One World

Gratitude

2012-01-12T07:15:00.002+05:30

I and a friend were taking an evening stroll while Aarushi and his daughter were playing near us and he shared a very interesting way to present the 'attitude of gratitude' concept. I felt like sharing it here.

"Attitude of Gratitude makes all the difference in what we are finally blessed with. Lets look at the example of a child. If we bring a gift for him, a cheap one, and he plays with it joyously and thanks you for thinking about him when he was not in front of you, then the next time you will be pleased to bring a bigger gift. If however, the child simply throws it away and says - this is not worth playing, that he wants something else etc., then you will not bring anything for him the next time, because you don't know if the child wanted it or not...

Similarly, we should thank God for whatever he offers us in life. Else we will only get presents when we go the shopping ourselves - that is do the hard work. There will be no pleasant surprises where we see His considerate nature."

And if I bring it closer to my life, I realize that the same happens when it comes to bringing gifts for friends and family. If the person in front of us doesn't accept what we bring for him or her, we may not bring anything for the same person again - even if it is our best friend. If on the other hand, the person thanks us for what we brought, we will be willing to even ask him / her, the next time we are going somewhere, if he/ she desires something.

The key then is to accept whatever cards have been dealt to us gracefully and with gratitude... It may not be long when He asks you what you wish before presenting you a gift...

I am reminded of a beautiful SMS that another friend shared with me, "Someone asked God, जब नसीब में पहले ही सब लिख दिया है तो दुआ क्यों करें? (If everything is written as destiny, then why wish?), to which God replied, हो सकता है मैंने नसीब में लिखा हो, (It might be that I have written) "As you wish!""

I realize that this would happen when we have accepted whatever He has given us in our नसीब (luck/ destiny). And this also takes me to The Secret. But that's another post :-)...

I wanna sit in the front...

2011-12-11T07:25:00.001+05:30

When Aarushi returned home a few days back, she had a bruise around her eye. It was frightening to imagine that someone had hit her in the eye at school. It was simply not possible for a school like hers... When we asked her about it, she explained that she fell down while running.
On further probing about who was monitoring their running, she revealed that all of them run after their school to the van to sit in the front seat (beside the driver bhaiya). So, when she was running that day, and trying to look back at how others were faring, she twisted her foot and fell.
It was a mountainwings moment for me (check out http://www.mountainwings.com to understand what a mountainwings moment means).
All of us do it the same way. Sitting in the front seat is no big deal, but children saw it an important achievement. It was nothing to compete about, but a competition somehow set in. From a larger perspective, all of us end up competing about so many things of absolutely no value / consequence in long-term. The interesting coincidence was that they were not fighting for the drivers seat, it is accepted to be someone else's responsibility, almost in the same way as most of us understand that we can't replace Him, the real driver of everything around us.
Whenever we notice ourselves being a part of competition - for promotions, position, responsibility, salary hikes, recognition etc. - let us just step back and see the importance of that front seat in the larger scheme of things.
The children sitting in the back are a group that enjoy through the way back home, the one in front seat sits alone. The one in the front gets a completely different view of the traffic, but that is simply other people also chasing one dream or another. The ones sitting in the back enjoy their time back home by building better relationships along the way. Everyone reaches home (the heavens, if I may call it), sooner or later, independent of where he/she sits in the van. Once home, parents hardly bother about where the child sat. The only concern is if they behaved responsibly wherever they enjoyed themselves. To the parents, children reaching home is the primary delight (and relief). I understand that for God too, our reaching to Him is of importance, than what position we sat at or what salary we earned... However, for him too, a responsible behavior, wherever we are placed, would be a key metric of measuring success.
Let us seriously consider if we can simplify our lives by doing away with the competition introduced by us in the scheme of things. I say, "by us", because competition or cooperation is our choice and our state of mind. We decide to cooperate, and the person who had initiated the competition will also mend his/her ways, sooner or later, or simply drift away - since we don't pose a challenge to compete against anyways :-)...
On a completely different axis, if we do wish to compete, let us not look back at our competition, lest we hurt ourselves.

You should try!

2011-09-10T10:46:00.004+05:30

I was helping Aarushi with her morning milk while she was working on an online counting exercise. The figures were slightly jumbled up and at times she would loose track of which ones she has already counted.
The simple ones were right the first time itself.
I helped to correct her when she went wrong.

After a few such corrections, Aarushi did not want to try again. She said, "पापू, आप करो!".

I insisted that she try herself first. She said, "मुझे नहीं आ रहा|"

I told her, "बेटा आप try तो करो, अगर गलत हो गया तो पापू ठीक करने में help कर देंगे|"

I had to reassure her more than once before she started trying again. She clearly did not want to fail.

No one does... But, the Father says, "Even if you fail many times, you should still try again. And if something goes wrong, then I will set things right."

"It is worse to not try than to fail while trying."

"Try to set things right yourself, before seeking divine intervention".
And this learning had come at a time when I myself had failed at something just the evening before. It was very important for me to have done well, but somehow, even after the best efforts, things had not worked out...
After this realization, I simply prayed to God that I had given it a shot, and now it was His turn to help out... And that was what He did... Things looked up and I am in gratitude for the help provided by Him at that time.
I have learnt, that I should try. Even if I am not sure of success, I should try nevertheless...

Corn in the cage...

2011-03-08T18:18:00.000+05:30

I and Surya were returning from doctor's visit a few days back. As we approached our home we crossed a thela with cages of hens stacked one over another. All were sitting contentedly in these cages.

These birds did not know that they were caged. They have always been. These have been brought up in an industrial poultry farm where all that they have to do daily is eat to survive and grow. They don't learn what flying is. They don't see the greens as their home. Their home is a cage and they are happy with it.

It is the same for us. We don't sense the beauty surrounding us since we are busy in our little lives - fighting for survival... We are afraid to venture out because we don't know if we will get worms to eat... And we are contented in the limited existence in our body cages - not realizing the treasures that await us if we try to fly... And when death nears, we feel sorrow for losing the precious caged existence...

There has to be so much more to the world that what we are able to see and experience in our present existence. We have to be ready to explore... To fly... To search for worms and relish on them... We have to be permeated with the confidence that this wonderful universe will never let us go hungry... We just need to search for nectar and we will be blessed....

We may decide to fly out of our cages and relish the wonders of Divinity or we may wish to continue to survive on the corn dished out to us in our cages and remain contended. The choice always remains...

In Gratitude

2011-02-17T08:33:00.000+05:30

We had our second baby on 8th Feb - last week. That's right, the date of my last blog..

By the grace of God, and blessings of the well wishers, and intent of the hospital staff and so many other things in the Universe, everything was normal. We reached the hospital at about 10:15am and Arunoday was born through a normal delivery at 12:45pm... It was a wonderful day. It was Basant Panchami that day. Everything was perfect...

Aarushi had been seeking her 'golu' baby and was happy to see her baby brother in it...

I think we were getting all that one could have asked for... The first emotion was of immense gratitude - towards the Divine, to the whole Universe and definitely towards the physical beings involved in the event.

But the Divine is wonderful and has lessons to teach in every happy and sad situation...

In the same days, I came across a text that said that 'satva' is also not desirable. OK... rewind... I pursued a 6 week program (http://www.do42.com/) some time back. As a part of it, I should read a holy scripture daily. I chose the Bhagvad Gita and in that, the commentary by Sri Paramhansa Yogananda - "God Talks to Arjuna". One of the chapters is "Transcending the Gunas" which talks about every action being related to a result that is either uplifting (satva), activating (rajas), or degrading (tamas) to the evolution of the human spirit. While common understanding of religion would say that an uplifting action is desired, what I was reading stated that even 'satvik' result producing action is not desired - because it leads to attachment. Attachment to 'goodness' and 'happiness' and it also feeds the ego.

This was not easy to understand. And questions were lingering...

So, the Divine, through Arunoday and my family, gave me an experiential answer.

The Indian society being patriarchal in character, has a preference for boys. My mother and father have instilled in us values of equality and non-differentiation. 'Daughter-in-laws' are equal to daughters. Daughters are equal to sons. All have equal voice and share a veto power in whatever concerns them. I am grateful to the Divine and to my parents to have instilled such noble values in us. Working on these principles, one can only get 'satvik' results. This is where the lesson was in store :-)...

In the first few days the gratitude for a healthy mother and child waned off, Simultaneously, influences of society like, 'mubarak ho ladka hua hai' started pouring in... The desire to be upright and to set the example made me feel if it would have been better if we had a baby daughter. Our family would have even then experienced the same level of bliss, joy and happiness and the congratulatory statements would really have been gender independent - the way it should ideally be... In some little corner in my heart, there was Ingratitude in place of being in gratitude...

Something happened, and this ingratitude, coming out of the desire to do 'the right action', led me to even suggesting to my mother that we do lesser than what we did for Aarushi, lest those who have forgotten the sweets we had shared when Aarushi joined us, believe that the sweets are being distributed because this is a baby boy...

This was possibly the point where the lesson was to come, and I am indebted to my mother and the Divine for bringing it to me in such a lucid manner.

I am again in gratitude.

I now understand that the desire to do good is also finally a 'binding' desire. I understand that 'good actions' can also lead to strengthening the ego. I understand that we should do all actions without any desire for results. Let others color them in whichever way they wish. It is their karma. We should simply act in noble ways and not desire any result, neither appreciation, nor criticism.

"Thank you Divine!" for answering my query in a way no one else could have.

In Gratitude.

Will You be my side?

2011-02-08T06:22:00.000+05:30

I was playing with Aarushi... Just letting her fall on the pile of soft blankets... I would lower her to about 30cm above the blankets and then let her fall on them... And through the fall, her feet were on stable footing.... She asked me, "Aap mujhe chot to nahin lagne doge?"...
It was a revelation... So many times the Father is simply playing with the child... He ensures that the child is safe, that no harm can be caused... But the child needs reassurance that it will not get hurt...
It happens so many times in life that we are in real comfortable situations... We know that even if some ventures fail (we have a little free fall), we will still be safe... We know that the Father is by our side and that we will not get hurt... We know that its fun... We know that we are in His hands... But we still are worried...
Will the Father ever leave the child? Will the Father not take care of the child if something happens?
We are already taken care of... We are already counted in... There is no reason to worrry... Lets live life like our Father wants us to live - upright and holistic...
A Father wants His children to be loving, kind, compassionate, wise, truthful, cheerful, happy, smiling, helping, growing, shining to their best abilities, putting their best into everything and in constant love with Him... He gives the children the best that He can give and desires to see them smiling - always - even when He knows that they are uncomfortable or missing something...
Lets be good children and accept what comes our way and exercise our free will to make best of what He has given us and happily build more out of it...
There is clearly no room for worry... He is by our side...

Courage and Opportunities...

2010-08-24T07:35:00.000+05:30

It takes courage to dance on the opportunities that come our way...

To take on the opportunities, status-quo needs to be changed... Some streching is required... One has to come out of one's comfort zone...

The courage is needed to have faith in oneself that one would be successful in managing all this, and that a new comfort zone will soon evolve...

Afterall, when one climbs a mountain, one may start to feel breathlessness and dizziness... But soon, one acclimatizes to the new reality and things become normal...

Also, opportunities are the best medium to exercise free will. Faith that the Divine grace will support our decision takes us through... (also read Father and Free Will, Attempt at Free Will, and The Law of Harvest)

It then takes courage to exercise free will. That we will be wholly responsible for the outcomes arising out of our choice and reap the harvest that we sow...

As of now, I am sure that the harvest would be bounty and will fill the hearts of all stakeholders with happiness, joy and love... Amen...

Please set this right!

2010-08-23T07:00:00.000+05:30

Little children have a way of examining things... They would try to pry open the parts of a toy OR simply smash it around to see what happens... While some toys are repairable, others are brittle...

Aarushi would simply ask me to set it right... Almost exactly the same way as we ask God to set things right, after we have wronged them...

While some things are repairable immediately by plugging a screw or simply connecting the things right again, the brittle ones require an adhesive and time - and even then the scar is left...

The first category are like the material things in life... Can be managed almost immediately - we call it stroke of luck, or providence, and show immediate gratitude to God for them...

The brittle ones are relationships... Once broken, they need time to recover... God may help put the adhesive, but even He can't speed it up further than the minimum curing time, and the scar will remain... It may not be visible from a distance, but a closer look will reveal it all...

With experience, children tend to identify the brittle ones from the rock-solid, and already handle the brittle ones more carefully... Anger plays a spoil-sport in those stages...

Luckily, the relationship with God is one of divine love. It is not brittle... After all, the Father doesn't hold anything against His children... He is always there to help us mend our ways and our toys...

We just need to remember to ask Him for help... And simultaneously trust that He does the best job, and may be able to do it quicker if we cooperate...

Treasury @ AID Delhi

2010-07-05T07:12:00.000+05:30

AID NCR (http://delhi.aidindia.org/) is a 'big' family now. So, big that handling it as one single unit is becoming a challenge.

We have been discussing separating as independent chapters and then managing work independently for quite some time now. As three chapters evolve out of one, the shared responsibilities have to be replicated in each unit.

I have been a dormant member, a 'extreme need basis' volunteer for some time now - about 3 yrs. Priorities change significantly after marraige, and definitely after children. To add to it, I am also pursuing PhD alongside my job. In such times of 'time-crunch', one has to keep one's immediate life circle at a higher priority than those on who one has secondary or tertiary impact.

So, when I was asked to take care of treasury at AID Delhi again, after about 4 years, I was overwhelmed... I want to help, but don't want to plunge into it too soon... I would prefer the PhD course work to reach a level of maturity before entering into such active level of volunteering again...

Same applies to "campaigns"... Its a challenge... I will take it up again in some time...

In the meanwhile, are you interested to volunteer? Write in...

Why are you giving me this?

2010-07-05T06:45:00.000+05:30

Aarushi had just woken up. She was hungry. As she entered the living room, she saw dadu eating some namkeen. She jumped at the opportunity and starting eating some of those bhujia.

When I joined her in the room, I tasted the bhujia myself and found them to be very spicy. I asked Aarushi if she found them spicy and if she should stop. She insisted that she was enjoying it and asked me for helpings. I obliged hesistantly.

She then came to me and asked, 'Papu, aap mujhe mirch wali bhujia kyon khila rahe ho?' I said, 'because you asked for it'.

Does God give us our 'mirch wali bhujia', that is, 'not so pleasant experiences' because we ask for them? Isn't this "The Secret"?

He asks us if we really want it, if He thinks that it might not be as good as it looks... But we want to experiment OR at times want something simply because we don't have it OR want it because He asks us to not have it... At times, giving in to His word, is all that is needed to get something palatable on our plate...

Learn, Unlearn, Relearn

2010-04-14T06:51:00.001+05:30

It is said that in today's knowledge world, it is those who know how to learn, un-learn, and then re-learn, will succeed most. I believe that this has been true always, but is more obvious now.

Those who accept change with open arms - and are ready to unlearn their old ways of living and re-learn new ways of living - can make the most of the opportunities that come with any wave of change. They can thus be the most successful lot of people.

Even physical objects resist change (Newton's law of intertia). It is only natural that human beings will also resist change.

Then, those who put in mental and physical energy to mitigate this resistance, may probably enter the changed situation with a higher probability of success.

Dancing to the music of love

2010-03-31T07:07:00.000+05:30

Aarushi insisted on meeting dadu when I took her to the park in the morning.

Papa was continuing with his yoga practice while his other colleagues had already left.

She and held papa like a long lost friend and started playing with him.

After some time, papa decided to fold the rug and pack the stuff to go back home. As he picked up the rug, a plain, white plastic sheet that he uses below the cloth rug came to sight.

Aarushi jumped on it and started dancing. Both of us (I and papa) were surprised, elated, filled with joy at her simple act. People around were watching this little baby dancing on the white sheet.

This was the dance she was dancing to the music of love... She was happy at having me by her side in the morning. She was happy at being with papa. She was happy about the presence of love around her. She was dancing to its music. She did not need anything else.

The same day we also went to a party and she was at her danceuse best on the dance floor too.

It did not matter to her what stage she was given. She utilied the opportunity to put her best foot forward and dance no matter what.

She was dancing to her own rythm and did not bother about how others would/ could possibly rate her performance. It was an expression of her passion, her joy.

And this made me think - this is what true sanyaas is all about. To be happy always - in His presence. To be able to put our best forward independent of the conditions offered to us by life. We may be dealt any set of cards, we have to do our best. We may not have the option to add color, but we still have to dance. And we have to dance well even when we have the colors. The colors should not prevent us from feeling the presence.

And that is what God might also love and feel good about - when His children are happy with whatever they are dealt with - and enjoy the gifts, even the most mundane ones. When His children dance to the music of love. More so, love for Him.

The Law of Harvest

2010-01-17T17:53:00.001+05:30

Whether we realize it or not, God has given us a huge piece of land. He allows us to use it whichever way we desire. He offers us the distinction between the crops and the weeds and He takes us through a prototype plot - the one of our parents to see for ourselves.

This prototype essentially teaches us the law of harvest - so shall you sow, so shall you reap. Now, we have the choice about which crops to sow. The crops are our karma. If we sow the right seeds, we will get the right crops.

What is interesting is that we have to reap our past karma too, for only then will it be possible for us to sow the new karma.

It is our choice - to sow the right karma - independent of what we are reaping presently. It is only then that we will be able to reduce the plot size under bad karma. This is essentially what a transition person also does.

Finally, if we sow more of the right karma, then depending on the fertility of the soil and how rich it was to let new experiences evolve fast, we will reap the right crop, get the right/ desired outcomes.

And it is so important to keep the soil healthy. So, we have to multi-crop. Have non-flowering plants for some time. This is an investment. The legumes will nurture the soil. We have to have crop rotation and put these legumes in various parts of this plot - the various dimensions of life.

We also have another choice. On how to handle the past karma. The bad crop can be thrown away, or their goodness - the goodness that is inherent in every crop - can be reused. We can decide to assimilate the learnings by chewing upon them like earthworms and use the enlightenment as manure so that the land becomes more fertile.

We will always have some random thoughts that we don't desire. These have to be removed right away. These weeds have a way to spread fast - very fast. They will not let sunlight reach the little seeds that we have sown and they will eat away the nutrition that our good karma would otherwise need. They will stunt the growth of our karma so that we have to wait longer to get our results and rewards.

A piece of land that has been kept fallow should also be de-weeded regularly. These are the dimensions of our lives where we haven't sown seeds yet. For example, the institution of marriage for the bachelors, or that of children for those who have none.

What is interesting is that enlightenment (manure) from any dimension of life can be used in any other part of the plot to get better results.

In this plot, we have to sow seeds of character and let them grow into big trees. The fruits will come in time and will be abundant to be shared with all who we love. The roots will go deep into the soil and will keep the soil together and offer stability. Alongside, we will have to sow other crops for short to medium term survival. We will also need to plant flowers so that we exhibit a happy personality with an ever-smiling countenance.

The flowers are good to have but since they are seasonal, their variety may either change automatically or will need to be changed when the season changes. In fact, these flowering plants may not even survive through a season. That is why it is important to have the trees in the first place. To have at least some gift to offer those who visit your farm (life).

Needless to say, multiple trees should be there to bear fruits in various seasons. One would get bored by eating the same fruit - day in and day out anyways :-)

Before planting the trees it is important to know about the local climate and the quality of the soil. These are the principles and values that will govern our plot. They define the "right" trees and plants for us. This is the mission statement that should help us achieve the success that we want to achieve in life.

We have to align our missions statement with the values and principles that govern our piece of land and we can be assured of an abundant harvest.

An Attempt at Free-will

2010-01-13T07:08:00.000+05:30

I always want my near and dear ones to choose their paths independently. But simultaneously earnestly desire that they be aligned to the "right" universal principles.
I try to make them aware of all the options available and am ready to offer my views on various options, when asked.

Offering these views when not asked is like biasing the other person.

And this is what God also avoids. He provides us with all the choices but lets us choose which way we want to go. To seek His advice, we have to listen to our inner voice. And we can always decide to ignore it. God is pained, but His love for us does not diminish.

The results that we get will be aligned to the universal principles - that of karma, that of the law of harvest --> that so shall you sow, so shall you reap. The law of harvest always applies. It may take time for the crop to grow up so that you reap it. But that is all that you will have to reap.

Father and the Free-will

2010-01-13T06:56:00.001+05:30

The role of the Father is a tough one. The Father wants the children to make the right choices and walk the right path. The path He has made us for. He gives us opportunities to learn the needed skills. He shows us the path. However, He also gives us the free-will to choose our path.
He is elated when we follow what He desires - when we choose His path.

He is helpless when we take a different call. Nevertheless, He is there - always - to help us out to change course/ choose the best amongst those availalbe if we listen to His word.

It is very difficult to give the freedom to choose and even when the child makes a different choice that what you wanted, to keep loving and not be upset or angry. That is real Godliness that we have to learn as good human beings. This is the real meaning of freedom to choose. To offer continued, unconditional support to the child whatever the child decides. And, results that the child gets are then essentially due to free-will.

So, what we get as results are also an outcome of our choices when we had the freedom to choose. If our choices are aligned with God's path, the result will always be a blessing.

The Role Play

2010-01-13T06:48:00.000+05:30

Most people have children. The Father gives most children the opportunity to play the role of the Father in this lifetime. It really is a tough role to play.
All of us anyways play the role of the Son (child). Are we making our Father proud?
Role-play is a very important and effective training technique. It helps the person playing the role experience the situation at hand from a different perspective and the role-player grows as an individual.

However, it is very important to be constantly aware that what God has asked us to do is just play a role. Let us not become egoists in believing that we are the role that we play (because, finally we are not the provider, but the provided). But, we should still keep playing the role because we have an opportunity to train ourselves in Godliness and Goodliness :-).

A Rainy Morning

2010-01-12T07:36:00.000+05:30

लगातार तेज़ बारिश हो रही थी|
पत्तों का भार भी बढ़ गया था| सभी वृक्ष बिना किसी हरकत के इन्द्र देव के समक्ष नतमस्तक खड़े थे| पशु-पक्षी भी अपने घरों/ घोंसलों/ बिलों से बाहर नहीं निकल रहे थे|
साड़ी स्रिष्टी मानो गिरती हुई बूंदों के नृत्य का आनंद उठा रही थी और मौन रख कर इन्द्र देव के प्रति आदर व्यक्त कर रही थी|
हम लोग अपनी ऑफिस की बस में जा रहे थे और विलम्ब की वजह से चिंतित हो थे|

The choice

2009-10-31T06:29:00.003+05:30

We were all sitting in the living room when we heard a glass object smash broken in the kitchen.

I had an immediate urge to ask "क्या टूटा?" (What's the new thing that broke?) in a very slanderous tone - making fun of the situation and also in effect belittling the other person for an accident that no one wanted to happen. I stopped because Amit, whose house we were in, rushed to the kitchen and asked Alpana "कहीं लगी तो नहीं?". (I hope you did not get hurt!)

I felt ashamed of myself.

Throughout my growing years, this was possibly the first time I had encountered such an emotionally intelligent response to an accident like this. I realized that I now have a choice - between the regular response that I had been used to and the new response that I just experienced... Now I consistently choose the latter...

A realization also dawned. That at times people who we work with don't even know that they have choices available - because they are never exposed to the alternate responses. So, when we are not happy about the way someone is 'reacting' in a situation, we would do a lot of good by simply 'proacting' in the same situation and demonstrating a response that a 'transition person' would give. Others will automatically accept the new way to respond sooner or later and be thankful to you :-).

The Bird that flew after sunset

2009-10-10T14:31:00.003+05:30

We were going to the Gurudwara a few days back and we saw a bird flying pretty low in the trees around the park...

Birds usually don't fly in the dark. They rest at home after sunset. But this one was flying in circles close to a lamp-post.

I felt concerned. It was strange. I had never seen a bird flying in that pattern earlier... It was brownish in colour - from what I could see in the yellow sodium light. So, it wasn't a crow or a pigeon or a mynah and was big enough to rule out a home sparrow also, but small to be an eagle... These are the birds that I am used to seeing in our local park.

I called out to the bird. I knew it would not understand what I said, but I felt that a kind voice would still be registered different from an aggressive tone and the bird may calm down a bit. It would let me come close and see if there as something I could do... However, the bird flew away when it heard me calling out.

The concern remained, but there was little I could do about it...

Just day before yesterday, I went to the park to see if moon has risen on the horizon... And there it was, sitting on the park bench... I saw it at such close quarters for the first time and a realization dawned. This bird did not need my help in the dark... It was an owl...

At times we feel concerned about others because we don't know them well and we attribute our / or generic weaknesses to them also...

They may not always need our help... They might be adept to find their ways through the dark...

Eagle's nest

2009-10-10T14:29:00.001+05:30

The king of the skies - the eagle - also has to finally build its own nest...

In the kingdom of God, the kings also have to make a place for themselves by their right action...

The Obstacles on the Sidelines

2009-09-26T07:43:00.002+05:30

We were going to Gurudwara yesterday and Aarushi would want to walk all the way from home to the Gurudwara.

While walking, she noticed that there was a patchy pavement on the side of the road. It was a challenge for her to walk on that pavement. It was made at different levels and was also fraught with pits and was dirty.

She enjoyed the challenge of walking on the ups and downs... We would guide her away from the pits, but she was happy that she was going up and down and exercising herself... She would squeak with excitement at every change of level she would successfully manage...

I realized that sometimes we also do it the same way... The road to our destination may be straight, but we enjoy the ups and downs life offers... We are happy about just managing those obstacles, while on the road there would have been a smooth walk...

We are not aware that we can get hurt... We are upset and cry loud when that happens, but we should realize, that if we focus on the final destination and walk on the path that God has built for us, we will face lesser obstacles...

The path will be smooth if we focus on the final destination... Little distractions and challenges may come on the sidelines, its our free will to either enjoy the ups and downs associated with them OR reach God faster... He has no problems in waiting :-)

Presence

2009-09-26T07:10:00.003+05:30

I had to visit France for official purposes for about a week.

Aarushi was very upset when I was leaving. She is too small to realize the duration of my absence, just the very fact that I was leaving her side pained her and she was almost inconsolable.

However, from what I understand, 5 minutes, and she was playing with lemon trees and banana groves. She felt that I had gone to office and would return after some time...

We do it similarly... When we are blessed in the presence of God, say in meditation, or in the sense of self-realization, we feel bad initially... But pretty soon, we forget about the loss of contact... And in the back of our minds, we know that He is around and will be with us when we need...

However this separation was longer, and from what Surya tells me, Aarushi did not play tantrums when I was away and behaved like a good child :-)... She demanded less... Similarly, while in God's presence, we would demand anything - realizing that we are divine beings and that Everything is Possible, in His absence, we become more human and end up limiting our expectations and demands with physical limitations of a human being and a materialistic world...

When I returned, Aarushi was sleeping... However, when she got up, she could not contain her excitement and happiness for having met me again... She was very loving and would not leave my side through the day... I think that the same happens with us when we get back the same divine experience again... We want the experience of Presence to continue... But the daily routines take their toll again...

And I am not sure... But would it be right to say that God has given us distractions so that He can also get opportunities to explore new things and grow...

Forced rest

2009-05-23T16:52:00.001+05:30

Sometimes He wants us to rest now so that we can do what He desires of us later...

Power of Love

2009-05-18T06:46:00.005+05:30

Power of God's love can do anything for God also... It can

help one come out of stuck situations
heal someone
help someone grow
improve relationships
create joy
create alternate futures
... the list is endless :-) ...

Lets appreciate it and live in the realization of its abundance...

Change is easy

2009-05-18T06:41:00.002+05:30

When one accepts the new reality and conciously decides to accept it, then change is easy...

In fact, it takes less than a minute to change the frame of mind and then move in the new direction... Yes, less than a minute - once one has decided...