me

Gross body and our relationship with it

Deep thinkers wanting to understand the world realised that the external world was difficult to understand as dependent upon the viewer, his mood and many uncontrollable factors. Thus no common understanding was possible as for a chemist world was made of atoms, for physicist of energy, for economist of money and politician of power. They thus delved deep inside and tried to find factors which are the cause of commonality and reason of differentiation between species. Something which all people would have i tand explain the the world better.

They found that all living beings have 3 bodies apart from their soul. They are the Gross Body ( made of 5 sensory and 5 action organs), Subtle body ( made of mind and intellect) and Causal body ( made up of vasanas). Over the next 5 blogs, we discuss the 4 bodies and the soul.

Gross Body or Body as we popularly call is the outer layer. It consists of the 5 sensory organs and 5 action organs. It is made up of the food we eat. It is what most people relate to as tall, dark, fat, wrinkled or bald are its attributes only. It is the most basic form which house two more sublet bodies inside it and also the divine soul. While we must take good care of it but at the same time should not simply associate with it only. A good looking person with an ill tempered mind or dull intellect would not be a great friend nor employee. Thus important to give the right attributes of the body the due importance. Its nature is to be born, grow, mature , decay and die. Its form came from the 5 elements and it dissolves back into the 5 #elements.

Body is made up of 5 elements namely water 82%’ earth 6%, air 6%, fire 4% and space 2%. We must ensure these are consumed of high quality to maintain the body. Water being the main continent, ensure that we have enough of it ( 8-10 glasses in a day) and should have water stored overnight in a vessel. Food is the earth and once in a while we should walk on grass or mud with bare feet. Sun is the source of fire and expose yourself to sun atleast an hour a day. Fresh air is also vital and all of it can be achieved by an hour of exercise in open sun in the morning.

We must watch what we eat and do some exercise everyday for body cant take care of itself. You take care of it for 1 hour and it will take care of it for 23 hours in return. Non veg and oily , junk and sweet food should be avoided as much as possible.

Happiness at body level is called pleasure. It’s of small impact and last for short time. But we tend to fill our life with a series of pleasures so that it seems long. We must enjoy the pleasure but not get addicted to them. We must practice brahmachartya universal value at body level. It means controlling sense organs. Eat the sweet but not let the sweet eat you. Have control over your senses. This can be tested by doing fast once in a year or quarter.

View your body just as a part of you as that it not you. And develop the right attitude towards respecting and taking care of it for it is the vehicle you use to travel this world.

Love

Me

Solutions to the technology abuse

Raising issue is easy but giving solution is tough. A Big Thank You to many of you who contributed their ideas which is collated together here. The 10 point suggestion cannot be exhaustive but gives an overview of different levels of engagement we can do to reduce technology addiction. Even it helps a few to avoid medium term and long term impact, this blog would have lived its purpose.

#1. Acknowledging the problem

The first step to solve any problem is accepting the existence of a problem. Many children are not aware of the long term effects of the technology overuse and in ignorance getting hooked to it. And it’s not easy to combat the design architecture of social media and other application which use deep insights driving human behaviours to get us totally dependent on them for a sense of well being. Adults too need to understand that it impacts them and their social behavior and their adult children or parents too. What makes me very worried for younger children is that their habits are still at formative stage and how it will impact when they start careers and families after a decade. Let’s all first understand ourselves that abuse of technology has serious medium and long term implications and explain to our near and dear ones. The last blog covers this point in detail.

#2. Be the change you wish to see

The thing about advice is it’s good to give but no one including the giver wants to implement. Children hear from their eyes and will do as they see and not what they hear. So if we want our children to reduce technology, we have to be good role models. We have to limit usage of technology at home. Once you’ve reached home keep your phone on charge and stop fiddling with social media, start random group chats, etc. Reduce technology consumption in the first 2-3 and last 2-3 hours of the day. Instead use that time for reading, writing , talking, playing board games and maybe even watching a movie together. Inspire them that fun is possible without technology too. Youngsters reading this blog need to understand the importance of non technology family time for healty growth. Do not use technology after 8pm if possible. No zoom, no WhatsApp, no group chat and no social media. You will significantly improve the quality of your sleep and thus energy levels by this small change

#3. Technology Diet

Make a list of amount of technology you use in a typical day. Which of these are essential and non substitutable like school. Secondly which are essential but can be replaced or reduced like extra classes. Thirdly non essential and cannot be replaced like chatting with friends . Lastly non essential and can be replaced and reduced like checking social media every now n then and binge watching television for entertainment. Start with significantly reducing the fourth , then controlling the third , working smartly to reduce impact of second and limiting the negative impact of first. Make your technology diet plan and stick to it. There are apps available to limit your screen time and freeze the phone or computer once the set time is reached.

#4. Taking care of eyes and back.

These 2 body organs suffer the most due to our abuse . We need to take adequate care to reduce this. Eye exercises mentioned in this link can reduce the strain as can blue light reducing glasses. And take frequent breaks from looking continuously at screen or sitting at chair. Have the correct chair and posture to avoid future back pain.

https://www.artofliving.org/yoga/health-and-wellness/yoga-eyes

#5. Investing time and energy in your hobby

Its vital that we do things we love to do. Be it singing, dancing, cooking , playing , photography, painting, reading, listening to music , watching nature or whatever it maybe and ideally without usage of technology. Else gossiping and in keeping up with the Jones all our hobbies take a back seat. Recall few things that you loved or always wanted to do. Take out time for doing that everyday. As you do it everyday, you will be better and it will grow into your passion or maybe will help you get closer to your igikai.

#6. Connect deeply and meaningfully with friends

Group video call , online meeting or weekend gathering of even friends may at best be fun and entertaining but not necessarily build or maintain deep bonds. Have a few close friends or family with whom you can discuss your deep emotions, fears, challenges, ideas at a deeper level. This can be ideally done by face to face over coffee at each others place or even a walk in the park. Dont lose the honest human connect. And few of you who have that bond with your parents or children, ensure that in this technology rush those bonds dont get weakened. Human heart bonds help your mind in staying healthy .

#7. Spend time on your fitness in exercising or playing any sport. Spend time in natural green space as they have great healing powers. Learn the art of meditation and practice that twice a day ( morning and evening) for 2-10 minutes. Eat healty food. All these combined can have a huge impact on keeping you sane and mentally fit.

#8. Balance the day

While implementing the technology diet, the key word is balance. Suppose you’ve got 6 hours already in A and B category which you can’t avoid and take up the full quota for the day, reduce D to zero that day. D could be planned on a relatively free day like Saturday when there is no school. No one else can monitor this for you as you make, implement and check yourself. It requires some maturity, honesty and desire to avoid future problems. And since everyone now understands that this overuse can be a big roadblock in us becoming happy and successful, they will try and find the balance

#9. Technology detox

One day a week, ideally Sunday do not use technology. No social media, no mails, no online meetings, no random group calls or checking WhatsApp. Reduce phone usage to as less as possible. Life like older days. Train your body to live without technology for a day. If you are going for a vacation, it can be longer detox. Plan such outings and learn to live the old way. Write diary by hand as people are losing their ability to write.

#10. Connect with the consciousness within you

As your connection with your soul is established, you capacity to handle problems increases manifold. This can be done by doing non selfish work in any area of your choice. Help any one with any thing you have. It could be money, knowledge, compassion, time or connection. Make a difference. As you connect with the deepest level, you operate more in surrender to the divine will, your awareness will increase. You will find sunrise n sunset magical , you will observe changing shape of moon, recognize different call of birds, see the butterflies and bees on the flowers, etc etc. You will find the ultimate technology in action all around and wont have to sink in your mobile or laptop to escape boredom. World is fascinating. We just need to adjust our vision

Do share this article with all those who you care. And if there’s anything I’ve missed, do let me know. Will compile all the inputs and write part 2.

Till then, reduce your tech time!

Love

Me

The Technology Trap for our children and its medium and long term impact ! Please do read

I’m shocked at the indifference of the human race. After ignoring the impact of its actions on EARTH, AIR,WATER, PLANTS AND ANIMALS, it’s now reached a stage where it’s not even bothered about it’s own specie, the next generation, it’s own CHILDREN. The subject of this article should be discussed in parliament, in media, in medicine councils and thorough understanding of the impact of technology usage on children and solutions to it should be deliberated. Pity we are discussing sushant muder mystery instead.

No doubt technology has enabled us to connect, study, work and get entertained. From online schools, work from home and zooming in n out of classes and meetings. And without Netflix and host of online channels, lockdown would have been a lockup. But surely it has increased our technology and DATA CONSUMPTION by exponential scale. And data is cheapest in India, literally free. But remember there is nothing free online. If anything is free or nearly free, YOU are the product. They need you and your preferences as input.

There are thousands of articles dated pre lockdown on addiction to technology like computer/tab + mobile + television + gaming. On an average children were spending 2 hours per day on technology platforms combined. They speak about how this sensory overload caused reduction in attention span, made them fidgety , had adverse impact on eyes and resulted in reducing outdoor sports and real world socializing. A quick dipstick survey by me shows that children are now spending 6 hours per day or more on online school + online classes + project work + online entertainment + online chatting with friends. They are getting addicted to data. While it may be great news for jio ( no wonder every strategic fund in the world has invested in it ) and even failing companies like Vodafone idea decided to rebrand and raise capital ( which they will get too) for they are selling data which is more addictive than drugs or sugar too. Eighties made people addicted to cola and chips which is nothing but starch in another form and the impact can be seen as an obese generation, unprecedented rise of cancer ( sugar is the cause) and rise of pharma and fitness industry.

The impact of addiction to data will be seen in the 20s and thirties. It will be on mind. Obesity of mind will lead to mind losing its two main functions of memory and imagination. That will lead to loss of creativity, reduction in so called intelligence and mind becoming a greater tyrant than it’s even now. I feel pity on addicts of any kind for they have lost their power to get mind under the control of intellect without external help. That’s what our children are heading towards if proper steps are not taken. I’m not a calamity monger but can clearly see that in long term it can lead to people preferring virtual world than going out and socializing, many developing low self esteem or a superiority complex to hide it, loneliness and depression. It may lead to other kinds of addiction in order to find calmness which is equally dangerous.

This addiction also leads many of them to gradually drop their hobbies of singing, dancing, painting, reading, running or anything else. They become more unidimensional and thus boring. People need to remain connected to what they love to reach their ikagai.

When 2 hours per day were considered high, isn’t 6 to 10 hours alarmingly dangerous. Some one with a keen sense of observation must notice the behavioural changes in children. Discuss their viewpoints on topics and compare from previous notes. You will see the change. If you can’t, watch how they or you behave if you dont get data for couple of days. How restless you feel. Your anger. As someone said in inner science class that our parents are themselves into technology all the time, they learn that only.

I’m not a physiology expert but understand my 2 children enough to observe changes and extrapolate that to the world. Also understanding that there is a serious problem is the first step to solve it.

In my next article on Saturday I will write about solutions to it. What tools, techniques and ideas can we share so that some of us can implement it. I have a few points but need more. I will be grateful if you can either mail me rohitdhs@gmail.com or WhatsApp me your ideas on how to save kids from pitfalls of technology for I know if it was just a small hole my child would have taken themselves out automatically. But medium and long term impact is a deep pit which I want them to avoid falling it. Scary to see a generation run into the ravine. Hope something can be done soon. We need to do our bit. Will be great if you can share article or the jist of the message with 5 of your friends as everyone needs to be aware of it. Please.

I await your suggestions. More often than not I’m disappointed by lack of response of people who can contribute but choose not to . But the optimist in me believes one day you will reply. Do share. Do your role. And if you still think that I’m overplaying the impact, I will say hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. That’s how I do business planning too.

See you on Saturday

Love

Me

7 Powers to master !

A challenge is a problem when the capacity to solve it is not there. Infact if our capacity is much more than the challenge, it becomes an opportunity. For example hunger is not a challenge nor a problem for most of us but for the street beggar, many evenings he faces this problem that in few hours he will be hungry again. Infact for the wealthy hunger is an opportunity to enjoy fine food as many go to gyms and even take medicines to feel hungry.Thus, if we can increase our capacity through acquiring few powers, most of the world problems will seem like challenge or even opportunity for you. We discuss 7 powers in this article you can acquire

1. Power of habit : we discussed this in the last article how you can build good habits and live great effortlessly. And it’s much easier to change habits at a younger age than later.

2. Power of sub conscious mind: this part of our mind is 10 times more powerful than the conscious part. One can harness it’s full power by believing in oneself , focusing on the positives and using universal powers to help you. Its describes beautifully is Netflix episode of The Secret. This gives us a lot of positive energy generated from inside us.

3. Power of an ideal: once you have a goal you get access to special powers. Higher and nobler the goal, more and powerful the power. This is the secret power all super achievers use to make most out of a day without burning out. We can decide to live like a rudderless boat or a guided yatch. And if we dont know our goal, no winds can be ever favorable.

4. Power of Here & Now. The power so generated from inside and outside must be conserved by staying in the present and utilising every moment. They must not be leaked by memories of the past or anxieties of the future. A punctured tyre doesn’t let the car travel far. Conserve the energy and see how it can help you do things better

5. Power of allignment: the energy is utilized best also when our bodies are aligned in the same direction. Otherwise energy used at body level may lead to a different direction than where intellect tells us leading to regret and stress later . Our intellect should be continually sharpened so that it is aligned with the soul ( path prescribed by spiritual laws). This will ensure we dont become powerful truants like Hitler. Our mind should be trained to be under guidance of the intellect. This is difficult but can be gradually developed by training the mind through fasts, doing opposite of what it wants, etc. Lastly our sense organs must not be allowed to run wild. They should be under the control of the mind. This alignment of bodies ensure that there is less stress or regret.

6. Power of Dharma: as explained earlier, the concept of igakai ensures that if we can know our internal circles well we will be happy. Thus we need to know what we live and what are we good at. And do those things. And also know the external circles which will help us to be successful. The circles of what the world needs and what the world can pay for. The common intersection point of all 4 is our ikagai. Choosing a career based upon that gives one a log of natural advance and source of power.

7. Power of Acceptance: ability to accept adverse outcomes as will of God and happily move ahead to either change what can be changed or accept the unchangable is a very powerful power. It determines the attitude of a person towards life and adversities. A grudge held for long can become a psychological problem later. Thus as explained in detail in spiritual law#18, we should develop and implement the power of acceptance.

All these 7 powers become alive when we practice them in our life. Simply knowing them does not activate them. Let’s try and own each of these 7 powers one by one. And I’m sure once they have been mastered, the petty challenges of exams, interpersonal issues and unexpected twists and turns will seem like a play for you. You would enjoy it like a thriller movie instead of getting tensed and worked up by them.

Happy living!

Love

Me

S14: small habits that can lead you from good to great

Einstein said compound interest is the 8th wonder. Its impossible to fathom the impact of small increases done consistently over a period of time. Youth is when habits are formed. Once we can gradually inculcate few of these habits in ourselves, we access to some special powers and privileges. People who dont understand spiritual laws may simply say that you got lucky but fortune favours the brave who is an optimist and dares to walk the path. Sharing few habits we should look

#1. Wake up habits

The gap between the time you wake up and get up from bed has to be reduced and brought to less than a minute. Avoid snooze. This inability to follow your decision of last night weakens the belief system inside you. This small change can make you start the day by believing you can. And follow up with a task of making your bed and folding your bedsheets. This will ensure you’ve find first produive task of the day. It also ensures you dont go back to sleep. The first hour of the day is the golden hour. Wake up a lil early and give yourself this time to grow. Well begun is half done. And it won’t be possible unless you sleep timely too. 10-1030 should be the maximum time. Anything you’re doing after that is rarely productive. Difficult to wake at 6am when you’ve slept at midnight.

#2. Focus and do one task at a time

The secret to the amazing memory of our PM Modiji was that when he listened, he only listened and thus that stayed in his memory for very long. More often than not we multitask. We eat while watching TV or phone and as a result mixed signals go to our brain and it doesn’t do either one 100% right . Let’s see, smell, feel the food to get full taste. When we travel abroad, let’s not just see but also taste,smell, feel the place, know about it history and culture and that’s what will make memorable trips. Let’s avoid multitasking in eating , talking, driving, working or even enjoying a cup of tea. Give 100% of that time to whatever you are doing to get full benefit

#3. Have gratitude and be thankful

From the moment you wake up alive with all organs functioning to live another day to the beautiful sunrise we must appreciate Him at work. We should thank the food before eating for it gives up its existence to become part of us, parents and ancestors everyday not necessarily words but gestures or actions. The world you live in today is a product of millions of minds who worked their lives. Lets have this attitude of gratitude always for we can’t even imagine what all happens behind our back so that we can live peacefully and happily.

#4. No wastage of food or time

Scarce resources must not be wasted. Most scarce is your time but you may not realise it. Teenage is an amazing time to do so many things. Have a bucket list for teenage. Dream big. Fulfill it. And you will need time to do it all. As school life slips into college you will miss it so make solid memories. Make solid foundation too as your career will stand on this base. And solid relationships too. Make close friends but closer to the core relationships of parents and siblings. Similarly dont waste food on your plate. Avoid wasting electricity and water too. Build this attitude that resources must not be wasted.

Let’s start with doing one per week and hopefully within a month 4 new habits will be in place which will hold you stead in times to come

Love

Me

Stress and spiritual laws

In the last blog we covered 4 causes of stress . They were

1. Friction of the 4 levels

Law #21. Our 4 levels must be in sync for maximum happiness and effectiveness

One experiment everyone can do it everyday do one thing you dont like and dont do one thing you like. This will improve your will power and reduce power of mind and make it run under guidance of intellect. In a perfect system, intellect should be sharp and aligned to soul. Mind should be under control and same direction as intellect. And sense organs should listen to a controlled mind.

2. Attachment to objects and people

Covered in law 3 that happiness does not lie in objects. Infact Geeta chapter 2 explains beautifully how excessive desire causes attachment which when not met causes anger which causes delusion and that ultimately causes downfall of people.

3. Not living Now & Here

Law #22: we should live Now & Here for maximum energy and minimum stress

4. Control and wanting

Law #23: output = our effort + other factors beyond our control.

Thus not always possible to control outcome. We should focus only on our effort and give our best. Exams and marks are not always the end but often the means to assess your learning and ability to handle stress. They prepare you to handle larger challenges in life. One should simply study hard as much as one can and give her best. No point worrying after that how much marks you will get. Instead chill out or focus on the next exam.

Adding 3 more to it

5. We dont accept thing but want to blame or feel sorry everytime.

Acceptance as we have studied in law 18 has the power to transform negative emotion causing stress to a positive emotion. Many people dont accept unfavorable outcomes of their lives causing a lot of stress for them

6. Working in what you dont like neither good at.

As discussed in law 13, the closer to ikagai we operate happier and more successful we are. Some people hate what they do and also not good at it. They might make enough money but desperately wait for Thank God its Friday. They drink on weekends to forget their reality and no wonder maximum heart attacks happen on Monday morning. So moral is take out time to know your ikagai and operate as close to it as possible. As the proverb says, ” choose a job you love and you will never have to work a single day in life” . Work will be fun and expression of yourself. That’s the common factor amongst all.super successful people.

Last but not the least, allocating much lesser resources ( be it time, money or people) than required and then stretching yourself to anyhow reach your target also stresses a lot of people. For example a work which requires 2 weeks if asked to be done in 1 week might stress the entire system. Or working with half working capital or half number of people also creates lot of stress to run efficient systems. That’s a very common cause why many businesses are stressed.

There could be some more causes but as per me these are the Top 7. Hopefully after understanding them you will live with lesser stress.

Take inspiration from articles of these young ones .

What is stress by anvi

For me stress just wastes are energy. It does not let us concentrate on what we are doing and it keeps telling us that you should think about the future and the funniest thing is that we agree and start thinking. Some people after 5 years what will happen and some queer people start thinking about the next life. I do not understand why do people think about the next life. Do they not understand that are tomorrow depends on our today. By thinking about tomorrow they are just wasting today and that is why their tomorrow will also not. Many people say this strong court, whatever we do comes back to us but unfortunatly the people who say it do not mean or emplement it in their lives. Mainly people of my age and above take stress of the studies my sister is one of them. I am not one of those I do not take stress of my studies or anything else.
I do not take stress because I know nothing will happen even f I do that nothing will change by my taking stress and even if something would happen it would turn out bad for me. Another reason is time. I have lot of time for doing my work and so I do not get worried. ok so listen to this story .

Stress by yashvi
If someone was to ask you what made your stomach ache. Your answer would either be because of having too much junk food or not having food. In the first case you did not have control over yourself despite knowing what was to come ahead. And in the second case you did not do something that was essential for you which was the least expected from you. Similarly, I get stressed either when I do too much of something which later makes me pay back. For example if I watch tv the whole day when I have an exam the other day, I can surely push my studies till the last minute knowing that it would be difficult for me to complete it, but the next day I wake up late, thus getting stressed. Everything does not work according to us so we have to adapt ourselves according to everything. Now, speaking about the second case; if you don’t work hard enough to do even the minimum expected, you will obviously panic and suffer. So I believe that if we do everything when it is supposed to be done, we will be relieved from stress.

Inner Science: What makes you stressed and why does it stress you by nidhi

Stress is one of those negative emotions that diverts our attention from any situation or task at hand. Putting down points below that contribute to a major chunk of my stress:
– Self-realisation and not being able to live upt my own expectations (healthy lifestyle, or achieving personal and professional goals)
– Stress caused due to making assumptions (What if!)

Apart from these, a small portion of stress is also caused by carrying the baggage of the past to wish things were different and that if I could have contributed to making them differently better.

While I am aware that stressing on a couple of things would not change anything and possibly only cause harm in direct or indirect ways, I find it hard to align my heart and mind to avoid that stress.

On the other hand, the feeling of having experienced stress and the fear of not having to experience it again makes me do certain things which I might not have done otherwise. It acts as a motivation to finish things within a timeline.

So while stress is considered to be bad for our physical, mental and emotional health, not stressing at all means being carefree, which might make you feel directionless.

Understanding Stress to eliminate it !

Stress is surely the #1 silent killer. It first kills your smile, then your spontaniety, then your happiness and finally you by expressing itself through stroke or coma. Stress has become a badge which people like to wear to show they work hard in complex jobs. Corona and Lockdown have increased the Global Stress Quotient to all time high. A slight fever can make everyone around so jittery and hyper. Living fearing the invisible has huge internal implications. Stress due to loss of livelihood and nothing to do have external problems too. Tents of so many are shaking that no wonder we have had historic enrollments in our geeta classes last month.

18 years of formal education and still our syllabus could not make us really aware of it. Its truly a pitiable state. I remember doing a report on ” stress management at iimbangalore” in Human Resource course trying to find causes of stress faced by students. When I look back it did teach me a lot about working in mixed caliber teams, my understanding of stress was so superficial. I only spoke about manifestations of it and elaborated external causes of it. After having studied vedanta for a few years now, I understand stress and it’s real internal causes little better. As Buddha said ” Most people want to avoid suffering instead of understanding cause of suffering. Without that, you can’t escape. While pain in inevitable, suffering is optional”

According to me, there are 4 main causes of stress. Will elaborate each one of them with examples .

First stress is Levels Friction Stress. We have 4 levels of existence namely body, mind, intellect and soul. When they are not in sync they move in different directions causing friction which is called stress. For example my intellect telling me to do or not do something but I listen to my mind and do the opposite causing regret or guilt which is actually stress. As children when they dont know what is right or wrong they can merrily shit in their pants but later same event can be cause of stress when they continue till age 6-7 and big concern and shame if till 9-10. That’s cause their intellect has developed to tell them what’s right but body is not doing it causing friction. This is the #1 cause of stress as peoples levels are not in sync. I will share articles by different age kids on what causes stress and you will understand this better as how with age it keeps increasing .

The second cause of stress is our attachment. To things and people. And as they change or disappear we feel as though our world is collapsing. The world has encouraged consumerism where you consume first and pay later. And for any reason if you can’t pay, the banks and loan telecallers can cause a lot of stress. Also attachment to things and the consequent tensions due to desire is endless pit and lives end but desires dont. Similarly excessive attachment to people can be a source of stress as people change and we want to cling to old way of life. To reduce this stress from desire one needs to reestablish his relationships with things and beings.

Third and popular cause of stress is not being able to live Now & Here. People dwell on some happy or unhappy event that happened in the past. They keep comparing that with present and feel sad or continue to remain sad due to that and miss the beauty of present. Life has to be lived now. A lot of people worry about future all the time. Children worry about exams, youth about jobs and marriage, Middle aged abour children and career and Oldies about Family and Health. All the time is spent in worrying about uncertainty of future also miss their beautiful present. Corona is not even 1% deadly as the fear of Corona. Insurance industry runs on capitalizing this fear. Also many people want to be either omnipresent or at another place with their beloved and keep stressing on that. It could be ailing parents or lonely spouse or child or even the planned holiday that didn’t materialize . This longing to be somewhere else all the time is also cause of stress for some. So the mantra is LIVE NOW & HERE. that’s all you truly have. And ones who can do that avoid huge drain of energy caused by living in past or future

Last but not the least cause of Stress is NEED FOR CONTROL. We want to control everything in our lives to the last bit. And sometimes even in lives of near and dear ones. And many a times things dont go as per plan. And we are stressed. Learn to let loose. Learn to surrender to the divine will. Understand that only input is under your control. Output is a result of input + external unknown factors ( many of which are not in your control ). So instead of worrying what if something comes from outside syllabus, or get a tough examiner one must focus only on the input and surrender the output to the lord . This can reduce a lot of stress for lot of people

Thus if one can understand and work on these 4 biggest causes of stress , one surely can live a life of joy.

Dont lose the lesson !

I met someone across the room

Worried and in mood of gloom

Hesitantly I asked reasons for both

He replied sheepishly, I’ve lost my growth!

My business plans and goals lay in tatters

Losing cash every day, that’s what matters

My team is crumbling, physically n mentally

I wiped his tears, and consoled him gently!

I know people who’ve lost market

And also industries that are gone forever

Millions have lost jobs n livelihood

People dying and you’re worried for fever!

So many have lost their loved ones

The list doesn’t stop, pages turns

Each life lost is an end of a story

End of dream, guts and glory !

What’s the right age for any person to die

Logics dont work when to gotta say final bye

Losing a parent is death of the child in you

Cherish moments with them, they are few!

I know people who’ve lost their spouse

Homes that overnight became a house

People who’ve lost their hope , their child

Gardens becomes forests when grow wild!

Loss of a true friend haunts long

For was the antidote to so many wrong

Hurts when a sibling, cousin or close one

Name becomes a number on your phone!

Life is temporary lets all accept this fast

Live every decade, year and month as is last

Value & express to people while theyre here

Things & growth will stay,wiping the mirror

Beginners guide to meditation

Dhyaan Yoga as they say it is the ultimate technique to reach the ultimate stage. The way to diffuse your subtle vasanas and tendencies is possible through it. But for many beginners it might be difficult to even fathom what it means. And long term benefits might not be sufficient motivatation for immediate actions. So as I stumble and progress and stumble in my journey, I share some insights which could help beginners in meditation and its immediate benefits

First of all to sit for 15 minutes doing any single proactive thing isn’t easy. We neither wont have the time nor the attention span. So taking out time and sitting ( ideally at a fixed time) is a great victory of budhimani over manmaani. So you’ve got what it takes to start.

Secondly to even sit erect in cross legged posture you will find many parts of your body making their presence felt. The knees, the back, the neck and so many parts find it difficult to remain still. So you will automatically want to work upon your fitness to atleast be able to meditate properly

Thirdly you realise how mad your mind it. Inspite you trying to focus on just 1 thought, its goes in past, future, related, unrelated thoughts, words, pictures. How many movies it wants to watch together on the same screen? You realise the madness of your mind. And the need for it to be tamed.

Fourthly you try and watch the breath. Coming in and going out. Breath is the indication and source of life. Just as we need to breathe more consciously we need to live more consciously. Every day we should be able to live to its fullest. It helps us increase our awareness of every moment. In 15 aware minutes you would have achieved the experienced the impact of unaware 24 hours. You watch your thoughts and emotions and are far more aware.

Lastly it trains you to keep your nose 180° flat to the ground. Neither up and look down at anyone not down and looked down by anyone. Nor any circumstances. Be it victory or loss , fun or difficult times, be equinamous. Training your mind through training your body is a unique skill you can develop. Use the nose as the barometer and during the day watch if you are thinking or looking down or up on any one or any situation. Be calm. A calm mind is the true measure of happiness.

Thus meditation will make you happier inside. Happiness without external objects, people or importance. It is the highest form of engagement you can do with your body mind and intellect to unite them.

What are you thinking. Pick up the any book or app and get going. At your pace. In your style. And the moment is now.

Love

Me

S9: mind and how to control it

Introspection is a powerful method through which you can identify your negative qualities. At the end of the day, recap your day as a witness and see how the day went by. Analyse your thoughts and action like a witness. This will help in controlling the mind. Besides once you can detect the negative quality, it’s a big step of progress in your growth.

In the previous classes and assignments, we did list our negative qualities. Youve identified it and said want to convert but thats not easy. Knowing and doing are different as proficiency is easy to gain but efficiency is difficult to apply. Mind is the bridge through which we have to cross over from merely knowing to actually living . Do you cobtrol the bridge? More often we dont. To win back our control from mind, we need to understand more about it. So what is mind?

Mind has been featured in various laws like 1, 3, 4,5,6 and 13. While mind is composed of thoughts but it is not mere thoughts like a river is composed of water but not merely water. A flow of water is river and a flow of thoughts is the mind.

Law 20

Mind is a flow of thoughts. As the mind, so is the human.

If water is dirty, it’s a dirty river. If water is calm, it’s a calm river. Similarly our thoughts play a vital role in shaping our personality .

Once we identify negative emotions and thoughts, we need to substitute them with their opposite positive thoughts. We need to flush our negative thoughts and have a clean mind. Once you’ve Detected carefully your negative traits and are ashamed of it makes it die. But so that they don’t revive later again, we need to replace them with positive thoughts.

Second method we can use to control our mind is by reverse action method. Currently mind orders our actions. But action can also order the mind. Make sad faces for 2 minutes n feel how your mind feel. We feel tinge of sadness . Now make happy faces and feel the reverse.

As the mind so is the man. Positive thoughts and good habits can make us control the mind . Let’s start with getting small victories over your mind.

One of the sub laws in efficiency states there should be a place for everything and everything should be put in that place. Not only will that organize you very well and you will save time which was earlier spent in searching it. It’s not just physical space but also your mobile and computer. Files must be named properly, folders created for each type of work and files should be saved there. Once in a week the mess should be sorted, unwanted files deleted. Apart from efficiency it has 2 more advantages. First is that your desktop or phone is a reflection of your mind. Normally organized mind leads to organized life but sonetimetimes organized life can also cause organized mind. Lastly in future when in a hurry you want to save the file naming in AAA in automatic area of downloads section but you pause for a second thinking about this sub law and put a name and save it in correct folder you would have won a small battle with your mind which wanted to do mannmaani giving excuse of I’m in a hurry. Similarly when you put your books, clothes n toys in their right place after using them, you win another battle. Let’s get into the habit of winning battles with the mind. That’s the second method of controlling mind apart from Introspection.

One who wins the mind can win the world !

And you can do it. And thus become both happy and successful

Love

Me

20 laws of spirituality

Law 1:

All living beings have 4 levels of existence. Body , mind, intellect and soul

Law 2:

Deeper the level, more powerful the happiness. Its impacts more and last longer. Its called pleasure, joy, delight and bliss at the 4 levels respectively.

Law 3:

Happiness does not lie in objects.

Law 4:

Happiness lies in a calm mind.

Law 5:

We should always choose budhimaani over mannmaani

Law 6:

Mind is a good servant but a dangerous master

Law 7:

More the belief that I am successful, more are the chances of getting success.

Law 8:

As our intellect sharpens, we connect to deeper levels. Spuritual education can lead one to the stage of contemplation.

Law 9:

The force which enables life to exist in all plants , animals and humans is divine and we must always respect that Life Force

Law 10: law of destiny

Based upon our closing balance of previous life, law of destiny made us born as humans with a specific shape, unique qualities and in a specific home.

Law 11: law of karma

Humans have the power of Free Will whereby they have the power to make choices. Thus they can shape their future destiny by current choices.

Law 12:

We are born twice. The second time when we know why we were born first time.

Law 13:

Before we attempt to know the world, we should attempt to know ourselves .

Law 14:

All of us are born with at least one talent which if utilized can make us successful

Law 15

Wherever you give your time and thoughts upon, it will grow.

Law 16:

Energy can be generated by having an ideal for which you are willing to work towards

Law 17:

Energy can be conserved by staying calmly in the present.

Law 18: Law of acceptance:

Acceptance is the power through which we can change a negative emotion into positive or neutral.

Law 19:

We should have the courage to change the changable situation and remove yourself from the unchangable and wisdom to know the difference

Law 20:

Mind is a flow of thoughts. As the mind, so is the human

S8: Acceptance and Change

Thoughts in intellect turn into desires in mind which translates into actions at body level. These actions have results called consequence some of which our in our favour and some not in our favour. When things dont happen in our favour we tend to either get angry, blame someone or luck, deny to face it, may get jealous of the person whose got the positive results or develop low self esteem by calling it a failure.

Lets understand that consequence is a function of 3 forces out of which only 1.5 is in our control. The first force is effort which is fully in our control. For example if you want to top your class , study hard for it then this effort is under your control. The second factor is past effort and your overall position now. That too plays a role in how fast you will understand and your reputation in class, your circle of friends, your habits youve been carrying . We cant wish way the past but surely can make the desired future by proper actions in the present. So our proper effort not only impacts the first point but also plays a part role on shaping the second. The third factor is external factors and luck which also plays a role. For example if questions came from a chapter youve left or some discussion teacher had when you had gone for sports practice, etc you cant do much. Also the mood of the teacher when she is correcting your sheets. So this factor is not under your control. Thus we have just 1.5 in control and 1.5 not in control.

For a healthy mind we must have healthy thoughts and emotions in us. We must develop one quality which can help change the texture of the negative emotions into positive emotions. That is law# 18

Law of acceptance: acceptance is the power through which we can change a negative emotion into positive or neutral.

Emotions carried for long inside become strong emotional baggage which shape your personality and world view about life. Just as a chair keeps getting heavier as we hold it longer these negative emotions can become deadly. We need to live with the understanding that eveeything in life will not happen the way we expect. Lets accept both the good and the bad without too much emotions. Always remain calm whatever the result is. No dancing on the table when you come first and no sulking under the bed when you score poorly. Be calm at both the times. Accept the bad marks or misfortune just as you accept the good marks.

Acceptance can transform your anger into positive qualities of tolerance. It can turn jealousy into inspiration, hurt into forgiveness, underconfidence into analysis of strengths and weakness, denial into courage and many such miracolus transformation will happen. Just remember that whenever things dont happen as per your expectation just stop and watch what emotions its giving birth to. Then say to your self “I accept the consequence for i believe if its not my will , its His will. Maybe He thinks this is better for me so i accept it.” And watch the transformation into positive. You must always try and get rid of negativity inside you about others and more importantly about your self too.

After having accepted the consequence, we must adopt law 19 of changing the changable

We should have the courage to change the changable situation and remove yourself from the unchangable and wisdom to know the difference

After having accepted the negative consequence, we must start working towards ensuring to rectify the cause of the unfavorable consequence. If it was our effort we do that to improve 1 and 2 and ensure next class we get good marks, or medals or are nicer with everyone we meet or good behaviour by oneself. By developing good habits we can make consistent positive actions possible. We spoke about them in law 15. Sometime to challenges status quo or inertia needs courage. For example when my back aches i realise importance of health but i dont walk out to exercise even when i wake up. So at first i have to accept i am being lazy and losing to the inertia of old habits. Then my emotions inside will not be Im weak or cant do but simply that Im not putting up a proper fight with my inertia and losing a battle daily. I can change. I can muster the courage. I can start. The best time is not 1st or monday but today and now. Need to develop courage to challenge the inertia.

Everything may not be possible to change. For example policy of schools, government or even nature of parents. We have to remove ourselves from those consequence where we cannot change. To know what is changable or not, we need to develop wisdom. Thats what we are doing by studying Inner science, external science and social science.

Accept, change and develop wisdom.

Love

Me

S7: Secret to generate and conserve energy

Many years ago, an experiment was done at Stanford with children where they were given marshmallows and locked in a room. They had an option to eat 1 right now or 2pcs later. Some ate within first 5 minutes only , some a lil later and some waited for the fulltime. As social scientists studied their lives, they found children who waited most were more successful with lesser issues than average and children to ate within first few minutes had more issues than average. So those children who could control their mind were more likely to succeed than ones who did manmaani. Delaying gratification is an important inner muscle we need to develop.

Another experiment studied thousands of children from childhood to the time they turn 60. It was trying to find what was the common factor between successful people. After lots of research it concluded that successful people have goals and consistently work towards them. Goals can be in short term or long term but an ideal is something which is more than a changing goal. It is based upon what you believe and have the courage to live upto. These ideals have the power to give you infinite energy. Ideal work for both spiritual and materialistic goals. So be it admission in your dream college which I guess will be academic goal for many, to become the best in any chosen field and represent your school, state or nation for some or development of spiritual capabilities for rare. The last is done by making a difference to the world. However big or small. But when anything higher than yourself is taken as a goal and if its selfless it also has the power to reduce your vasanas which make us act uncontrollably the way we do. More on goal setting will be discussed later

To be successful n happy ,one needs to work hard , struggle with challenging situations, bounce back from setbacks and keep relentless focus on your goal. For all of this huge energy is needed and that can be attained by law 16 .

Energy can be generated by having an ideal for which you are willing to work towards

The energy generated can be used to improve yourself , discipline the mind through various techniques and work consistently to reach towards your goal everyday with incremental improvements

This energy must not be wasted as many a times people waste their normal energy by spending time thinking about memories of the past. They keep remembering old times and waste the opportunity to assess and live now. Some people waste their energy worrying about the future and all the time think ahead. Instead of enjoying a movie or moment their mind will want to race ahead to what will happen in future. Thus they too cant enjoy the present. In being in the past or future extra energy is also consumed. The third way energy is lost is in excitement of the present. They are hyper aggressive and use far too much battery life in the present. Let’s conserve our energy by following law 17:

Energy can be conserved by staying calmly in the present.

By being calm it does not mean dont be passionate. It means that if your mind is calmer and your body is dynamic you can get best results. So dont worry or regret. Stay in the present and

Love

Me

S6: law#15: on whatever you give your time and thoughts, grows !

In the last blog we studied that once we operate from or close to our ikagai zone, we are happiest. And also successful. Unfortunately world rarely recognizes us with our strength but with our weaknesses and nicknames like fatty, haddi, shorty , etc are proofs. Even at home we get tuitions for subjects we are weak in and rarely in those where we excel. Ideally if I’m good in English and love writing, my english should be honed by coaching , work upon to make it even better and encouraged to take part in national and international level competitions. That may become a career or surely a hobby. Also has far more resume value than 80 in my weakest subject. However this obsession with marks, memorization , college admission makes everything else irrelevant. But one can do this and that. How to improve anything in your life is explained by Law 15 which states that wherever you give your time and thoughts upon, it will grow.

The power of devoting time to a subject has been explained since time immoral in indian scriptures like dinacharya. They insist that anything you do daily will give you far better growth than what you do occasionally or few times a week. A time for everything and everything in its time helps peaking your performance by adjusting the body clock too and make you reach maximum health too. Books like Power of habit and 10,000 hour rule also explain the power habits can have over a period of time.

We should inculcate correct habits from a young age so that we get greatest rewards. I’ve seen it in my mba days when all the 180 students stayed every night till 4am and reached the class weary mind at 830 and hardly understood most of the things professor spoke. Except 2 people who continued their old habits and slept at sharp 11 and woke fresh at 5 and studied in the morning. Not surprisingly they were ranked 1 and 2. So build good habits in your life. Start with 1 small habit a month and keep adding another one if you are successful.

The second part of law 15 focuses on power of thoughts. Not only do thoughts in mind translate into action at body level in future, but they have a spiral effect too. Thoughts have the power of attraction. Many books have been written on the power of the sub scionscious mind which works like a giant magnet attracting what it thinks about. It doesn’t matter the thought are of the nature of loving or hating , wanting or detesting the idea but what matters is if it occupies your deeper levels of mind and intellect, you are attracting those forces into your life. And that universal power is very strong. So learn to harness it well to your advantage. The in the book and movie the secret they speak about how people have used it to get abundance in wealth, health and relationships in their lives. Let’s sow only positive thoughts about us and others in our fertile mind. We must abstain from negative people , negative thoughts and self doubt. Be confident on however you are. Be happy. Get closer to your passion- what you love and what you are good at. Slowly they may become your hobby, mission or profession.

If you continue to believe in them, continuously work upon them through power of habit, they may lead you to your ikagai and you will be happy and successful.

Love

Me

S5 & S6: happy or / aur + successful – it’s your choice

Congratulations to be born as the most evolved species “human”. We could have been born plant, fish, insect, birds or animal too but we had earned enough points before this birth to be entitled to airline category (human) . In human form too,we could have been born without limbs, or in a slum or in countries like North Korea or Syria. Thank yourself for the good deeds of your previous lives everyday that your opening balance ( prarabdh) made you born in this shape, form and family. Have gratitude for how much you already have and thank everyday for this wonderful life you’ve received without any effort in this life.

However,what you do in this life is based upon free will ( the choices you exercise) . Your effort of today ( purusharth) will lead to better opening balance ( prarabdh) of tomorrow. So its upon you if you choose to live like a plant human, animal human, human human or super human. Weve discussed the difference between each of them in detail so we know which traits to cultivate.

In law 12 we studied we are born twice,the second time when we know why we are born. This is something 95%+ of the people dont discover ever. Once you discover that, your 2nd life starts. In law 13, we discussed that before we attempt to know the world, we should attempt to know ourselves . Once we truly know who we are, what we love, what we are good at, what do we really want, etc our life and the journey ahead would be surer, lesser friction, more confident and most importantly both happy and successful.

Law 14: each one is born with atleast one talent which can be used to be happy and successful

Its imperative that we all must be happy. Weve discussed few laws relating to it. We should all strive to be successful too. Success comes when human learns the art of contacting the world correctly. Two elements of inside combine with 2 elements of outside world to reach to a unique conclusion. The 2 inside elements are what do you love and what are you good at. The 2 outside elements are what does the world need and what can it pay for.

Few points to note about this diagram

1. Where both internal meet is your passion which translates into your hobbies.

2. What most people focus is what they are good at and what they can be paid for and becomes their profession. But they dont love it and thus need to drink over weekend to escape the boredom and purposlessness of their lives

3. If you do what you love and world needs volunarily it becomes your mission. Rotary ,chinmaya mission , etc are examples

4. Some people spend after office hours to do other side income work like teaching, or singing in a restaurant to earn extra income. This might be their vocation.

Living life at 3rd level where 3 circles meet is what many successful people do. However since the 4th criterion is not met, they feel the following

5. If they dont love what they do, they feel empty.

6. If they are not good at what they do, they feel uncertain of future.

7. If they are not paid well, they dont have money or material success

8. If world doesnt need what they do, they feel useless inside.

The best place to operate in life is where the 4 circles meet. That’s your ikagai. That’s your dharma. That’s why you are born. Discover that and lead a life of happiness and success. Life isn’t a battle you have to fight , it’s not a burden of expectation you have to carry. It’s a divine song He sings through you. It’s a beautiful journey where you enjoy each day. It’s a miracle that unfolds before you.

At this point we need to focus on internal and also understand the world of tomorrow where you will be paid for what society needs will be very different than todays. Alexa already knows more than any one of us and soon artificial intelligence will replace many of the professions. You need to keep your one eye on your inside 2 elements and develop them and other eye on the outside 2 elements and how they are changing. Only when you match the 4 pcs perfectly and make a career you can operate at highest level. Else like many, operate at where 3 circles combine and look for 4th post office hours.

Unfortunately we spend our time on improving upon our weaknesses instead of strengthening our strengths. Once you have shortlisted couple of traits you think are suitable to pursue, become the best in your class,then school, then city, then country and aspire to be world class. Then the world will queue up outside your chamber instead of you having to queue up outside others.

Will discuss the 15th law in the next blog. This one is my favorite so need fresh mind and plenty of space to express it

Love

Me

Young ones discussing their favourite law !

Today I simply compile what others teens write. Also including nidhi who has the potential to be another teacher with her seeking attitude, clarity of communication and most importantly interest in spirituality. Kudos to those who are seriously seeking to understand themselves and applying the knowledge lesrnt. Here is a glimpse of their greatness in their thoughts. Remember you will always be in minority as not everyone becomes great. Only a few lead the world.

First article by vipaanshi chowcharia

2nd article by anvi sarda , 8 years of age

My favorite law in spirituality is the forth law, the formula of being happy is having a calm mind.
It is my favorite because law because it is very different from the others .It does not tell us what should we do it tells us how can we be happy. The first three laws of spirituality, there are four levels…these three levels were describing happiness but the fourth level told us that how can we get happiness.
I think that the word calm means having control over our anger, responding not reacting and having the remote control of our mind in our hands. If a person has all of these three things then only he has calm mind and he is really happy.
The 8th law told us that spiritual education can lead us to the stage complentation. Yes it can but in spirituality what is our first step, it is to make our mind calm, but “why” because without having a calm mind no person can concentrate properly and think very deep. So the fourth law also helps us go to the stage of complentation.
So because of all of these reasons my favorite law is the fourth law

#3 by aarushi agarwal

The law which I find most applicable in real life is budhimaani over manmani. It is most important to make good decisions in life and not the ones we like, there are many times that the right decision may be against our wishes and that’s when our mind tells us to choose the one we prefer over the right one. In such circumstances we need to practice this law and exercise budhimaani over manmani. It does not come so easily and that’s why we need to work for it. It is one of the most important laws in my view
-aarushi

𝗦𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟬 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 is to keep a calm mind 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 doing good in a chess tournament and my mother told me to play with a clam mind and my mother was right i won all the matches when i was playing with a calm mind . I had won the next 4out of 4 matches and i had won the tournament. Aryavadhan sarda

By nidhi periwal

More than half the class didnt didn’t bother to do the homework. Makes no difference to me but all the difference to them. For when a person teaches outer science he simply gives formulas but when a person teaches arts and inner science he gives a part of himself. Without the correct attitude towards the subject, only words will enter their heads and not the lessons. And inspite of knowing how dangerous master the mind is they did manmaani. Guess they are busy studying more useful marks scoring graded outer science or doing whatever their mind told them. My mind is telling me to ask them not to attend these classes if their cup is already too full of their knowledge but intellect says they are young and more in the cluthches of their mind and need this education even more. Will listen to intellect as always.

Keep writing young adults. You will be the beacon of light one day

Love

Me

Inner science- s4: classification of humans and laws of destiny and karma

Each one of us have our own reasons to study Inner science and we explained with the story of 6 blind men and a elephant the impirtance to see others perspective to arrrive at the full picture. Not only have we shared everyone thought on the subject but i also discussed my top 10 reasons to study Inner science as mentioned in the last blog. Children should find it practical, useful and helping them becoming better by taking better decisions. Ofcourse doesnt happen overnight but with discipline and steady practice.

Today we will classify all the things of the world. The first classification we studied in social studies was living and non living things. That is the Big difference between a pebble and a seed. A seed has a potential tree inside which when finds suitable environment can flourish into a tree. Life enables it to be born, grow, mature, decay and die. This same life when leaves us, we die and are of no value to anyone around. Thus this life force is indeed very special.

Rule 9: The force which enables life to exist in all plants , animals and humans is divine and we must always respect that Life Force.

Just like energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can only change form from one form to another, life force also only changes its form after death of a living being. We could have been born any form of living being.

Law 10: rule of destiny

Based upon our closing balance of previous life, law of destiny made us born as humans with a specific shape, unique qualities and in a specific home.

We had no choice over it but it did not happen by chance. We were born in this amazing human form in such a nice family with a fully fit body and mind because we did some very nice things or karma in many previous lives. Thus that will also explain why some people feel that why do some children born and suffer with deformities and diseases at such young age when they havent done anything. Your destiny played an important role and that was determined by your previous karma.

While plants, animals and humans all have life within them but due to difference in the development of their intellect and some OTHER factors there are differences between them. Plants are the laziest , with least feelings , low intellect and bothered mainly about their survival . However important for the balance of the ecosytem as they emit oxygen which other beings need to breathe and take in carbon dioxide we others exhale.

Animals ( including insects, birds and fishes) move in search of food and shelter, have feelings and take care of their babies, have mild intellect which varies between species. Thus can only react and not respond. They have primary one tension : hunger. Once their belly is full they can sleep or roam peacefully. They also not bothered with what kind of food as look at it a source to remove hunger and not bothered about taste much. They live in the moment and dont worry about tomorrow and have the ability to love you unconditionally.

Humans have the highest intellect , walk on 2 legs , can respond instead of reacting , can study and introspect on complex topics, tame nature, take care of not just themselves and family but have compassion for unrelated beings too and have evolved over time to become the highest form of beings on the PLANet.

Law 11: rule of karma

Humans have the power of Free Will whereby they have the power to make choices. .thus they can shape their future destiny by current choices. However they worry too much for future, save not just for next month but next generation, use their intellect for various destructive purposes too and over a period of time developed big distance with the divine force within them. Some humans live a lazy life like plants where just bothered about survival with little movement or motivation. Maybe next life they may be born as plants. Most live with more traits like animals reacting all their lives, not using free will, taking care of only their family and ready to hunt and kill. Some live like humans exhibiting most of the human traits.

Beyond human and its development of intellect is also the highest posisbility. Humans can further evolve into super humans. They have use their free will to reduce the gap with their soul and they will be able to live glorious lives where they dont fear tomororw as live in now, become great and make a big difference in the world. They know why they are born and work to fulfill their mission. The study of Inner science aims at fulfilling this last stage of development. Thats the main reason why we study Inner science

Rule 12: we are born twice. The second time when we know why we were born first time.

Lets keep asking whys..Maybe in one of these we will find the answer to our why

Love

Me

#Top10 reasons why study Inner science/ Spirituality?

Top 10 reasons why every child should study Inner science/ spirituality

#10. Just as one need to study the manual to use a machine to its full potential you need to study the manual of life ‘ spirituality’ to use the life to its full potential. If someone uses the iphone 12 just to speak or a computer just to type letter, its a gross underutilisation of the potential. Similarly once we understand our Inner self, wé can make full utilisation for we are made of matter + spirit. Outer science teaches about matter and Inner science about spirit.

#9. Material objects have limitations as can only improve our standard of living but not standard of life. Weve seen many people sorrounding themselves with material objects and relationship hoping they will reach maximum Happiness. After sometime they get bored with it and feel empty inside. To improve our daily life and remain happy we need to understand their formulas. Thus it helps us to enjoy objects and feelings knowing fully that they have limited power . By introducing us to different levels within us, it makes us see things differently.

#8. Many people chase success through out their lives but only few become successful . Many of them arent happy or dont have meaningful relationships then. At one end spirituality guides you how to become great and thus successful. It also shows how you can be happy and successful both.

#7. Spirituality can help us in making better decisions. It can make our intellect stronger and more powerful than our mind. It helps us to respond rather than react. It makes us the master of our mind as frees us from its slavery.

#6. Spirituality can help us control and later remove our negative tendencies like anger, lust, greed, laziness, envy, addiction, etc. It gradually replaces each with its opposite virtue. Most of our troubles in life are because of them. It can help us lead a healthy life.

#5. Spirituality helps to change our attitude from Granted to Gratitude. We become thankful to God and our near and dear ones for their role in our lives. We stop begging and start thanking. And we learn to see beauty in small ordinary things too and see ourselves as a part of a whole where plants and animals also have a life and right to live.

#4. Spirituality lets you have an idéal harness the energy from that. It also teaches you how to conserve that energy by staying in now. It explains the follies of staying in the memories of past or anxieties of future..It also warns to avoid excitement of present for best results. Thus from generation to conservation of energy is taught

#3. It makes us more confident as we dont fear God, nor we fear future and nor we fear death. It explains us the circle of birth and death. We then dont try to add years to our life but life to our years. Death is considered merely a change of clothes.

#2. It makes you lucky and loved. With the desires reduced we reduce the constant i want. And later when we are able to surrender our actions to God, i am also reduces. Then He works through us to fulfill His divine plan. Life is a play then and we dont fret over it that much.

#1. The reason why we are born in this shape , position and time is to discover the divinity within us. This is our purpose. It is possible to do that by cleaning our mind and removing all vasanas that exisists in it. Spirituality tells us alternate ways of removing the vasana based upon our personlaity traits so that we can fulfill why we are born for .

There are hundreds of OTHER reasons and benefits of spirituality too. Ive just mentioned which were top of mind now.

Wonderful to read what young ones had to say on this subject.

Inner Science 3 – Pause for SSR & the history of intellect !

The untimely death and specially the mode of it has shocked everyone. And as people try for answers to their whys, the blame game starts. Since it is considered ill to speak anything negative about the departed soul, people look around to whom to blame. Happens every now and then. Suicide is the deadliest silent killer. If mighty corona has killed 10,000 people in last 3 months in india, suicide has taken 60,000 lives.

Lets stop this blame game as the world is supposed to be hard. Higher the stakes, more difficult it does get. Ask any profesional, entreprenuer or a daily wage earner. But we have learn the art of contact so that our knife like intellect can get sharpened and not broken by the rough stone. This story illustrates beautifully.

” The floor marble told the statue marble in a temple that life was unfair. Both of them came from the same mine in same truck but people worshipped the statue but stood over the floor. The statue replied that when the scultupture hit first few chisels on floor marble, it cried, started breaking and said i dont want to experience the pain so was simply polished and put on floor. How many blows the statue marble took so that it finally become a statue worth worshipping.”

So i think humans failed him and a few million others who prefer to die than to live. For we have failed to make an effective education system which develops the emotional, social and adversity quotient too. If all you have is a high IQ as a tool, it means you live with a sharp knife. And one day you hurt yourself with it.

So how does one develop the other Qs? My answer is know your self before you know the world. Who you are? Why you are here? What makes you happy? What is the larger than life goal you are attached to? And many such questions whose answers will lie in you understanding you deep innate tendencies. Once you understand the larger picture you will realise that divinity lies within you and appreciate the human form you have. You could have been the plant, bird, fish, animal or insect too but due to your past good work you got human form. Make the most of it. Atleast do enough good karma that you get the pass marks required to again get human form. Higher your marks better home you will be born in. More on this later.

Some people say he wasnt that successful. Nearly 10 million followers, he was a success throughout life. In academics and in tv and then in movies. Just that his mind wasnt trained to handle adversity and did complete manmaani at one moment. How i wish he had done buddhimaani and replied to himself ‘ this too shall pass , . How i wish he had the central pole of spirituality to help him when one of the poles on which his life stood was shaking. We lost the man. Lets not lose our lessons.

If he can get the momentary feeling that Im not successful, what about average people like you and me. The world tries to remind us our weakest trait so that we identify with that and consider ourselves losers. Nick names like motu, kallu , naatu, etc are examples . I remind myself everyday how successful i am. I look back at the mini achievements of schools, college, b schools, ca, work, business ,family, teaching, etc. I thank God everytime for being so kind on me to grant me so much more than what i deserved or ever dreamt of. He does things through me. I am successful as am His medium. And more i believe that, better life becomes. And that leads us to

rule #7

MORE THE BELIEF THAT I AM SUCCESSFUL, MORE THE CHANCES OF YOUR SUCCESS.

this same fact is said in the secret.

To understand yourself better, let me give you a glimpse of the history of development of the 4 levels we have. Humans have been on earth since 2.8 million years and in the most part of it it was the Age of Perception. People identfied with their body. Hunger and Survival were the main drivers. Society organised itself as males went out to hunt as chances of survival were higher while females cooked. Here humans could largely identify to his body and percieve things and nature.

The second stage developed of observation. This is the time the mind developed, feelings started expressing. Farming was started, family developed, dull intellect started coming so tried attributing arbit causes to effects and superstition was developed. For example if mango tree shook before rains, they said shaking of mango tree caused rains. Here man could identify with mind.

The third Age of development is the age of scientific enquiry where humans developed the intellect. They then started making discoveries and inventions. They were able to tame most of the elements with the power of intellect. They worked upon the knowledge of previous generation to make better products and knowledge systems. They extended lifespan and standard of living to new heights but what about standard of life? Some people believed this is the final stage of evolution and data is the new God. However there is an higher stage when human can connect to soul

The final stage is the Age of Contemplation which is highest form of intellect deveopment as it develops all the Qs. This knowledge is an revealation. One understands concepts like why are we born, who made the world, Life before birth and after death.

Rule 8: as our intellect sharpens, we connect to deeper levels. Spuritual education can lead one to the stage of contemplation.

But like every transition it is also in loggerheads with old age so facing some resistance in acceptance. Religion is the guiding light in this age of contemplation. may be this story will explain you the limitation of the former age to understand the power of the latter age

Love

Me

Teens’ blogs will be published alongwith monday blog on top 10 reasons why we should study Inner science/ spirituality

Inner Science S2- True freedom is when we do buddhimaani over manmaani

In the first class we closed with the secret that happiness is measured by the calmness of your mind. Thus we need to know more about mind and ways to make it calm. We need to know what its made of, how it behaves, how to control it and a few more aspects about it.

We can see and touch our body so highly attached to it. We spend most time improving it in gyms and parlours. We constantly do things to pamper the 5 senses and fill our life with sensory pleasures. However this body is never perfect and also keeps changing as we grow. Our happiness is a feeling where mind plays an important role as we have seen that when we are upset we dont even like to eat our favourite food.

To explain the relationship of mind with body and the intellect, let me share a story that happened in one of my office.

We had 5 sales opening agents whose job was to meet potential clients in market and submit their leads to the Mona, the receptionist. Here the receptionist task was to collate all leads on an excel and submit to sales manager Mr Buddiram who decided what deal to offer to each based upon quantity, product and many variables based upon rules i had decided with it. He would send the sheet back to Mona who told 5 sales closing agent what to offer. Suddenly i find since last 1 months profit turned into big losses. When i went there to anlyze i found that the Mona was not passing the excel to the manager but herself deciding what deal to give. She said that since anyways she was contact point with all sales, she wanted freedom to do what she felt like. I wanted to fire her but since she made such good relationship with all sales people, i was worried they would all leave me. So i decided to make Mr. Buddhiram stronger so that he can control mona and the 10 sales agents too.

In this story, the receptionist mona is the mind ( mann) , the sales 10 agents the body (5 organs of senses and 5 organs of action ) and manager mr buddhiram – the intellect, buddhi.

Rules 5: we should always choose budhimaani over mannmaani

Manmaani takes us to the preyas path which is attractive at the start but leads to wrong destination. Buddhimaani takes us to shreyas path which might seem difficult and dull at the start but leads to happiness.

Nature of the mind is that it wants complete freedom. It wants to be like a bird out of cage and do whatever it wishes. It does not like to restrict itself with any rules put by government or parents. So is doing full manmaani without any rules true freedom? Lets see what happened to Rohan in his quest for his true freedom

Rohan had been consistent all arounder winner from class 4 to class 10 as excelled in both academics and sports. This was mainly due to the habit of discipline and hardwork imbibed by his father, who was major in indian army. When Rohan used to hear stories of his friends, he also wished he could get up at 8 o clock instead of 530am to jog and exercise. He also wanted to eat junk, play on play station and watch all TV series they discussed. One day his prayers were answered and his father had to go to border for 6 months. Rohan did all he wanted and his mother watched helplessly her son transform into a lazy bum. But Rohan felt happy that at last he was truly free. In jan when school sports came, he was shocked that he didnt even qualify for it. Waking up at 9 was showing its effect on speed and fitness. Everyone who looked up to him now seem to smirking. He decided that he will top in studies to make up for his loss and started studying. However his mind kept getting distracted to tv, games, phone, etc and he couldnt study for more than 30 minutes at a time. After 15 days he realised he cant seem to control himself and prayed to make it like old times. He didnt want this kind of freedom where one cant even do what one himself decides. He wanted the slavery from his mind to end!

Rule 6: mind is a good servant but a dangerous master

Just as traffic lights are required on the road so that all cars can enjoy their freedom, some rules and restrictions required in life so that we dont do accidents in life. If everyone did their own thing, there would be no order, no society and no country. Thats why its vital we follow and respectthe country laws, family rules and personal values if we want to keep mind undercontrol.

Homework

Write your 2nd blog on what is true freedom for you ? And what are the obstacles in achieving it ?

See you next class.

Love

Me

PS: Next week we shall study about how mind and intellect of human beings has evolved through the ages. History of evolution of mind and intellect .

Excerpts of some of the homework submitted

Another one ..

*True Freedom or True Discipline?*

Freedom will never be felt unless one has total control over one’s mind. As ironic as it sounds, the key to true freedom lies in true discipline. A disciplined mind will be grounded and calm. It will not restlessly jump from one distraction to another. The thing about distractions is, they will always be there. It starts with one extra episode of your favourite show and before you know it, you’ve wasted the entire day and have a pressing headache, not to mention the guilt you feel for having accomplished nothing in the entire day and being a complete waste of resources.
Therefore, to feel liberated, one must first aim at feeling in control. When I have control over my emotions and my mind, I feel powerful. I feel worthy. I feel free. We need to break free from the chains of our own mishaps. Be free in the mind, and free from the will. That is true freedom.

And another gem written by an 8 year old.

I have heard that freedom is a very powerful word and it means, to have control over your fear.

For me freedom is leaving our sorrows and troubles behind and moving forward in life.
In my last blog I told you that intellect is stronger than mind but unfortunately most of the people have their mind stronger than there intellect but there was a time when their intellect was stronger but sometimes when the mind got opportunities he was up to mischief .He started making us do bad things and at last he was stronger than our intellect. So if I say this in simple words our mind is a good servant but a bad master.

Soon i shall be Learning far more than Teaching from these young adults who are surely closer to their Inner divinity than me.

Aaj ki dukhi khabar!

Kuch toh kiya hoga humne

Woh aise hi nahi khafa hai

Yeh akhbar kum aur dukh bahar zyada

Kam karde is aadat ko tera hi fayeda

Jo sirf dukhiyaan baant-ti hai

Aur jeevan ko sahan karne ke liye

Ya tou sports, ya movie mein bhaagti hai

Ya sone ke liye sharaab dhoondti hai !

Yeh ek din ki khabarein hain. Aap andaza bhi nahi laga sakte hain ki mann kitna andar se daar jaaata hoga saaro ko padh kar! Maine sirf kuch samanya khabaron ko aur vigypano ko hata diya hai ki aap samajh sake kya kehta hai aap ka newpaper aapko, har roz.

—

Woh chote chote siskiyan trailor tou nahi

Barbadi ka manzar humne haal hi dekha hai

Pura jahan bhi tere liye kam hai,

kuch milo ke liye jung ki tayyari hai

Aur kahin mann ke jung mein

vasanein jeeti aur zindagi haari hai !

Zindagi bebas aur quaid hai

aaj jeevan soona hai

Kuch nai jahan ko

Jeevan ke upar chuna hai

Kuch aakde roz bhad rahe hai

Garibi ke, berozgaari ke, lachari ke

Insaniyat ke dushman ki ab bhi chutti nahi

Mahamari mein bhi nafrat ghati nahi

Jo janwaro ko maut ke ghaat utaarte hai

kya woh bhi insaaniyat ke terrorist nahi

Insaan ka mann usey insaanyat se koso door le gaya

Ab insaan janwar hai aur jaanwar insaan ban gaya

kyon duniya mein aana chahte ho

Is duniya mein tera kya kaam hai

Yahan hum ekdosre ke pyaase hai

Yahan sharaab mehengi khoon kum daam hai

Din ka sabse moolyavaan bhag is dukh aur nafrat ko na do. Kuch aur padho. Chahe kasrat hi karo. Is raddi ko shyam ko raddi mein jaane se pehle is samajh ke saath dekho.

Humari positivity hi humari immunity hai. ( explained beautifully by dr bruce lipton) Dont attract negative forces into your life by reading , thinking, discussing them all the time. Stay positive, u will remain C negative !

Love

Me

Holi 2020 gibbersh to look back

We have some friends but lucky is a man who has even 1-2 jigris. As to friends also, it is silly that we stop making many new after college. Be open to making new freinds. Besides try and find 1-2 jigrees.

Defination of what is good and what is bad is what you can say and do in front of your dad and also your child.

Some are the strategist and how rpgl reflects the mindset of handicap management of business circle . Some unluckily had most real handicaps so had to lose eventually. But purity of honesty reflected in their game too. Ofcourse even in business its family and friends first.

Some are wannabe who just misses out at the end

Differnence in a friend, fan and fanatic

Positionung on bhadda fan to ever tailly get boy fan. Thats tne comfort zone

For smart positioninj yoi havd to decide whch place you are which adjoinung box you wanna be. Cant makd more than 1 box for ewch . Thats what clear positiomjbg is all about.

A zaalim singh gets hit hard only when on veey few thingz he puts in his best and doesnt live upto his own expectation. Hit also others and golf was his escape from business crisis and now with stress and crisis here he instead of facing and mourning alone escapes to watch others. When we do that and not let our hurts heal quicly, tyen it permeatess within our personality colouring it and creating a syrong new vasana or tendency. Weve got to not let rhat happen as pur jouney is about eradictsing of thr vasanss. Various acts and inacttions have impacted us deeply amd made lots of vasanss in us. We need deep loge towards other, partner and God to eventually pull each one oyr amd throw it out. Thats eradidication.

I met 18 trees for the first time. Some are old. Some are ugly. But 1 is an ultimate besuty. Perfect figure. Stands netween 9 and 10. 9 3/4 exatly.

If only manban develops the qislity of sterness can he also.become a tezcher from currently seeming likr a leecher.

Split perosnality ..dont let that happen.be one and consistent like a sphere

Rahhav as sidekick. Needs yo convert cash into fd ‘( highesr paying) , use or fight for idlr and litigsted property anx be sidelick.of vssudja new bigger venture. Yashvi adorstion of raghsv . Explsinung yashvi tyat 3 doors she wants ( beuty, intelligejt, talent). If she selects bf now? Only 1 guranteed. If agyer 10, 2 guamteee.if in colletr maybr sll 3. If post collegr , 4th croteropn of rich.

Similzrly guys aldo look for these qualities Even companies wany these. Develop yourself in.these 3 aspects. Working ithhsir to look desirblr

Ineed to give more car, more room amx more quality timr teaching kids. Ommediayely.

Amvi haircut.

Csn anu n i be friends. Need to do few common thingd. I need to do somethjng cos she wants me to n vicd verse . Mskr impromptu planz. Csll for non work. Connect at heart

Eluxr of life..the secret to immortaluty hidden deep inside some.people.inc vishal

Split personaplity , clay pushed from 4-5 sides to shape it..free will is just 20% . Discussion with jasraah..good qs.

Bhaang doesnf make your smarter. It just adds a er to whstever you are.

Sunlight in a rooom. reverse posters.

Raghav will

Jagdish chacha anf kamlesh agarwsl agent of vivky. Gadi le lo le lo gadi. Shutting insidr a storroom while bull ramoaging his farms.

Lakva by zarda. Zehar uglo isntezd of zehar pelo. mobile gift.

Anu central to her family . first call

Colour choucd determnes

Art as a way to manage profits

Hoq to bef9me slim …baba ramdev

At higger state i xan access an extra stream.of knowldge

Anvi favrite pit reading and spendubg time with her to know her better.

Can see your mother in your eye and possibility amd pfabablity

Crying for dying late

gum runs most industries of tjr world.

i cant sell happiness so easilu.

school to make.standup comedianz

amvi talent with sound tone picking

Yashvi split personility jester and focissed athelete

Yashvi not sure znx ssyinh i give up.

Insurance ..respinsible father

Amit – why it happens. Karmic debt. Clearing od. Akshay kumar ( through anu) 3 points plus 4th pl

It will not be great at first to pooja. becone funny.

speaking to anu mom and dad.

Stocks..catching the wave .

I have to be mad in your core traits to the highest level.

Inner Science- session 1

What is Inner Science and Why to study?

While biology studies the heart but no one studies the mind. Thats where likes , happiness, anger and many others emotions that we have originate. We feel helpless about them at time as we dont know the Inner science. We will attempt to understand not just our Inner emotions but the total understaning of us and our relationship with the world. This will answer many of the questions youve had and help in resolving many conflicts in future. Also when you know the goal and path more clearly, you are energized to move on it ignoring wayside distractions. As the next generation, hope you can build upon this knowledge to reach greater heights.. be sincere. Be truthful. Be inquisitive. Have faith. And you will be happy and successful.

Session 1

Irrespective you become what you want, be successful or not, work or stay at home, stay rich or become poor, become a model or grow from all sides, you should be Happy. Achieving Happiness is not so difficult. And you shouldnt have to escape normal life though sports, movies and holidays to be happy. You dont newer few drinks or drags to be happy. You dont need a boy friend or dates to be happy. You dont even have to have big cars, fancy homes, brandes bags and watches to be happy. You simply need to understand the formula for happiness. Just like physics, economics and others science, Inner science has its rules. Im calling my understandings as rules .

RULE 1: all living beings have 4 levels of existence.

– Body levels consists of 5 sensory organs through which world enters us and 5 organs of action though which we enter the world. Its a world of objects and we percieve things

– Mind Level consists of emotions and we feel things at this levels.this where body level sends all stimulus to. We are the feeler. more on this next class.

– intellect level- its deeper than mind and consists of thoughts. Our ideas, beliefs, opinion and knowledge exists at this level.

– soul- the deepest level in the presance of which we live and when it leaves we die. It given power to other levels to exisist.

RULE 2: deeper the level, more powerful the happiness.

Happiness at different level can be given different names. At body it is called pleasure. At mind it can be called joy. At intellect it can be called delight. At soul it can be called bliss. Deeper level is more powerful than grosser level. Which means joy will give more happiness and last longer than pleasure. We are wiling to give up joys of meeting friends when our exams come to get good marks. Similarly non selfish work done which touches your soul level can give maximum happiness for maximum time.

If this is so, why do people run after objects and keep working to get more money. One reason is fear of tomorrow ( which we will discuss later) and other is they believe that happiness lies in objects. Thats why they desire and are attached to objects. Entire businesses run on making us believe that we will be happy when we will have that object. Also because they dont know the 3rd law

3rd law: happiness does not lie in objects

If happiness lied in butter chicken ( or any object like alcohol, fancy watch, jewellery etc, ) then would a vegetarian frown at hearing it. If happiness was in it, everyone who consumed it should get it like everyone get wet with water. Also it has been seen that same object does not give happiness to same person over time. Same Barbie dolls stops giving you happiness as you grow. And you dont even have to wait for time to pass in some cases. 3rd icecream gives no happiness as stomach is full. So its clear that happiness does not lie in objects. So where does it lie

4th law; happiness lies in a calm mind

That we shall discuss in next class

Homework for each was to write a blog. Sharing a few excerpts of what these teens wrote :-

I think i will learn far more than i will teach !

Love

Me

The classic dillemna : jaan vs jahaan?

Love

Me

Lessons from Lockdown !

10 blogs in 10 weeks! That’s quite a rhythm as that’s at par with the most I’ve ever written. 8 of them on this Lockdown or Homestay as I would like to remember it as. While it kept easing but I guess its its last day today as tomorrow will be similar to the 9 to 7 world we left behind. Of course still with restrictions but sooner the old routine will creep in. Weve all paid some price for this period. Have also received few lessons in return. If we are able to carry forward the lessons we would have been net gainers while if we dump them at the dustbin of old habits we would be net losers. Introspecting the last 10 weeks to make my top 10 lessons which I must try and remember and carry forward.#10. During lockdown we romanticized the before lockdown era and missed those simple things which we took granted. Be it round of golf early morning, leading team to undertake complex projects, meeting friends over the weekends, domestic help to simplify our life or even staying healthy. Tomorrow again I shall not take it granted and be grateful for these blessings which make my life richer. Will try and replace granted with gratitude.#9. I was able to break the grid of weekly living. I worked on sunday with equal fervour and enjoyed post lunch break, sunset , evening classes on weekdays too. I hope I can continue to not bound by the 10 to 8 Monday to Saturday routine and do 9 to 6 with daily breaks.#8. Used power of WORK FROM HOME to upgrade systems , data and marketing to the next level. Office bonding and training reached highest levels. I dared to venture into unknowns where could have failed. I hope Im no longer limited by place and surely work minimum 1 -2 days every week from Home.#7. I Collaborated with Homvantage ( a network of home retail stores) to reunite a scattered team and launch webinars and panel discussion using zoom. Also data sharing , knowing about each other and many such ideas were intently debated. Achieved a large mind share without spending a penny and more effective than when we spent a lot. It was posisble cos a core team laid down common principles and agenda they would be bound by and everyone worked and felt belonged. Discipline beats money power, anyday !#6. Conducted Geeta classes online and was able to do 2 classes a week in 2 hours while previously even 1 class took 3 hours including commute time. While physical classes help in vibration transfer and eye contact but was able to move fast without any loss of learnings. Also in future people could attend from anywhere even if they are travelling. Inspired by the success I starting a Inner Science for preteens and teens from 10 years to 18 years every Tuesday 7pm to 8pm. It has participants from pan india. Who knows maybe soon from other countries too. That’s the power of online learning I was able to harness.#5. This was the golden break I needed to get out of habits. Some were so deeply ingrained that was impossible to break. Impunctuality being one of them. Through simple routines was able to be punctual at every meeting. Noticed that many people were away from their habits of drinking , smoking , eating out daily, missing lunches, etc. If we can continue the good habits that have replaced the vices that itself would be full price of homestay recovered. Let’s not go back to old ways of helplessness to habits#4. Family time is sacred. It is not the balance time left after work, hobbies and friends. It too needs to be earmarked like everything else. The bonding and host of things done together with parents, spouse and kids must be continued. Luckily we had the catalyst, my niece , here from US, who makes even miracles posisble. I will remember this homestay for the amazing food which ensured we never missed restaurants, game nights and mini parties with family.#3. Many discovered what they really love. I like teaching and used various forums to teach. Also like bring order to complexity so made products, presentation and processes simpler. Tried my hand at photography. Wrote and spoke a lot on life. Similarly someone discovered the art of making amazing tik tok videos, while some sketched beautiful pieces, some wrote their heart our while some sang. Be it cooking, reading scriptures or finding a passion, dont let leave it here. Carry it forward. Use it to find your ikagai. #2. I also saw my first series in Netflix. I had resisted all such channels for I had seen its addictive power but i let my mind wander to see what it really craves. At first I tried the usual which I had heard from here and there but after 4-5 tries with different genres I realised none made me watch them more than 2 episodes and that too by fast forward. And then I came across Buddha. That captivated my imagination . But I tried ensuring the middle path by watching just 2 episodes every night with my daughters on each side of me watching it together and discussing details. I hope to continue to find positive thought generating series with children. And glad didn’t binge watch ever and was able to control my mind as that’s what I was most scared of.#1. Last and most important learning was that being alone is not lonely. Also how spiritual lessons helped me remain calm not just in Corona but during and aftermath of amphan too. A calm mind is the biggest Asset and glad mine affects much lesser than before from comments or events. And that’s the secret of happiness. Was able to find so much joy and learning that commented that this was the best thing to happen since internet. Guess it was the new found calmness in absence of external pulls.Tomorrow pulls of external environment starts. Will it be the same old horse on same old course or will it be a calmer horse on a road less taken !Think about itLoveMe

Summer of 2020 – coronamphan

January 1 2020 as I sat wondering what should my resolutions for this new decade be for a year , I wanted this year to be special. When I was recounting the past decade, it was getting difficult to remember 4 achievements per year too which would stand as memories of a lifetime. Showroom opening, travels and children achievements took various forms. Was this going to be the story till they get Married? I wanted it to change desperately this decade by proactive steps to life. Made some bold plans. However He always gives more than you ask. Decided to make so many memories in a year that it would last me a decade .

I’d plan 6 trips for the year and the first weekend trip to bankok in the last week of January was cancelled after we got our boarding passes. Fog was the stated reason though I felt that divine intervention stopped us from travelling as Corona has broken into thailand too.

While February was spent counting China numbers and seeing how Italy and Iran were succumbing, march brought it closer. After a muted Holi , it was virus all the way. First few days while we were fresh, we counted everyday increase and news and views. After a fortnight became wiser and stopped tracking the tracker. The 1 day lockdown and 5pm cheering the medical staff and after 2 days the lockdown started. It became a successful rohit shetty franchise as 1,2 ,3,4 were released back to back.

The more the public stayed inside more the fear grew and more they wanted to stay inside. It evoked strong reactions. Anger towards the tabligis, pity towards the migrant workers, worry toward business and respect towards medical professionals. While many took refuge in Netflix or sleep, some found escape in cooking or pursuing hobbies like painting and singing . Some took to spirituality while some to spirits. A lot tried their hand at work from home. For some it proved to be a silver lining but for many a good timepass training and engaging employees. I spent a large part of first 2 lockdowns in improving systems, information, products and sales training and database management. Was boring at times but very productive work which will give us benefits for years to come. I also watched all sunsets , tried hand at photography, played board games and connected with children. If was indeed nothing I had ever experienced.

Third lock down onwards I started active marketing. I connected with designers through webinars and the Homvantage team which was silent since last 6 months did 9 webinars. Besides i started 1 to 1 and 1 to many marketing presentation and made more than 10 ppts. It was looking at my products in a simpler way. We had learnt to live with Corona and enjoying the time at home.

And then amphan came on may 20th. A cyclone which we had never seen before. 135kmph winds broke the back of Kolkata and its suburbs. 7500 trees uprooted, city looked like a jungle and power cuts since 4 days and counting in many localities in city. Losses difficult to count but we were glad that we were alive and not fully destroyed. Kudos to human spirit to still rise back and make plans for better tomororow. As long as there is this optimism nothing can defeat the human spirit to fight back.

T

This year will be tough. Need to save not just ourselves but help many from sinking too. Let’s open our doors of compassion and be more kind and compassionate to everyone around. This year is not for toplines but lifeline. This year isn’t about gains but saving humans. Even plants. How we can be more humane than ever and do our bit for humans around us, plants and animals. They need us more than ever before or ever after. This is the time . Let’s pledge to do our bit for the people affected by coronamphan.

There will never be a summer again like the summer of 2020. Lifetime of memories in ways I couldn’t ever imagine.

Love

Me

Spiritual shots for the young ones !

In the race of outer and inner world, inner world is left far behind. Infact the gap is getting wider every passing Generation. We want to know about Argentina and Pluto where we may never go but dont care to go into mind and intellect. Why is it so ? Its b’cos we dont know much about inner world and are unfamiliar with reasons and benefits to venture there.

How long would it to reach Argentina 100 years ago from india. Through changing ships maybe about 6 months. The time has been brought down to 1 day in less than a century. How long did it for a beginner to reach inner realms of ones mind. Maybe 6 months too 100 years ago. It may take infact more than 6 months now with so much noise and external pull around. So the gap has become more than 100 times in 100 years. Why is it so ? Because science builds upon the knowledge of its previous generation. For example if our dads generation recieved landline telephone as inheritance, they worked upon it to make it to Cellphone. Our Generation took it to 5G and beyond. The key aspects why this knowledge is being able to pass and improved upon are

– system to record the development makes each a stream of science

– practical benefit incentivise millions more to join each of the stream to create pricing mechanism for talent

– as people enjoy its benefits, they want more and better and there is demand side created

– teachers and parents play the role in encouraging talent and create the supply side

What about Arts ? Inspite of its fluidic nature it too has prepared. Though we may not be close to renaissance period in terms of quality, but ever highest in terms of quantity. Arts stream has its share of philosophies which provide base to the student to develop upon.

However when it comes to spirituality, there exists no systems at home, schools or elsewhere which can provide a base for the seeker to spring board his study. Though internet is full of intense articles on any subject including spirituality but it’s purely information and not knowledge. As a result of it we are having generations which believe science is the new God. It seemed to have all the answers and now was trying to conquer death until the lil virus appeared to make us realise that so little we know and there is so much unknown.

So how do we build spiritual quotient of our next generation. Its through building their vision and values. They need to have larger vision of the world which encompasses why they are born, humans and their relationship with other beings including non living, worthwhile goals in life, key to eternal happiness , formula to success through efficiency, getting true Freedom, etc. We must develop their value system just have we develop their muscles and grey cells. Stories , right influences, inspiring people biographies and the secrets behind them, helping them identify their core and ancillary values, teaching self control through fasts, mind control through meditation and intellectual control by debating both sides of an argument so that they realise that there always an other side and develop broader perspective.

Something needs to be done. Schools are secular so cannot. Parents dont know so cant. Not much money for even private classes to fill the gap. Some institutions like chinmaya mission and art of living doing their bit but not well connected. So how do we build upon the first generation which has solid grounding of spiritual knowldege.

I would like to do once a week sessions for children between 10 and 18 years on zoom on Inner knowldege. Incase you want your child or anyone you know whose child could benefit, do let me know. As to what will be taught, it will be largely vedanta for children which will make them confident, happy and successful individuals. Ofcourse there is a fee. Respecting the scriptures and regularity are the fees I expect so only if they are willing to give it, ask them to join. We shall have the classes every Tuesday at 7pm. It will be for 1 hour. First class will be on 2nd june.

Hope that my 2 children will have atleast 1 more companion when it starts as many in our generation also find it useless. May God show light to all. I’m guided by vasudev katumbam and dont want the structured knowldege I’m assembling just to benefit my children but anyone and everyone irrespective I know his parents or not.

My assumption is once they get a taste of this spirit, the other spirit will not hold any attraction to them for peace or happiness.

Love

Me

Àdding Stability TO màà SHAky Tents Gamæ

As we decode the encrypted title which on the face says adding stability to my shaky tent , in the code, it says asato maa satgamaya ..that is lead me to Truth! That’s what we discuss !

Hopefully one day life will be normal again. And we shall look back at this period from March 2020 – June 2020 . Really important How we look back at this Corona Lockdown for weve paid a hefty price for it.

All have become poorer, most businesses will surely face uphill task to sell in low demand ecosystem, many would default, some will die. Similarly we would have lost a million lives and more importantly the fearless attitude through which we planned and started businesses and families. Will add an additional hurdle to cross in planning.

Many might label it as the worst phase of their life and for some who are missing all the excitement @ work this would be one blob of time when they vegetated. I cant even understand the pain of the lowest class and migrant workers who will have the worst stories to share.

For something as profound and for which you’ve paid such a big price, what is the one big lesson you take back from it which will give you new perspective. For some it might be importance of family or fitness , some many why one should save and remain lean in business.

For me,there has been one line by Adras Tihor which has been the guiding light and take home.

” we don’t have a choice in whether we have to fight or not. We only have a choice in the attitude with which we want to fight. Get Better and not Bitter. Every calamity is an opportunity. Find yours! ”

This has enabled me to give my best since last 50+ days, non stop. Someone asked me from where are you able to draw so much of positivity, hope and energy in this season of pessimism , I paused to reflect and the answer is the subject of this blog.

Imagine our life as a tent. Each tent requires 3-4 poles on which it stays erect. What are the poles in which your life is standing? The most common ones are Health, Spouse/ children/parents/ best friend, Business/job and some cause or ideal to which one is committed to. What would happen if any of the poles starts shaking ? Your tent will shake. What if a pole snaps. Maybe your tent will fall. That’s what is happening to many of us as many of the poles are shaking together. We are seeing the fragility of our lives, relationships, business models and even purposes. And many a tents will fall due to pole snapping or simultaneous shaking.

Is there any insurance for it?

Yes.

Rebuild your tent to a center pole tent where the central pole never shakes. So even if some of the side poles collapse, you are calm and understand that tent will stay and work towards reinstalling them. And this central pole is spirituality.

I’m glad 7 years ago I started my journey and that’s the secret of my positive attitude and calm mind. Our connection with the self within us gives an unimaginable level of stability to our existence.

Spirituality is an inner science with similar approach and laws like external science like physics or chemistry. It has to be studied, experimented and practical training taken before you become an expert in it. Vedanta encorages questioning attitude so that doubts slowly lay to rest until you have no questions. We should develop this center pole for us and our children.

The irony of life is we go on using a computer as a typewriter for we never bothered to read its manual. Our education system is highly inefficient, in complete and incapable of giving this divine knowledge as designed by contrarian point of view experts who view life only in terms of matter.

Spirituality is religion in its purest form. All religions in the world started with the message to dissociate from body and associate with the real thing. The pollution at religious places makes the younger Generation abhor it like they would avoid taking a dip in holy but now dirty Ganga river. And through spirituality you will find formulas and clear solutions for the following which education , business, economists, scientists or politicians have failed to provide.

Sample questions

1. What is happiness? How is it measured? How can I be super happy? Can one be always happy ?

2. What is success ? How can I achieve it? How can I improve my standard of life instead of merely my standard of living ?

3. Knowing and Doing are different things and I know many things but unable to do them. Something inside stops something inside me to walk the path I know maybe right. What is this something that stops? How can I do what I want to do without inertia?

4. Can spirituality give any solution to fight Corona? I feel helpless in the fight against it as at one end is life and other is income. What is the optimum path and how to achieve it ?

There are hundreds of such questions which the external world seems clueless to provide accurate and relevant answers to. While the first 3 have been taught through texts and numerous examples to us, the last one is something we learn to apply. Helps when backed by research by scientists to corroborate that at deepest levels science and spirituality say the same thing.

If any of the questions appeal to you and the exact answers haunt, my suggestion will be to first test the waters of spirituality and if you find it clean, thirst quenching , inviting and logical, test it further. Explore your deep questions through it and if you feel it can be your centre pole too, dive into it.

“Know yourself before knowing the world. Manage yourself before managing the world.”

That’s the advice from Adras Tihor I give to MBA students when I teach them.

Think about it !

Love

Me

We lost little , Gained much !

This lockdown the world got poorer

But humanity got richer

We lost little and gained much

Subtle are his ways as such !

We lost a quarter of business of the current year

We worked together, Technology brought us near

We lost the optimism, now face an uphill task

Team bonding gained strength, now can fulfill any ask !

Stock markets crashed and portfolios disappeared

When no help was at sight for hungry, His angels appeared

Super stars stayed at home and lost their glamour

For doctors were the supermen, our knights in white armour

People can’t go out and cant hug or handshake to greet

Still some have come closer, Now hearts will meet !

We lost a few outings and maybe some cafes for good

We discovered the joy of cooking and eating homemade food

We lost the annual trip with kids this summer vacation

We spent far more quality time here, same goal through homacation!

We lost the annual break and joy from seeing mountains and beaches

We found how to take it daily , for similar sunset visible from your city terraces!

We lost a few industries few businesses died

We gave a chance to earth, with joy in summer she cried!

Millions of poor daily workers, farmers and msme will lose all their savings

Billions of other living beings like plants birds & animals gained access to living!

We locked inside our homes, it sometimes feels like a cage

Hopefully we can now empathize why a lion at zoo growls in rage

This lockdown may lead to many a cases of mental depression

But for many a addicts this forced break may be the cure from addiction

While the world was worried of household violence

Many relationships healed due to lack of interference!

While we could not meet and do the usual with our family and friends

We discovered back our hobbies which were lying in some dark ends

( sketched by devrup das, an interior designer by profession)

We felt so helpless, never felt as uncontrolled before

Realised the fragility of my existence, as mentioned by rishis of yore!

Lost my desire to work, what if I again lose it all , mind reasoned

Made tremendous gains in spirituality, learnt to apply , so many lessons !

Before I end must thank all who have been there before & now 🙏

We take our blessings as given, this time showed me how

I look forward to actions I had to forcibly do

Same event same me but output seems new

Driving down to your office can be a source of joy

Working and meeting customers can bring you happiness

A round of even poor scores you will happily take to play golf again

This time as taught the power of Now, let’s try to not miss the lesson!

Love

Me

Snorkeling into Mahabharata!

While there can be some doubts whether Mahabharata story ever happened but there can be no doubt that it is the greatest piece of literature ever written. 200,000 lines of poetry with such complex characters and a mesmerizing story that keeps viewers hooked even after 25 years. What’s 25 years for a story that has kept it readers hooked for 2500 years !

So many characters and why I love it so much is that all painted in shades of grey. No one is perfect. Represents all types of possible relationships. Just like B schools use the method of case study, it also describes dharma of a son, father, friend, brother, employer, employee and any other guidance that you wish to seek through ample of case studies. Talking about friendship, what more empathiful than Krishna & Sudama love for each other, what more revengeful than Dronacharya and Drupada who invokes Dristadyumn only to kill his friend, what blind support like Karna to Duryodhan and what guidance like that from Krishna to Arjun. No wonder its lessons seem so contextual between warring families even today. Only problem is everyone thinks Dharma is on their side. Maybe. Maybe not.

The most beautiful and amazing part of it which has made be abstain from fiction books for nearly a decade after reading these is that it’s a metaphor. As per a wonderful interpretation by Sri Sri Parmahans Yogananda , each character represents an emotion or quality within our body. Mahabharata is the battle between self control vs self indulgence, discriminative intelligence ( buddhi) vs mental sense impulses ( mann) Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra is the inner body field on which spiritual action of yoga meditation takes place for self realisation – the cerebro spinal axis and the 7 chakras. Our consciousness or Divine Soul is Krishna. Rest of the characters are as follows:

A. Older Generation

Dhritirashtra: Blind mind

Gandhari: Power of desires

Pandu : Buddhi

Kunti : nirvritti ( renunciation of worldiness)

Sanjaya: impartial introspection

Kurus: wicked impulsive mental and sensual tendencies

Pandavas: pure discriminative tendencies

B. Current Generatio : the bad

Duryodhan: material desire

Dushashan: anger

Karna: attachment to material actions or Raga

Shakuni: Lust ( kama)

Other kauravs brothers: lobha ( greed), dvesha ( repulsion)

Jayadrata: body attachment and fear of death

Bhurishrava: Material Actions or Karma

C. Current Generation: the good

Yudhistra: Divine Calmness

Bhim: Life Control ( prana)

Arjun: Self Control + patience + determination

Sahadev: restraint ( dama)

Nakul: adherance ( sama)

Draupadi: coiled life force

D. Seemingly good who fight for bad

Bhishma : inner seeing Ego or asmita

Kripa: individual delusion or avidya

Drona: samskara or habit

Asvatthma: latent desire

Shalya: Pride or mada .interesting character . Nakuls mama who actually fought for kauravs. Answers is pride a good thing or not.

Kritivarma; Envy or matsarya

E. Who fight for Good

Yuyutsu: desire to give psychological battle

Drupada: dispassion or distaste for material enjoyment due to divine devotion

Dristhadyumna: calm inner light of divine perception

Abhimanyu: self mastery or Samyama

Other : pratyahara, asana, niyama, yama, etc

This becomes very interesting when you reinterpret the battle and the role of each in light of this information. Makes one see the world with such a new perspective. And one can possibly know how to build great habits much easily as know the role of inter forces as play.

For me it was as eye opening as snorkelling was when done for the first time. Realised that under the seemingly calm plain water surface there is a whole new world. Similarly under the stories is a deep underlying message. Unfortunately we have remembered the story but forgotten the message.

Think about it

Love

Me

Project Rainbow

One possible reason why most humans are optimistic by nature is that all epics, movies and novels say that eventually the good wins over the bad. At its peak the bad seems all powerful all pervading but we know in the end everything will be fine. And if it’s not fine, it’s not the end . This story can also be told through a series of unique pictures people I know including myself took over last week. I call it Project Rainbow.

Life was normal. A piece of beauty which we didn’t have time to stop by and appreciate . Neither the start of it nor the end of it. Everything was taken granted.

Human greed and apathy started making the dark forces powerful. We were so habituated that we simply watched life slip into the clutches of darkness.

Now humans looked helpless. The night became stronger. It seemed eternal. Thunder and Lightning were its 2 generals which arose fear in mind of all humans.

Lighting ruled the skies. Couple of nights it did its victory parade with such pomp and show that humans tucked sheepishly in the homes , praying for Good to be back. They missed it. A sincere prayer is all that He seeks.

He sent His messenger Rainbow, a symbol of hope to fight the forces of Lightning and Thunder. A fierce battle was fought on April 23, 2020

Eventually the Good won over the bad and ruled the skies. The clouds saluted like prancing horses. The sun gave the spotlight. Humans gasped and clapped in wonder. They were finally relieved.

Have we learnt our lessons. Enjoy the miracle each day. Control your greed. Replace apathy with empathy towards plants , animals and other humans. Extend it to trees and rivers too. Life is beautiful. Appreciate it. Daily.

Love

Me

The Tectonic Shift

Positive is the new Negative 🔅

Data is the new Oil ⛽

Web is the new Highway 🛣

Connections is the new Asset 🏤

Followers is the new Goodwill 👥

Time is the new Currency 💵

Lean is the new Strategic Advantage 💯

Flexibility is the new Incentive 👨‍💻

Speed is the new Weapon 🔫

Knowledge is the new Bank 📚

Communication Gap is the new Distance 📞

Health is the new Jewel 🏋️‍♂️

Mental is the new Disease 🧘‍♀️

Spirituality is the new Religion 🕉

Self is the new Friend 😇

Love ♥️

Me .

Look Outside vs Look Inside

Crazy is also a mild word to describe these times. Enemy at the gates. World using defensive strategy. 40 days ! Full April and maybe May to. Alternate theorist also having a run about chinas role, combating strategies, business scenarios, etc. Surely the external uncertainties do make one scared and doubt ones life assumptions about business and life continuity , leading to sense of non control. That combined with loneliness and lack of regular companions to face situations together leads to feeling of helpless. Future seems lurking somewhere behind dark clouds of uncertainty. Recently one of my batch mates put it well in the venn diagram below the combined nett feeling experienced is Grief. HBR also has an article on grief on similar lines with detailed causes. Guess a lot of people going through different stages and versions of this grief.

Before I give my alternative view point to this, let me share a scientific fact. Stress reduces immunity which can lead to Corona overpowering you. To a person with healthy body and mind, Corona can just be slightly more troublesome than a jaundice. But to a body with other diseases and more importantly MIND WITH STRESS & thus Significantly reduced IMMUNITY ( from hourly death n infected cases update) it can be lethal. So work on building your immunity through vitamin c, home made remedies and most importantly positive thoughts and believing alternate theories like this.

Look outside model

Now coming to the alternate model which is exactly opposite of this. Just as GRIEF is highly dependant upon the external environment, Joy is dependent upon the inner environment. External forces never in your hand while inner,with practice, can be under your control.  You need power to feel in control of the external environment while you simply need faith to operate smoothly in inner environment. As to replace the 3 attributes with 3 inner attitudes , the resultant effect is joy. As they say, if you cant go outside , go inside. And through intelligent substitution of attributes, we can find true eternal joy.

Now

Look inside model

We feel uncertain and helpless as our future no longer seems as promising to us. At one hand we we are getting over anxious due to worrying and imagining things far worse than they would ever be. But that only time will tell so cant be sure either ways. But surely can look around and see people struggling for their daily bread, no wages , in some cases no shelter and also in many cases mass infection and deaths around. Let’s replace the feeling of helpless with feeling of gratitude and thank Him for giving you so much. And best way to thank Him and overcome this feeling of insufficientness is by helping the people starving of hunger. Then you will realise you have so much and will always be grateful instead of insecure.

Second shift we need to do is instead of trying to be in control , try and trust Him that whatever he does is for a reason and that is best not just for you but the world. Try to Replace the need for power and control with surrender and belief. Know that He loves you too much and will take care of you. Maybe Corona is His way to make humans realise the value of things they were taking granted. Holidays , meeting friends, eating out, playing golf, ability to go office to Express ideas and execute plans had all lost their charm. They all seem so valuable again. Also maybe nature wants some Me Time to recuperate. We cannot understand why He does completely. Let’s replace control freakness with surrender and see miracles happen.

We feel ecstatic and helpless too frequent and too soon. Neither will really help us. Just as a great nightmare in a dream gives us joy when we wake up that thank God it’s a dream and vice versa and most of the human race is actually sleep walking. (Earning more and more for what / whom/ how/ why ) . Let’s try and replace this feelings of extremes with equinamity of not getting carried away with happiness or sadness. Accept both as 2 sides of same coin and remain unaffected by either. Reach a point where we neither ever feel ecstatic nor depressed. This living on the edge has made us edgy and we lose all vitality of living.

Only then we will reach a state of ever blissfullness and grief will be replaced by joy. Not temporary sensual pleasures but a deep sense of joy which is independant of material things and success around you, independant of presence of your loved ones and even independent of the health of yourself and near and dear ones. Only when we can shift our life inside can we get access to true tranquility which is the basis of happiness.

The lock down has reduced the impact of the external environment on your life. After years Sunday is not a break day as I don’t want to break the rhythm that helps me do so much more . And every day has plentiful time for oneself , nature, loved ones and relive forgotten traits. Let’s use this God sent opportunity wisely. YOU DONT HAVE TO TAKE THE ROLE OF NATIONAL UNDERTAKER BY KEEEPING HOURLY COUNT. If you love counting , count your blessings !

Love

Me

Enjoy Home as Time Heals !

They said time is the best medicine. It heals everything. From bruised knees to broken hearts to shattered ego, it heals it all. Can see it in action like never before. 2 weeks of rest and the little niggles in the body due to golf are suddenly gone. So is the frequent gas due to poor eating habits. Also seems to be gone is a communication gap that builds between spouses, kids and parents. Now we eat and do things together. Life seems to be getting a rhythm and it could be difficult to go back to old way of living.

The air has healed. Sky never looked the same. Pollution has come to all time low and it’s as though we are in europe. Ozone layer has also started replenishing itself. Its middle of summer and I find cool breeze every evening.

The sea has healed. Someone said it sounded calmer now. The turtles are coming back to lay eggs in numbers like never before. Fishes must be happy that no deaths or kidnappings in last month.

Nature seems to be also healing. Our golf course never looked as pretty. Jackals and snakes roamed freely there as did penguins in some zoo came out to see the dolphins. In sometime even the worst affected forests through bushfires will heal and be back to normal.

If only man stopped meddling in everything like it’s now, earth would heal in a year or two.

Mind is calmer and using it to heal the niggles associated with business. Soon marketing, deliveries and executions shall also heal. So shall standard employee employer issues.

The urge to travel seems to be also healing as am happy where I am. Also the fear or excitement of tomoroow as one is happy enjoying the little things of life. The sight of the sunset, the breeze hitting your face, the taste of home made food, the talents of your children, the sound of your panting heart after 2 minutes of exercise, the chat with your friends, the engrossing into fiction novels like college days, connecting with people you’ve lost touch with. What more can you want from life.

Honestly I’m not following covid stats on a hourly basis since last week and so much happier. Only at 9pm news or a friends whatapp I come to know which state and country is leading. All I care about covid is we need to be careful and not necessarily knowledgeful.

I’m starting to enjoy this home stay. It’s like good ole summer holidays we had. As entrepreneurs I never took a holiday and stayed in same city. Home is a wonderful place and I’m truly loving it. Staying in the company of people who I had been wanting to but couldn’t get time in wholesale. Make the most of it while it lasts.

Heard tomororow PM is again addressing the nation. I hope he doesn’t open the lockdown. Need another 12 days for it to become a habit.

Love

Me

NOW is all you got !

The all powerful sun rises, soars and sets without a trace

And we want to leave an impact forever, folly of the human race !

Darkness of the night doesn’t mean sun isnt there but its somewhere else

Death doesn’t mean they aren’t there but are somewhere else !

Cometh a new day, the sun shall rise as per the laws set

An appropriate body, as per closing balance will the spirits get !

Never rejoice at dawn nor remorse at dusk

Remain equianimous, be it birth or death !

The good shall pass so shall the bad

The fashion passes, just as the fad !

Nothing remains forever , pleasure or pain

Enjoy the sunshine, also enjoy the rain !

Live Today and Now, for that’s the Real thing

Memories & Plans, will always leave a sting !

Let’s learn from trees, birds and animals around

Or lil children where the value of Now can be found !

Stop creating legacies, create your Now

It’s now or never, dont ask me how !

Love

Me

Golden chance to build the new habit you always wanted to!

I’m already 5 days at home bordering upon irritation that the 21 day lockdown is announced. I can’t even see that far and how will me, my company, my friends and world survive this . First thought came of somone whose due date was in less than 3 weeks. then my staff whose salary was due in 10 days. instead of worrying too much at night i decided to tackle it in the morning when mind is fresh and energy is high.

i remember reading through a book the power of habit. and it takes exactly 21 days to make a habit. there have been some things which have been in my new years resolution list for so many years but keep carrying them forward. its now or never. if i cant find time to do them now, i never will. period. either i make an amazing routine for the day and follow it to live a glorious day everyday or keep meandering about between whatsapp, tv channels, telecon and whats to eat .

exercise and fitness was one of them. its a God send opportinity to embrace it. Longer mediatation and prayer were the second area where id like to work. Reading out basics of vedanta to children was the 3dd project i wanted. also the subject of financial planning was being postponed. watching the sunrise and sunset everyday. will add a few more so that 24 hours also seem short.

all of it will be possible when i make a routine and stick to it. in the schedule there is time for nap, work from home and boardgames too. if i can stick to it, the marginal loss at office would be offset by the personal gains of good habits. so im looking at these 3 weeks as a chance to remould my personality to polish the rough edges.

this lockdown will have big impact on people not just health and economically, but also mentally , socially and physically . if we can control our boats in these choppy waters, our journey will not be a rudderless boat banged by waves and moving aimlessly.

will share my experiences, thoughts and anything interesting i come across once in a while. till then , be positive. everything happens for a reason. maybe we cant figure it out now. make the most of it

love

me

How to make most out of these days- The 3R principle

I assume you are either under compulsory or voluntary lockdown. If still you are brave and foolish enough to think that world is over reacting, rethink. For once let your infinite wisdom surrender to the collective wisdom of the world.In these days which could turn into weeks or maybe even a month of homestay, we can do wonders to our life just as reduced human activity is doing wonders for nature to reinvoragte. The air , water , plants and animals seem all a lil happier. Years of so called progress have taken us away from mother nature and our real nature. Let’s use this period to reinvoragte our lives too. My Guru Adras Tihor suggests the 3 R principle. First and foremost, REDUCE and REPLACE your media and whatapp consumption with meaningful activities. You dont realise how much you are harming your mental state by constantly talking, hearing , discussing and fearing the same thing. Another deadlier virus is inside you and this information is fuel for that virus. Watch news for max 30 minutes and disassociate from groups that talk too much about this virus. It’s an ideal time to do your bucket lists, read your books or watch the shows you always wanted. There is so much you can do and talk about apart from keeping a headcount of the number of cases of virus in the world, india and your city. You might be feeling it’s coming closer to you as you will see cases in your area and then in the next building or floor too. Relax. Its curable. Dont attract it by thinking and dreaming about it. Use time meaningfully. So reduce your media intake and Replace it with whatever you wanted to do.The 2nd R i would recommend is Reboot Relationships. We have been on an auto mode for long. Every relationship was running as though it’s a machine. So we spoke of only the same thing within that group . Be it parents, children, spouse, friends or even self. We stuck to self created boundaries. Time to look into each of them and expand the circle. Understand the concern and pain of parents and bring true joy of heartfelt laughter and care into their lives. Share with your kids part of your growing up story, your knowledge, your talents and understand from them their world view, their aspirations and build not just a bridge but a highway between it so that anything can be discussed. Spend wholesale quality time.playing games, discussing solutions to their problems and taking their inputs for your problems. That’s when 2 way traffic on that highway will start. Rekindle the forgotten romance in your life. Have heart to heart conversation with friends instead of useless non stop chattering on whatapp. And most importantly, improve your communication with self. Talk to your inner self. Let it speak back to you. Start a fitness regime you didn’t have the time for so far. Assess where you are going and where you want to go. That’s the most crucial relationship we can nurture.I’m sure most of your time is already taken covering the first 2 Rs. So what can be the 3rd R. It’s called Remote Working. Try and make your business processes so robust that at first your businesses can run without you being physically present in office. From reporting to accounts or purchases or marketing could be done from home with equal efficiency. If you can do that you would have freed a lot of time and monotony of office regime from your life. Dare to work from the corner table of a clin or a park. It will give you a new sense of freedom. Secondly put all your products or services ready to be seen or even consumed online. And make backend strong enough to support it. You would have forcibly started the e commerce which you always thought was important but not critical. In these times of lockdown, imagine you still getting sales automatically. Also work on how you can have some people work from outside office or from home. We should be interested in deliverables and not punch in punch out time of our people. Surely we can implement this for our key people who wont abuse the extra freedom given to them.to work from wherever they want as systems support that.If I am able to do these 3 Rs , I would think it’s a blessing in disguise. When the world throws tomatoes at your play, make ketchup out of it. Let’s try to Reduce & Replace, Reboot Relationships and practice Remote Working.Think about itLoveMe

Karo ya Maro

I was wrong this time when I said we overestimate fear as the stage world has reached, I think we are grossly underestimating it. While Corona has captured our minds, media and conversations, it really hasn’t fully changed our lifestyle yet. Kolkata hasn’t yet reported a case so it means it’s in early stage of curve and we can make a difference. We have to not just drop our kya farak padta hai attitude and make action plan for our home, office , friends, children outings and limit number of interactions with new people to as minimal as possible . My 5 point action plan to tackle Corona virus is as follows

1. We have to set new hygiene and safety standards we aren’t used to. From washing hands every 3 hours to carrying handkerchief. From extra effort in cleaning to thermal screening of all employees and freelance workers at home and office. We have to keep our ecosystem clean and safe.

2. At office front, i dont want to be the first to shut retail stores as still dont know how can they work from home but guess will soon need to figure out how to run retail with minimal staff and how can rest work from home. How technology is to be used to take my shop to the buyer instead of him coming. How people who have to travel by train and bus be explained to take extra precaution while travelling. use drop boxes and rtgs for bills collection n payment. even cash can carry virus so avoid touching by using paytm etc.

3. At home, kids have a month off and most classes cancelled and now avoidable too. need to make a plan for them where we can spend quality time together and they can learn too. need to restrict who all enter home like milkman, gardener , exercise teacher , physiotherspist , etc. Difficult to get everyone on same severity situation and strength of a chain determined by its weakest link. Extra care on cleaning twice a day.

4. Avoid travel. Avoid malls, multiplexes , restaurants, big parties, temples, conferences, exhibitions and any place where more than 10 people gather. Its called social distancing. Attached is a note on it.

5. Stop reading and attracting corona in your life. Instead act against it. That will make some difference and not just knowing and passing information. Reduce your information consumption. Use the soon to be available free time for reading , reflecting, spending quality time, making businesses robust, etc. Lets be vigilant of our and our ecosystem behavior over next 2 weeks. It could make or break us

act on it, now

love

me

Realizations @ Golf

Writing after long as really didnt have anything insightful to share nor felt very strongly about anything that had to be expressed. Winters are such amazing times in kolkata that one simply wants to be out every evening. So but natural that inner is neglected or rather the intricasies unnoticed. Also with the start of our club golf tournament, golf really takes a major mindshare for nearly 400+ golfers. From strategy to practice games , coaching and relentless hours in training, golf and its intricasies are what many think not just at the course every morning over golf or evening over drinks but also while driving, bathing, sleeping or office breaks.

The passion runs so high that even some wives have downloaded the tournament app and follow live scores. In practice matches too, not just teammates but even friends and acquitances follow your real time score on golf gamebook. All teams struggling to put up the best 12 paired perfectly in 6 teams and correct sequencing. i know of some teams which used advanced software once to do this and it backfired. Need a super computer to do this which is the think tank combined brains. I am impressed and amazed at the kind of anslysis people do that i feel guilty on 2 counts. First thinking of it just as a game and getting casual about overall approach. Second and more importanty, not putting so much analysis and rigour into my business or personal growth. Surely both are as important as this golf tournament and shall plan, prepare, perform and analyse them thouroughly too.

Everytime i come back from course, my wife dutifully asks how was your game. My answer on most days is ranging between terrible -not good – ook to could be better. She is a witness to my struggles to improve my game so one day suggested why dont you try some other sport. i realised her good intent as she could see me push a door which was wasnt moving for long and getting irritated. I told her i can see my good game and sometimes touch it but just cant seem to hold it for long. And told her many very good golfers too were going to crazy times in their head as something in their swing had changed and they werent a shadow of previous self so even more frustrating.

Last sunday destiny made a game for 4, all of whom were struggling. That deadly round was turning point for all our games, I hope. That day each one of had diffetent realisations. My 3 were:

1. water behaves absurdly under pressure. our body is 75% water. dont put unrealistic pressure on it as it will crumble. know you realistic present. maybe in past or future you played better or will play better but control your expectation and play your game with relation to your present

2. the purpose of fishing is not to collect fish but if we can get a few fish its nice. golf means many things to me and winning is just one of them. however during tournament , team looks at win differently so need to slightly tweek my natural instinct of going for glory but play sensibly to contribute to a larger cause

3. you dont help your cause when emotions take over. so neither be ecstatic after a birdie or angry after a triple. Be equanamous. and hold that poise for the full game. and thats also one of the teachings of bhagwad geeta. so course allows you to have practical test to the classroom theory.

i hope with these 3 realisations i can be a happier golfer and better human

love

me

Ps: let’s not be soo serious and learn to laugh at ourselves. I don’t intend to hurt anyone by this blog. In my vanity if I have done so , I sincerely apologize.

KL:22: The River of Mind and Yoga

GOD lies within you but is veiled through Thoughts. These thoughts take different forms like mind, intellect, memory and ego but are necessarily the same thought in different states. The shortest route to divinity is through thought extinction but it’s easier said than done. Since an x-ray of mind won’t reveal the state, let’s use a metaphor to understand it better. Thoughts alone are not mind but a flow of thoughts is mind. Non stop continuous thoughts keep flowing to create an illusionary world like non stop projection causes a seemingly real world in cinema halls. So seeing shouldnt be the yardstick of real vs unreal. In 7d movies they will.be able to touch smell and feel it but still wouldn’t be real.

Mind is like a river and thoughts it’s waters. Currently the quality of water is not clean and river looks dirty and one cannot see the base , the divinity. Also there is too much water entering from all types of sources running in all directions making the river turbulent. Thus due to this, one again can’t see the ground beneath clearly. Lastly , the banks of the river cannot hold this turbulence and river overflows the banks often causing floods. Thus for proper direction of river there should be strong banks.

The quality of our thoughts can be improved by bhakti yoga. Reading right kind of books, listening to right videos, discussing right topics and thinking on right thoughts can improve the texture of thoughts. Clean thoughts help in seeing the divinity within clearer. Currently we have no filters and thoughts are constantly entering our lives. One must keep an eye on the quantity of thoughts and ensure only the best thoughts enter us. We must control the quantity of thoughts through karma yoga whereby one does non selfish acts or shares the results of yagna with its fellow people. Thus when the quantity is controlled, it becomes easier to control the mind. The intellect works like the bank of the river and it can be straightened using gyaan yoga. In it one studies the scriptures , debates and contemplates on it.

Another Yoga available to transcend the mind and connect with the divine is Hatha Yoga. These use our energy chakras, etc to transcend the mind.

Thus we can use any one or ideally a combination of these Yogas namely Bhakti, Karma, Gyaan and Haath to transcend the mind and connect with divinity within us. Religion prescribes the path.

Think about it

Love

Rohit

KL 19-21: Humans classified !

84,00,000 types of species are there in total out of which human beings are 400,000 types. Rest belong to plants, insects, birds, animals and marine life. This 400,000 types are not on the basis of political boundaries or physical differences but based upon the internal difference in texture of mind and intellect.

–

Lowest evolved amongst humans are stone man, who lives a life of lethargy, inawareness and unresponsiveness bereft of emotions or intellectual discrimination. They simply exist adding no value to the world around as primary purpose is only exsistence . Then comes the plant man who is mildly aware of the environment around to the level it affects him , has limited movement required to sustain himself , doesn’t have evolved emotions and primary purpose of life is survival. Like plants help in maintaining the carbon dioxide thrown out by animal and humans, these plant men also absorb the egoistic attitudes of animal men. Then comes animal men who have mildly developed intellectual discrimination and response system and live a life of passion , desires and egocentricity, living a life of fighting and aggrandizing for their kith and kin. Most humans fall into this category as they are not yet connected to the deepest levels within them. Last and the most evolved is the man men who has a developed mind and sharp discrimination. They have power to look inwards into their spiritual core, act unselfishly for betterment of all including plants and animals. Only a small % of 400,000 types are in this grade who have developed their inner self to the highest possibilities.

–

The reason why some men remain at stone men and some evolve to the highest man men is their identification with that body level. We have 4 levels of bodies namely the physical body of objects, mental body of emotions, intellectual body of thoughts and the inner spiritual core. Some people identify themselves only with their looks, taste, motor skills , sights and sounds and remain at the lowest level of exsistence. Some are able to cross this level to their mental body when in love of their child , partner or parents and think beyond physicality. Rare few like scientists crossover to the next as are so much connected with their intellectual side that in their pursuit , rise above the emotions. While the above three personalities are all made of gross matter which is subject to change, our innermost core of spiritual personality is the changeless base on which all personalities operate. One who can transcend all 3 bodies and has connected to that can surely live life like a men man and reach closest to the divinity that dwells within him. Their sookshma budhi ( subtle intellect to look inward) is developed along with their sthool buddhi ( gross intellect to look outward) .

–

Knowing where to reach is only one part of the solution . The other critical part is How. We are tied to our various personalities with invisible ropes called Vasanas. Stronger the desire at that level stronger is our identification with that level. These ropes are also called gunas and each one of us is tied with different ropes at different levels. The 3 types of thought conditions in which the desire ridden human mind operates are satvik, rajsik and tamsik. A combination of these make our individual personality. Only when the desires are overcome can our pattern of thoughts and action change. Tamsik desires and thoughts are dark, lethargic and dull . Rajsik desires on the hand are full of passion, creation, agitation and ambitious. Satvik desires are calm and joyous and the easiest to remove like blowing away the smoke. Rajsik require meditation and working selflessly and equivalent to removing deep dust from mirror by wiping. Tamsik are the most dangerous and as difficult to remove like an embryo from inside a foetus. It needs to be gradually and carefully taken out.

To connect to the divinity within, we thus have to work to live like a man men, connect and identify with our spiritual personality and work towards removing our desires.

Think about it

Love

Me

We got it wrong, this time !

Hey humans, what a beautiful gift you got

Getting that prized land which a million sought

Vibrant and full of life this planet earth

No different than an oasis in a desert

–

To err is human but to repeat is your style

For you believe miss is a miss, by inch or a mile

You’ve moved miles away from sanity

Destroying this planet and yourself in vanity

–

Let me recap you your top 7 mistakes

Think about it, as very high are the stakes

If you miraculously survive, I will surely cheer

Else watch you extinct, like many who once dwelled here

–

You are far too many and you still produce

There is no demand you must reduce

Your sexuality and ego wants more and more

Theres very little left , watch the store

–

For every human , bird , animal or bee

I made its corresponding plant or tree

They balanced the oxygen equation for free

Very little left now , For you’ve cut them indiscriminately

–

Youve polluted the fresh water of rivers and lakes

You’ve dumped the sea with plastic wastes

Marine life might extinct before you know

You’re behaving like a brat, it’s not just your show!

–

You’ve polluted the air you breathe in

Now you ponder helplessly as life is chokin

You contaminated the very same earth you eat

Healthy food is passe, your diet is flour and meat

–

You’ve either eaten the animals or made them pets

You’ve stolen bees from honey and silk from silkworms beds

To poultry & mice you’ve shown your inhuman side

Breeding and killing them is mass genocide

–

You think you are the body and pamper it

Your World is all external and there’s no end to this shit

Your ego is insatiable, you pamper it with brands

What is truly precious , lies dormant hidden in sands

–

You aren’t super happy where you are, you need a vacation

Every moment isn’t joyful, you need an occasion

You’re either in your memories of past or in the future plan

You’re no longer Here & Now, that’s the secret man!

–

Now with the earth warming and seas rising

Apocalypse and 2012 movie doesn’t seem as shocking

Stop and U Turn, we still might save thee

This is our only chance, there is no planet B

-LoveMe

4 states of exsistence

There are 4 states of exsistence. We normally experience 3 namely waking state , dreaming state and deep sleep state. In dream state we have no body and weak intellect and in deep sleep state we have no body no mind no intellect. That’s the closest we become to bliss but in ignorance as not aware of it. The 4th state is the potential highest awareness state where we experience bliss. That’s when we Awaken. After that the wake stage becomes like a dream state and relationship with it is just like the way our relationship is with dream state now.A great dream when broken on waking up feels sad to be broken while a nightmare in dream is a relief to be broken. It’s emotion felt is often opposite as state changes so one is advised to be equinamous in waking state. Also when we can live in the world of illusion without really understanding that it’s a play of various illusonory forces we get caught in its web. We feel as though every thing is earth shattering and pains and pleasures are the ultimate. Our condition is best illustrated by this video where the fatty boy feels that everything illusonory is real and behaves in a certain way to become a laughing stock of people who understand reality.

His friend saw this state and with that awareness went on to live the experience enjoying the thrills of it but not getting overwhelmed by it. See the difference yourself. Choose the way you want to lead this life.

Not that the fatty boy hadnt seen others and didn’t know he isnt on a rollercoaster in a wild forest on fire. Similarly, we all are also advised and have heard various discourses but still when it comes to experiencing the world, simply believe what we can see or touch as parameters of reality. We don’t want to go beyond that to realms of understanding awaken state and how to experience blissful state with eyes open. And through healthy means.As Newton said, what I know is a drop, what I don’t is an ocean. If we keep this attitude only can we embark on the inward spiritual journey to awaken state.

Think about it

LoveMe

Money and my relationship with it – final part

Early corporate life has its set of challenges and specially when you’ve really never focussed on the package. Wipro gave me just enough to make my ends meet and that too after sharing my apartment with couple of other batchmates and eating at slightly tastier version of mess every night. And I knew in 6 months I was to get married and soon individual house, personal car and expectation of slightly better dinner places would start. Infact even during courtship days I remember those hefty phone bills and endless hours spent on searching gifts. The money used to be over by half time and at best last with one week to go. But I still never felt the real urge to go for more by changing jobs as many of my batchmates had already done. Wedding and the 1.5 year honeymoon was possible only with occasional infusion from home as they understood that with marriage comes expenses. We found our common passion of travel and went out for short trips every quarter. Thank God I didnt have OD facility then ( have neither now) as else would have maxed it for sure. However it was a great experience in how does middle class live ( without the tension part as had the money jar to pick up as much as I want whenever I want) . But I my self esteem preferred to live frugally towards month end than make a call for help home. I’m glad we did that together as it brought us closer.

I came to Kolkata to look for new business opportunities. It seemed at first every business opportunity was already taken. What skill sets did i have which could be utilised. Maybe teaching. How much family capital could I risk . What if I failed. I remember making hundreds of plans in word and excel to be sure of what should be done. Leaving corporate job without a business in hand was very difficult as 6 months had passed in chicken n egg problem as to get Idea first or leave job first . Finally decided to take plunge into it knowing well family was the parachute. 6 months at home office were by far the most boring as I realised I don’t enjoy accounts. And after the mba education from iimb I wasn’t going to manage books of accounts. Had How many books I read. Articles. Finally realised had to be daring. Charter into territories family had never been. Went to malaysia. China. To look for a business. I remember the kind of things I imported in my first business from China. How I tried making a distribution network for unbranded goods which sold on price mostly. How I opened showroom on Sunday for my largest order of 10k which too was paid in 5 instalments by the wholeseller. Making money wasn’t easy. Then how did so many people around made so much of it ? I struggled with options day and night to finally reach an epiphany moment when I had to sell a hair band costing 6@7 to find my wife buying from the same shop @50. I realised I was at the right trade but wrong end! Decided to get into retail and not of petty rs 50 items but min billing should be 10k.

With sensible pricing we were able to capture good market share, make lots of money but not necessarily retain it. Poor accounting systems led to high bad debt, wrong inventories and pilferage from all corners. Inspite of doing more than 20night out, wasn’t been able to solve this accounts puzzle. Then I realised my partner who was handling it didn’t really understand double entry system. I’m glad that had done ca and understood intricacies well. That also showed the seeds of separation and I vowed not to ever engage in partnerships.

Money came fast and went faster. Business always was need of funds inspite good sales. Then I realised need of proper financial management for smooth business as then finance was taking nearly 40,% of the time ( which now is less than 5%) . After a series of robberies at the warehouse ( which again was under my partner) I realised it’s enough and we decided to part. Valuation of shares based upon slow moving stocks was highly disadvantageous for me but a timely advice from krishna that peace is cheap at even a bad deal price too. But clear mind and directed passion can be unstoppable. After that opened few more stores largely from the profits of old stores as really didn’t know what to do of cash generated. Didn’t know anything else which gave better returns so it was constant 100% reinvestment into business. Work gave me happiness and really never bothered for long how much we earned, where it got parked and how to improve it.

As scale got bigger, some financial systems got in place as I realised it made life simpler if you didn’t have to worry about money at work or in personal life. We still continue to take our quarter vacations and money as a means help us do that. We have a large work force and money can bring a great change in their lives. Our incentives structure enables that. I’ve seen them growing in age and stature over the years and I hope I can accelerate it in next 2 years inspite of very gloomy business environment. Kids would need money for education and marriage and need to inculcate disciplined savings for that as now need to start changing my mantra of 100% reinvestment I guess as wife says don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Luckily I’m not crazy about brands, cars,, jewellery or anything like that. Neither my wife nor kids are. So quality of life and quantity of time spent with them are more important than the bank balance. Going ahead, I hope to use it to make a difference to this world. And that’s possible when my desires end. Which is not possible. Only possible if texture of my desire changes and I’m working on it.

In between all this, there have been tax issues, de-mon and other sundry money matters. At first they seemed very threatening but over a period of time you realise that it too will pass. And specially if you are lucky to have an elder brother who takes care of most of your money side, it becomes easier to write about money rather than worry about it.

One of the most beautiful lines on money I read somewhere was

“while some people have money, money has some people like fever has you. You become the snake that simply guards the money and not use it. ”

Work hard. Earn a lot. Spend it. On yourself and others and Save some for rainy day.

That’s what my journey With money is about

Love

Me

Raising Super Heroes !

Raising children is getting more complex every passing year and no wonder the average child per family has come down from 4+ to 1+ in the past few decades. The problem is compounded by no courses available for it so it’s most popular models prevalant are imitation and trail and error. The problem with imitation is you only see the surface of it and without the complete picture it can be a futile exercise. For example if you see a super performer child who often excels in 1 or 2 areas you put subtle pressure directly or indirectly on your child to also excel. You might be unaware of the issue that child faces in other areas or the genetic or environmental advantage he/ she naturally enjoys. So imitation doesn’t work as it gives us partial incomplete and thus inaccurate view. So people rely on self help books and advises from here and there to force fit any model that could work. Many of them could work but sometimes overzealous parents keep shifting models too as patience required for results to come is often missing in parents. We want quick fixes knowing fully that they won’t last. So what could parents do.

In my 13 years of parenting two wonderful daughters, I’ve realised it’s a continual process of evolving yourself as a parent. So flexibility is the key. Kids don’t do what you ask them but passively watch what you do so at first be a good role model. The way you talk to your staff, spouse, parents, friends behind their back, jobs, government and even adverseries. They are picking it all. That according to me is the #1 factor in shaping their viewpoint. Try and live more idealists so that kids don’t become practical and worldwise too soon. How long we can retain their innocence is a good measure of our parenting.

Secondly, talk to them. Listen to them. Actively. Everyday. No issue is too big or small to discuss. If I had a very big issue in office and am discussing with my wife and children hear bits and pieces, simplify the problem and explain it to them. And let them learn from your attitude to face challenging times bravely. Let you be the hero for them as important to explain that all super heroes don’t wear capes. And within them too that super hero lies. And insist them to tell stories , incidents when they let their suoer hero act. Let them be aware that greatness lies sleeping within them. Just as you woke the giant within, they with courage , honesty and discipline can be super heroes too.

Thirdly and lastly for this article, explain them super heroes also don’t succeed all the time. But they always try harder and better untill they succeed one day. They understand that set backs are motivation to improve their game and come back stronger with more preparation. They also understand that output is a function of out effort Plus other factors which are not under our control. Sometimes they don’t work in our favour but they know that real success is when they have given their best. And after that if it being not good enough or due to other factors they did not make it, they restrategize , rework and come back stronger and harder. That’s the true quality of a superhero. Explain them stories from your and your contacts lives of incidents when you didn’t succeed at first go or learnings you got from not succeeding. Failing is not ugly. Not trying is ugly. Giving up before starting is. Getting carried away by your success and looking down at people is. Trying is beautiful. Waking up every morning to work towards your goal is beauty . Having the belief in yourself and not what the world wants you to believe is true courage. Once they understand what true success and failure are , they take life as it comes without worrying too much about the output but enjoying and focusing on the input, the present. Thats the secret of making a genius.

Let’s see if these 3 points are in place. Sit back and Evaluate objectively . If any of these need focus, make your unique strategy and start the primary duty you need to do as a parent. Raise confident, responsible and happy children. Please do take out time to act to as a little more money wont help if basics are lacking. Upon us to work upon them, subtely. And everyday.

Happy raising super heroes! Every child, including mine and yours has one inside him.

Love

Me

Money & my relationship with it – part 1

Having born in a marwari home in kolkata, my tyrst with money has been a natural still unique in its own way. At a very early age, I became money wise. It was either seeing the frugal lifestyle of my dadaji who worked till he was 80+ leaving for office sharp before 10am and even getting homework with him. I remember he matching his accounts and finances regularly. He & his 4 brothers started with scant resources and worked their way up to ensure their future generations had risk capital for business and a steady source of interest income. Their spending was either on their duties like marriage, etc or charity like making schools, colleges, eye camps. Those were different times. That era and it’s ideals and simplicity were of highest standard.

My parents introduced to pocket money and I learnt how to save within that too. Not that I could save much from the princely rs 10 or later rs 20 a week, I learnt that daadi and dads could be cajoled for quick extra buck. My parents always gave me more than I asked and I always brought back unspent money from trips. This built a strong base to believe that we have enough and thus mind didn’t get too attracted to objects. My needs were also value for money toffeees and softy ice cream. I remember playing housie with my cousins where in rs 5 collected from 6 people totalling rs 30, I would buy 150 toffess ranging from 10p to Re1 and organize 5 games and spend 3 hours. As I grew, I’ve seen friends with girl friends always running short of it while it had very little significance for me. Infact I had saved a large amount from all that I had collected from envolpes given on births, marriages, diwali, etc and given more than 2 lakhs to dad when I was still a teenage as he promised be great returns. In high schools and college, while expenses increased manifold but thankfully company of similar upper middle class friends ensured that it was within limits. Schools and colleges should at this age taught us more on money management and financial planning. I remeber many of my friends dabbling in stock market but somehow i felt speculative trading was a kind of gambling and I wouldn’t want to earn it this way as else the virtue of working would reduce gradually.

College fees was a princely rs 67 and I laugh when I think that for my daughter US studies even 67 lakhs a year might be less ! As I said earlier , those were different times. In college and after that too, I remember taking up 7 up down stalls and making money capitalising on the probability leverage. I also remember me teaching at erudite and earning rs 1000 per class and giving it to mom as pehli kamai.

At IIMB, there were people from all walks of society, many on loan and some on financial aid. There I realised the variation in money as in school I was too naive to notice and by college I had developed a circle of similar lifestyle friends. My hunger for money and what it could do was no match with many others for they had seen scarcity of it and had dreams and unfulfilled desires that had multiplied over the years along with responsibilities and debts that had mounted over the years. Can’t blame if highest paying job was all they wanted and things like what I want to do or love are thrown out of window. I remember me accepting the wipro offer as role offered was brand management and coming out happily. When my friends outside asked what was the package I realised I had forgotten to ask that. Well it was also due to the fact that parents n I always wanted to learn at job for couple of years before venturing on my own. So that was what money meant to me before I officially started earning it. Part 2 of my journey from wipro to now in the next blog.

See you

Love

Me

KL 16-18: Role of True Religion & Culture in nation building

Religion possibly is the most misunderstood and thus misutilised term today. One set of people swear by it while another abhors it. Hundreds of sects follow it in twheir own way labelling it energy, chakra, vipasana, fasts done across various names like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. However for most it’s understood to be a few rituals whose significance is never explained to us so it’s blind faith instead of faith. For a small few it’s an intellectual exercise ‘philosophy ‘ about ideal view of life . However true religion is a marriage of philosophy with rituals so that it becomes a way of life and not just a mere view of life. It is not to be practiced in temples and churches but at home, office and clubs too.

People , in their arrogance, believe that they must be knowing it since they are experiencing it. In that case, there was no need to study gravity laws to fly planes as we experience gravity all the time. Infact only once we know it well can we conquer it and act against the natural tendencies which like gravity take us down. While denying action against natural tendencies would be suppression leading to cynical and frustration. But we must be able to control our indulgence so that we aren’t consumed by our tendencies. As our awareness increases, so does our control and so does our detachment from these tendencies. Thus by intelligent adjustment of study and application , man can sublimate and reach the peak of perfection.

This philosophy leads to development of culture . Culture of a place is defined as when a set of people live for a long time in a particular geographical area , there emanates a fragrance which is called culture. This depends upon the mental and intellectual make up of people living there. In early stages of development, climatic conditions and environment influenced culture as people living in harsh conditions had to struggle for survival and became harsh. Conversely people in fertile gentle areas became gentle and more giving and had time to focus upon inner self as outer needs were met easily. However over a period of time it’s become a complex mixture as America to whom the world looks for inspiration is itself a mixtures of cultures.

Culture is critical for flourishing of civilisations as when it detoriates we find more immorality and barbaric behaviours. It’s philosophy gets misinterpreted leading to chaos . Thus the role of inner scientists or practical philosophers becomes as or more critical than the role of politicians, economists or scientists who work at external fields of social order, wealth and amenities. Without values we have seen how politicians loot the nation they are pledged to serve, scientists inhhaliate humans whom they are pledged to aid and economists bankrupt entire countries and section whom they were supposed to uplift.

All external progress would be truly beneficial when mixed with inner progress. Thus there should be adequate consideration for ethics, values and world at large and not merely individual profits if world has to progress. Religion is thus also called the applied science of life.

Let’s understand religion instead of saying it it’s useless or I already know it all. Then only any holistic individual, organization or a nation can truly progress.

love

me

KL 13-15: Harmony between me and the Universe !

That there is something very similar between a Tanzanian tribe member and you is difficult to fathom for we have differentiated ourselves using the lenses of religion, nationality, colour, economic prosperity, ethnicity, occupation, etc. In the process we have lost sight of the larger picture. Neither do we view our existence with humanity in totality nor we view humanity with nature which includes animals, plants , sea and rocks too. This gives a myopic view of the world and makes our limited issues seem like big problems. Once we develop harmony with this world and start considering us as a part of the whole, a miniscule part we will not have to think that doing something for environment is optional or moral. We will see that it’s vital for own survival,for , if the whole doesn’t survive, how can the parts survive. Even animals can take care of themselves and their family but to be humane is about having the awareness that your role is beyond your family. From neighbours to building to society to area to city to state to country to continent to world to planet to the universe. As far as you can feel connected to, that’s true empathy.

Let’s work towards increasing our awareness as this also is the solution advised by spiritual scientists to remove the tension faced by humans who are caught between pulls of the external environment and push of the internal desires and thoughts. Once you see the larger picture, the push of the inner thoughts reduce considerably there by freeing you from one end and reducing the strain of the push and pull from both ends.

As to how to develop this awareness and inner control, the way prescribed is correct understanding. Let’s view the total picture first. All humans have 3 gross personalities namely physical , mental and intellectual personality and these governed by 3 universal values. This is valid universally like the scientific laws , across time , across boundaries. At physical level we are governed by the brahmacharya ( self control) value. It doesn’t mean abstain from sexual activity as we commonly understand but means having control over your senses rather they controlling you. Till a couple of glasses you consume alcohol but after that it consumes you. Same with food, music, new sights, etc. Hindus have vrats called eka-dashi to control the 5 sense 5 action n 1 mind organ that day to reinforce that body is still under intellect control. Muslims do fast during Ramzan for similar reasons. The basic idea is as the owner of your body, you should be in control , of sense organs too.

At the mental body, the universal value of Ahimsa ( Non injury) is prescribed. Violence even in thoughts is prohibited as often action is simply the manifestation of thoughts. We should never even think of harming anyone including animals. Sometimes at physical levels some people have to do violence like soldier has to kill enemies or policemen has to beat law breakers or surgeon has to cut our body. However the intention in these is to do their duty and not enjoy the violence. Thus this value is to be practiced at mental level.

At the intellect level Satyam ( Truth) has to be lived to. Satyam is about making your own convictions and living upto to them. Be careful what you consider as your conviction but once convinced have the courage to live up to them. Nothing breaks you internally more than knowing that you can live upto your own beliefs. Reduce the gap between what you believe, say and do to live a life of Satyam. For example you yourself set the alarm at 6am to wake up to start exercise but when it rings, you snooze it or switch it off. Develop the capacity to get up on first ring. soon you will find your brain has made you so strong you will get up before the first ring too. that’s the power of living to your beliefs, Satyam.

All three universal values are very powerful and once lived accordingly will increase your awareness and give you lot of energy.

Humans story of evolution has passed through 2 stages to reach the current stage. The first stage was age of perception where humans experiences nature as it was just like animals do now. It relied on its senses only. In the second stage it was age of observation when the mind was formed. here humans started seeing correlation between events and led to some logic and many superstition for example when the black cat crossed the path, something unpleasant will happen and many others. Then came the age of scientific enquiry where intellect was used to know cause and effect. This led to various inventions and discoveries and human progress became manifolds with the use of intellect to govern every aspect of life. Beyond intellect too there is the spirit which will lead us to the age of contemplation. This ponders on questions beyond the answers of intellect it wants to the power behind the efficiency of the universe. As science is covering more and.more grounds, it’s becoming the new God for many. However, there is a far deeper and longer ground to be covered which will not be covered in our lifetime with the logic of intellect but with faith. That is what age of contemplation we have already entered. But like every transition it is also in loggerheads with old age so facing some resistance in acceptance. Religion is the guiding light in this age of contemplation. may be this story will explain you the limitation of the former age to understand the power of the latter age

Hope you start increasing your awareness levels and hence your harmony and hence your efficiency in the world

love

me

Scientific Enquiry into True Freedom

15th August has a special meaning for all Indians. That’s the day we won our freedom. Life before and after freedom had a big change for we were no longer ruled by someone else. Now India was our country truly. Ruled by rules made by indians and controlled by Indians. That national freedom was achieved after fights and sacrifices but anything precious is surely worth fighting for ! Isn’t it ?

What about our personal freedom ? Are we truly free ? To answer that we shall ask 4 sub questions which combined can give us the complete answer.

1. What do you understand by freedom ?

2. Why do you need freedom ?

3. What are the things that stop you from becoming truly free ?

4. How can you be truly free?

The first and third questions are subjective as they depend upon the person, her age , her aspiration and her conditioning. However the 2nd and 4th are objective as the core reason and method to gain true freedom is common to all across ages, gender, religions, nationalities and periods. That is the beauty of it as like any scientific law which is universal, these laws are also universal and they operate irrespective we know them or not. Thus vital that we know them to improve our effacy.Let’s take it step by step. What would freedom mean for a preteen studying in class 1 to 7 ? Surely would be different that what a teen would interpret which again would be slightly different than what an adult would interpret. As we grow older, our awareness and mental composition also keeps changing and thus the meaning of life and it’s vital components change. Also if religion or philosophy has to be explained to masses including kids, it has to be contextualised with practical applications as else it remains some esoteric theory on which there will be no exams .I haven’t yet asked enough preteens , teens and adults what freedom means to them and activities that limit their freedom..But if i extrapolate, I can safely say that it would revolve around following phrases.No control. Free to choose. Listening to your heart. Doing what you want. Doing when you what. Living by your rules and not others. Free like a bird. Unshackle yourself. Some would start giving activities which in would like to keep that strictly in 3rd part.

Whatever their answers are , there would be a common theme running underneath of lesser controls , more listening to heart ( which I refer to as mind) and make your own rules. Effectively it means that give the full control of internal and external environment to your mind and then it will navigate it’s path as it feels. But controlling external environment is impossible so for proper navigation we have to control internal environment. This could be illustrated / understood with game / example of a ship on stormy seas where it’s survival depends upon following the external threats to preteens that controlling external environment not possible but adapting is only solution.

The second question on why we need freedom would have a visible common thread running. Happiness is achieved only when I am free. It leads to lesser stress as I do what I want and not what others tell me or what I have to. However it is important to dig deep into this why and kindle the desire to get true freedom. It can be understood best by analysing the issues we faced when we were under British rule. what rights did we not have? how did it lead to exploitation of Indians and how indians were raised to be clerks. Also how our identity, lifestyle, confidence, aspirations and even dreams suffer when there is no freedom . Thus, it must be concluded that nothing substantial can be achieved without true freedom and often it requires sacrifices to get it. Are we willing to sacrifice our habits if they come in between us and true freedom ?

As to activities #3 the answers could beTravel the world alone. Choose your career. Choose what subjects you want to study. Watch as much Tv as I like. Eat junk food. Stay full time with friends. No restriction on mobile data or mobile time. Dress as one wishes, even to school. Keep long hair and long nails. allow tatoo. Lighter school bag. lesser studies. more time for sports or interest areas. No limit on pocket money. As we move to adults, it would be spouse, work, responsibilities, etc which are the deterrent of true freedom. The wish list could go on and on and if mind becomes comfortable while answering we would also have some unthinkable requests too. The answers given for #3 are manifestation of intellect at #1 on the plane of actions in the world. Our concepts , thoughts and world view determine our actions, aspirations and habits. The common theme is the same as discussed in point 1 that if these external issues were under our control we could live a life of true freedom as envisaged currently with our understanding.In order to know how to do it, we have to understand it deeper and better.

Will use a story as a metaphor to explain our current situation and our current understanding of potential solutions. Manohar is 27 year old man who has recently moved out from his ancestral home and bought a new house in the suburbs. He has put all types of gadgets and appliances so that he can get all that he dreamed of for years: tasty junk food , good music , non stop netflix and pub G. He also has kept an unusual pet, a magical monkey. With all his dreams coming true, he believed he would now lead a happy and truly free life when he doesn’t have to listen to his parents and do as he feels. Within a month of moving into the house he has lost touch with his friends and rarely meets his cousins anymore. A very strange thing has happened. The appliances have all teamed up through blue tooth and now they dictate manohar what to do. He is living to catch up all the episodes of every new launch serial, try every new restaurant that opens up and manohar must revolve his life around them. The monkey has also joined them and now manohar has to listen to whatever it says. He has no control over to do what he wanted to do or believed was the right thing to do but simply has to succumb meekly to the orders of the monkey. He is no longer having free will as he is guided by habits. He fears change and doesn’t want to disturb anything as scared it might upset his new masters. While Manohar planned to buy new house to do all that he feels in a controlled external environment but is he truly free ? Haven’t the appliances and monkey taken over his freedom and he is now a slave of them ? isn’t this worse than even the British rule where person was free.

Manohar is you and that monkey is your mind. Mobiles , tv and computers are the appliances you are habituated to with little or no control. You believe that perfect life would be a life of no control but that’s a sure shot road to disaster like manohar. The definition of true freedom given by Swami Chinmayanda was ” Not doing what I feel like doing is true freedom ” Adding to it we can conclude that true freedom is doing what I really want “let’s understand who I am and what I have . Also the difference and relationship between the two. secondly, what do I really want and how is that possible to get it ?currently we believe I am the mind. However just like I have a body, similarly I have a mind and I also have an intellect. all these are powered by the spirit inside me. My body , mind and intellect are things I have just like the appliances, pets or relationship I have. These change over time. The first problem starts when we start believing I am the body or I am the mind. Once this wrong identification ends, we realise that I have many parts of which one is the mind.secondly, While mind controls the sense organs it is important that our intellect guides the mind. Mind, like a monkey doesn’t understand that controlling external environment is not possible so keeps doing and wishing for silly things. Our intellect has the ability to understand and decide correctly so it should control our mind. It can see the larger picture of internal and external environment. Also it can understand that different parts of my are happy through different ways.

One action can make me happy at body level, neutral at mind level and guilty at intellect level making total happiness zero or sometimes negative. intellect looks at total happiness while mind is bothered only with it’s happiness . Thus mind should be under control of the intellect.Most of the wishlist wanted control to be given to mind but actually once we understand the limitation of mind, we know that intellect should be the headmaster of the school. To be really happy we want sum total of happiness at all levels to be highest. This will be possible if we do actions where we feel happy or neutral at all levels. That’s possible when actions are guided by intellectTo be truly free, we want that we can act as per our ideas, ideal and desires. we should not be forced to act out of compulsion of habit. When we take this power away from our mind and give it to the intellect to act in a manner which is good for us and in line with what I believe I must do, we have given ourselves true freedom to act. the mind would surely protest by sulking and throwing tantrums but anything precious isn’t achieved without minor sacrificies. Once we attain this true freedom, we will be governed by ourselves by rules made by ourselves. We will respect the rules and the responsibilities that come along with it to follow it. We will then attain new heights which we cannot even imagine today. The greats we see around are all people who achieved true freedom first and glory followed afterwards .Let’s adapt our internal to external and adopt some methods through which mind can be brought under control of intellect. Yoga means integration of the 4 personalities and that can give us true freedom. Thought Quality Management could also be used as it controls the quality of our desires and thus quality of our actions. Our mind must be made calm and pure so that it can be highly productive.Fight for your freedom and earn it !loveme

KL 10-12 : Vasanas + Law of Karma : understanding them and how they impact us in our daily life

Vasanas, our innate tendencies are the core which determine all our actions. Vasanas cause the desire ( kama) in us which lead to thoughts in our subtle mind which which leads to action ( karma) in our gross body.

For example, we come across people with different amount of urge for actions. sometimes this urge is beyond their control we call it addiction. Some are addicted to alcohol, drugs , smoking, pan masala or sex or various such vices while some may be addicted to work, netflix, gaming or many such neutral activities. It’s not the activity which is that harmful but our addiction to it. Our non control over our actions have led to many workoholics having a non balance personal life and poor fitness levels. To tell any addict at any level to control his actions is foolishness as the pressure of his thoughts is so much that he can’t control when the suppressed pressure builds up and blows his resolve away. Thus in order to control his actions, we have to control his thoughts and their build up. Thoughts are guided by desire as desires project happiness or fulfilment on certain objects. Thus desires and thought at the subtle level need to be controlled. These are further determined by the inherent tendencies ( vasanas) at deeper levels which need to be gradually removed so that they lead to lesser desire and lesser thought and lesser pressure to act. Man, unlike animals has the power to control his actions and gradually remove his Vasanas.

However, since we don’t know the larger scheme and science to do it, we keep doing trial and error at gross and subtle levels for solutions that lie in the causal levels. Vasanas mean fragrance in Sanskrit are are so subtle that they are living the smell of rose in an empty rose water bottle even after washing it several times. These Vasanas determine our lifestyle and we continuing keep adding more and more Vasanas instead of exhausting the ones we came with. A realised master is one who has gotten rid of all his Vasanas and now out of the cycle of birth and death. As long as there is Vasanas they will find a suitable body to express and exhaust them.

Law of Karma is thousands of year old law which state at our past actions determine our present. Some people limit it only to past and interpret it as law of destiny. They find comfort in everything is predetermined and what has to happen will happen. While we can’t deny that our past actions will play a role in determining our present conditions as we have sometimes seen that present effort does not yield equal future output. This is because our future ( closing balance ) is a function of our prarabdh ( opening balance ) and purusharth ( net profit/ loss ) . Thus law of Karma also takes into account present effort and states that your tomorrow will be function of yesterday efforts ( which we can’t change so must accept) and today’s efforts ( which we can do so give in our best). Man is a both a product of his past and producer of his future just like he is both son of his father and father of his child. This also highlights the limitation of self effort as sometimes people get disheartened when effort doesn’t yield desired results. They must continuously pour fresh effort into their jar of life untill life become full of freshness and results will then show.

Our Vasanas determine our world view too and as the saying goes ” jaisi dristhi vaisi shristi “. Thus for some one the world is a platform to express leadership while for some one it’s a ocean to be struggled and survived. Optimist, pessimist, poets, peasants, military, accountant, etc all have separate view of the world. It’s like 6 blind men shown different parts of an elephant and one who touched it’s feet said elephant is like a tree trunk while one who touched it’s tail said elephant is like a rope. This complex world is also ever changing but man his determination to understand and conquer it has developed 3 fields of studies and professions. The Scientists understand and harness nature while the Economist understand and creates wealth while Politician controls people and brings order. There has been great developments in all three fields today but still humans are suffering for they still know very little of inside them and how to control their mind or eradicate their Vasanas.

MANAGE ME N T

let’s manage me before managing men and thereafter will any management be possible.

think about it

Hari Om!

KL 789 : Meeting Mr Mind & Dr. Intellect

Last week few incidents happened which disturbed me a lot. a class 10 topper had undetected depression for 10 years and did the unthinkable for no reason with a chilling 3 page note. another class 7 girl attempted it. some supet rich newly married man also died in mysterious circumstances. schools are resorting to silly solutions like monitoring the toilet time , asking class monitor to observe unusual behaviours, etc. The problem with these kids was neither marks, money or anything but complexities in their minds. we need to understand mind in order to understand ourselves and others better. chapters 789 start doing that only.

It would be safe to conclude that as one’s mind and intellect so is the man . This is because the gross body comprising of 5 sense organs and 5 action organs are common to all with minor differences in shape , size or colour. Similarly the subtlest of the 4 bodies: spiritual body is also common to all with no difference. Thus the texture and makeup of the mind and intellect is really what we really are. Infact our body is like the clothes worn by the mind or house in which mind lives.

However, intellect and mind are very different than each other as mind is seat of emotions ( likes- dislikes, anger, love, etc ) while intellect is the seat of discrimination ( right -wrong , real -unreal). Infact their functions can be opposite at times. For example a diabetes patient knows sugar is bad for him but when his favorite sweet is served at a buffet, he secretly takes a bite of it discarding the right and choosing his like. ( preyas over shreyas). emotions over logic ..mind over intellect. And similarly when intellect is sharp, one can remain calm in extremely emotional moments too and act rationally. That’s why doctors aren’t allowed to operate their family as they might get emotional on the operational table and their intellect might get momentary clouded.

Infact mind is like the receiving clerk in an office who receives sense stumlie from body and it should ideally send it to ceo ( intellect) for decision as that has the power to know what is right for the company ( overall 4 bodies). When mind doesnt refer but himself signs the project papers and sends (manmaani) there is chaos ! If you are ill, do you guess work and take the best looking pill you feel (Mr Mind) or call the doctor ( Mr Intellect) and take the medicine he prescribes. Strangely you don’t do it for many other rational things as the doctor resides inside you then.

We shall study these 2 bodies in great detail as to where they are located, their nature and functions so that we can then work upon them through methods mentioned in scriptures and cleanse the mind and sharpen the intellect. animals have mind and very rudimentary intellect. they act upon their impulses. they cannot comprehend the motive behind act and will do things spontaneously without referring to their intellect that what should be done. Humans have intellect to which they must refer the decision making. However still many Humans choose to live like animals !

Mind is defined as the flow of thoughts. Just like strong banks of a river control water from overflowing the banks, sharp intellect can let thoughts flow in controlled manner. A calm mind and sharp intellect has the power to turn adverse situations in life to our advantage. Thus they can make man free from dangers of ever changing external world. Mind and intellect are governed by the Vasanas behind it ( inherent tendencies).

To summarise, in order to make our life happy and insured from risks of external world we need to know our mind and intellect better. While their basic functions and relationship with each other have been discussed, the powerful force under influence of which they act is VASANAS which we shall study in detail in next session !

Till then mind your mind!

hari om!

KL: ch 4,5,6: The secret of Eternal & Maximum Happiness

Hari Om !

While all of us want to be happy ( and avoid sorrow) but most of us aren’t always happy. While we fill our lives with happiness giving objects, relationships and experiences and try to build an unbroken series of happy experiences ( building blocks of a wall called life) , rare are always happy. As the world around us keeps changing, same objects, same people and same experiences don’t give us the same amount of happiness and we look for newer sources. It’s a endless trial and error for most as advertisements confuse us further. Coke says open a bottle of happiness while BMW says get ultimate pleasure while someone else gives another quick fix. So our entire life is wasted in switching from one object to next in search of eternal happiness.

Spiritual masters analysed life and it’s components deeply in their laboratories of mind in deep Himalayas and found some secrets and developed formulaes which when applied could help us leading far happier lives. They said man’s misbelief is that happiness lies in objects and thus he chases them constantly. If it was so, same objects would have given all people equal happiness but while some cant stand alcohol, smoking, non veg, mushrooms, etc while others crave it. Also if objects had happiness all rich people would be happy and then why do they suicide? if marks had happiness why do school toppers also get into depression?

Happiness lies within you and not in the objects. It is measured by the tranquillity of your mind. Agitated mind leads to sorrow and you can do mock experiments with yourself to experiences the link. Once you experience it, you will realise that calm mind doesn’t mean lazy body but a dynamic one outside and calm inside. For a lot of people the happiest moment is the birth of their first child as at that moment the mind is neither in past waiting for getting married and having kids nor in the future worrying about future school, health, etc. At that moment it stops oscillating between past and future and we are still and calm in the moment and thus feel maximum happy.

Humans, unlike animals have the power to tap this infinite source of happiness by quitening their mind without objects. We need to develop an aptitude of discipline and intelligent self restraint. Intelligent because when we suppress our emotions or deny sensory pleasures , they can make us frustrated, cynic and tend to store and later spring up in far more intense manner harming us even more. Once we start living a life aligned with spiritual laws we would get a broader vision of life and get inspired by higher ideals. Thereafter lower tendencies like attachment to sensory objects and emotions would automatically drop off. Just as we don’t have to make effort to forget the old car when we upgrade to a new better car, our old attachments to objects giving us smaller temporary pleasures will automatically drop by. For this evolution to happen, we have to make sincere displined effort to live a life where we chose the shreyas ( right ) over the preyas ( pleasant ). This constant vigil of buddimani over manmaani will be the key in doing so.

Maximum Happiness is possible only when we experience happiness at all levels of our personality as often happiness of one level gets nullified by guilt or regret of another level leaving us with very little net happiness. Once we understand that we have 4 levels of personality namely body, mind, intellect and spiritual and every experience leaves an impact at all levels , we will look for maximising overall happiness and not at just one level. For example while we may love sleeping till late every day ( and some people do it too), we realise that while at body level it gives happiness now, but if i waste precious morning time, I might have little time available for fitness, reading, spiritual practices or even catching up with family members. Thus happiness generated at body levels gets reduced by regret at intellect. We need to align our 4 personalities in such way that they are in unison with each other. Coincidentally, yesteday was Yoga Day which elaborates that not just our body should be fit, our minds too should be healthy and there should be unison between them.

So the secret to get maximum happiness is ” when we live in accordance to spiritual laws, with discipline and intelligent restraint, choosing shreyas over preyas and alligning our 4 personalities through Yoga. ”

These are mentioned in our spiritual texts which we shall study in a simpler manner in future chapters and books. Enjoy the journey as that itself is the destination.

Love

KL 123 : Is True Freedom possible and how to achieve it ?

Human’s journey on this planet has been a paradox. While we have been able to conquer the 3 main challengers of famine, plague and war which at different points of time ( till 7 decades ago) wiped 5-30% of the population of a country it struck. Also material prosperity is at an all time high but paradoxically so are the suicide rates per million of the population. More and more people are poorer from inside and every one seems to be stretched, stressed or suppressed.

The main reason is the over attachment to sensory pleasures. People have not spent time in analysing their relationship with the world of objects. we believe that the something missing in us will be completed when the desired object will come into our life. After some time it becomes old and we again crave for another object another desire. We believe sensory pleasures to be happiness and fill our life with it. Sometimes when someone suddenly wakes up from our mindless endless pursuit( like when someone suddenly dies) we introspect for a while – why are we running so much , what are we planning for etc but since we don’t get any answers we go back to the rat race.

Our scriptures, like a lighthouse provide us with the right way but it comes with certain restraints and discipline which the we don’t want as freedom / free will are important for us and we dont want anything to curb it. We prefer being tossed like a rudderless boat by sea waves than get direction from compass of scriptures and move towards the direction showed.

We believe we have license to do whatever we want for they are legal and no laws to prevent it. Laws operate in external world of objects but in a home only home rules apply and within your self only your values and beliefs apply. True freedom doesn’t mean doing whatever you want but is built upon intlleigent restraint where you are free from the tyrannies of your mind which dictate you all the time. True freedom means that you own the mind rather than be a slave to it.

I have the latest phone with hundreds of features but I use only camera , calling and whatapp. I could have done that with the most basic phone too. This is becauseI don’t want to read the manual that comes with it or even take out time to sit with someone and understand it. it’s only my loss . Similarly our life manual are mentioned in the scriptures. upon us to read or understand through somebody who has read them. Life is far too precious than the phone and can’t let this loss happen. Spirituals laws are like gravitation or electricity laws. They will operate even if you know them or don’t . If you know electricity laws you can use it to your advantage or else keep getting electrical shocks. Living a life aligned to the spiritual law is the SECRET of most super successful people in any field of life.

Some people complain that even if I knew the laws , what’s the point as the world which I interact is harsh and unfair. Spiritual practices won’t change the world but teach you how to contact the world better. Just has harsh surfaces needed to polish a dull instrument, it will teach you how to shine your personality using the harshness of the world. The problem often is not the problem but our capacity to face it. For example for a poor man hunger is a problem but for a well off man it’s a opportunity to eat good food. He sometimes takes medicines or goes to gym to get hungry for he has capacity where hunger is no longer a problem for him. Scriptures will build capacities in you where most problems will be opportunity or game or a challenge to overcome.

once you can gain mastery over the sense organ where you consume the food or drink rather than they consuming you , you own the mind rather than the emotions gripping you to act without any control, you would have gained true freedom and you would understand the power that comes with it to face any problem without fear but as a challenge. The way to do so is mentioned in scriptures which we shall simplify and discuss in future

hope we all can be truly free!

hari om !

Commentries on chinmaya mission geeta classes texts

Hari Om! By the grace of God and blessings of Chinamayanandji, I was given an opportunity to be a sevak and conduct weekly Geeta classes. It was and will be a great learning experience for me as participants are similar or 5- 10 years elder to me. But as mentioned in last post that we need to understand relative notion of time as on the spiritual journey most are infants while I would be entering teens.

Some expressed concern that the language of text was slightly difficult to follow as they have been out of reading while some said difficult to take out time to read 3 chapters. They requested if I could summarise these 3 chapters in a simpler style. I hope that after reading this, the summary session can be shorter so that we have time to cover the next 3 chapters.

Also over a period of time I’ve found many people who are interested in knowing about geeta and take these classes but are either not able to take off time from their routine or gather enough people or conviction to start a group of their own. I’ve casually said to so many yes will let you know when a class starts that even I don’t remember most! May be this is for you all !!

This could also be a revision texts for fellow classmates who possibly can now read same texts of kindle life, a truly layered text , in more depth.

This series of blogs is commentary on series of books we read in our chinmaya mission classes written by swami chinmayanandji. While a lot of depth will be lost in translation but I hope to simplify the language, shorten the texts and add contextual perspective to it. I hope that if this rudimentary writing seem interesting to non chinmaya mission readers, they will either enrol in classes to know and discuss and debate these further or buy a copy of the kindle life or other books that I will mention at the beginning and read the amazing original writings.

I pray to Lord I do justice in what I attempt and this benefits a few people now and later. I hope He writes through me to you for you !

thanks for stopping by and reading the musings.

hari om !!

Relativity of Time !

To understand abstract concepts, one needs to understand them through examples and then backtrack to their properties. Absolute means it is same for every one and can be measured through units. Relative on the other hand means it’s subjective and depends upon the user. it’s impossible to measure it linearly.

we are used to absolutes in time for that that being fixed in nature , it helps us compare or estimate. however like taste or smell which is subjective as it depends on the person eating or smeling and thus a unit of tastiness of food or smell of a perfume hasn’t been found out! we thus depend upon review and other non linear units of measurement. thus food or perfumes are fairly complex business though food has been able to understand intricacies of taste buds and find some universal tastes like heinz tomato sauce, etc.

focussing back to Time, since we consider the unit of life as time, it’s important we understand it better if we want to understand life better and live better. while absolute measurement are the most popular and commonly used to celebrate birthday, anniversary or even measure experience, if we can understand the non linear movement of time across states, it might help us living a fuller life.

our entire life can be divided into 3 states namely waking state, dreaming state and deep sleep dreamless state. in dream state, our intellect is no longer available to control the mind and it can fly anywhere and see a very plausible dream ( mainly in known realms). scientists have discovered that absolute length ( in units of waking world) is maximum 90 seconds, which we felt wr saw for about 3-4 hours and in that time we are able to sometimes live through a few years . so surely time didn’t seem to travel linear here as 90 second seemed 90 minutes or more when we woke up and while deeaming we felt we lived 90 days or even 90 weeks. it’s more like a harmonic progression it seems . beyond the dream state is deep sleep state where we have 0 awareness and even mind is sleeping. thus we have zero awareness. it’s a blissful state to be but we aren’t aware of it but only it’s effects can be seen like an energized you feeling charged and fresh. here I am unsure how time moves so skipping it.

waking world we know how times moves absolutely. will like to extrapolate from the movement downwards to dream state the possible movement in an another state called the awaken state . in that higher realised state we are at higher awareness levels and we can see the forces of Maya at play in our lives. we are far more aware of our body, mind , intellect, acting forces and everything around us. we are closer to the consciousness. in this state mind is very calm and thus can reflect consciousness better. we are thus lesser in conflict, more efficient and dexterous in our actions and even inaction.

once we start operating at even lower levels or awareness ( not realised but slightly more aware) and come to the waking state we realise we have far more disposable time relatively. it’s like how a great footballer or cricketer is able to see more frames per second than a regular one in his area of expertise and do the things which seem like magic to us mere mortals . it’s awaeness , it’s efficiency. as we can increase our awareness, our mind will become calmer and vice versa. we will operate in waking state only but with dexterity found through awaken state where senses, mind and intellect are there but under our controls and not conflicting with each other but in sync. also fully aware of their limitations and roles.

using this hypothesis to answer the 2 questions raised. the person outside the bathroom is highly agitated as mind is not calm. also he is so deeply connected to his body at that time that awareness and calmness doesn’t exsist and time seems longer . To the person inside , time moves normally so the difference in perception.

when we are going for a trip, if trip starts from airport we are in the moment and thus closer to awareness. thus time passes quickly. while coming back, our trip has ended when we boarded and we want to be home asap. our mind is not here but in the future. awareness operates only at present moment thus we feel restless and seem that journey is not ending. next time you feel like that on the plane, start playing or watching and get into the moment ( even if more virtual ) and time moves faster relatively.

some people feel time is moving too fast and they don’t have time to reflect . suggestion to them is sit with loved ones with past albums or future plans and you will achieve some balance. for some time is moving very slowly and difficult to pass. advice is don’t fret about past or worry about future. live each day and week gloriously. give detailed attention to even smallest tasks and immerse yourself in it. time will fly.

with this relative knowledge of additional relative nature of time, we can look back at our experiences and analyse and make sense of some and use it to live better and fuller lives. I use to create an array of experiences with friends I meet after long. have experience of slowing and fastening relative time by being in past, present and future with them sometimes when you are only in present, you feel time went by too fast!

hope some of it make sense

think about it

love

me

3 questions on time you should think about and if can, answer!

time is a fascinating subject. it measures the interval between the first and the second and guess that why it’s unit of measurement is second ! it is very minute so another minute measurement unit is minute!! enough of play of words but 3 very vital questions id like you to ponder about and if possible write back to me .

1. is time a absolute or relative concept ?

2. if your answer is absolute , then why does 1 minute seem so long to the person standing outside the bathroom door and so normal / short to the person inside the bathroom ??

3. why do we feel time passes so quickly on flights while going to the vacation while the return flight back home seems so long while both are exactly same duration of number of hours ( time difference and ahead/ behind time is not the answer as question valid for journey to Australia or America so gain/ loss of time doesnt matter )

please think about it ..

answers in tomorrow’s blog!

love

me

in pursuit of happyness- part 3

c

Happiness is one recurrent theme I dwell upon every year since past 5 years of writing. As I re-read those blogs I can see the journey and evolution. Today Id like to share a learning I got from teaching. I’ve asked children n adults across ages if you are happy and what makes you happy. There were patterns. As we keep getting older, less and lesser people start believing that are happy. By midlife it’s crisis and by old age it’s a bag full of regret and disappointment. The reason is very clear n apparent but we refuse to see. Analysis of the first dillemma lies in the answer to the second as to what makes you happy. let’s explore.

the most common answers of what makes people happy is good food, music , friends, travel , sleep and movies/ netflix. some even said reading, doing their hobby, doing their work or business and some candidly confessed drinking/drugs made them happy. every one tried to fill their lives with as many of these as possible so that there is an unbroken continous series of happy experience which we call a happy life. However when this continuum is broken we become unhappy and if deprived for long we could be depressed. Thus we need external experiences to be happy and also we haven’t yet analysed any of those happy experiences. that’s vital to do as everything materialistic that we enjoy was developed by scientists by analysing it in detail in their labs. it’s important that we analyse our happy experiences to find the formula for happiness .

our experiences can be divided into 4 types depending upon the medium they touch. Body, involving the 5 sensory organs of taste, sight , touch , smell and hear constitute bulk of our sensory happiness. these are instant gratification and the effect also lasts for a short time. for example we have a great meal and love the taste and are super happy while and after it. But rarely does one feel happy about good meal one had a week ago. Younneed another good meal now to be happy. similar is with good view or melodious music and thus I call these Body level experiences of Sensory Happiness as Pleasures and not happiness. as we grow order and these senses can’t work to their highest level due to diseases, etc we feel dissapijted as can’t tap this source.

then there are happiness which are derived from touching our minds our emotions like time spent with loved ones , creating memories together with friends, socialising over dinner or parties, time with pets, etc. here since our emotions are involved, our sense of participation is deeper and thus happiness lasts a little longer. these could last from few weeks to even few months. however, since people and relationship change or go away, they also give a lot of grief and infact the source of grief for most.

our third equipment is our intellect and experiences involving it along with other 2 bodies are even more fulfilling. for example winning a case competition takes a lot of planning, effort and then emotions also get involved and we work day and night for that coveted trophy. and even after 20 years of winning that competition, you feel happy. thus deeper the engagement, longer the fragrance lasts . however everyone can’t be a winner and such competitions are far and few so we have limited supply of these. some people keep participating in competitions to experience this happiness but often disappointed by either losing or for the regular winner, diminishing returns starts taking place. also intellect also dimishes after an age and we start becoming less agile and more senile.

there are acts done so that we can escape reality and be happy. in movies we change the external surrounding to give new temporary illusion while in drinks / drugs we weaken the intellect so that we can hallucinate a reality in our minds.

beyond the gross body and subtle mind and intellect is our causal body. this is the reason of our coming back to life circle. it is the core of who and why we are. it is the deepest level where the impact is most profound. acts done in touch with it give profound long lasting happiness. for example if one has done kind unselfish acts after being in touch with his humane side ( and not ego ) then he would feel good about it even after decades. for example if you give pastries to poor person on street, while he would be happy at level 1 ( taste at body level) for short time, you on the other hand would be happy at level 4 for very long time. so you’re a much bigger gainer when you give and live unselfishly. it’s jubilation!

consistent behaviour at level 4 could open doors to the final level 5. here there is infinite and continuous happiness. that’s what is our true nature dwelling inside of sat – chitt- ananda or bliss as we call it. that’s what each one of should aspire to reach. everything in the world of body mind and intellect is subject to change while consciousness being the only truth and unchanging phenomenon we can always derive happiness irrespective of our age, health or wealth. it’s euphoria !

let’s get greedy. let’s aim for lots of happiness for a long time and not get satisfied by small doses of pleasure or happiness for short times.

think about it

love

me

this blog is dedicated to late swami chaitanyanandji, our beloved Kolkata chinmaya mission head who passed away last night.

Time to Discard those velvet gloves while handling your children !

I see my child as an extension of me

and in some way it makes me immortal

for through it and it’s children

a part of me and my name will live forever!

I’m a busy parent and time I have scant

so I overpamper and fulfil all their demands

in fact even before they ask for anything

I’m asking them, they shouldn’t miss a thing!

School realises books can’t develop life skills

so gives projects, charts and random work

we feel it’s lil difficult for her to do that

so it becomes a competition amongst parents to top that !

Does the child learn anything in that

for stretch was needed to reach new heights

but all this taught her was to manage parents

which they master by the time they grow up !

Kids now have tuition and classes for everything

then how will self learning take place

this too much hand holding is fatal

for self learning is most important quality for future!

We take kids to multi level play zone in malls

where everything is padded so no injury even if someone falls

makes the kids careless and reckless too

for she feels soft cushion will always be there

I saw this play zone recently which inspired this blog

where no cushions and thus it will hurt if you fall

edges of wood are rounded and soft floor done

rest use you skills and tread with caution!

We ensure our kids stay in the best in travel

and leave no stone unturned to make them happy

and sometimes after the trip they still seem bored

for they expect it’s world’s duty to continuously excite them !

Kids are getting addicted to tab or tv

and we helplessly watch for have no solution

if we ever remove these from their lives

are shocked to see how rebellious they’ve become inside !

Our kids lack the boredom we grew up with

they also haven’t heard as many mythological stories from grandparents

their cultural sensitivity and a strong value system is missing

and that’s one big root cause of many things !

We want to earn and make everything set for them

but under too much shade don’t grow strong trees

many a lives lost consuming, wandering and enjoying

for without struggle nothing worthwhile was ever achieved !

The world is changing more than we can cope

and in that world our kids would make their lives

let’s understand values , mindset and skills will be vital

so let’s remove our velvet gloves in handling them !

For the world of tomorrow shall stress their mind to limits

and they need the right mindset to change adapt and grow

the most important skill will be to upgrade ones skill by self learning

and the dependable pillar on which their personality would stand would be values !

Let’s first understand this ourselves first

for its not easy when we are forced to parent without the requisite skill sets

but as long we can constantly learn n upgrade

we have a chance to make it slightly more real and favourable for our kids !

love

me

2 keys to unlock Human Potential- Time & Energy

The story of human success can be attributed to 2 key factors which cannot be bought but have to be self generated : Time and Energy .

we have a fixed time on earth differing for each. however that time has been allotted to so many activities that sometimes time available to pursue our goal is not there or negligible. Sleep takes away nearly 1/3 and basic hygiene + eating + commute takes nearly another 1/6. Of the other half left work takes min 1/3 and entertainment + social media + socialising takes more than 1/12th. so what often is left for ‘ other pursuits ‘ is less than 2 hours. However with better planning and based upon our priorities time could be better managed freeing more time. attached is one model but that’s not a perfect model. Some people have been able to sleep for just 4-5 hours and finish work in 4-6 hours to free up more time for their goals. that’s the essence of time management, managing one of the key constraints.

While a lot of texts and books written on time management, this other resource has been kinda ignored by science as a key feature in human life. for science the unit measurement of energy is calories and too much calories is bad as leads to fat building. however the energy I speak of is the passion and power in a person to pursue any task. it determines his creativity , concentration, motivation , determination and passion towards his goal. Goal could be a simple goal like reading 2 books a month or gymming 3 days a week or teaching twice a month but the vigor and efficiency with which one approaches a task determines it’s success. energy gets consumed every minute even by thinking. Lot more by thinking about the past and worrying about the future. so best is to stay in the present and feel energetic like children do. as to how do we get energy, there are both external and internal sources. have you ever wondered why do most pains and aches happen at night ? or why do we feel irritable some days? unfortunately we have lost connection with our body and do not understand it’s rhythm anymore . we fail to see ailments that trouble us in a pattern every month as don’t know our cycles.

the external sources of energy that govern our life our sun and moon. sun brings vitality and should be tapped for energy. however at the right time though. in tropical and equatorial countries morning sun must be utilised to fill your body with energy. all minor ailments and aches would disappear for morning walkers. yoga has prescribed surya namaskar and various practices for it too. learn to build connection with sun and most energy problems will resolve. however in night we have to build connection with moon which emits lower and different energy on different nights. for example on amavasya there is no moon and thus no external energy source so you could be more susceptible to ailments. historically holidays were on amavasya so that one can rest on this day or generate energy internally. even now in Rajasthan 1 monthly holiday is on amavasya. full moon also is a great opportunity to fill your life with abundance. if you look at the lunar calender you will see that each full moon is celebrated with a festival and often a holiday is given so that people collectively could take benefit of it. however all this knowledge and culture is lost is few centuries of slavery. pranic healing and various practices have developed methods to harness that lunar energy. one must learn them .

as to internal sources of energy, for external body is physical exercises. you know more than me about it so will keep it just to this that an hour of physical exercise gives you energy to last for a day as each part of your body initially whispers, later tells and lastly screams that you take care of me for 1 hour and I shall take care of you for 23 ! the energy source for mind is meditation. unfortunately people don’t know much about how to do meditation and believe anyone can do it without pre practices and fail to do so only or even if forcibly sit for 10 minutes fail to get any benefits from it. how to do meditation is mentioned in bhagvat geeta too ! will keep that topic of another blog but will just leave you with basic jist that your mind needs to be cleansed and quitened Before you even sit for mediation as that’s an exercise to focus to create higher energy levels.

thus by alligning yourself to sun and moon and physical exercise and meditation one can harness the energy to operate at higher levels. and with proper time management one has the time to utilise this high energy one can do wonders. that is what all super successful people have done . and that’s what they do ! time for us to embrace it too

love

me

once upon a time humans conversed with each other !

One of the prime victims of multi social n regular media explosion on our lives has been the lost art of conversation.

Is it that our normal life’s problem and topics seem so mundane in front of national and human race survival issues of the soap, high level fast paced deceit n murder with impactful dialogues that we don’t find regular topics interesting enough ?

or is it that it’s difficult to talk about self and own problems so we’ve keep them under the pillow to be dealt alone while together we talk generic topics like food and holidays

or further more , we forgotten the art of conversation. neither are we 100% there when we speak nor 100% when we listen. not everything warrants a reply but we are too impatient to wait and blurt a solution even when just a patent hearing is needed. even while listening if we don’t nod our heads actively and break with yess and I understand the other person might not understand you’re truly listening but simply dreaming or they have lost you midway. most conversations get snapped within 5 minutes and thus now half hearted speaker addressing to half hearted listener who often interjects at wrong time. in fact in many cases it’s 10% interested speaker addressing to 10% interested listener leading to miscommunication as both are watching tv or texting as they talk. results are fights, loss of proximity and a surfaxe level non depth in relationship.

” Everyone complains others don’t understand me and yet no one makes an effort to understand the other” . relationships were living thing between 2 living being but are slowly losing their life.

life had long left this body

but I held on to this corpse

for fond memories dwelt in it

but I wasn’t ready to remorse

time to bury it deep or offer to fire

and rebuild and start a new ship

same people same journey but a better boat

which suits both the tiger and the goat!

let’s build boats , let’s build bridges which can carry our thoughts, emotions and words to each other. sometimes the sound of silence is lost in WhatsApp texting. let’s reconnect and build the bridges we’ve burnt assuming in age of planes who needs boats and bridges. to start with, let’s give 100% in talking and 100% in listening and notice the miracle it does to your relationships.

love

me

1% margin economy

happy holiday! but you’re in work already! or taken holiday on holy day and vacationing! super! wherever you are glad you stopped by to read musings this holi ! some insights might dwell in the endless blabbering this intellect does.

first and foremost I propose a new style of economy as I believe both capitalism and socialism have failed as both have their apparent shortcomings. what if govt legislatures made an economy where profit margin on everything for basic needs will be 1% or less. for conspicuous consumption it could be 2% but rest everything is just 1%. and strict laws to monitor the kind of expenses done as a large number of companies work on 1000% to 10,000% markup over their cost of production.

this 10000% economy profit then gets divided among the market of sellers , influencers, ads , travel companies who design package for influencers, lobbyist, government and various allied industries too. for example let’s take the pharma industry. the 10 to 100 times markup makers healthcare unaffordable for most middle class and gives birth to insurance industry. high margin encourages greed and this doctors sometimes do unnessary tests and sometimes unnecessary operations too.

most of the things we consume have been marked up few times making the cost of living so high that only a few have good standard of living. what if I made margins based upon fixed rule of 2% . my total margin depended upon my turnover, my turnarounds and uniqueness of my products. of course since everyone will be playing with same rules, most products including salaries would come done but purchasing power would increase. this is better than socialism proposed as hopefully will lead to 80% people living a decent standard of life and the gap between the super rich and average lesser. High margins fuel wasteful expenses , greed and make everything glittering attractive but always out of reach. people have to slog more, evade, borrow or steal to meet their desires which is always ahead of their income.

at the basic level, schools and parents must inculcate skills to control desires. a controlled mind is the biggest asset you can give your children. and then your child is free to interact and buy and transact in this world . but where mind runs ahead of yourself too, you run after it and it like a enchanted deer makes you fall in the trap laid for it.

economics should be for max good for max people but capitalism makes wealth distributions so skewed that I doubt if it’s the best solutions. controlleed capitalism with caps in margins will make this world a far more happier place.

I don’t know if experiments like these have been done or theories debated but surely anything which can make lives of bulk better should be deliberated.

that’s my bit on a utopian economy

love

me

badalta samay badalte hum !

na aap badle na hum badle shaayad yeh zamaana hi badal gaya

aapke bolne ka, mere samajhne ka aur humari bastcheet ka tarana hi badal gaya !

woh bhi ek zamaana tha jab unko chitthi likha karte thay

dil ka haal aur saari khabar shahi se kaagaz pe bharatey thay

us kaagaz pe unki likhavat ke saath unki khushboo bhi aati thi

chitthi ke milne se zyada mazaa uske intezaar ke besabri lati thi !

phir yeh phone aaya aur intezaar khatm ho gaya

raat bhar guftagu ka silsala shuru ho gaya

baaton se zyada unki awaaz sunkar dil ko sukoon aata tha

aur kabhi kabhi khamoshiyaan shabdo se zyada bayaan karti thi !!

ur phir jab dashak badla technology ne hunkaar mari

har haath mein ho mobile, farmaan ho gaye jaari

internet se chala email ka chalan aur badla sansaar

duniya ho gayi chota aur chota ho gaya intezaar !

phir aaya sms ka daur aur laghu hi sundar

apni baat poori keejiye 160 varno ke andar

message se messenger aaya aur messenger se whatsapp

whatsapp se Snapchat aaya aur snapchat se snap

ab baat karne ke liye shabd nahi chahiye they

sirf Gm lol ok se bhi complete sentences bante they

aur agar kuch kami ho to fwd aur emoticons haina

ab na mujhe khul ke hasna aata hai na hi khulke rona !!

ek hazaar khule windows hai yahan

lekin kisi se na hawa na roshni aati hai

aaj subah jab ek dost ka purana email padha

tab undino ke thode mein bahut kehne ki yaad satati hai !

birthday par facebook par wishes tou bahut aate hai

rest whatsapp mein hi cakes gifts bouquet bhijva dete hai

lekin kuch hi hai jo call karke wish karte hai aur thehke lagate hai

aur nayaab jo cake khaane ke liye kahi bhi pahuch jaate hai aur aakar gale lagate hai !

badlana samay ki aadat hai tou sab kuch badlega

ache ke liye kuch tum badlo ache ke liye kuch mein badlo

ek doosre ke dil aur shabdo ke taar jude rahe

tou ache ke liye humara samay badlega!

keep communicating!

Love

Me

the world is changing faster than we can cope. time to build adaptive strategies.

As i saw the Amazon guy at the door, i instinctively called out for my wife who is the only one who contributes to the hyper growing e commerce economy. But to my utter disbelief he asked for some Mr. Murari Sharma who I came to know is our domestic help who either don’t remember names of or call them with more generic names like chotu or ramu. Murari had ordered airpods! Cash on Delivery. Had he taken out his Bhim card I would have an heart attack! india is changing. This truly is coming of age of e commerce as when the lowest strata of society starts emvracing it, it truly has unlimited reach. this section of society finds it inconvenient to go to big stores, now gets that same variety at cheaper prices, it does open up a vast new market for ecommerce in India.

whenever I cross the wholesale market, I would be shocked to see the volume of goods each wholeseller was selling. mostly of the suburban and rural india dealers picking truckful of material upon each visit. and they would further distribute it to hundreds of small stores in towns n villages. but guess it’s a matter of time that all that this too would change. just a function of how much time logitics takes to reach there profitability.

most of the ecommerce happens on just 4-5 sites which reflect the power of scale has. nearly impossible to start any b2c platform as such high stakes table that your entire capital is what they bet every week. thus that space will be a mix between oligopoly and monopolistic competition in different markets in different times. and that’s when they will make money like the way uber rates have gone up atleast 50% over last 3 years and they charge 2x to 4x when you really need them . the sales, jobs, profits and power is shifting to the hands of few making thousands either complaining that demand has swindled or out of job. and this is just the beginning. traditional trading jobs will no longer exist in the next generation. time to redefine what you do and how you add value. and if you’re not prepared to change, prepare your child for a job as either your business won’t be there when he is ready or it won’t be exciting enough. if you still thinking why do you need to change when it worked well for your dad..well the answer is

swiggy is changing the way we eat, airbnb the way we holiday, online games the way we entertain, google is way we search, Twitter the way we express and Facebook the way we greet. we use mobile for all of it. plus WhatsApp + sms ( Some Medevial Still ) + talk + read + listen to music or podcasts + mail ,+ watch movies + byjus for children tuitions + etc etc etc . why will businesses be any different. change for the better if you want to exsist.

the irony is we use mobiles to do all of the above imcluding writing this blog. life is truly addicted to our phones. it’s like the sword of He Man which he used to raise and shout ‘ I have the power ‘ . I cannot be bored anywhere anymore including bumper to bumper traffic as long as I have fully charged phone . it’s important we understand it’s truly and addiction and keep a few safeguards in place.

1. keep phone atleast 8 ft away when you sleep.

2. avoid using phone when exercising, playing or eating. let each of them be pure for full impact.

3. once a day every week detox yourself with phone only for essential communication. rest give the old world a chance

4. don’t give kids smart phones untill they’ve become smart enough to curb their excesses themselves. you are only to be blamed if you store gunpowder and sodium at the same place.

5. use as many substitutes as possible to reduce your time spent with phone in hand. like use a calculator, watch , alarm clock , newspaper, kindle, television, restaurant to eat, cafe to talk, call to wish so that you’re less affected by over exposure to phones. the side effects will be so deep and profound that it will alter the way humans think.

keep your sanity alive. build your rules for your phone usage. have a healthy life . and btw, with the new advance airpods, murari will be into phones, even longer.

love

me

Breeding a generation of cultural zombies !

Technology combined with economic prosperity has enabled us to have more spare time than ever before. While for many media , entertainments & social media consumes most of it, some are able to use it to ask deeper questions to themselves and travel the path of introspection. who am I, what am I here for , how should I live and many such questions keep popping. They need concrete quick fixes and look for prescriptive answers. the serious are even willing to devote x hours a day/ week but they need a plan to follow, exercises to do, etc. some religions have a dos n don’t formula with chanting/ praying rituals and thus became popular. I asked few learned people that why couldn’t Hinduism too do that so that it’s easier to know that I’m a devoted hindu and do the regular rituals. but answers has been the the flexibility of each to choose his path has been the key and different people have different methods applicable. each has to choose method most suitable for him. but that is the biggest bane as throughout school life, we choose just once I.e. after class 10 , our stream of further education. thus we aren’t in a position to decide what’s the best method for us.

while some texts point out various steps one needs to do as one processes. for example starting with meditation can be the worst thing you could do as your mind isn’t yet still enough to do meditation and because of your inability to do it properly, your faith in this powerful technique will diminish. so it’s better to start with reading, discussing, thinking , implementing , singing bhajan, sitting and single mindedly doing puja, attending discourses etc. as we keep doing it our mind becomes clearer and calmer. the usual anxiety is replaced by a steadfastness. our actions also become more thoughtful. we are aware of the rise and play of thoughts. that’s when we should embrace meditation. we would find that this concentration of energy helps us transcend limitations of our mind and intellect. this flight into the sub consciousness is expanding your consciousness.

the bhagwata geeta, the most powerful book for hindus, is a layered text where different words and phrases have very different and deeper connotations. to understand that one has to study basics of vedas. many organisation provide preparatory courses for people who want to follow karma yoga path, the path of selfless action, like chinmaya mission, brahma kumari, etc. there are schools which focus on hatha yoga and Kriya yoga use body and energy chakras and are very popular in west too through art of living, parmahansa yogananda etc. this energy system is also harnessed by other systems like pranic healing, however this quest is lot more than technique mastery as it’s hoped that with better techniques you will be able to travel deeper and faster into your quest.

talking about energy, one interesting thing I’ve observed. your body is designed such that least energy is consumed if your are in the present. the moment you worry about tomorrow or lament about yesterday , body consumes far more energy. thus children don’t get tired after 6 hours of non stop running while we are fatigued after a desk job. similarly it’s far easier for a child to meditate than adults as complete takeover of mind has not yet taken place. so it’s best we start the steps with our children now when they are far more ready than they will ever be.

find relevant texts and videos and talk your child through it. this will be the biggest investment you can do for him. for I clearly foresee a future of cultural zombies who know nothing about their culture. neither their native language, nor food, nor clothing, nor sings, dance . they wouldn’t know history , nor religion . all they would know is I believe in doing good. but without any solid compass to direct them through. these stories develop value systems in our children which is the soil on which our culture would grow. it cannot be outsourced. your child has to have memory of you telling her those stories.

incase any of you need any specific stories to share, ping me. I’m always there

love

me

Is the purpose of fishing to catch fish ? time for some purpose realignment !

what’s the difference between playing and playing well ? ask a serious sportsperson and you’ll know how frustrating is not playing well. in golf when my shots aren’t going I forget the beautiful scenery, great weather, company of friends, prime health and luxury of dedicated time for what one enjoys doing. all I am bothered is why my shot went short or right. sometimes even when shots are going fine but slice of luck not in favour, I’m cursing that why aren’t scores lower. I’m a 18 handicapper and if by great practise I become 15 or 12 will I be happier? or at 8 or 5 will I be the happiest? I see low hamdicappers similarly or even more frustrated when they play 14 instead of their handicap 7.

To answer the question I posed is when you simply play , you enjoy the simple act of playing. it gives you immense pleasure that you’re playing. results are secondary. in fact there are so many other secondary factors that results can become irrelevant too. But playing well gives boost to your fragile ego which feels accomplished that in one more aspect you’re better than others. And not just for the outside world, ego feeds into our inner world view too. you feel more confident, happy and satisfied if you play well. simply playing, existing and enjoying isn’t good enough. then you’re branded not good enough for competitions. Is happiness limited? can only few be happy. can’t all be happy?

I used golf as the ultimate stress buster time as 2 hours of banter, laughter and walk with friends was a great way to start the day. we enjoyed the change of seasons, the taste of lemonade, the occasional wonder shot we hit, the rhythm of our strides, leisurely breakfasts and most importantly time with each other and moments with self. then rpgl tournament happened. it all became a race to win. everyone was running for the coveted position in the opening line up. they practised more as game had to improve. pairing were based upon who were most likely to win instead of who loved playing with whom. everyone was watching everyone’s score. weekly ranking cards were issued. winning pairs practised more and were given importance. the bottom 5 were looked upon as liability who had to be given a game as tournament rules said so. ego of the better players inflated even more ( untill match time ) as there would be eventually just 1 winner. winning teams bonded more , practised more like winning pairs did while losing teams lost most motivation to play, forget practise. love of the game was long lost as now what was at stake was pride.

similar phenomena happens to kids too when they excel in any sports or areas. there are so many competitions at different levels which they have win that the pure joy of doing a thing just fades away. remains is the fear of failure , living up for your image/ pride and continuously boosting your ego. for example my younger daughter loves playing badminton but in her class of 120 minutes they spend more than 75% time in fitness training which will enable her play better and just 30 minutes actually playing.

I’m not a natural sports person and had very real expectations from myself. it was more in terms of how regularly I will play instead of how I will play. but the inductive effect affects even some one non involved like me so I can sympathise what it would do to natural sports person who excel in most sports.

similar phenomena is happening at work too as instead of the love of creating, expressing and taking up challenges it has been become an endless exercise of chasing targets. makes work also mundane and lifeless. luckily work has always been giver of absolute joy and should look for attributes that did that as government won’t give me gold medal even if i reach aggressive targets. in fact thst puts double pressure on next year numbers which makes one slog even more. enjoying the gradual growth is more important than thrill of super growth followed by pangs of unable to cope with its outcome

let’s hope I and few more discover the joy of playing, doing , just being.

love

me

true spirit of xmas

some one had a xmas party last night and decorated a banyan tree ! I wore a grey and blue dress to a party where people said there should have been some red. these acts are so unlike the xmas spirit that’s in the air.

People have wine and cakes and have planned a nice xmas lunch today. park street has been decorated with lights and confetti to celebrate this amazing festival. kids still believe in Santa and reindeer stories. and the xmas carnivals are a must visit for parents with their kids.

another festival lost in tokenisms. long long ago after the darkest night on 22nd December where people had very little to look forward to in the dark days and white snow, Santa in red carrying goodies was a symbol of hope and cheer. the xmas spirit was about giving and spreading a cheer. it was to get one with nature . in Europe they had pine trees . in india banyan or mango is fine too. any bright colour should do though I don’t have a problem with red too. kids need the gift of time more than anything else. in a carnival or at any special place as essence is spend family time and create its bond.

let’s keep the spirit alive in any form that suits us and spread the cheer to one person atleast !

Love

Me

Model to know “How you spend your time vs How you would like to spend”

The beauty of this life is it’s unique. While each one of us have similar physical characteristics, our mental make up and our priorities are different. That’s why conventional physics or chemistry models won’t work in physiology. You can try out this 3 step model to know how the pattern of your life .

Our life passes by so fast that even before we realise we are middle aged and will be old in a few years. At old age one cannot turn back time but look back life with either a sense of fulfilment or with regret at ones follies. Each one has different priorities and it’s incorrect to put my set of priorities on my brother or friend and judge him. I can only self assess myself using this model. Based upon my priorities, I am to rate these 6 aspects of life from 1 which means most important to 6 which means least important. Take your time to do it as often we write what we believe we should be having rather than what we actually have.

1. Family ( parents, wife , children)

2. Friends , relatives and social contacts

3. Personal time( like tv, sports, classes, fitness, newspaper , reading, mobile phone)

4. Business or any vocation etc

5. Fine living : eating proper meals, daily chores properly, sleeping more than 7 hours a day, beauty parlour,

6. Non selfish activities/ social work/ charity/ spiritual activities

I hope you have done the 2 minute exercise and then proceeding to step 2 as else this will be another theory you’ve read and not implemented. Please do it. I did mine. They are as follows

1, 4, 2-3, 6, 5

Children and parents are most important followed by business which is also like my child. Just a too demanding one. After that I need my time with my friends along with my personal time. I’ve been wanting to walk the path of 6 but haven’t yet done it. Eating, sleeping and fine living aren’t so important

Okay..step 2 is about analysing your weekly time spent

Total hours in a week 7×24 = 168

Less: Sleep time 7×7= 49

Available time = 119

#4. Business 6×10 =60 ( 10am to 8pm )

#3 golf: 3.5 hours ×3 days = 10hours

#3 tv & movies : 1 hour/ day + 2 hr Sunday 8

# 3 reading + newspaper+ facebook + YouTube- 7-10 hours / week

#5 : daily chores take 2 hours/ day including breakfast / dinner / getting ready etc = 14 hours and I’m good with 7 hour sleep

#2 Friends 2 × 3 hours each = 6hours

Relatives/ social contact 1 × 2 hours = 2 hours

Let’s examine the total time available

119-60 Business= 59

#3 Personal time of golf 12 tv 10 reading 10 takes up good 32

Balance time 27

#5:Daily chores 14

#2 friends / relatives = 8 hours

# 6 teaching/ geeta : 3 hours

# balance time available 3 hours

So I end up having 2-6 hours dedicated time for my most important factor ‘ family ‘. I sit with them with my tv time + reading time to steal another non dedicated 3-4 hours.

Step 3

Make your own model based upon your priority on time to be spent for 6 boxes. The generic model for male working professional is as follows

1. Family – 3 to 18 hours

2. Friends : 2 – 15 hours

3 Personal- 7 – 42 hours

4. Business – 40- 60 hours

5. Daily chores- 10 – 30 hours

6. Social work – 2- 14 hours

Based upon your choices you can determine how many hours is ideal from the given range. Match that with your actual found in step 2 . Compare and see how it is going. If the variation is large time to realign.

But time needs to be allotted and activities need to be planned. Efficiency has to be improved and time wasting activities need to be reduced.

My findings point on investing more resources ( time) on my priority areas lagging to reach my desired goal ( priority) . More often than not we just flow in the current of life. Time to put our motors and sail and head to our destination

Hope this model helps you like it helped me in understand how weeks become months and months become years and years become life . And how it slips by. Zindagi rait se muthi se fisli jaa rahi hai..

Love

Me