Scribble, Scrabble, Stroo..

Rumi for today

2012-01-18T17:25:00.000+05:30

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.

~Rumi

Who is Jesus?

2011-12-25T09:17:00.000+05:30

Jesus is synonymous with love. Jesus is also said to be born of the virgin. This seems baffling to most people who lack a complete understanding of what Jesus represents.

Every human being is born - the physical body takes birth. But the spirit, is never born, never dies. The essence of a human, the core of existence is beyond birth and death.. This essence is of love, of Jesus. Hence Jesus is born of the virgin.

An essay on the limitation of material wealth and the importance of Human Values

2011-12-24T21:24:00.000+05:30

India's growth story has been much talked about over the past decade or so. We have all reaped the benefits of the economy opening up to multinational companies. I have a job in a successful Indo-German firm. Many of my friends are much richer (material comforts and possessions) than their parents are after nearly four decades of being employed. My generation is well traveled, has the flexibility of changing jobs, feels the freedom in asserting themselves and are not constrained by the narrow walls of thought that our parents have been confined to. I am proud of this transition in the society.
However in the midst of this economic exuberance and financial emancipation, I find a worrying facet of our society. I find that in today's society, emphasis is no longer on the learned, rather on the wealthy. Our role model's are wealth industrialists with big mansions; superstars with glamorous wife's, politicians with power. This portrays material wealth as the sole purpose of life. When this happens, human values take a back seat. My grandmother used to tell me stories of how people used to have doors open in the state of Mysore, during the times of Dusshera. Visitors, whom my family had never met, would be welcomed into the houses, fed and bed for over two weeks. Today this happens in utopia. In just fifty years, we have lost trust, we have lost human values and lost the ability to care for others. Why has this happened? In my view, each individual is caught up in his own world - a world of narrow domestic walls - exactly what Tagore warned us against. Our societies particularly in the cities, have been confined to narrow domestic walls. This has happened because wealth gives us the notion that we can survive without anybody's help. That we can be independent. That we do not need anybody for our existence. Our families have shrunk - because brothers and sisters, sons and parents cannot tolerate each other. In fact, if one examines one's life - nobody is truly independent. Everybody is interdependent. We depend on the dhobi to wash our clothes, we depend on the farmer to grow our food, we depend on the police to keep our cities sound and safe. Economics, formalizes this relationship - and makes it purely need based. 'Well the Dhobi has to wash my clothes because I pay him to do so'. If this argument is closely examined, one realizes that the Dhobi can refuse (the auto-rickshaws of today are a fitting example). Money has no value if people refuse to acknowledge it. What value can money buy in the wake of a natural disaster, or a war. It is in such situations that money's limitations are exposed - and human values take over. The Tsunami of 2006, the Japanese earthquake of 2010 are all examples of how human beings helped - not because it benefited them economically, but it compelled the human values in us to do so.
Unfortunately, we do not recognize this unless we are faced with catastrophes of that magnitude. In our routine lives, we forget and quickly get back to economics. And we allow economics to govern us. That is fine as long as this brings us happiness - the sole purpose of every human's existence. But this is not so. Material wealth cannot cause happiness. From my experience in seva, it is service to mankind that brings me the highest joy. This is true in everybody's life. That little grain of service is present in everybody's life - and is exemplified when the person is stress-free. The human qualities, and therefore the human-ness in us in fact, is expressed when the clouds of emotions and the doubting mind are quelled. How does one bring about this?
The purpose of Yoga, of meditation is simply this, to settle the turbulence of the mind and the heart - to bring us to the quiescence. In that quiescence, we experience joy, and in joy service is natural.
this reminds me of one of Tagore's wonderful sayings,

" I slept and dreamt that life was joy,
I awoke and saw that life was action,
I acted and behold, service was joy"

Unfortunately, in today's mad rush for material success, which is given the guise of being ambitious, people give up their source - human-ness. We are perilously following the path of the west - knowing that the path leads us to the Lion's den.
All is not lost though. Our history teaches us that when times are dark, then the master arises - leading the way, walking the talk and dispelling ignorance. We see these people in today's society - Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Sri Sri Ravishankar and a host of other 'spiritual' personalities. They have a huge following, including me. Why do they attract so many? It is simply because they appeal to a part of us which we were never acquainted with, a part of us that we had hidden beneath several autumn leaves. They show us a path which is based on human values and in which material wealth plays its part. Material wealth should not be shunned. It has its place in life. But when it subsumes all other aspects of life - misery ensues. These masters, help us discover that part in us, they show us how to lead a life sans misery.
Our culture believes that time is circular. Therefore, this mad rush for wealth, can only be a phase. Once humans see the limitations of this, they would transit to human values. And when that saturates - they would transit back. This cycle goes on. Let us be wise and hop off this endless loop. Let us be free. Let us be human. Let us be of service to our brethren. Let us be ourselves.

Beauty at home

2011-12-21T12:25:00.000+05:30

"God created a woman's eyes to remind man that beauty exists right at his home"

Patience in Emptiness

2011-12-08T14:39:00.001+05:30

I've said before that every craftsman

searches for what's not there to practice his craft.

A builder looks for the rotten hole where the roof caved in.
A water-carrier picks the empty pot.
A carpenter stops at the house with no door.

Workers rush toward some hint of emptiness,
which they then start to fill.
Their hope, though, is for emptiness,
so don't think you must avoid it.
It contains what you need!

Dear soul, if you were not friends
with the vast nothing inside,
why would you always be casting you net into it,
and waiting so patiently?

The beauty of careful sewing on a shirt
is the patience it contains.

Friendship and loyalty have patience
as the strength of their connection.

Feeling lonely and bored indicates
that you haven't been patient.

Be with those who mix with God
as honey blends with milk, and say,

"Anything that comes and goes,
rises and sets, is not what I love."

~ Rumi

Goodbye Dev

2011-12-04T17:20:00.001+05:30

The last steam train has chugged into the desolate station,
The crowds have all left with the modern trains to much modern stations.
In this foggy evening, I am all alone in welcoming this legend from another era.
As the engine chugs the last few breaths, before coming to a halt,
I see the bright engine eye- lights, twinkling, as charming as ever.
There are a few dents here, a few scratches there,
nevertheless, this is a reflection of its own charming glory.
Now, as the train silently halts - for ever, you walk away,
majestically into the foggy unknown.
I cannot come with you, not yet.
I will catch the next modern train back to the bustling city,
and when my time comes, I will board the last train of my generation,
and join you in that foggy walk.
Until then Dev Anand, your spirit, shall propel me.
Goodbye.

(1923 – 2011)

An Emperor's memories

2011-11-30T17:56:00.000+05:30

Everyone and No-one

2011-11-20T11:20:00.001+05:30

When you are with everyone but me, you're with no one.
When you are with no one but me, you're with everyone.
Instead of being so bound up with everyone, be everyone.
When you become that many, you're nothing.
Empty.

~Rumi

The Flower Girl

2011-11-19T17:10:00.001+05:30

When you come in the evening to sell flowers to my god house,
I ask for the flower that you do not have today,
just to engage you for a minute or two longer than usual.
You launch into a lengthy explanation and tell me how its not the season for Kankamra.
I really don't care. My hard glance, displays a sense of anger.
But in reality, I take this opportunity to dive deep into those infinite portals to your soul.
In this blissful love, I forget my hard glance and drop guard for a second.
You are smart, dear flower-girl, and catch my naughty glance and instantly avoid my gaze,
pretending to arrange your beautiful flower basket.
You sell me the flower that I never wanted and run away down the dusty evening lane.
You take the sun with you and all I have is this fragrance of the wrong flower,
My heart fills with your presence and sees you in the flower,
in the fragrance, in the worship and in the god-idol.
All night, I revel in that drunken bliss.
And once again, next evening, I wait by the door for your flower calls,
knowing too well, that you have again brought me the wrong flowers.

~ Akhilesh

Love and Beauty

2011-11-16T23:38:00.001+05:30

There can be only one reason why any human would want to exist and that is the yearling for love. Those who disagree, simply do not recognize that it is love they are after. I have examined this is great detail, and realized this truth of life - we seek love - this is the truth. Therefore, love has to be truth and truth has to be love.
Kahlil Gibran once remarked - "We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting'. Waiting, for that moment when we discover -beauty - discover love. And this love is to be found in oneself. Which brings us to ask the question. What kind of love? Not just the love in human relationships - this is one form that most of us are acquainted with - but love that is devoid of the two. Where all barriers, constructs, mental concepts simply collapse - and dissolve into that singular experience. That is love. And since this love is within us - or, is us, we need not seek it. This reminds me of a famous quote of Rumi - "Your task is not to seek love but merely to seek and find all barriers within yourself that you have built against it". This is called Maya - the great illusion.
And when these barriers are dropped, only bliss remains. And that bliss, I cannot express in words. Just as a mirror only captures the reflection of the moon and not the moon itself, so too can my words only point to the beauty, and not reveal it. The reason for the existence of music, dance, nature, worship, sex and everything around us is to point us to that beauty - they are mere signposts to the divine. Get caught up in these and you miss the whole point - you miss the beauty - you miss existence. The beauty of music, for instance, is not in the performance that much, rather it is in the way the performance is received - and that is something personal. The effect of an event is to create beauty in you - to take you inside yourself. Once there, nothing can ever shake you from that establishment.

It is this yearning that we are born with. There is that natural movement towards seeking that bliss. Everyone is endowed with that yearning. Some stay with it, other get lost in the reflection. We need to drop the mirror and look at the moon coming into our house through the windows.

False Cricket

2011-11-15T01:08:00.001+05:30

Every evening I come to your street to play a game or two of cricket.
This evening is no different, I come as I always have.
To the boys, I am a part of their game,
I bat and bowl - score runs and pick wickets.
A perfect display of sportsmanship.
But in truth, I come not because I am thirsty for runs.
I ask you for water, even before the first water-break,
to which you promptly fetch a cool pitcher.
You stand by the gate, drawing you locks away from your shadowed eyes,
and pretend to be in discussion with your family.
But I know, that those discussions are just as hollow as my futile strokes.
And when I effect that fantastic wicket, I rush to celebrate with my team-mates,
knowing that the most joy of the wicket dwells in your heart.

And when the sun decides it has seen enough of our false pretense,
It gently steals the shadow from your beautiful eyes and casts it over the street-pitch.
Finally, at close of play, we head back to your house pavilion.
While the boys are busy discussing the game, I take cover of the darkness,
to steal gentle glances at your loving eyes.
And when the day is over and it is time to go home,
I steal an infinite second, with a false handshake.
No ton, or hat-trick can ever bring me such joy - my love.
And even if they did, it would only be because you were watching.

Now I make my walk home - alone,
knowing I will come back tomorrow for another game or two of false cricket.

~Akhilesh

The Songbird

2011-11-11T04:00:00.001+05:30

The songbird comes to my window each morning,
and brings with it tunes from a distant land.
I hasten to unfasten the latches to those musical ablutions,
for the doubts of the nagging mind has parched my notes dry.
Those few dips in the song-pool is all I have before I begin my day.
The bustle of the day keeps me busy,
with dry numbers and accounts.
My mind plays hide and seek with the gatekeepers of boredom,
yet, my heart refuses to partake in these worldly games.

And in the evening when I rush back home,
I open my window and await my friend.
Alas! He is away composing fresh tunes for the coming day.
Each evening brings with it the shadows of longing,
and leaves behind the night's emptiness.

And once again, each morning, our two hearts meet - ever so brief,
and exchange soulful songs, which gets me through another long, dreary day.

The Patient Patient

2011-11-07T22:47:00.001+05:30

Infinite is thy patience my Lord.
You make me wait an eternity, to enter my home.
Each time I send my petition to your quarters,
the reply is the same - soon.
This delay you reaffirm by planting a clock in my heart.
Each beat, measured, a reminder that my time is running out.
Lest I forsake you, you plant yourself in the warm smile of a child.
And when I take an evening stroll beside the lake in the cool gardens
-You appear in the eyes of the young lovers - lost in each other for eternity.

Infinite is thy patience my Lord.
For you taught me how to count the seconds in that clock,
which you wind again and again.
And as the years roll by, just as I gave up on you,
you revealed yourself promptly in me as infinite patience.
~ Akhilesh

The Happiness Paradox

2011-11-02T19:05:00.000+05:30

I have come to judge my life not on how happy I am but rather on how much I have learnt. I realize that happiness is fleeting and to base one's life on the pursuit of happiness is like building castles on the sand. On the other hand, when I base it on learning, I find myself, constantly improving. What kind of learning? Not just academic or scientific or literary, rather a holistic learning. A deep understanding of who I am, how I react to situations, how my mind constantly fluctuates with different inputs. This learning, I observe, comes about by awareness. Awareness is when we do something consciously. It appears hard at first, to do everything 100%, with full awareness, but slowly, it grows on you and you are in the zone all the time. When we are aware of ourselves, we can spot the flaws and the good things in us, and correct or build upon them. With this kind of learning I find happiness to be natural. Happiness cannot be the result of doing something (long-lasting happiness a least) - rather happiness is the state of being - a quality in us - or maybe just us. This realization comes when we become aware of the fact that everything around us is changing and the only relevant thing is myself - this point of reference which perceives the external world. This point of reference - or myself - is beyond the influence of external factors and therefore always at peace.
Therefore although happiness is the goal, the path cannot be its pursuit. Nathan Hawthorne one famously said "Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." Its a paradox. I call it the happiness paradox.

Entrepreneurial Notes - Vision

2011-10-31T23:59:00.001+05:30

This post is unstructured and can be viewed as a collection of thoughts on my experiences on the topic of vision in companies.

I was working with a good friend of mine the other day on his company's vision statement. We were trying to formulate the company's vision on paper. This was when it struck me. Any company must be founded on a passion to do something - and that forms the vision. This should be the starting point for the business. But when one makes profitability the central theme of one's business, then we play around with fancy words to try and fit our current actions into a vision statement. Such a statement is meaningless and nobody in the organization really connects to it. Then, the question becomes, can you have a vision statement like 'Be the most profitable company in the XYZ industry'. To this my thoughts are - No. Money alone is not something people innately connect with. If money is the sole motive for your people, then tomorrow, on being offered a better pay package, your employees will shift. Therefore vision and loyalty must go hand in hand. Money cannot bring true loyalty - it will only encourage an attitude of an auction of skills in the company - who offers more for me. This attitude is detrimental for the cause. A vision means that 'I put the company before me' only because of the contentment/joy I get when my company achieves something'.
The company must respect this and not use the vision statement to exploit the employees. This connect with the vision is always voluntarily - never forced. This needs a good leader to share his vision and the company's vision with the employees. These three (the employee's vision, the leader's vision and the company's vision) must align for the company to do well. In all these three, personal gains are put last. The employee woks for the cause, for which the leader works, for which the company is a vehicle.
This, in my view, helps employee retention, boost employee morale and improves efficiency. Aligning the three visions is the key challenge. This means that we nurture leaders at every level and not just managers. Vision can not be a top down mechanism - it must be driven equally at all levels.
Just having a vision is not enough - Ask yourself, why you are in the business and look for honest answers.

Forms

2011-10-28T17:00:00.001+05:30

I come to put words to the whips of movements in my heart,

but as the pen kisses the paper, words are lost in the moments bliss.

In that bliss, even the emotions take flight, leaving me hollow.

I fail miserably at what I came to accomplish.

At least this time let the lesson be learned.

Let me put away my pen and stow away the bottle of ink,

and revel in the wordless forever.

But soon, the formless takes form,
just as the love of lovers brings forth new life.

And now dear Shams, I find myself again searching for that dusty scroll
not knowing where I placed it since the last time I wrote these words.

~Akhilesh

Jostling waves, jostling mind

2011-10-24T12:21:00.000+05:30

Let my life not be a pursuit of happiness.
What have I to seek anymore?
The feeling of abundance causes affluence.

The waves of wants dissolve,
jostle and play around with each other in the sea of my being,
only to create noise and stirring.
Let me anchor my mind-ship firmly on the beach,
and clamber out onto the shore of certitude.
And on these sandy banks,
let the moon-like light of consciousness,
illumine the confusion,
revealing the mindless play of my though-waves.

Shams, let me laugh like a lunatic, not of the moon,
but thanks to the fullness of this self illuminating moon-light.

And as these wants come up, again and again,
let my salt essence dissolve into the depth of the ocean,
and pervade the earth's waters.
I am the salt, I am the waves, I am the sea.
I have no ocean to cross, I have no ferry to take.
Oh Shams! Churn me all you want.
And let the elixir of immortality pervade my entire being.
Let me be, just let me be.

~ Akhilesh

A few more observations on life and work

2011-10-22T02:07:00.001+05:30

These are exciting times. My learning curve is ever sharp and ever increasing. I have come to judge myself by how much I learn each day. I have come to understand that learning ultimately makes you stand out from the rest. Most of us, including myself, get into a comfort zone after getting into a job. Comfort zones, although comfortable, are slow killers. You get dated and are eventually pushed out by new, cheaper and enthusiastic talent. I have realized that it is essential to keep learning, to keep the energy levels high and to keep contributing to the company.
~

Working with Germans is challenging and at the same time very rewarding. We know that they are perfectionists. But you have no idea what that means unless you work with them. I find that they are extremely structured in their thought processes. Every problem, every plan needs a clear definition and a clear execution strategy. In many ways they are the perfect managers. It is challenging to keep up with these expectations, coming from a chaotic and reactionary society like India. But this gives me tremendous opportunity to learn and incorporate some of these thought processes into myself. Most admirably, it is their logic which I find to be unfailing. It is their logic that is crisp. I have learned that 'It is not important whether your approach was right or wrong - It is important you logically justify why you took that approach'. I have many exciting miles to go.
~

I have realized freedom is not freedom from work, but freedom in work. I have found no greater joy, no greater sense of freedom, unless I have done what I have to do. Freedom in work. The harder I work, the deeper I rest. Giving 100% to whatever you do ensures that the appropriate results follow.

And that's how it goes. Until next time folks!

Tagore's Nobel Prize acceptance speech

2011-10-16T10:55:00.004+05:30

"I do not think it is the spirit of India to reject anything, reject any race, or any culture. The spirit of India has always proclaimed the ideal of unity. This ideal of unity never rejects anything, any race, or any culture. It comprehends all, and it has been the highest aim of our spiritual exertion to be able to penetrate all things with one soul, to comprehend all things as they are, and not to keep out anything in the whole universe-to comprehend all things with sympathy and love. This is the spirit of India... India is there to unite all human races.

Because of that reason in India we have not been given the unity of races. Our problem is the race problem which is the problem of all humanity. We have Dravidians, we have Mohammedans, we have Hindoos and all different sects and communities of men in India. Therefore, no superficial bond of political unity can appeal to us, can satisfy us, can ever be real to us. We must go deeper down. We must discover the profound unity, the spiritual unity between the different races. We must go deeper down to the spirit of man and find out the great bond of unity, which is to be found in all human races. And for that we are well equipped. We have inherited the immortal works of our ancestors, those great writers who proclaimed the religion of unity and sympathy, in say: He who sees all beings as himself, who realizes all beings as himself, knows truth. That has once again to be realized, not only by the children of the East but also by the children of the West."

Hungry Horse

2011-09-27T10:38:00.000+05:30

Shams be not a hungry horse that pulls a cart full of vegetables.

Shake off your fetters and drown yourself in elixir of fullness.

Take off your sights and gallop onto the road to nothingness.

In this run, you shall find me sitting nonchalantly beside the sign-post,

directing you towards your goal.

And as you pass by, remember to pause for a minute or two,

long enough for me to hop along beside you.

~ Akhilesh

Goals and decisions

2011-09-26T12:43:00.001+05:30

I was recently conversing with a good friend of mine and we got talking about the difficulty in making decisions in life and thought I should put it down here so that all of you can contribute to the topic - 'What to do when you are confused about what to do in life?'

Here are my thoughts:

1. Maintain a journal - Make it a point to keep writing down your thoughts and feelings. It may sound stupid if you haven't done it before. But, where it really helps is to look back a few years down the line and go 'Wow. I used to think this way!". It also helps to identify patterns in your thought process. For me, amidst the complaints and emotional upheavals, I noticed that there was one topic that I gravitated towards. And this helped me identify my goal. Try it. Its worth the effort.

2. Look long term - While faced with choice, always look at long term benefits. Generally, make a choice that brings long-term joy and short-term hardship. We tend to do the reverse.

3. Looking at your life from above - Sometimes we get too involved in living life as 'us'. Put yourself under the microscope. We might be alive for 60 years, out of which nearly half has passed. Have we been doing what we really want to? Have our lives been an expression of happiness, or has it been spent grumbling, complaining, doing mundane things etc. Makes you wonder how you want to spend the next half.

4. Putting the 'I' last - All problems in life are centered around 'Me' and 'I'. Just look at your misery. You will see that there is always - 'Oh this is happening to ME' or 'Why did that not happen to me?'. Focusing on helping others is a great way to move your attention away from yourself. And with that, the miseries also disappear. In my experience, the happiest people in the world are those who are always looking at how they can help somebody / come up with solutions.

5. Be a sincere seeker - Keep this question of what you want to do, with you always. Let it be like a burning light. Have faith that the answers will come. [They always do]. The question itself can bring so much transformation that it will automatically lead you to the answer.

Do you have any additions from your experience?

Rangoli–Its Significance

2011-09-22T00:06:00.001+05:30

I was having severe problems with ants entering my house from the gap underneath the door and asked my mother what I could do about it. I was thinking of safe pesticides when she said,
‘Why do you think we had Rangolis back then? Rangolis are always put outside the front door AND were always made out of rice flour. This way the ants would come to the front door, and remain outside - focused on the rice flour’.
Today, the Rangolis have gone from our driveways and have been replaced by cars. We instead use dangerous pesticides to kill ants. Those Rangolis that do survive are made from chalk powder defeating the purpose.
It made me wonder, deeply, that our societies were designed to be life supportive – and this is possible only by being harmonious with nature, at the least possible effort and in the most sustainable way. Today we create one solution which leads to many different problems.
Its time to get back to nature. It is time to get back to our roots.

10 lessons from the last two months

2011-09-21T17:28:00.001+05:30

I have learned so much in the last two months of my job.

1. To write to the point – No superfluous sentences, no fillers. Say what you want to in the least possible space.

2. To always ask yourself – ‘Why am I doing, what I am doing?’ – This is especially true when you are writing things, or putting slides together for a presentation. Each slide must convey one idea – and all data surrounding it should support this idea. Ask yourself – ‘Would I understand if this was presented to me?’

3. Networking – The most important rule for a successful business. If people know you and like you, they will go that bit farther to help you achieve your goals. Always go to dinners, gatherings, conferences with your card and with the agenda of telling people what you do and why you do it. People love to meet a person with a vision and passion.

4. Branding – Doing good is not enough. Showing that you are doing good sells. Ask yourself – How do people perceive my work? If I was an outside observer, would I like the way my business/work is presented?

5. The last mile – 95% of your work takes half the time, the remaining 5% takes the other half. The last 5% is in achieving perfection. And this is where all the value lies. This is what differentiates you from the rest. Putting aside your frustration, and going for it, brings tremendous satisfaction on completion. Try it.

6. Look for solutions, not problems – Look for solutions and you get it, look at the problem and you are stuck with it. Simple.

7. Motivating people – It is easy to do what you do well. It is hardest to get people to do what you do, and do it as well as you do. Make people a part of your vision. Money and positions only incentivizes them ‘that much’. To do this, people should respect you and at the same time want to be like you. Too much respect, makes you unattainable. Being down to the earth, yet being great at what you do, inspires people to be like you and share your goal.

8. Know you are going to die (stolen from Steve Jobs' Stanford speech, 2006) – The single greatest energy booster. Makes your life purposeful and goal oriented. Makes you do only that which contributes to your goal, which leads to point 9.

9. Have a goal in life – Doesn’t matter what the goal is. Have some goal. Ask yourself, ‘If God gave me a choice of what I want to be/do at the time of my birth, what would I do’? Having some goal eventually leads you to THE goal.

10. Learn to relax – Finally, remember despite what you do, everything would be finished one day. This helps you stay focused, at the same time not get consumed with the fire to achieve. Do and let go. Do and let go (intentionally repeated). Meditate. It helps in letting go of the anxiety to achieve.

Do you want to add to the list?

Complaints

2011-09-15T17:03:00.001+05:30

How much more should I wait?
You tarry far too long.
I close my eyes each morning in anticipation,
only to find them open to emptiness.
Stop being unfair Shams,
take not pleasure from my agony of anticipation.
You have given me the sun and veiled it with clouds of the mind.
Shower your mercy and rain these clouds away.

As I go to the temple each evening,
the bells of my mind ring out monotonous tones of repetition.
And when I enter the Gudi, my mind acquires the stillness of the Murthi.
Every evening I acquire the tranquil silence and somehow come back for more.
A full stomach does not lead one to the kitchen, so too a full being does not seek.
Still, the end is not to be found.

Shams let me complain to you again and again,
let these become my Japa.
And amidst this haystack of complaints, I shall find the needle of inquiry.
And that too shall be pointed to by only your grace.
With this needle let me search in the haystack for nothing.
And realize that the searching is the goal and the needle only the means.
Shams, now go and lay out the haystack in the sun.
Let my search continue.

~ Akhilesh

Flowing with life

2011-09-11T22:19:00.002+05:30

Know that what you are going through, must be endured.
Know that this is needed in order to break your barriers.
For every cloud, hits the mountain and only rises.
Once across, it rains down gratitude and love for rising this high.
Life is knowing your boundaries, and breaking them.
Like a pot breaks itself to realize it is space.
Be this space Shams.
And in this journey across the turbulent seas,
Use the mind’s oars to paddle left – sometimes right.
These opposites take you forward.
Now go Shams. Go paddle away. Left or right, just paddle.
~ Akhilesh