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I have been listening to lectures on Mahabharatha and Bhagavadgeetha by Dr. K S Narayanacharya. When i woke up today morning, i had a strange thought, and i am putting that in front of you.
Point 1 -
A Believer, believes that there is an external entity that controls the happenings in this world ( aka. GOD )
An Atheist does not believe in any such existence ( There is NO GOD ). He believes in himself ( Ideal case !! )
Point 2 -
A Believer says, there is an infinite energy and i derive my energy from that source.
An Atheist says, i derive my energy from within ( put in other words - I am the energy ! )
But of late, i saw a third point, which changed my perspective.
Point 3 -
A Believer says - everything i do is an inspiration from HIM. I surrender my actions and results to him.
An Atheist says - I am self inspired. [ Please do not take the literary sense, and argue that, even an atheist gets inspired by nature, events happening around him etc. etc.. try to grab the bigger picture ]
Point 3 is a very beautiful point, which has two different paths for spiritual elevation.
For a Believer - the path can be explained via the Dwaita philosophy
For an Atheist - the path can be explained via the Advaita philosophy
Dwaita preaches selflessness ( you surrender everything to a higher consciousness ) and Advaita preaches self-realization. Ultimately everyone attains a higher state of mind
- with the awareness of the path being travelled, aka Dwaita, aka. path travelled by a believer.
- without the awareness of the path being travelled, aka the path of an atheist.
So, what about agnostic people ??
They ( everyone included ) can attain a higher state of mind through - Karma Yoga
I am a believer.
At this moment of time, i still believe in Dwaita, but hopefully, one day, i will understand and realize Advaita. Nevertheless, i am happy traveling any path that leads to my enhancement ( spiritual / otherwise :) )
What do you think ??
Will talk about my understandings on "Higher State of Mind" soon :)
She turned and looked at me.
I looked at her.
She smiled.
I smiled back.
She waved her hand indicating me to go front.
I did not respond. But i confess, i was a bit confused ( not enough to show it ! )
She waved the groceries she was carrying.
My eyes widened, forehead creased, my face now was clearly asking her a silent question - What ?
She looked down.
It took her a minute to realize that i was not a More employee!!! ( She actually wanted me to assist her in getting all her items billed !! )
She looked back, and said - ( Read this carefully, she actually said this to me, and i appreciate her guts! )
"You should not wear the badge inside the shop"
I was confused. What is this lady uttering ?
My face asked the same question, perhaps my ears were not attentive enough.
At this moment, i think ( please note, i **think** ) she was embarrassed, because, she kinda swalloed a few words, but the reply did not change.
I gave her a gentle smile ( and that did the trick! )
She then asked the guy at the counter to bill her things up, and hurried away.
I was wearing a formal dress ( which i don't generally ), a tired face, a chocolate in my hand, and she wanted me to.. hmm.. how do i put it.. do-my-job :-)
Well, while walking back to my home, i realized something..
The response that she gave - You should not wear the badge inside the shop.
From her response, i kinda came to a conclusion that, she never, not even for a single moment, thought that she might be wrong. The lady just assumed that i was the defaulter!
I remembered a quote from the newspaper -
I give advice to others, because i do not need it !!
Well, i am tempted to dig into this situation and come up with my conclusions on why that "smart" lady responded like that, but, i will leave that to you.
Tell me, why do you think she gave me that response ??
PS - i will post my response soon :-)
Oh, btw.. Lady, if you are reading this ( one in a million chance, but i do not want to miss this! ) .. look at yourself before looking at others!! ( and i do not mean this in the literal sense! ) ..
Phew!! My ego is now satisfied :-)
Today i saw an ambulance struggling to make its way in the busy traffic. While i was reflecting on this, bits and pieces of the following story started to fall in place. This is my first venture into fiction. Here goes nothing !!
Note - All the characters in this story are fictional. I have taken references from my life, because it is easy for me to write about myself, than to write about a fictional character. DO NOT ask me questions about this!!!
On his way back from office, Treyada was listening to his favorite song track from his ipod. "What an idea sirji!!” he complimented himself reflecting on the way he had concealed the ipod from the curious eyes of the traffic policemen. Clipping the ipod to his pants' right pocket, taking the wire from underneath his shirt and concealing the ear buds underneath the helmet, it was a perfect blend. Nobody could notice the white wire in the evening. It was a tiring to drive from office back to his house, especially in the peak hours. Treyada always preferred taking a 90 mins bus to an office far from his place, than driving 30 mins and reaching an office near by. "Why drive, when you can sleep", was what treyada used to say when his friends asked him. But circumstances had forced him to drive, nevertheless, he had his two best companions with him, his first girlfriend - Kinetic Nova, the vehicle he drove from the past 6 years, to him he understood the vehicle and it understood him, and his not so silent companion - the ipod. Treyada was particularly amazed by the battery life of his ipod. "Handy tool", he thought while reaching out to his right pocket to increase the volume, "If it weren't for you my friend, i would have been bored to death while driving. A little music never hurt anybody right?", Speaking to himself was something he had developed, as a hobby. He had once heard some guy saying, "The inner voice is always correct, but the problem with it is, it is very low. It keeps warning your mind about your wrong doings, but the mind ignores it because the voice is not strong enough", this had what inspired him to talk to himself, or according to him, his inner voice. When he was alone, without any friends, or when he was with his friends, most of whom talked about things that never interested him, his inner voice would always keep his company. It was like having a friend, when ever he wanted, where ever he wanted. "A friend On Demand!! Haha.. this would be a nice office joke".
The traffic light was still showing RED, treyada did not mind the delay, all he wanted to do after going home, eat and go directly to bed. "Yes, today, i shall do absolutely nothing!", he promised himself. He looked at his watch, it was 7.40pm. “In another 20 mins, I will be eating dinner.. hmm…”. Traffic fascinated him, driving to his office 24kms away from his house, every day for 6 months, had not only made sick of driving, but, his inherent nature to see patterns in chaos had made him a smart driver. Gauging the behavior of the driver in front of him, and relentlessly cruising through the heavy traffic, was his recently acquired talent. This had a few advantages; he could get to places much quicker than a normal guy. When ever people questioned him about how he could make it in time, he explained, “Breaks, what a wonderful way to use the power of friction, apply friction when you want to slow down, otherwise keep the accelerator at full throttle, that is the best way to drive my friend”. He did not like vehicles overtaking him. If a vehicle overtook him, he had to race it, no matter what!! and if he couldn't he would console himself "for now dude, for now.. i will catch you next time !".
“Traffic, the psychology of reading the mind of the driver in front of you.. hmm.. nice definition, perhaps I should mention this to a few friends in our conversation”, while he was lost in his thoughts, something caught his eyes, an ambulance. The driver was struggling to take a turn, its loud siren piercing the melodious notes of the song, treyada did not like it. "Puh!! These drivers, they do not know how to drive smart! All they do is get into the main road and get stuck at the traffic. Why can’t they learn?? That guy could have easily taken the service road, and bypassed this traffic. But NO!! he had to come on to the main road.. hmm.. nice idea, perhaps i should write a book on how to avoid traffic. That would at least help these guys!!". Yes, he was very proud of his knack of finding his way in the busy traffic. The signal turned yellow, Nova’s engine started, it turned green, and treyada raced through the traffic. He wanted to put his skills to test once again, he wanted to see if he could beat the ambulance. Raising the accelerator, he felt the engine's vibration. "Ah, my sweet baby. I still remember the first day i got you", yes, he was thinking about the first day he got to drive his Nova. "From 0 - 60 in just 8 seconds they said, but you my dear, can do much more than that, can't you ??" He clutched both his breaks, nova slowed down, “Thank God friction works!!”,he thought. An old auto driver trying to cross the road was the culprit. "Puh!! These drivers, they do not know how to drive smart!". The auto driver was cursing treyada for coming in his way, but treyada ignored it, all he wanted to do now was to catch up with the ambulance and race it. "Just a few more meters, do not let me down, common baby", he raised his accelerator. "Yes, yes!!", the excitement grew as he saw the red light of the ambulance flashing. "Buddy, i will definitely catch you this time!!", he raced through, curving along a bend, a scorpio was the only obstacle between him and the ambulance, there was no space to overtake it from the right, the only way to get the scorpio behind him was to beat it from the left. "What the heck, lets do it buddy!!", he leaned to his left, right wrist made a swift move, wheels started spinning fast, he took a sharp left turn, to overtake the vehicle. CRAAASSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh !!! Everything went blank.
When he opened his eyes, everything was white. His mother was sitting beside him. A tear had silently slipped her eyes, and was now on its way to the floor. Seeing him awake, she wiped her tears off. "Thank god! you are conscious. You have been lying unconscious for 3 days now. Doctors were worried. Wait, let me call the nurse", she got up to call the nurse. Treyada caught hold of her hands, looked her in the eyes, words struggled to come out of his mouth, his voice was very meager when he asked, "What, what happened??". "There was an un-covered man-hole, and you drove right into it, your head hit the ground and you lost consciousness. Bones broken, major bruises, my God !! look what you have done to yourself. I am not letting you drive, ever again !!!". His mother's voice faded. She was talking about how carelessly youngsters drive nowadays, How they ignored the traffic rules and something more. All these did not make sense to him. He was tired, very tired. His eye lids were closing involuntarily. The last thought that entered his mind was, "Puh!! These drivers....."
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood:accomplished
How i would casually mention about my feat of completing 109 suryanamaskaaras this "ratha saptami" (Feb 8th 2009), introduce the new explanation for the word "yoga" that i got from one of the elders at Yogashree (the place that has taught me the yoga way of looking at life, and i am still learning it!!), a fascinating view point on life from my ex-team-lead, some interesting points on perception and vision and many other things each of which i wanted to elaborate in individual posts. But when i wrote the subject for this blog, something happened, all of a sudden different things started to fall in place, and i am writing this.
My life has three ages -
1. Physical age
2. Action age
3. Thought age
Physical age - This is straight forward. Its the age of my body. Lack of physical activity quickens the physical aging process, something that i have seen happening to us software engineers quite often (sad thing, but a fact !! ).
Action age - A term i coined. In our life, every day, every moment, we face situations which requires us to take a actions. The type of action we take decides our "Action age". Difficult to relate ?? Let me give you an example. I am(and i am sure most of us are also ) fond of categorizing people as "mature" or "immature". How do i do it ?? by judging the actions that he/she takes, when i witness him/her in some situation. Now, this action that i take decides my "Action age".
Thought age - One more term to my credit :-). So, what is a thought age ? Simple. When i enter / am pushed / forced into a situation that demands me to take an action, lets not, for a moment, concentrate on my action but instead, let us concentrate on what influences me to take the action. One major contributor is - my thoughts at that moment of time. Older my thought age, it brings more maturity in my action. To make it clear, i will take two scenarios.
Scenario1 -
I am writing this blog, and I see a cockroach crawling on my floor.
My thoughts -
Its disgusting, it is creeping me out, i do not want that cockroach there, i want to send its soul to heaven.
My action -
I look for the nearest newspaper or magazine that i can grab, fold it, hit the cockroach, make sure that it is dead, flush it down the toilet ( God bless the poor creatures soul !! )
Scenario2 -
This time, i see a sibling of the cockroach i just killed, and i am writing the second scenario for my blog ( Please do not ask me how i know whether its a sibling or not. I am just adding this to spice things up)
My thoughts -
Its a living creature. Like me, it is also blessed with life. It has equal rights to live(although i am sure that the cockroach does not understand all these things :-) ). It reminds me of the life force that resides in both of us, and i respect that life force.
My action -
I let the cockroach in crawl away in peace, use it as an example in my blog and continue writing :-)
By now, you must have got a fair picture of what i wanted to say on Action and Thought ages.
A few days ago, i was talking to one of the elders at Yogashree, to her i asked this question ( This question is dereived from an email forward that i received ) -
There is a small railway station, and there are two tracks and a lever to switch the tracks(ie, the lever enables the train going on track1 to change to track2). 10 kids decide to play on the railway track ( its a small station, do not expect much security :-) ). All the kids know, that at 4.30pm, the train arrives at the station, on track1. It is now 3.30pm. Track1 is closer, and it has a shade, and track2 is a little far and its a sunny afternoon. 9 kids decide to play on track1 since it has shade (even though they know that the train will arrive on track1), and 1 kid decides to play alone, but safely on track2. Unfortunately, an advancement in the train's schedule has happened, and the train is now approaching fast, on track1 towards the station.
Question -
You are the station master, and you cannot stop the train from running over the kids (its too late!!), but you have the power to change the track. What are you going to do ?
A) Change the track of the train, kill that 1 kid who was cautious enough not to play on track1 and save the other 9 kids' lives, kids who knew that they were not supposed to play on track1(they were playing there because of the shade. Everyone makes mistakes, they are kids after all !!) ??
B) Let the train run on track1 and take lives of 9 kids innocent little kids whose only mistake was, knowing that playing on track1 was dangerous, did not bother to move to track2, and save that one kids' life who was correct in his action ??
Before i give you the answer, think about this question for a moment, what would your thoughts and actions be if you were the station master ?? Would you chose option A or option B ?? [ i am curious person by nature, and i would appreciate it if you reply your answer as a comment to this post :-) ]
I will tell you my answer, although i deeply regret it, if i were the station master, i would chose option A. But, i would not let go of the sacrifice, i would let the other 9 children know about it, and make sure that the same mistake never happens in my presence.
This was her answer -
"The perspective that you have shown to me is limited to the scenario described. But in life, at any given moment of time, there is a bigger perspective, something that we do not see". I could not understand her words, so i asked her to explain. She continued, "A child is happily playing with mud, on the road close to the street, on a cloudy evening. Suddenly he hears his mother shouting / scolding him to abandon what he is doing and return to the house. Now, the perspective of the child ( which can be mapped to the perspective that we get by reading the train-on-track question ) is this - Why does my mom always stop me from doing things that make me happy ? Does she not like me ? Don't i do well at school ?? What is her problem ?? . The perspective of his mother ( which can be mapped to what was quoted earlier as "bigger perspective" ) is this - It is evening, and its getting dark. Its a cloudy day. If it rains, my son may get drenched in rain and catch a fever. Then he has to miss school and he will lose the lessons taught at school. At this point of his life, his health and his education are very important to him. It is better if he comes and plays inside the house, where i can keep an eye on him. But he never listens to me if i tell things in a nice way, let me use force, its after all for his own good". She continued, "In real life, we have our consciousness ( mapped to the perspective of the child ), and a higher consciousness ( mapped to the perspective of the mother ). Even though things seem not to go in our way, if we think from a state of higher consciousness, perhaps the actions that we take are the best among the choices we have. Generally, very few people are able to raise to a higher consciousness and think at that state. At this elevated state, even though the actions taken by them may seem wrong to the ones who are in the lower consciousness, it is probably the best that could have been done, because in a higher consciousness, we do not think about ourselves(ego), but we forgo our benefits and think about others(egoless)".
This answer struck me(more like a kōan, an article by my good friend goutham), and i did some random thinking. An example given by one of my teachers came to me. Its the thought-action cycle. This concept has really appealed me, and its very simple too!! All it says is - your thoughts affect your actions, which inturn affects your thoughts. So now, if i start from cleansing my thoughts, it automatically gets reflected in my actions. Since my actions get refined, my thoughts automatically gets better. So once the process is initiated (either by improving the thoughts or action), its a cyclic chain. One influences the other, and without the knowledge of the person, he starts becoming better.
In one of the public talks that i attended recently, the speaker told us this (its in kannada) - Drushti badalaayisu, Drushya badalaagutte. Meaning, change the way you look at things, and see how beautifully the scenery changes.
Well, at the end, i have almost jammed everything i wanted to say at the beginning of post (may have missed a few thoughts, but they can make their presence felt in the future :-) ). This has really lifted my spirits. Hope it does some good to the others :-)
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood:
impressed - Music:Raaga - Malaya maarutam by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Thats right, get this.. v-i-b-r-a-t-i-n-g h-e-a-d-p-h-o-n-e-s !!!!
I had been eyeing this for quite a while, but couldn't come up with a reason.. Today, i was listening to some songs using my ear-phones, and i thought, i haven't treated myself in a while.. so why not !!
I got down from the bus way before my stop ( just beside the computer-parts-shop, forgive me for my crude words :) ), walked to the shop, and bought it after weighing my optoins for 15 mins.
The first time, i switched on the vibrator, i was listening to - Genda Phool, from Delhi-6.. and when it started its magic, i was like - SUPER, SUUUUUPPPPPPEERRRRRRRR !!! This definitely goes in one of my wise-investments list ( which mostly includes the tax savings that i have done :( ). It is so subtle, the quality of sound is as good as BOSE ( yeah.. i have had my share with BOSE too :) ), but with an added advantage. Too good for gaming enthusiasts. For me, its brilliant to listen to hip-hop music :)
After the first song, i thought, why not tell the world about it :)
So people looking out for wise investments, this is a definite option :)
Anyways, today, i finished a book - "Gently Falls the Bakula", by Sudha Murthy. I must, on the onset thank my friends - Srikanth ( whose book i borrowed ) and Harini ( for introducing me to this book ). The story revolves around two characters, an intelligent, ambitious and hard working gentleman - Shrikanth, his journey from a middle class village boy to GM of a prestegious software company, and his equally intelligent ( if not more ), ever supporting, innocent, simple minded yet a bit introverted wife Shrimathi, who always went out of her way to help her husband achieve success. I will not spoil the fun by revealing the story here, but i will definitely recommend this book, if you are interested in Indian-Author-Books.
There are certains points that impressed me and i would like to mention them here -
1. The writing style of the author. She has given a significant amount of information on Indian History in the book, to me this was an added bonus :-). Now, this book was first published in kannada, and then it got translated into english. The raw writing style in this book, i could notice certain statements, which would have impacted a reader, if it were in kannada, when translated into english really does not do justice. But i still felt the kick ( because, to me, its always - hmm.. what would she have written in kannada ?? )
2. The emotions brought out in the book. The situations and struggles this introverted girl had to go through because of the narrow-mindedness of a few elders, the way she handled things, the ending. These things really touched me, perhaps because i was able to connect characters in the book with people in my life, and also because in the end, Shrimathi did exactly what i wanted her to do :-). At one point of time, when she was in a dilemma and considered going against her decision, i was literally shouting - No, no, what the hell are you doing !!!! ( haha, sometimes, i can get too involved in a book :) )
3. An important lesson ( of which i am reminded time and again ) - Value of an object is known only when it is lost. ( oh my god, where is my ID card ?? , hmm.. where did i put that belt ?? .. hmm.. so many of them!! yet, everytime the same lesson seems new to me :-) )
4. The title - Gently falls the Bakula - Bakula ( also known as Maulsari ), a flower known for its fragrance (even when it dries out). I was able to map the title with different meanings each at a different level. For example, how the wife performed her duties, even though she did not like it, the blossoming of a new relationship amidst the bakula tree etc. etc. ( go read the book !! )
5. The commitment and sacrifice Shrikanth and Shrimati had to make, to reach their positions in life. What i did not understand was that, when a man reaches such a position, does he really neglect little things in life ? If its true, then this is a good lesson for me :-). I always believe that little things can take us a long way :-)
6. Finally, the most important one - How Shrimati was able to break out the self constructed boundaries, leave everything to persue her happiness, something that i have seen, not happening, in the middle and lower class families of India. PerSudha Murthy, so i will leave it here :-)
On the personal front, i had really forgotten the days, when i enjoyed reading books. I always used to look at either page nos. or the chapter nos. at random ( even today, i never look at the last page's no, because, when i am at the last few pages, if i know the last page no. then i feel, oh, the plot is going to end in another 3 - 4 pages !!! , and believe me, i personally enjoy the book more, with a feeling - will it end now ? or will the author take the plot to the next level ?? ... and when my guess matches the author's plot, nothing is more elating than that :) ).
This is something that i have observed, for the books i enjoyed, i would always find that -
1. Page nos. flip by very fast ( wow, i just started the book, am i in page 24 already ?? )
2. Chapter are covered very fast ( hmm.. i was reading chapter 7, how the hell did i get to chapter 31 ?? )
3. Time flew very fast :-) ( wow, would you look at that, its already 12 am !!! )
This book has refreshed my memory on the little things that made ( and still make ) me happy.
I apologize if i have knowingly or unknowingly revealed the plot of the story. It is definitely a good read. Give it a try :-)
I was amazed, i am not saying that whatever this says is 100% true, but more than 60% is true .. and that to me is pretty neat :)
Try it out at - www.handwritingwizard.com ..
I am pasting my results :) .. enjoy !!
This personality profile is based on the writing of Dattatreya Vellal created at the website: Handwriting Wizard.com - Handwriting University's Official automated personality report creator based on standardized basic personality traits as taught through Handwriting University's Certification Level Program.
Dattatreya uses judgment to make decisions. He is ruled by his head, not his heart. He is a cool, collected person who is usually unexpressive emotionally. Some may see him as unemotional. He does have emotions but has no need to express them. He is withdrawn into himself and enjoys being alone.
The circumstances when Dattatreya does express emotions include: extreme anger, extreme passion, and tremendous stress. If someone gets him mad enough to tell him off, he will not be sorry about it later. He puts a mark in his mind when someone angers him. He keeps track of these marks and when he hits that last mark he will let them know they have gone too far. He is ruled somewhat by self-interest. All his conclusions are made without outside emotional influence. He is very level-headed and will remain calm in an emergency situation. In a situation where other people might get hysterical, he has poise.
Dattatreya will work more efficiently if given space and time to be alone. He would rather not be surrounded by people constantly. In a relationship, he will show his love by the things he does rather than by the things he says. Saying "I love you" is not a needed routine because he feels his mate should already know. The only exception to this is if he has logically concluded that it is best for his mate to hear him express his love verbally.
Dattatreya is not subject to emotional appeals. If someone is selling a product to him, they will need to present only the facts. They should present them from a standpoint of his sound judgment. He will not be taken in by an emotional story about someone else. He will meet emergencies without getting hysterical and he will always ask "Is this best for me?"
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Dattatreya doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Dattatreya is sensitive to criticism about his ideas and philosophies. He will sometimes worry what people will think if he tells them what he believes in. This doesn't mean he won't talk, or that he feels ashamed. It merely means he is sensitive to what others think, regarding his beliefs.
Dattatreya will be candid and direct when expressing his opinion. He will tell them what he thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don't really want his opinion, don't ask for it!
Dattatreya is a cumulative and procedural thinker. He likes to have all the facts before making a decision. He thinks or creates much like a brick mason, stacking fact upon fact. His thought pattern or the conclusion will not be complete until the last fact is in place. Like that brick wall, Dattatreya learns faster through visual demonstration than through quick verbal instructions. Once he has learned new material, and understood it, he won't forget.
Dattatreya is a methodical thinker, therefore he is able to build things and come up with new ideas. In an argument, he often loses to rapid thinking people because he is thinking thirty minutes later about what he should have said. These people often are very booksmart, but can be out-gunned in a rapid fire verbal debate.
He may learn new ideas at a slower pace than other "less detailed" people, but once he gets it, he can handle repetition. Some people hate jobs with too much repetition, he can handle it better than most.
Dattatreya is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. He needs to visualize the end of a project before he starts. he finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said he plans everything he is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Dattatreya basically feels good about himself. He has a positive self-esteem which contributes to his success. He feels he has the ability to achieve anything he sets his mind to. However, he sets his goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". He has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, he will not take great risks, as they relate to his goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, his self-perception is better than average.
Dattatreya is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Dattatreya has a very unusual lower zone y loop. If the data input is correct, Dattatreya's y or g is large and has triangle shape to the lower loop. This is not a common trait, but the implications are very interesting. As you begin to study handwriting analysis, you will learn any loop indicates imagination. This lower loop indicates the amount of imagination Dattatreya has regarding sex and physical things. His lower zone stroke is large, so his sexual imagination is large and open. Furthermore, because the loop has a triangle shape, this indicates a particular curiosity with certain aspects of sexuality. In a nutshell, Dattatreya is open to some very new ideas sexually and is willing to try anything once. I'd say Dattatreya is quite a dynamic and playful lover. Watch out world!
- Location:Bangalore
- Music:None
Long ago, there lived a king ( name, place and date are immeterial ). He was rich beyond anyone's dream, he had everything, a prosperous kingdom, loyal subjects, kind wife, nobel ministers, witty son, good allies, but he was not happy. For some strange reason, he was always worried about what-will-go-wrong-tomorrow.
A wise man visited his kingdom one day, and the king decided to seek some advise from him. The king explained his problem. This is what the wise man had to say, "Oh Great King, i have a solution to your problem, but to understand the solution you have to perform two tasks for me". The king agreed. "The first task .. " he said, " .. is that you have to go around your palace once by holding this spoon full of oil in your hand, but you must make sure that you do not spill a drop of oil from the spoon !". The king, very carefully walked around his castle without spilling a drop of oil and returned to the wise man. "So, what did you see around your castle, Oh King ?", asked the wise man. "Nothing sir, i was soo involved in not spilling the oil, that i really could not concentrate on other things", the king replied. "Ok, that is very nice, the second task for you is, to go around your castle, with the spoon full of oil, but this time, i want you to look around, and see things, and tell me what you saw". The king agreed. He finished his task, and returned back. "So, my lord, what did you see ?", asked the wise man. The king replied, "Sir, i saw how big my castle was, the carvings on the wall of my castle, how organized my soldiers were in protecting their kingdom", he continued, " i also observed, my garden, the flowers that had bloomed, its smell, the cool breeze, the trees, the birds, their sweet chirpings, the sky, it was all very pleasing to look at, it was like, i had entered a different world, a world that was pleasent, a world that was peaceful". To this, the wise man replied, " .. and yet, you still hold the spoon filled with oil". The king was amazed. The wise man continued, "In your first task, you were concentrating so hard on not spilling the oil, that you failed to see other things around you, and in your second, you opened up, you concentrated less on the oil and started looking at other places that made you realize that there is a world other than the spoon in your hand. This is the same thing that is happening in your life too, you conentrate on things that are yet-to-happen, that you forget to see the present. Open up your sense and start living in the present. There is no point in introspecting your actions of past, especially when you cannot change it, and there is no meaning in thinking about the future which you cannot control, change your perspective of veiewing things and enjoy the present", saying this, he the wise man left the kingdom.
What happened afterwards is not important, perhaps the king changed his perspective of seeing things and found happiness. All of my stories have a happy ending, and this one is no exception :)
Now, this is a very common story that many of us might have heard, the jist being - stop living in the past / future and start enjoying the present, or something similar. But, what attracted me to this story is the nature of the king. Very recently i had been to a para-gliding event near jakkur. When i was flying high, half the time, i was worried about what would happen if the hooks of my parachute came loose. This one thought crubbed my involvement in enjoying the situation. That day, i sat and i thought, what made me think in that sense. The answer was very simple. I did not trust the hooks. Many a times, while driving my scooter with my mother, i have heard her say "go slow" or "drive carefully", but i always reply back, saying, "i know my limits and i am well within it". It is this "limit", that causes the problem, and its all in my thinking. I thought that the limit of the hook was 80 ( just giving some number so that it makes more sense, you can substitute the number to the amount of weight the hook can withstand ), but in reality it is much higher than that ( say 120 or 140 ), and even though the instructor had given us clear information, my mind, some how, did not agree with him, and this made the para-gliding experience great, which would have been greater if it was not for that single thought !
After this experience, i realized that people know their limits. I cannot just go and put my own limits, sometimes to enjoy things to the fullest, i have to learn to trust. I have kinda tried to implement it, and believe me, it works wonders. Now when i sit in a vehicle, and the vehicle starts going faster than my "minds-limit", i close my eyes, feel the air brushing through my face, convince my mind, saying, the driver knows the vehicle's as well as his limit, so relax, and just enjoy the experience.
I know its kind of wierd example to quote, but i am sure you can relate this situation to something better, perhaps preparing for an exam and not anticipating what questions may come in the paper tomorrow, or just enjoy cooking, and not worrying about how others will react by tasting it, or just saying thank you to your bus driver who drops you safely to your destination without giving a damn about what your collegues in your bus think about your actions. Try it out if you can relate to this post. It really works !!!
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood: amused
- Music:None
Well i am pasting my result -
ISFP - The Artists
They often prefer working quietly, behind the scene as a part of a team. They tend to value their friends and family above what they do for a living.
And it also gave me -
1. Recommended book reading
2. Artists i might like
3. My brain activity , while i am blogging !!!
Its pretty intersting.. try it out and let me know :)
I was at a bhel puri shop with my friend pavan eating some junk but very taste-buds-tingling food. We were half done when we saw a vehicle stop near the shop. A Middle aged couple with a 3-4 year old girl came walking towards us. The kid had a bouncing ball ( for those of you who do not know what a bouncing ball is.. its a form of a very dense rubber ball, which bounces high, much higher than a normal rubber ball, and its size is about 1/4th the normal tennis ball, and is mostly tansparent and has a lot of patterns of vivid colors in its core). So the kid was very happy playing with the ball, admiring the patterns inside its core, it must have been her new toy of the day. Her father was busy talking with the shop owner, giving him the list of chats they wanted, apparently taking suggestions from the kids' mother who was telling him her choice from quite a distance. And then this disaster happened.. the ball somehow slipped the kid's hand, and started rolling towards the near by road. The kid looked at her mother with a mixed expression of confusion ( she might not have understood what was going on !! this is my assumption ), sadness ( of losing her companion ) and tension ( because she was afraid to walk alone and fetch the ball herself .. i think ! ) and then came the expression that i can never forget - the way she extended her hands, and wriggled her fingers slightly, pointing them in the direction of the rolling ball, as though asking the ball to magically return back to her, simultaneously looking at her mother with an almost-crying face asking her mother in an un-heard voice to rescue that ball.. made me keep my plate on the near by chair, run after the ball, stop it from rolling out of reach, retrieve it back and give it to the kid. My actions were out of instinct and all this happened in 30 seconds, all the while neither her mother or father were aware of this. The kid's mother took notice of me when i returned the ball to the kid. She looked at me, deduced the situation and asked the kid to thank the **uncle** :). The kid gave me the sweetest of smiles, holding her mother's pallu, and hiding half of her face in that.. by god that was the best smile a girl has given to me ever till date :) . I smiled back in return ( but mine was simply lifeless in front of hers !!! ). Well what happened after that was, we ( pavan and i ) returned back and i went to sleep.
Looking back now, this is just one among the many small but very meaningful incidents i have had in my life, which has taught me soo many things -
1. The kid never knew that the ball was probably worth 15 bucks, to her it meant a whole world of happiness. Money is not always the means that brings happiness.
2. The involvement the kid had while playing with the ball. This activity may be meaningless to the "civilzed beings" like us, but to her it meant more, and i was able to visualize the level of involvement when i saw the expression on the kid when she lost the ball. It made me think !!
3. Her method of expressing things, she knows something is going wrong, she knows that an action needs to be taken to prevent it, but she cannot do it alone. The expression on her face will always remain within me. Sometimes words are not the only means of expressing things, an action can make more sense than 1000 words.
4. Her method of being content with whatever she had. She was very happy with her new toy, even though it did not cost a penny !! but if it comes to me.. i am being modest when i say - i am not content with my life !!! I want soo many things in life, and in my current state, i can probably get most of it !!! haha.. but i am not letting that get into my head like before.. i am improving.. my teacher ( this kid ) has made her actions carve a new lesson within me.
5. The innocence - I have noticed that every thing with life, when it is little, is always cute, Eg: take a tiger cub, or a puppy dog, from the most ferocious animal on this planet to the most harmless thing, everything when it is in its infancy looks good to my eyes, and i believe that its because of the innocence.
6. Finally, The SMILE - and what a smile it was.. her way of thanking me was just too good. My actions ( of running and retrieving the ball ) did not cost me much, but the return i got back was much more than what i expected. This taught me that, when i did not expect anything for my action and there was a return, i felt happy. Perhaps this is what krishna has said in bhagavadh geetha - " KarmaNye vaadhikaarasthe maa phaleshu kadaachana, maa karmaphala heturbhoohoo, maate sangostva karmaNi" .. do your work and leave the results to me - i will take care of it. Funny how simple things can teach you such meaningful lessons.
Well i recently picked up this book ( again out of impulse ), its titled - Why is God laughing ? by Deepak Chopra. I paid a rather unfair amount ( Rs. 440 to be exact ) for a mere 200-odd pages book and i will be honest, i regretted paying such money for such a thin book. But when i read through it, i realized that it was not a bad decision after all. If you are interested, and if you ever get a chance to read this book, please do so. Its a fictional book, that has very deep meaning. The author explains emotions of life in a very simple manner, well.. atleast it was simple to me :). In the book, a dead father converses with his son, and through a messenger, he teaches the son to overcome the disturbances of the material world in and empowers him to think beyond. The methods that the messenger uses are very simple, but the results that come out of it are very valuable. I will warn you though, i have given this book to a couple of my friends to read through it and to tell me how it was, and by far i have got very mixed reponses ! So, this may be a bit philosophical to the people who are interested in thriller or fiction or fantasy or such kind of books, but for people who wish to introspect themselves, for people who wish to go within themselves, this is an absolute beauty. I enjoyed every page of it and i hope you do too :) . I will put an icing on the top by narrating this small idea from the book, Why is God Laughing ? , he says -
There are two sorts of happiness in this world -
1. Happiness that comes with a reason.
2. Happiness that comes without a reason.
The former can be taken away from you if the reason is taken away ( Eg: i am happy today because i have a bicycle, if you take away the bicycle, you take away my happiness ), but the latter is the one that stays, because you do not need a reason to be happy, you are JUST HAPPY :) and that is exactly "Why God is laughing !" :)
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood: amused
multiple thoughts are coming to my mind right now..
1. how enthusiastic i was back then ( i had just finished my 10th :-) )
2. how small things used to fascinate me - why they dont now !
3. will i ever complete the story ?
4. why did i stop writing ?
5. how did i ever come up with that idea ?
6. old dairies.. i was actually keeping a diary.. why am i not writing one now ?
7. contents of the dairy - wow.. did i actually write them !!
8. incidents written in the diary
9. my handwriting change ( it was soo beautiful then :-( )
10. how i was able to stick to something / get involved in something, soo deeply ?
11. my ability to get lost in thoughts
12. how i had got lost in thoughts one day, and was actually imagining senarios about what would happen, instead of just letting it go.. after all, it was just a hypothetical situation !
13. why i always prepare myself for situations where things can go wrong ?
14. how much i have changed
15. my ability to bring myself back from the swriling thoughts
16. how i attained this ability
17. why did i attain this ability
18. how i am able to write my thoughts
19. have i missed any thoughts
20. can i type at the speed of my thoughts ?
well these are just some thoughts that i was able to jot down.. i am sure that 100 other thoughts have just made their presence felt in my mind, and i was unable jot them all.. but.. this is a good start..
The reason why i wrote down my thoughts was.. look at them for a moment.. this is an excellent example about my mind ( and i take the liberty of saying this -> about "our" minds )..
The thought-chain started with "how enthusiastic i was" , and by the time i was able to put a conclusion to this ( and thats probably 2 minutes, ie. the time taken to jot things down.. haha.. i can type ;-) ) .. i ended up with "can i type at the speed of my thoughts" ..
probably you should try this activity out.. i am sure.. your thoughts will be as diverse as mine if not more :-).. i mean.. the last thought was no where related to the first one.. why is it so ? .. come to think of it.. see how i started the blog.. and see where its heading now ?
they say, that the only thing that can go faster than light is the mind .. its infinite capabilities have not been explored yet..
many people have explored the way of controlling the thoughts.. i am sure you must have heard about words like "meditation" or "yoga" .. well frankly speaking, there is a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge difference b/w the two, but for the common man, i guess its the same.. anyways.. not to digress.. the "methods" ( what ever they are ) for controlling the thoughts.. all focussed on one thing.. its called -> Observation
Have you noticed, how the behaviour changes if you observe ? i am not talking about observing others.. try observing yourselves.. i have done this.. and believe me.. it works !!
For example, when i used to chat with someone, i used to have this typical behaviour of believing that "i know everything" more realted to my ego i guess.. and when i started observing this behaviour.. it gradually subsidized ( well i occasionally get into this mode .. but its very rare.. and believe me.. sometimes it helps too !! )
Anyways.. the point is.. how the change happens.. as i have figured it out.. i guess :-).. there are three stages to this..
1. the behaviour
2. recognize the behaviour
3. "gradual" change
The second step is the most important one. Many a times i have noticed that, i get involved so much in the behaviour, i become one with the behaviour, instead of recognizing it. That is where we go wrong i guess.. for example.. if i am angry.. i am soo much involved in being angry that.. i really dont think that i am angry.. i just think its my natural behaviour.. But, if at such times, i am able to "recognize" that i am angry, then the effect of going-with-the-flow-of-being-angry drastically reduces.
Now the third step, how do i change myself ? ( and this is a gradual change !! ).. if i am angry, i think of
1. why am i angry
2. is there a problem
3. does it require me to be angry
4. what ever i am going to say now ( ie, at the time of being angry ) .. will it affect someone, in a negetive way
5. are there any other possible solutions
6. can i solve the problem
7. what steps need to be taken to slove the problem
8. can i solve the problem without being in an emotional state that i am in now ?
when you really stop and think at this moment of time, and think about these things.. and then let yourself be.. then i guess things will just work out fine.. thats precisely why they say " count till 10 when you are angry !! " ..
i have also observed that, when i am doing these 8 questions thinking, i become a different person, hmm.. just to explain my view, let me put it like this..
a movie of my life is going on ( live show you see !! ) .. and at the time of these seven thoughts.. i pause the movie, duplicate myself, twice, the "first me" is still angry, but is in a paused state.. the "second me" is thinking of the eight thoughts, and the "third me" is observing the "second me", and at some point of time, the "third me" smiles at the second and the first me.. when there is a smile on the "third me" , i unpause my movie, and surprisingly i have smile on my face, i am no longer angry, and there is a rational solution to the problem at hand.
well all these explanation is to just establish a fact that - observation can take you a long long way !! .. they say.. if you observe, even a single celled organism behaves differently.. this is precisely why, our elders chose to observe their thoughts, to reduce their frequency.. and that is precisely what "meditation" aims at :-) .. observing the inner self :-)
i guess i can confidently conclude by giving a link to this wonderful video which shows how an electorn's behaviour changes if you observe it !! - paste this address in ur browser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7o
The reason i am writing this, is to share a really funny incident..
So i get this really cool electric shaver as a gift.. and when i get something new.. i kinda tend to experiment with it a lot.. and sometimes things go wrong ( i guess its just the gadget's way of saying.. dude, i control things.. not you !! ) and i have paid the price. :) .. but anyways.. so, this cool new electric shaver.. my 2 days beard, un-cut hair and the manual which says, the shaver can cut even the slightest length of hair.. woohoo.. time for mr. einstein to shine !!
day 1 - i charge it up to the max.. its this tendency in me, to use things right away.. i dont like to wait, to use things.. if i go buy a cell phone, i want it's battery to be charged, so that i can insert my sim and start using it right away.. if i have to wait for it to charge, and then use it, i kinda tend to lose my enthu !! .. so the numero uno day was a total bummer.. but still the enthu is high.. new shaver machaa !!!
day 2 - hellooooo mysore.. no time to shave, got up at 5, caught a bus at 5.30 am, .. slept my way to mysore :) .. the entire day, i was in this summer camp teaching kids some aasanas in the morning, and attending sessions afterwards.. hmm.. TIME has played its game very cleverly.. no shave on day two, my beard is 3 days old !! ( damn you TIME !! )
day 3 - camp... no time.. beard - 4 days old..
day 4 - camp again.. no time.. beard 5 days old..
day 5 - shaver charged.. me back to bangalore, but alas.. monday.. had to go to office early.. so i use my regular shaving blade, for a quick shave, just to tidy up my 5 day beard.. so that i dont look like an idiot in office :)
day 5 evening - aah.. yes.. finally.. its time to switch off my logic button and switch on my shaver !!
yep, i spend like 20mins, trying to give my self a new summer look.. all the reading about fashion statements that bangalore times regularly feeds its readers with, has finally paid off..
day 6 - the "new look" me climbs the office bus .. there is this thing about ppl in my bus, all of them mind their own business.. there is very little interaction b/w commuters of the same bus.. even though we have been traveling in the bus for about an year !!! .. but.. to break this tendency, we ( me and a bunch of others.. ) have formed the "balcony seat group" .. typically a bunch of ppl, who love to sit in the last few rows of the bus and indulge ourselves in meaningless conversations, starting from DLF cricket matches to the stock market crashing to income tax calculations.. you name it, we have got it.. sometimes.. i have amazed my team members, by my knowledge about the current events.. and i have never given its credit to our meaningless conversations.. haha.. anyways.. coming back..
so i board my bus, walk directly to my fav. spot, the last seat of the last row.. by the time i reach my seat, few of my fellow mates are ready with their comments.. i was kinda prepared for this.. so i was just waiting for them to set the ground..
" En saar, eno change kaanastha ide " ( Sir, you are looking different ? ) ..
" Hun saar, summer lookku.. hengide ?? " ( yes sir, my new summer look, how is it ? )
" super aagi ide saar !! ) ( its wonderful ) .. i see a few girns.. but thats ok.. i guess..
( YES.. einstein 1 , TIME 0 )
the "new look" me, enters office ..
i walk directly to my friends cabin, he is busy checking mails.. i stand beside him.. and give him a clue about my arrival..
" so, en macha, hengittu weekend " ( so whats up dude, how was ur weekend ?? )
" en special illa macha.. " ( nothing special dude ) .. he is still not looking at me.. hmm.. perhaps i should try a different approach to get noticed..
" so nange enaadru scraps bandidya orkut nalli ?? " ( has anyone scrapped me on orkut ? ) ..
" neene nodko macha.. togo TP ( TP == think pad == ibm's laptop ) na " ( why dont you look it up yourself, here, take my TP ) ..
he pushes his TP towards me.. and this time, he notices.. ** yes **
" lo macha.. en idu !! " ( dude, what is this ? )
" summer look maga.. hengide ?? " ( my new summer look.. how is it ?? )
" haha.. charm kalkondbityallo macha !! " ( haha.. you have lost your charm dude !! )
hmm.. che.. dissappointing.. einstein 1 , TIME - 1 .. anyways.. i am not disheartened by his comment, i am banking on few other ppl !!
lunch time -
our team generally goes for lunch together, so we are all sitting at this table.. one of my team member starts the conversation..
" datta.. you are looking different today.. "
" really ? you noticed ?? .. thanks "
" yeah.. i noticed, but i really cant pin point the change.. " ( she is dragging this too long !!.. i cant take this anymore !! i am becoming too conscious about myself.. its better if i get this out of my system !! )
" hmm.. perhaps you should ask sujit " ( sujit is this guy who gave me his TP to check my orkut scraps !! )
sujit - " le avanu meese shave maadbittidane !! " ( girl, he has shaved his moustache !! )
" haha ( she winks at sujit ).. datta you look quite young !! and much better now !! " ( what the fish !! )
anyways.. that comment, kinda satisfied the einstein in me, coz we finally won against time.. 2 - 1 .. yaay !!
so, after lunch, ppl kinda got accustomed to my look, and they didnt comment much.. but i was having this conversation with my other friend over chat.. and i told that friend, that i was sporting a new look, the conversation got very very humorous, to say the least.. haha..
so.. this summer, i am sporting a new look ..
try and imagine me without moustache.. will be posting a pic soon :-)
- Location:On my bed, tightly tucked !!
- Mood:creative
- Music:Shiva tandava stotra - Ravana
Anyways, the idea here is, when you look at a hill / peak / mountain, from a distance, you cannot see the ups and downs, the crevasses and lots of its other irregularities. You just see a beautiful, simple and plain structure. Thats the same thing with life. I am sure countless no. of people have told this and i would just be adding myself to that list, but the point here is, its one thing to just say and its another to realize it.
At one point of time, human being becomes soo self centered, that he cannot look beyond himself, his feelings and everything that belongs to him ( or her ) . And this i guess is just one phase of life. The catch here being, how quickly can one grow out of this phase ??
Asking these questions has made me a cast away ( well.. not really.. ) .. but i am sure, there are many people like me, asking the same. Recently, i realized that, things going on in life were not unique, its the same. Everyone has to experience them, although, not many of us try to question why things were happening. Most of us just let them happen and live with it.
Anyways, there is a lot to jot down, will do it sometime :)
But the question is, why am i writing all these ??
1. Trying to impress people, and letting them know that i "know" ( or act like one :) )
2. Trying to vent my feelings / concerns
3. Just writing for the fun of writing, what the heck, this is a free world, i can do whatever i want :)
Well, it really doesn't matter what others think.. because, i might just have immortalized my questions here :) , and in that, i take comfort
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood: amused
- Music:Assorted
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood: happy
- Music:None
A woodcutter heard this announcement, when he was on way to gather wood from the forest. While cutting a tree, he thought, " If only i knew the meaning of that dream, i could receive the reward, and start a new life". A bird sitting on one of the branches heard his thought and spoke, " I know the meaning of the dream, and i can tell you the meaning too, but what will i get in return for this favour ? ". The woodcutter said, " Please tell me the meaning, and i will gladly give you half of what the king has promised ". The bird agreed, and told him the meaning.
The next morning, the woodcutter went to the king and addressed him, " Oh mighty ruler, I know the meaning of your dream " . The king was curious, and asked him to tell the meaning. The woodcutter replied, " the meaning is simple my lord, wolf is the symbol of treachery. Your dream is a clear indication of betrayal that is happening in the kingdom, perhaps its time to take measures to identify the thieves among us and punish them ". The king was pleased with his answer. He gave the woodcutter the reward as promised, and immediately deployed spies to corner the betrayers. The guilty were punished. Prosperity was restored.
The woodcutter, instead of sharing his reward with the bird, as promised, went back to his home, bought a new land, built a new house and started living lavishly with the reward money.
Few months passed by. The king had another dream. In this dream, he saw a sword hanging on top of his palace. Again he summoned his best scholars to understand the meaning of this dream but in vain. He remembered that the previous time, there was this woodcutter who had given an interpretation of his dream. So he asked the royal gaurds to bring the woodcutter. When the woodcutter came to know about this, he asked the king for a days time to which the king agreed. Without wasting time, the woodcutter went to the forest, to the exact tree where the bird was, and addressed the bird, " Oh great one, I am sorry that i neglected you the previous time. I am in a dilemma now, and you are the only one who can get me out of this mess. Please help me in deciphering the meaning of this dream of the king ". The bird replied, " ok, since that was your first offence, you are forgiven, but tell me, what do i get in return for this favour ? ". The woodcutter replied, " I shall gladly give you whatever the king gives me as a reward " . The bird agreed and told him the meaning.
The next day, the woodcutter addressed the king. " Oh Lord, Sword is the symbol of violence. Since its hanging on your palace, I sense that your enemies are getting ready to attack your kingdom. It would be wise to get your army in position and prepare to defend your land". The king rewarded the woodcutter with 2000 gold coins, and sent him away. Without wasting much time, he positioned his army to defend his kingdom against any enemy attacks. The very next day, his neighbouring ruler, attacked him, but since the king was prepared, he easily won the war.
In the meanwhile, this time, the woodcutter went to the forest to meet the bird. The bird was anxiously waiting. Instead of giving the bird its share, the woodcutter took a stone and threw it at the bird. The bird was hurt. Not uttering a word, it flew away to save its life.
Few more months passed by, and the king had another dream. In this dream, the king saw white lambs walking in the royal court. This time, the king directly asked the gaurds to get the woodcutter to interpret the meaning of his dream. When the woodcutter was brought, he again asked the king for a day's duration. He went to the forest, but couldn't find the bird on the tree. He searched for the bird, and found it on a tree close to its previous home. The woodcutter addressed the bird, " Oh little one, please hear me out. The king has asked me to interpret another dream of his, and i donot know its meaning. If i fail to satisfy the king, he is going to behead me. Please tell me the meaning of this dream, and i shall gladly give you whatever the king gives me plus whatever i owed you for your previous favours ". The bird, feeling pity on the woodcutter, told the meaning.
The next day, the woodcutter addressed the king, " Lord, white lambs are the symbol of peace and prosperity. The meaning cannot be more clearer than this, justice, peace and prosperity have been restored back to your kingdom. You can rule the kingdom without worrying about any internal or external threats".
The king was very pleased to know the meaning, and rewarded the woodcutter 3000 gold coins.
This time, the woodcutter went directly to the forest, to the bird and with gratitude, he spoke, " Thank you for saving my life. As i had promised, i am here to give you all the things i owed you. Please do accept them and forgive me for my shameful act". To this, the bird replied, " Oh foolish woodcutter, if i were after money, i could have directly told the king, the meaning of his dreams, why would i tell them to you ?? . Talking about your acts, it is not your fault. Remember, the first time, there was treachery in the kingdom, and this environment forced you to cheat me. The second time, there was violence in the kingdom, and the environment forced you to hurt me, but the thrid time, when justice was restored, you came to your senses and you are here, in front of me, returning back the money which you owed me".
The bird continued, "Common man, generally gets influenced by the environment he lives in. Its not his fault if he acts accordingly. Few people are able to overcome this urge, and their actions are always the same. Their actions reflect truth irrespective of the environment. And they, my friend, are true YOGIS. "
Why this story ???
Whenever people talk about peer pressure or about actions they are forced to do or decisions that they are forced to take, i always remember this story. Its hard to deviate from the normal course and do something extra, but it must be noted that inside us, there is a YOGI, waiting to be awakened.
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood: happy
- Music:None
A farmer buys a piece of land for cultivation. The land being left uncultivated for many years, had become shelter for many animals and birds which made their homes on the trees and bushes growing in that land. All the animals there had this gift, they could understand the human language. Among the animals there, a wise owl made its shelter on one of the tall trees growing there. when the animals come to know that a farmer had bought this land, they go to the owl.. to ask for his counsel, whether to vacate this shelter or to stay, and the owl says " dont panic, let us not take any hasty decisions right now. we will wait for his next move. i want you guys to spy on him and tell me what he is talking about. depending on that we will make our move. " Everyone agrees..
The first day , the farmer goes to his son and says, " Son, there are too many unwanted tress and bushes growing in our land. Let us take the help of the villagers to get it removed and then we can start our cultivation "
Son replies " ok father, let me go and ask the villagers for help "
A little squirrel listens to this and hurries back to the owl to tell him this news. the owl replies " Dont worry son, we dont have to think about moving for a while now.. " . the squirrel is confused and asks " but arent they going to destroy our homes ?? " .. to which the owl replies.. " no.. i dont think its going to happen.. so stop worrying "
A week passes by and nothing happens.. then the disappointed farmer approaches his son and says " son, it was foolish of us to trust them( the villagers) to help us out in our work.. no one came to do our work.. so now.. let us approach our relatives.. i am sure they are going to understand our problem and help us out in our work "
son replies " ok father, i shall ask our relatives in the neighbouring village to help us out "
This time a crow listening to their conversation while having its food, flies quickly to the owl and says " they are now asking for the help of their relatives to get all our homes removed.. what shall we do ?? i am worried that our homes will be destroyed this time for sure !! "
owl replies, " dont worry, go home safely, nothing is going to happen !! "
the crow is confused, but not being able to protest the counsel of the wise owl, he returns happy but confused ..
A week passes and nothing happens.. all the animals are happy and surprised at the owls ability to guess the human behavior to such a level of accuracy..
This time, the dejected father goes to his son and says.. " son, it was foolish for us to trust our relatives to help us out.. we shall only start early tomorrow and do our unfinished business.. "
a rat listening to this reports this to the owl.. the owl summons all the animals and says, " my dear fellow animals.. its time that we pack our bags and leave this home to find another one.. "
Every one is perplexed.. a rabbit summons courage and asks, " but why ?? all this time.. you were saying that we need not worry, when the farmer tried to take help from others to clear the land.. but now.. when he alone is planning to do it.. why do you fear this decision of his ?? "
the owl replies, " no one is ready to do your work..right ?? all this time, the farmer was depending on his fellow villagers .. or his relatives to do his work.. but now, he has realized the flaw and he is going to start his work tomorrow.. without anyones help.. so its better we start packing !! "
Moral - Self help is the best help :)
- Location:Bangalore
- Mood: amused
- Music:Fanaa from yuva
" GOD, i thought you walked along my side throughout my life. I believed in you. Yet, at times when i needed you most, you deserted me. I see only one pair of footstep. Tell me GOD.. where did i go wrong ?? "
To this GOD replied.. " fool, the single pair of footstep that you see is mine.. during the time of your distress.. i was carrying you in my arms.. that is why you see only one pair of footstep "
It always brings a sense of comfort to know that someone is always with you no matter what you are going through.. and from that you can derive strength :)
- Mood: amused
One stormy night, all the stones in a temple come to life.. and start talking amongst themselves..
One stepping stone strikes a conversation with another.. "Our sculptor is partial, he made us into a stepping stone, but he made that stone ( pointing to the idol ) into a beautiful idol. "
The other replies, " true, people step on us, but they worship him.. its not fair.. we all come from the same rock.. then why this difference ?? "
Silently listening to this conversation, the idol replies, "When the sculptor was beating us, to shape us, you cracked up, coz you couldn't bear the pain, but i, i patiently tolerated every beating he gave me, without complaining, i endured the pain without a word, i didn't lose hope, my belief in him didn't waver even for a single moment.. i kept reminding myself that.. whatever happened.. happened for good.. so.. i ended up becoming an idol.. where as you guys.. who complained and gave up easily ended up becoming stepping stones !! "
My yoga teacher once said.. the sculptor here is none other than GOD, and all the problems or sufferings are the beatings to shape us into a better human beings.. if we do not learn to tolerate these.. then we will end up being a stepping stone.. but if we are able to tolerate it, not lose hope, and still manage to smile and endure the pain, we end up becoming the idol..
Now i know there are countless no. of stories like this.. but it only takes one to change your way of viewing life.. doesn't it ? .. but let me tell you.. to talk is one thing, but to implement is another..
Well this one has definitely changed mine..
i have no words to describe this beauty !
every time i see a lightning.. this joke cracks me up ..
a sardar.. will be walking in the rain..
and every time there is a lightning.. he smiles at the sky..
A fellow person walking beside him.. asks..
"why do you smile, when the lightning strikes ?? "
sardar replies " oye !! gods taking my picture.. " ;)
