Saturday, October 19, 2013
109. There can be a Permanent Stop to Corruption!!!!!!!!
108. Most Important Questions we have to Answers to!!!!!!!!!!!!
It doesn't matter how luxurious is the vehicle we drive; what counts is how many people we drove who had no transportation.
It doesn't matter how lavish is the house we live; what counts is how many people we welcomed into it.
It doesn't matter how expensive clothes we have in our wardrobe; what counts is to how many we helped to clothe.
It doesn't matter how stupendous our income is; what counts is if we have compromised our character to obtain it.
It doesn't matter what our job title is; what counts is if we have performed the job to the best of our ability.
It doesn't matter how many friends we have; what counts is to how many people are we a friend.
It doesn't matter in which neighbourhood we live; what counts is how we treat our neighbours.
It doesn't matter what colour our skin has; what counts is the content of our temperament.
It doesn't matter if we had not spent time to pray to him; what counts is if we have followed all the good deeds told above.
It doesn't matter if we had not followed all the good deeds told above; what counts is we will have to come back again to this mortal land do all this good deeds.
It does matter if we have done all the good deeds told above; what does count is He shall affectionately takes us to His abode.
107. Those FOUR ……….….Things!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the society and system to be corrupt free, we as individuals have to excel.
How??????
By simply following these sets of four things!!!!!!!!
FOUR Signs of Immaturity: Boasting about self. Underestimating others. Enjoying the pain of others. Jealous of others assets.
Become these FOUR: Humble. Simple. Modest. Bighearted.
Always speak with compassion to these FOUR: Your family. Colleagues. Old Aged. Sick.
Do not argue with these FOUR people: Arrogant person. Verbally deluded. Annoyed person. Insane person.
Always watch these FOUR things: Own faults. Good qualities of other people. Experience of the aged. Innocence of a child.
Always use these FOUR when talking: Compassion. Concern. Wisdom. Truth.
Avoid these FOUR: Greed. Grudge. Attachment. Partiality.
Keep these FOUR things in Mind always: Sympathy. Clemency. Modesty. Empathy.
Beware of these FOUR: Pride. Corruption. Wantons. Status.
When living in society, give up these FOUR: Lethargy. Comfort Zones. Procrastination. Superiority.
Don’t get carried away by these FOUR: Wealth, Position, Praise, Compliments.
Amazing FOUR Illusions in life: Peace is away from us. Happiness is in objects. Money can do anything. Clinging for life.
Always remember these FOUR things: Bliss is ingrained in Righteousness, Righteousness is ingrained in Empathy, Empathy is ingrained in Discrimination, Discrimination is ingrained in Knowledge.
106. Dasoham to Soham OR Soham to Dasoham!!!!!!!!!
Dasoham (I am Your servant) and Soham (I am Him)
Dasoham feel and chant is the one which is initiated in the start to a young
seeker. But some feel Dasohattvam is good, but just for the start. They say one
has to go further beyond this and try to be one with the Absolute. The last
step in getting merged with the Absolute Consciousness is Soham. Individual and
He has to become one and be merged. This is an experience which is beyond any
feeling to explain. The highest!!!
Hanuman keeps repeating “Dasoham” it is said that he
reached the state of “Soham” with Lord Rama when he was hugged by Him. However
Vaishnavites opine that even after reaching the “Soham” state, Hanuman got down
and still remains a subordinate of Lord Rama. This is the height of
Dasohattvam. Dasoham is a Sanskrit word meaning “I am your servant”. It is a combination
of two words “Dasa” meaning Servant and “oham” meaning I am. It describes the state
of witness hood or surrender.
Can we emulate the unconditional service of Hanuman
to his Lord is the question???
Hanuman’s faithful and non-profit service yielded
him a warm hug from Lord Rama and made him one with Him. Madhusudhana
Saraswathi, the greatest philosopher in the Advaita Vedanta was initially
influence by the Gaudiya School of philosophy and followed the Bhakti path.
Then he had a transition from the Bhakti to Jnana path. He started feeling that
Lord Krishna who had the habit of stealing butter, stole the letter “DA” in the
feeling “DASOHAM” (I am servant) and made him feel the right significance of “SOHAM”
(I am Him), or the identity with the Absolute.
Dasoham is initial stage, which is Duality (Dvaita)
I am His Servant. Here we have two personalities “I” and “Him”, which is not
oneness. Hence in the second stage Da has to be given up. Then it is Soham
state (Visishtadvaita) again this is not oneness, it means “I am Him” there are
qualified non-two - I and Him. I and reflection of the self is qualified
non-two. “SO” has to be given up from “SOHAM”, what is left then is HAM.
Ham is Advaita state - oneness only One, I am I.
Once a follower of Advaita went to a temple and
wrote “ham” meaning I am I, on the board, a follower of Visishtadvaita came to
the temple saw that and added “So” to it to make it sound like Soham means I am Him. Upon seeing
the change, a follower of Dvaitha made a correction by adding “Da”, now it
became Dasoham, Then the follower of Advaita added “Sa” to make it Sada
Soham, meaning I am always (eternally) Him. The follower of Dvaita responded
smilingly to this by adding another “Da” to it, now it became Dasa Dasoham
indicating I am servant of His servant.
Soham and Dasoham are both mental attitudes, assumed
for getting rid of the illusion “I am the body”. Annihilation of ego is the
main aim in both these attitudes. Dasoham is to remember always the truth that
Absolute alone is the doer and the instigator, His will alone prevails, and
that there is no “aham” (“I”ness) that separate me from Him. One who
experiences the perfect Dasoham state, experiences “Soham” as well.
Until the mind
transcends the three Gunas, it is an instrument of ignorance. The seeker, who
is yearning for liberation, should never let it come under its sway. Just as a
mother bestows constant care on her child, likewise the discriminating faculty
Buddhi should watch and isolate every subtle mode and movement of the mind. The
mind should surrender itself to the Buddhi. The reins (mind) of the senses
should be in the hands of the vigilant charioteer, the awakened intellect,
Buddhi.
105. Apprehension, Non-Apprehension And Mis-Apprehension!!!!!!!!
In a classroom the teacher teaches to the students at the same intensity but the students apprehend what is taught in different levels. Some students are able to grasp whatever the teacher has taught word to word, but some may fail to pick up with the subject. Hence the grasping power - Grahan Shakti invariably varies from individual to individual.
A person who is lacking the grasping power either will have Agrahana (Non-Apprehension) or Antyathagrahana (Mis-Apprehension). A person who has non-apprehension can always ask for clarification as he has not understood the subject properly. For this all he has to do is annihilate inhibition and admit his problem of not able to grasp. After admitting his problem, chances are that he stands corrected. But for a person who has misapprehended, believes what he is understood is right which is unfortunately not as he thinks.
Anyathagrahana is the problem of ignorance and creates a lot of difficulty. Either in knowing the Absolute or the world around him one needs to have the right understanding. Right understanding does not help a person who jumps to conclusion in haste. Jumping to conclusions often makes us skip over the truth.
Once an old couple and his 25 years old son were travelling in a train. The son sat near to window and started looking outside with excitement, and then he shouted, “Papa, look the trees are going behind...” The old smiled... And a young couple sitting opposite to them looked at the 25 yrs old behaving childishly, with pity…. Suddenly he again exclaimed, “Papa, look the clouds are coming with us” Couple couldn't resist and said to old man, “Why don't you take your son to a good doctor?” Old man smiled and said, “We did and we are just coming from hospital... my son was blind from birth and just got to see outside world today!” Never jump to a conclusion because many times what we see, hear and feel is not what is!!!!!!!!!!!
104. What is Happiness that Everybody seem to be Looking For?????
“Father, everybody seems to be looking for happiness. But what exactly is this happiness?” This is the most important and a wise question Svetaketu asked his father and Guru Sage Uddalaka in Chandogya Upanishad.
“One of the indications of happiness in a person is that he becomes active. While a person who is not happy is gloomy and does not feel active and his mind is cramped, his will become weak. It is only that which is Vast and Infinite that brings happiness. Hence there is no joy in what is Small or Limited. This Infinity is the sole reason for happiness and you must have a desire to understand this Infinite, my son.” said Sage Uddalaka.
“I want to understand it, Father,” said Svetaketu.
Sage Uddalaka said, “Then you must listen carefully to what I say and contemplate on it till you understand deeply about it:
“When a person understands that no one and nothing is separate from him, and when he recognizes the oneness with all people, animals and objects in the universe and when he does not hear, see and know anything else, that is being Infinite. But, when one feels separate from other thing, he is obstructed from the sense of being infinite, it is then he is finite and has not yet found the Infinite. The Infinite never passes away; it lasts forever; but what is finite will pass away.”
In this dialogue between the father and son in Chandogya Upanishad, it is very well explained that if one’s thought is universal then he is happy but if his thought is limited to himself then he feels unhappy and depressed.
If a younger brother builds a house, the elder brother instead of feeling happy may feel jealous or unhappy that he has not, here again the person is limiting his thought to himself, this make him depressed and will definitely take toll on his health. We all would love to be the kind of people who are happy for others when they are successful in their lives, but it is not easy. Instead of reaching out and celebrating with them, we may feel the rising up of our own soreness. This soreness may be because we are jealous of them for having something we don’t have. The essential thing is not to brush such kind of thought aside, but to take it seriously and look at it; suppressing it will only make things even worse. At the same time, we need to be sure to find a way to congratulate and celebrate their successes as if they were our own. Unwillingness of being happy for others is there in us since childhood itself. In our infant age, if a friend had a toy, which we had not we would either try to get it or were in tears. Those primal feelings are still present in most of us, and we have to admit having it. At the same time, it is when we care enough for someone to let go of what we want for ourselves that we grow as a matured person. It can be a difficult task to find ourselves suspended between wanting the toy and throwing a party for our friend who got the toy. Yet, it is in throwing the party that we share in the happiness and to some extent getting the feel of depression away. Extending ourselves to celebrate the happiness of others requires a bigheartedness that we find only in the process of doing it.
103. A to Z for a Happy and Successful Life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
101. Deteriorated Standards of Rulers over the Years!!!!!!!!!!
In ancient times the Rashtra or the State was administrated by an eminent personality elected from a restricted class of Kshatriya or Royals. He was often referred to as “Gopa” (protector of Cows) and “Samrat” (Supreme Ruler). He governed the people with their consent and approval. He had Sabha and Samiti which were a group of council to assist him in governance. Samrat’s main duty was to protect the people and their cattle. He was aided by two functionaries, the Raja Purohitas a learned person who were masters in four arts of Mantras (all rituals), Economics, Politics and Warfare and the Senani the Army Chief. The former not only gave advice to the ruler but also practiced magic charms for success in war. Samrat often got a ceremonial gift called Bali, from the people which he had to redistribute it to his people.
The main intention of the Samrat along with protecting his people was to uphold Dharma, the righteousness. He would go to any extreme point for the cause of Dharma. There are many instances of Kings taking unimaginable decision to protect Dharma.
Chakravarthi Shibi, son of Usinara a famous king of Chandravamsa who ruled over Ushinara was renowned for his kindness and unselfishness. Once a pigeon chased by the hawk fell on King Shibi's lap seeking his protection. The hawk argued that the pigeon is its food. Shibi offered to compensate with his own flesh.
Raja Harishchandra, the 36th king of the Solar Dynasty was very popular and often told as a benchmark for an ideal life and was renowned for his piety and justice. With his vow to remain truthful at all times, Harischandra successfully faced the rigorous challenge posed by Vishwamitra. Though a king, he sacrificed everything including his kingdom and even his wife. This moving story affected one of the great men of the 19th-20th century, Mahatma Gandhi who was deeply influenced by the virtues of telling the truth when he watched the play of Harishchandra in his childhood.
Raja Yudhishtira, The eldest of the Pandava brothers, the heroes of the great epic, the Mahabharatha. Yudhishtira lived for justice, and patiently suffered humiliation and exile just to uphold Dharma.
Rani Jhansi Lakshmi Bai, great heroine of the First War of Indian Freedom. She lived for only twenty-two years. Jhansi was in grip of Greedy British. She was a queen of small state but the empress of limitless empire of glory.
Rani Keladi Chennamma ruled over a small state, Keladi for twentyfive years (1671-1696). But proved she was great heroic queen. She protected the kingdom when her husband failed his duty. And she faced the wrath of the mighty Aurangazeb, and gave shelter to Rajaram, Shivaji's son.
Chhatrapati Shivaji escaped from the prison of the Mughal Emperor, to become the ruler of a kingdom devoted to Dharma and service of the people. He was one of the wisest rulers as he was one of the greatest generals.
With monarchy gone we have the honour of electing our leaders. There was a saying “Yatha Raja Thata Praja” which meant the people were as the king is that is if the king is good his subjects were good and vice versa. As we are now electing our leaders it is now “Yatha Praja Thata Raja” we are electing our leaders as we are. Unfortunately in democracy a person who has not approved a party or its leader should also bear his governance as he has decision not got majority.
In yesteryears we had leaders like Kamaraj Nadar, Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri, whose ambition was to serve people. But today we find it is not democracy but just a mob rule. Real democracy is the one when every individual is protected by state for keeping his views and acting against what he feels is not good to his society. Here we have got nepotism and caste politics. There is no Dharma. The leaders have forgotten that they are elected to serve the people and they have taken politics as a profession and are selling their souls.
100. From Knowing the Unknown and Experiencing the Unknowable!!!!
Mind is considered as one of the greatest reward from the Absolute to mankind. But if it is not properly utilized it becomes a very big obstacle for us. Mind can only be in the past or in the future it can never be in the present. Mind can ponder over the past or dream about the future. There is no scope for the mind in the present. This vast universe that we view can be understood by our mind in terms of our relation with what we know about it. The mind helps us in knowing things that we perceive. In this process the unknown becomes known to us. What happens when we know things?????
When a thing is known in reality the known thing becomes a subject to our mind and in this aspect our ego is becoming aware of this thing. So the unknown becomes known. But apart from the known and unknown there is another which science does not approve to, that is the “Unknowable”.
For a scientific mind, this third term does not exist. According to science there are only two those which are known and remaining lot is unknown. Moreover for science that which are unknown now, they can be known in the next moment. The unknown things can be brought under the category of “known things” with the help of the mind. This is where the real problem lies our mind cannot think what is beyond mundane life. But for some seekers mind helps in making them understand that there is something unknowable beyond this mundane life.
Once this truth is realized, mind should also be left alone with the other mundane things as it is ideal for mundane thinking only. The unknowable cannot be known by our mind it has to be EXPERIENCED. Hence this mind is of no use to know the unknowable. But for ages it has been routine that we use our mind to mediate for us. When it comes to experiencing the unknowable thing this creates the chaos in us. With the mind as our aid we try to search for answers and find theories to understand the unknowable. This exercise would be like trying to measure the ocean with the help of a small mug. Now the question is how to experience the unknowable.
There are many ancient ways to tame the mind like meditation, breath control etc.., which are effective. Another way which Sage Ashtavakra mentions in Astavakra-Gita is to make the mind a Sakshi, the witness this forces the mind to be inactive. By making the mind a witness it is easy to experience the unknowable which had been uncomprehending to the mind. Is it possible to make the mind inactive and at the same time have the experience of a thing????
Sri Sri Sankara tells that at the time of deep sleep we all have the experience of a very peaceful sleep but we are not able to describe it if asked by others. Exactly this is what happens in deep sleep our mind is inactive but we are not aware of the experience of it. If we are awake and if the mind is inactive then the experience can be felt. The way to make the mind inactive is to make it a witness.
How is it possible????
Lord Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita explains to Arjuna giving an example “Padmapatra mivambhasa” be like a Lotus leaf.
What is so special about the Lotus leaf????
Even though it is in water the lotus leaf does not let the water wet it. It has the experience of water without the water sticking to it. Likewise if our mind is a witness and does not let the likes and dislikes stick to it then we can experience the Unknowable. Right!!!!!!
Now in this blog there is mention of EXPERIENCE and if Mind is not experiencing as it is inactive then who is the Experiencer ........................ Experiencer is the SELF.
99. Generation Gap of Old Roots and Young Springs!!!!!!!!!!!
“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.” This is Charles Wadsworth quote on Generation Gap.
The younger lot has this mentality of knowing by personal perception that fire burns. When a youngster is told not to touch something hot, he will do it until he burns himself and learns his own lesson. Is it necessary for them to get the experience of bad to know the good at that tender age???? This is the called generation gap.
This generation gap is the constant struggle of the parents to prevent their youngsters from doing things that would harm, which they know by their own experiences and wisdom. The youngsters on the other hand very enthusiastically try to prove to their parents that they are very well prepared to take care of their lives. There is nothing wrong in either of them. They are both right in their own idea. The parents blinded by their love for the youngsters would rather project their own experiences and caution their young, while the young are certain that their choices are right and are based on current situations that the parents may not necessarily be aware of. The most common statement of young is “Things are different now and I know what I am doing” The most common mistake parents make is that they don’t treat our young like friends. They never make an effort to make the young understand the consequences and aftermath of an incidence, all they require is that the young should obey them without questioning them. The parents fail to understand that the young age is the age where questions like “why should it not be like that” is fashioned. The young shouldn't turn a deaf ear to the advice of the parents labeling them as old thoughts. They must understand that their parents are with rich experience and always are their well-wishers. There is no harm in listening to them, obeying them and follow their instructions. The young generation is not prepared to listen to the elders. It is astonishing that they trust their friends or someone who are of same age but would not heed to the elders. This is utter foolishness and absolute ignorance to conclude that all the elders’ sayings are outdated and has no relevance at this period of time. At times the ego and pride of the young gets rattled when given a piece of advice but as time passes on they realize that it would have been better to have valued advice of elders.
If one observes while nurturing a plant in a nursery, they use NPK. This NPK is Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium (Potash) these are the three macronutrients we find in most fertilizers. NPK is required for the growth of the plant and all farmers are aware of this fact. Depending upon the type of crop the percentages of the three elements are balanced in the fertilizer. For example if Nitrogen content is more that fertilizer it is used to supplement the growth of leaf like cabbage and green leaves. Likewise for root vegetables such as carrots, radish and turnips need of Phosphorus is plentiful to develop well. Potash is used to get superior quality fruit and flowers. Just as it is required to balance the nutrition of a plant by supplying energy to old root and new sprouting leaf we need to balance our life with the advice of elders and at the same time welcome the new ideas from the young.
For a plant to grow into a big tree and yield fruit it is required to take proper care of both the old roots and young spring leaves, we cannot ignore either of them. If we constantly snip the sprouting leaf and roots then we will get Bonsai tree which does not bear fruit but is just ornamental.
98. One cannot find Fault unless he is a Perfectionist!!!!!!!!!
97. Parenting and Emotional Honesty…..............!
Expressing of the feelings invariable of whether it is harsh or sympathetic is Emotional honesty. Emotional honesty comes from awareness which is related to intelligence which is the faculty of discrimination that has taken shape with our knowledge, practice and experience. This faulty of discrimination provides us the skill to decide whether the situation is right to be emotionally honest. Emotional honest cannot be compelled but if one is so, it will be infectious to the surrounding.
To be emotionally honest one has to be very courageous and not deter to the consequences or the aftermath. Actually we all start off by being emotionally honest at infancy stage. We are spontaneously expressive of our feelings at that age. But as time passes the child is forced by either parents or teacher to be inconsistent with its feelings. Sometimes the child is asked to behave in an adverse way which may be against its true feelings.
There was a poem in Kannada text when I was studying fifth standard titled “Govina Hadu” meaning “Song of the Cow”. The subject on Emotional Honesty makes me recollect the poem that is taught in every school through Karnataka which appreciates the virtue of truthful. I liked the story and the story is like this:
Once there was a cowherd by name Kalinga who used to take cattle for grazing in the nearby forest. Punyakoti was one of the many cows which were grazing in the idle pastures close by a dense forest. It so happened that the poor cow got lost and strayed deep into the jungle. Suddenly she was near the den of a tiger that lived in the forest and which was hungry for a week.
Smacking its lips and swishing its tail the tiger made it known to the cow that she was to be his food for the day and was about to pounce, when Punyakoti pleaded, “I have a small calf waiting for me back home. He would be hungry by now and I need to feed him. Will you please let me go home and feed him? I promise to come back after feeding him.” The tiger was puzzled. Would any prey really come back to be eaten? But Punyakoti persisted. She swore by God and Mother Earth that she would stick to the promise. Though the tiger was desperately hungry, perhaps understood a mother’s instinct, let her go but ordered her to return without delay!
Punyakoti, honest and God-fearing, hastily came to the shed, fed her calf and narrated the event to him. She told him that she had to return to the tiger as promised. The calf pleaded its mother not to go leaving him. Punyakoti told him that if she failed to return she will not be forgiven by the God for breaking the promise. Then she appeals to her sister-cows to look after orphaned child. After giving proper instructions to her calf to graze safely and move with the herd and not to straying in the forest. She returned to the forest.
Standing before the den she calls out to the tiger, “Here I am. Come, eat me and satisfy your hunger.” The tiger was touched by her honesty and moved to tears. In great remorse and realization, the tiger asks for forgiveness and jumps off the cliff to death.
How many children are taught these kinds of lessons in schools OR as a parent how many of us want our children to know these things of morality????? Also most important is that in our worldly life we as parents our honesty is inconsistent. If the children observe this it is most dangerous scenario. Children are most keen observers and grasp whatever the parents do. Children below adolescent age are very pure and will put out their feelings without hesitation. It is wise for the parents to let them behave like that and once they become adolescents they begin to use their own intelligence and decide on what is right.
96. The Wisdom and Art of Giving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The act of giving is the only thing that is
appreciated by the Absolute. There is a necessity to share whatever one have in
excess with others. How much is excess to one is beyond other persons imagination.
The great saying of Lord Mahavira “LIVE and LET LIVE” mantra is followed only
in the first phase of “LIVE” and we have not reached the second part of the
mantra of “LET LIVE”.
A person who is does not share will never deserve
higher worlds. Even Absolute hesitates to help a person who does not help
others. There is a sarcastic saying about misers which goes like this: “A miser
is a greater donor!” Well, the reason is that a donor will donate his things to
others, but will also enjoy a little portion of his money, whereas a miser
keeps close guard to all his money throughout his life and without enjoying a
bit of it, and then his decedents enjoy after he passes away. The miserly
attitude is accustomed to a person because he has an intention that whatever he
possesses is for him alone.
Bhagavad-Gita teaches ethical and moral imperatives
in art of giving without any expectations of return or any strings attached. To
illustrate there is a story of a great miser who never gave anything to others.
When he passed away he was obviously taken to hell and was given huge
unbearable punishments. He used to lament very much for his poor state and beg
the attenders every day to save him from the hell.
Attenders took pity on his poor state and wanted to help
him. But even with a lot of search they found not even one incidence where the
miser gave anything to anybody in his entire life time. Finally attenders
managed to find a small deed of good that the miser did in his life span. The
miser once, somehow, had given a small piece of over ripe banana to a beggar.
Taking this into consideration the attenders thought
of helping the lamenting miser and made a stick appear before him, with which
he could climb out of hell. The miser was very happy and quickly began climbing
the stick. Other people in the hell also seize the opportunity and started
climbing the stick to get out. The miser started pushing down all the other
people and started shouting “the stick was provided for me for my good deed,
and you cannot use it”. Immediately the stick disappeared and the miser was
back in the hell.
A person has to be generous but his generosity
should not affect his family members. “One has to think of giving to others
only if he has enough to him and his family members” says Scriptures. It is
said by one greatest social reformer-poet Sarvajna of Kannada literature: “If
oil in a lamp gets exhausted, do not flood the lamp with a barrel of oil.
Barrel of oil serves no purpose to the lamp, but offer the lamp spoonful of
oil.” Sarvajna here warns of giving food to a person more than he can digest.
Bhagavad-Gita mentions about three gates to hell for human beings: Desire,
Anger, and Stinginess. By sharing, insightful knowledge and contemplation, we
can develop purity and feelings of right achievements.
Many law givers in their writings have induced the
philanthropic principles into rituals and rites of devotional life passage.
They stress that every important of a person's life is an occasion for giving
and celebration. Sant Kabir saying: “You came into this world with fists closed
and you go away with your palms open. So while living stretch your hand open
and give liberally.”
95. Bookish knowledge with contradictory phrases
Knowledge is important but sometimes in life the situation demands our intelligence to take the incentive and act on the knowledge we have acquired.
Because there are so much contradictory phrases in the books like the following:
Just read and enjoy :):):):):):):):):):):):)
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT
(AT THE SAME TIME)
TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NONE
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD
(AT THE SAME TIME)
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
WISE MEN THINK ALIKE
(AT THE SAME TIME)
FOOLS SELDOM DIFFER
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
(AT THE SAME TIME)
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH
SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE
(AT THE SAME TIME)
TIME WAITS FOR NONE
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
(AT THE SAME TIME)
STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT
DO IT WELL, OR NOT AT ALL
(AT THE SAME TIME)
HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NONE
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER
(AT THE SAME TIME)
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
DO CROSS THE BRIDGE WHEN THEY COME
(AT THE SAME TIME)
FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED
DOUBT IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
(AT THE SAME TIME)
FAITH WILL MOVE MOUNTAINS
GREAT STARTS MAKE GREAT FINISHES
(AT THE SAME TIME)
IT ISN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER
PRACTICE MAKES MAN PERFECT
(AT THE SAME TIME)
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY
SILENCE IS GOLDEN
(AT THE SAME TIME)
THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE
YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN
(AT THE SAME TIME)
YOU CAN'T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS
WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER
(AT THE SAME TIME)
ONE MAN'S MEAT IS ANOTHER MAN'S POISON
ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER
(AT THE SAME TIME)
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND
TOO MANY COOKS SPOIL THE BROTH
(AT THE SAME TIME)
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK
HOLD FAST TO THE WORDS OF YOUR ANCESTORS
(AT THE SAME TIME)
WISE MEN MAKE PROVERBS AND FOOLS REPEAT THEM
EARLY TO BED AND EARLY TO RISE MAKES A MAN HEALTY, WEALTHY AND WISE
(AT THE SAME TIME)
EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM (from the worm point of view)
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
(AT THE SAME TIME)
NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED
BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER
(AT THE SAME TIME)
OPPOSITES ATTACT
TOO MANY COOK SPOIL THE BROTH
(AT THE SAME TIME)
MANY HANDS MAKE WORK LIGHT
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
(AT THE SAME TIME)
PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE
DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY THE COVER
(AT THE SAME TIME)
CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN
HOLD FAST TO THE WORDS OF YOUR ANCESTORS
(AT THE SAME TIME)
WISE MEN MAKE PROVERBS AND FOOLE REPEAT THEM
GREAT STARTS MAKE GREAT FINISH
(AT THE SAME TIME)
IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER
WINNER NEVER QUITS
(AT THE SAME TIME)
QUIT WHILE YOU’RE AHEAD
THE BIGGER THE BETTER
(AT THE SAME TIME)
THE BEST THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN, WILL HAPPEN
(AT THE SAME TIME)
LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT
SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND
(AT THE SAME TIME)
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
PENNY SAVED IS A PENNY EARNED
(AT THE SAME TIME)
PENNY WISE POUND FOOLISH
WITH AGE COMES WISDOM
(AT THE SAME TIME)
OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES COMES ALL WISE SAYINGS
94. Blissful State from Transcending Higher Mind to No-Mind!!!!!
93. Spirituality helps mind to excel from lower to higher level
92. Is it impossible to have absolute knowledge of the Absolute?
To have a complete knowledge of Absolute is impossible because our relative mind is unable to comprehend the vastness of the Absolute. Any absolute concept has to become relative for our Mind, which is relative, to absorb it. Or our Mind has to enter the realm of absolute hood to understand the Absolute.
Is it right to call our Mind relative???? Yes, our Mind is relative in terms of consciousness; it has no consciousness of its own as moon has no light of its own. Moon borrows the light from the Sun and reflects it to the earth. Likewise the Soul parts consciousness to Mind and this relative consciousness which is been borrowed from Soul is imparted to the sense organs. Therefore sense organs look as if they have life or zeal.
Our Mind is reflected Consciousness. The inability to grasp the Absolute made the humans to experience the Absolute in human form. This gave us the evidence of His existence in absence of which we may deny the very existence of the Absolute. When we start denying the existence of Absolute then we may tend to become atheist. To becoming atheist is not a bad proposal but we would not accept the fact that there is a force behind the existence and smooth sustenance of this vast universe. The recognition of the existence of Absolute in the human form is the knowledge of Brahman (Brahmaa Jnanam).
The knowledge of the existence of the Absolute does not disclose even an iota of the nature and quality of the Absolute and hence Absolute is always unimaginable. The only information about the Absolute is that He exists. “AUM TAT SAT” means that Absolute exists and no more information is available. The word TAT denotes that AUM (Pranava of Absolute) is beyond our imagination. The word AUM symbolizes Absolute as the creator, sustainer and destroyer of this universe. But these three adjectives indicate only the activity of Absolute, not the nature or quality. This is called Sanmatravada indicating only the existence of Absolute. Hence our puranas has lots of information on Absolute taking the numerous forms which is characterized by the awareness or Chit. The awareness is felt only by the intellect which is evolved in the humans not birds and animals. Hence the human form with the help of CHIT (awareness) is able to get the information of Absolute in relative terms. This is called Chinmatravada indicating the awareness of the Absolute. The theme and thesis of Sri Sri Sankara’s Advaita is that when the Relative Consciousness is aware of Absolute Consciousness the Relative Consciousness ceases to be Relative, it becomes Absolute.
The advaitins who concluded that awareness itself is the Absolute have misunderstood this. Once the Absolute consciousness if felt the Relative Consciousness ceases to be present this is “Manonasha” not only destruction of mind but also Ego. When a seeker crosses this realm he is in Ananda Tanmayatva (Ecstasy) and experiences Bliss. This is the height of Jnana Yoga. But for a follower of Dvaita Philosophy the theory of Relative Consciousness becoming Absolute Consciousness does not hold water, as they feel that our attitudes and tendencies are the hindrance for us to reach that realm. But according to them the knowledge of Absolute can be captured in the Relative medium just as a huge elephant is captured in a small mirror. This is the height of Bhakthi Yoga. So both the Advaita and Dvaita approach towards knowing the Absolute is acceptable and convincing. Right!!!!!!!!
91. Do curses really materialize?? If so how effective are they????
Curse is an expressed wish which may bring
misfortune or downfall or meant to harm people. It can be roughly considered as
the opposite of blessing and is a form of misfortune or unhappiness which is
revealed onto other people. Curse generally is a fall out of anger. If a person
is hurt to the core he loses his control over their mind and out of aggravated
anger he spells out a curse. One can notice that the root cause of curse is
anger, but people believe that curse itself has some dangerous and extraordinary
force in it.
The curse is nothing to do with any religion or a
region it is found in almost all the traditions of the world. The Romans and
Greeks had a very formal and official kind of curse. In Greece, curse were
called “Katadesmoi”, the warriors used to utter prayer or text the formula so
that their enemy got injured or harmed. While the Romans denoted as tabulate
known as “Defixiones”. These curses were written on lead tablets. It was
written in such a manner so as to invoke the help of spirits, ghost, or dead
people, to accomplish their task. They used to keep it in such a location that
it was very effective for their commencement like in a grave, cemetery, and
scary well. This kind of custom was used by the Greeks, Italians and the Etruscans.
They used to bury the curses so well that till date we can understand what was
encrypted.
Curses can become effective immediately or may be
dormant for years. Curses laid on families have been known to have plagued them
for generations. There are so many instances like the curse of the Kannagi
which burnt the entire city of Madurai. One such was in Talakad a place near
Mysore on the banks of River Kaveri which has a long history, going back to
eighth century when it was the capital of the Western Ganga Dynasty. In later
years, it was also a prominent city under the Cholas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagar
kings and Mysore Wodeyars.
Like any other ancient city in our country, Talakad
too has its share of colourful myths. But of the several stories about this ancient
town, one that reverberates through the years down to this day dates from the
early 1600s, when Raja Wodeyar defeated Rangaraya, the viceroy of Vijayanagar
Empire in Srirangapatna.
The victorious king alleged that Rangaraya’s wife,
Alamelamma, had in her possession jewellery that rightly belonged to the Sri
Ranganatha Temple at Srirangapatna. Eventually, when Raja Wodeyar sent soldiers
to recover the jewels, Alamelamma fled to Talakad and cursed the king and the
town before jumping into Kaveri River and drowning herself near Malingi a town
on the opposite bank of the river. Before her act she cursed thus:
“Let Talakad be filled with sand. Let the river at Malingi
become a whirlpool. And let the Mysore kings remain childless.”
In an extraordinary turn of events, beginning in the
1600s, Talakad did indeed begin to be deluged with sand and the calm river Kaveri turns into whirlpool at Malingi. The Wodeyars have been
heirless for four centuries now and still continue too. However, the adopted
heirs have sons but no grandsons. Every second generation had to adopt. The
family tree of Mysore rulers show a large number of adopted heirs, and Srikanta
Datta Narashimaraja Wodeyar die childless. Hence the Mysore Wodeyar linage had
to continue with the adaptation of Yaduveera Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar who
was crowned as Maharaja of Mysore on May 28, 2015.
Anyone can lay a curse on another person, but it is
believed that the authority of the person who lays the curse on increases its
potency and makes it more dangerous. Such persons are believed to be priests,
priestesses or royalty; persons possessing magical skill, such as witches,
sorcerers and magicians; and persons who have no other choice to justice, such
as women in many societies, the poor, the destitute and the dying. Deathbed
curses are the most potent, since all the vital energy of the person goes into the
curse. Blessing and Cursing comes forth from the same mouth. Have we all
possessed the ability to either bless or curse anyone??? What makes the curse
to materialize??? Can a person have such powers to dictate the law of nature???
90. There is no Failure until we have Patience and Persistence……
89. In Desperate Search of Divinity...........
Rishis who have realized Absolute have authored them with the future seeker in mind. However, for a lay man scriptures are moral stories or stories portraying the play of Absolute but for a spiritually inclined it is a guiding light in the path and for the realized it is their awareness path that has taken them from manhood to Divine hood. A seeker has to read scriptures and contemplate on it and use the message revealed out of it in his life to excel. In fact a seeker looks not for momentary happiness but everlasting eternal Bliss. He understands that he cannot die but exists ever in conscious of Bliss. In short he is nothing short of Absolute. This is the aspect which made Sri Sri Sankara coin the word “SAT CHIT ANANDA” to explain what Absolute is. It is for this Bliss one strives hard for many many uncountable life spans.
Forgetful of what is needed one succeeds in getting name, fame, power and material. In pursuit of Bliss he fails to realize the goal and he becomes a slave to his sense organs and materialism which gets him only devil hood depriving of delivering everlasting Bliss; making him dependent on something else to provide happiness ultimately getting away from Absolute. It is this subject matter, what the scriptures deal with, to give lasting solution to find Absolute inside him.
There was once a time when every single creation of Absolute was Divine, but as time passed they started abusing their divinity. Upset which the development Lord Brahma, the creator, decided to take it away from them and hide it where it could never be found. Hence the Divine hood was lost and man hood got stuck to us.
Where to hide Divinity was the question. So Brahma called a council to help him decide.
“Let's bury it deep in the earth,” said the some.
But Brahma felt, “No that is not the place to hide because humans will dig into the earth and find it.”
Then the few others said, “Let's sink it in the deepest ocean.”
But Brahma said, “No, not there, for they will learn to dive into the ocean and will find it.”
“Let's take it to the top of the highest mountain and hide it there.”
But once again Brahma replied, “No that will not do either, because they will eventually climb every mountain and once again take up their Divinity.”
Then the council gave up and said, “We do not know where to hide it, because it seems that there is no place on earth or in the sea that human beings will not eventually reach.”
Brahma thought for a long time and then said, “There is a place where Divinity could be hid. We will hide their Divinity deep in the centre of their own being, for humans will never think to look for it there.”
The council agreed that deep inside the core of every humans was the perfect hiding place, and the deed was done. And since then humans have been going up and down the earth, digging, diving, climbing, and exploring and searching for Divinity that is already within them.
88. Vedic God Agni as Witness, Judge, Master and Mediator
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