Action Vs Reaction

Our Reactions Define Who We Are

Many a times in the past, we all have gone through this. On a busy road some rash driver overtakes your car in a rush, cuts you off, endangering many lives as he or she whiz passed you . Let us analyze this action. Action is always true, real, tangible or visible. That can be termed as instantaneous in nature. It is time bound, occurs within a certain span of time.

 An action is bound to generate a reaction or reactions. That is the Law of Nature. There are two individuals associated with any event. One is the 'Doer' who carries on the action and the other being the 'Observer', who is affected by the action. The Observer here is one who reacts.

How one reacts is directly dependent on how the observer interprets the action of the doer. And based on that reaction, an action from the observer is bound to follow. This immediate reaction is transitory, intangible and invisible. Whereas, action resulting in the observer may be prolonged, tangible and visible. This can be analyzed a little further and deeper. Let's start with the kinds of reactions that follow the action of the incident of rash driving mentioned earlier.

The observer will generate either of the three reactions as stated below:

A) Negative : Disgust or anger arises as a result of fear and anxiety. Although natural, that clearly is a negative reaction which is immediately generated. What comes to the observer's mind , image of the doer's family background, uncivilized upbringing, additions, arrogance and many other traits. This is spontaneous and easy but completely imaginary. Its generated by speculations and projection of the the observers own mind.
B) Neutral  : We can be neutral to someone's action when we accept that he was literally in a justifiable situation for the action he did, where he had to rush. Else we can completely ignore that the action just happened, which is rather hard to do. whatever be the method, it will help us being at peace.
C) Positive : What happens when we can not ignore someone's unjustifiable act? There is a possibility it drags us towards a state of negative reaction, which is the next level. There must be a way to divert this to a positive reaction. It can be done in two stages. First, we must accept the acknowledge the action, give our thoughts a pause and be at peace within. And then, pray for the person that he or she may do the right thing. Wish good for the person and pray to God for help.

In all the three situations, the action being the same, the divergent reactions that sprouts in our mind will generate negativity, neutrality or positivity. The example of the rash driver is an action whose reaction in us will be instantaneous. We may or may not know the doer, we may or may not be able to recognize or relate to the doer. In this case the reaction may be less impactful for the observer.

Now, imagine a prolonged action or repetitive action of someone we know, someone we are acquainted with and interact on a regular basis at work or in the family or a friend. When he or she keeps repeating the same action with characteristics which can be termed as negative and unjustifiable, the reaction from us will no longer be instantaneous. It will be prolonged. And over a period of time, we will develop a somewhat repulsive and distasteful attitude towards the doer. As are the actions, so will be the reactions prolonged. And these reactions will slowly define the character or our state of mind of who we are as individuals.

From the Great Masters, we should remember the teachings for this character building in us. The three divergent reactions mentioned above can similarly be applied on us. That in a way will help us generate positivity and build a stronger Self.

Inspired from the 'The Book of Joy : Lasting Happiness in a Changing world' by HH The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams

Shradha & Saburi - What they mean for a Sai worker

For many who have heard of Saint Shirdi Sai, these two words are synonymous with the Saint - Shradha and Saburi. A century ago when a lady went to the Saint Sai Baba in Shirdi and asked for Guru Mantra (Mantra/Hymn/Statement given by the Guru for the disciple for spiritual upliftment), Baba had uttered two words which became not only the mantra for that devotee but for millions of devotees across the world for more than a century. Lot has been written and discussed over these two words in the path of Saint Sai. Here I would like to quote a portion of an essay written by Rev. Dr Chandra Bhanu Satpathy in the book 'The Age of Shirdi Sai'

"For His devotees, Baba has set two cardinal principles for the path of devotion. The first is shraddha, which means devotional faith and the other is saburi, which means tolerance with patience"

"Unflinching devotional faith (or Shraddha) is the most difficult state of mind to achieve."

"Rapid evolution takes place when, under all circumstances, the devotee patiently waits for the mercy of Baba. Saburi is therefore, an essential factor for the creation , sustenance and growth of devotion. The qualities of faith and patience are complimentary to each other. Faith without patience is a contradiction in terms and patience without faith is an exercise in futility. They are like two sides of a balance beam - if one comes down, the other goes up."
                                                                                      - The Age of Shirdi Sai, Chapter 5, Page 20-22

So intricately defined by Satpathy Ji in the excerpts from the book. This, in the context of a Guru-Shishya or Master-Disciple relationship is the building block in the path of evolution. The two entities that can be clearly visualized while studying the same is your 'Guru' and you, the disciple.

As the journey progresses, out of millions of devotees, the Guru eventually starts to test the devotees and after much scrutiny gives a few of them an opportunity to carry out small tasks. As they progress further, fewer devotees are assigned bigger tasks. Every step of this, the disciple goes through equally tougher tests and scrutiny. The ego is slowly destroyed and the Shishya(disciple) is evolved into a selfless Sevak(worker). By the grace of the Guru, the sevak no longer seeks the blessings of the Guru to remove his or her materialistic hardships, rather he or she only seeks to serve(or seva) the Guru.

Now, comes the time for the worker to build and work for an organization(Also known as Math or Ashram) under the ever protective umbrella of the Guru. Working for the Guru in an organization is much tougher than the mere devotion of any other devotee for his Guru. The fundamental difference is that in an organization, the disciple is not alone. He or she will be associated with many more workers who are dedicated to the same Guru and His mission. But, the cardinal principles as defined above for the disciple still holds relevance for the worker - Shraddha and Saburi. 

Having reached this stage, shraddha of the devotee for the Master is well established. In addition to that, Shraddha for a Guru-worker also gets fortified as 'Affection for other workers and devotees'. And 'Saburi with your self', that was a pre-requisite for establishing a disciple's relationship with the Guru, additionally becomes 'Patience with other workers and devotees' for the worker. Every single step that a worker takes in serving the Guru can no longer be solitary, rather has to be unanimous. Principles needed to keep the workers united, and carry out the mission of the Master are the same that was needed as a pre-requisite for a devotee. In carrying out the day to day activities as a sevak(worker), affection towards your fellow workers will help you bond with them, similar to what you have with your family members. With all the differences  you have with your siblings, elders and young ones are in your family - what binds you together is the belongingness. The same brotherhood and bonding will come into play while working in an organization. Similarly, shraddha resulting in the qualities of affection and caring for others, will help you to be patient with them in the organization. They are like the two sides of a coin as defined by Dr Satpathy - necessary for a disciples spiritual evolution towards the Guru, and later for a worker doing seva(service) towards the cause of the Guru.

Karma Yoga – Relevance of fulfilling materialistic needs in life

Karma Yoga – Relevance of fulfilling materialistic needs in life

Reading spiritual and religious books is often considered challenging to the common man. First of all, people assume that by reading such books, we would drift away from materialistic world and care less for things around us – our worldly affairs, ambitions to achieve and to fulfill our materialistic needs. Often while talking to friends and colleagues, I have realized that people appreciate someone who is spiritual and religious, studies spiritual books and follows a Guru. But, at the same time when it comes for them to make an attempt in doing the same, they step back. They withdraw with the fear that by following that path, he or she might drift away from day to day life and lose focus on their goals. They fear that being spiritual would make them demotivated to be an achiever.

Ask someone who is a scholar of religious scriptures – and they would just smile! This idea of withdrawal can be associated with the tradition where in the person who preaches religion or does commentary on spirituality, philosophy and scriptures is often projected as a detached human being who has renounced all worldly commitments and lives a life of aimlessly wandering soul. In Hinduism they are known as Sanyasi, A mendicant priest in catholic order of Christianity, A dervish in Sufi order of Islam and a monk in Buddhism and Jainism. A worldly man would like to listen to them, take their blessings and advise on certain matters and move on. A family man is not encouraged to venture into the other world with a fear that it might break the balance which is holding the family and society together. Most common prescription is ‘ That is good, but not for you’.

Now you will be amazed to read that God never wanted the all the worldly man to become monks and quit their duties and walk away. Only a Guru (Spiritual Master) would be able to comprehend scriptures properly and teach the man what the laws expect of a worldly man. As prescribed in Bhagwat Gita

Na buddhi-bhedam janayed
ajnanam karma-sanginam
Josayet sarva-karmani
vidvan yuktah samacaran

-Bhagwat Gita, Ch.3(The Eternal Duties of a Human Beings), Verse 26

Meaning : The wise should not create discord in the mind of ignorant people attached to fruititive actions; instead the wise man with persistence and precision, should induce others in activities, keeping them fully engaged.

This clearly says that for the unintelligent human being, the concept of working without expecting any fruits or results is meaningless. Working selflessly and being unattached to your actions is only for the evolved human being. Work devoid of desire is an exalted state given to the enlightened few. This philosophy is too high for the common man to understand. To work for results is far superior to being given to laziness born of inertia. The indolent man must be roused to ambitions and exertions leading to pleasures and prosperity. Unable to comprehend this philosophy of ‘work devoid of desire’ man would be given to escape-mentality from actions on earth. Care should be taken no such confusion is created in the mind of the indolent and ignorant.

                                    -                         Commentary by Swami Chidbhavananda

Question may arise if scriptures approve of working for desires, how does a man ever get to the selfless work? The answer may be derived from the teachings given by Sadgurus. By following the scriptures and instructions of a Guru , a sincere man eventually achieves what he desires for. After having fulfilled all his materialistic goals and enjoyed the pleasures of life, there comes a time when the same person has nothing more to wish for. He or she contemplates on his or her life and with the same inertia of action, continues to work unattached to the results thus generated. Those results or fruits of ones action thus reach out to others in need. Since all actions and results thereof are contained within the nature, the outcome of ones good work is utilized somewhere else.

Taking various examples from the life of Sadguru Sai Baba of Shirdi as described in Sai Satcharitra, we can find that thousands of people flocked to Shirdi for the fulfillment of various needs in life. Some came seeking to be blessed with a child, some came to be cured of illness and some came to seek blessings and advice on business deals and financial troubles. Being a spiritual master who knew that these worldly needs are temporary and man should rather seek spiritual advice, Baba fulfilled their desires. But if you look at how the lives of these men and women who came transformed later, you will be astonished. Most of them came back to Baba and served humanity with all they had. They sacrificed what they sought from the Guru, devoted their lives in serving others and propagating the message of their Master. Fulfillment in life and seeking for it is an important aspect in the path of spirituality and growing as a human being.

Bow to my Guru!

                                                                                                            -Santanu 

To-Know and Not-To-Know

JAI SHREE SAI  ! JAI GURUDEV !

To-Know and Not-To-Know

Knowledge can be defined as none other than 'To know the truth'. To know something which is not true can be meant for entertainment but cannot be considered as knowledge because that does not add any value in our lives. Everything that exists - living or non living, big or small, good or bad, on earth or beyond earth is all the truth. To know about these is Knowledge. Learning and realizing the fact that all the truths in the universe are nothing but part of  the mUltilateral truth' or the Param Brahma is the ultimate knowledge.
Our five sensory faculties along with mind constitute the six indriyas to receive knowledge.  The truth always existed, is constant and will remain unchanged for time to come. Acceptance and the degree of acceptance may vary from time to time. Truth is constant and cannot be compared. A person standing in front of a a tree can close his eyes and assume that the tree does not exist. But that would merely be his non-acceptance of the truth, it does not make the tree.

'Not to know' in other words can be defined as not accepting the truth. Its is not the same as 'not knowing'. It is knowing and non accepting or ignoring. In day to day life, our self driven obstruction of the senses lead us to Not-Know many things.

• To not know the truth that all faiths, beliefs and practices in the religious world are ultimate part of the onk ::)e creation and lead to realization of God, leads to conflicts in the world. 
• In the society, to not know that even a person who does not believe in Shirdi Sai is also His creation, pushes us away from that person. This leads to bias in our affection and responsibilities towards others. 
• To not know that happiness and pain in our life caused by various factors are ultimately the creation of God alone, leads us to question our faith during adversities in life. 
• To not know the fact that we are just an embodiment of an non destructive soul and that our existence is very limited, leads us to seek for frivolous and materialistic things in life. Rather than focusing on raising our consciousness, and self improvement, we fall into the trap of ego, honor-seeking, anger and jealousy. 
• To not know that truth that all living and non living beings are a part of the Ultimate truth, makes us insensitive towards nature and other animals leading to endangerment of living beings.

Thus, we mere humans with all our senses and an opportunity called life should try to realize and accept the Truth. If we do so and pray to Sainath, we may finally realize the Ultimate-Truth, something which is not possible without the blessings of a Sadguru

To Know and Not to Know

Knowledge can be defined as nothing but 'To know the truth'. To know something which is not true can be meant for entertainment but cannot be considered as knowledge because that does not add any value to our lives. Everything that exists - living or non living, big or small, good or bad, on earth or beyond the earth is all ‘Truth’. To know about these is Knowledge. Learning and realizing the fact that all the truths in the universe are nothing but part of the 'Ultimate truth' or the Param Brahma is the ultimate knowledge.

    Our five sensory faculties along with mind constitute the six indriyas to receive knowledge. As creation is the truth, so is destruction. The truth always existed, is constant and will remain unchanged for time to come. Acceptance and the degree of acceptance may vary from time to time. Truth is constant and cannot be compared. A person standing in front of a tree can close his eyes and assume that the tree does not exist. But that would merely be his non-acceptance of the truth; it does not make the tree vanish. It would be a mere loss for the viewer only and does not affect the tree.

'Not to know' in other words can be defined as 'Not accepting the truth'. It is not the same as 'not knowing'. It is knowing but non-accepting or ignoring the same. In day to day life, our self driven obstruction of the senses lead us to Not-Know many things.

• To not know the truth that all faiths, beliefs and practices in the religious world are ultimate part of the one creation and lead to realization of God, leads to conflicts in the world.

• In the society, to not know that even a person who does not believe in Shirdi Sai is also His creation, pushes us away from that person. This leads to bias in our affection and responsibilities towards others.

• To not know that happiness and pain in our life caused by various factors are ultimately the creation of God alone, leads us to question our faith during adversities in life.

• To not know the fact that we are just an embodiment of a non destructive soul and that our existence is very limited, leads us to seek for frivolous and materialistic things in life. Rather than focusing on raising our consciousness, and self improvement, we fall into the trap of ego, honor-seeking, anger and jealousy.

• To not know the truth that all living and non living beings are a part of the Ultimate-Truth, makes us insensitive towards nature and other animals leading to endangerment of living beings.

Thus, we mere humans with all our senses and an opportunity called ‘Life’, should try to realize 

and accept the Truth. If we do so and pray to Sainath, we may finally realize the Ultimate-Truth, 

something which is not possible without the blessings of a Sadguru.

Realizing the Chicago Pilgrimage

Realizing the Chicago Pilgrimage

Practical Demonstration of Four Yogas 

People who were in Chicago during the weekend of November 15th, 2014, to attend the tenth year anniversary of Shirdi Sai temple of  Chicago (located in the Hampshire suburb), were definitely fortunate and blessed, without a doubt. Needless to say, it was a pilgrimage like no other for Sai devotees and followers of Guruji C.B Satpathy Ji.

            Of the many takeaways from this spiritual trip, this is one of them. Our trip started with some challenges. People across North America, New Zealand, Europe and India had booked their tickets flying in to Chicago. A week before the event, a rare polar vortex hit the upper Midwest breaking all records of winter temperatures pounding snow all over. The storm slowly approached the great lakes area and was forecast to hit Chicago with a snow storm, during the event. Travelers started getting all precautionary emails regarding the weather and had to prepare well for the trip. With devotion in their heart and faith in Sai, travelers and organizers both went ahead with the planning as scheduled. It was a test of Baba which surely did raise some concerns in the minds of devotees. 
             As it has always been, Baba's kids are always protected. It was evident as the weather became dry and sun was shining as people stared landing in Chicago. Faith conquered the first psychological challenge. As people reached Chicago, Guruji's Sai family started adding more and more members. The warmth of emotions and brotherhood was something to feel. Weather was challenging but not as harsh as expected. The protection of Baba was already reflecting.
              Swami Vivekananda had said " Every Soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature : External and Internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy - by one, or more, or all of these - and be free." As per the Vedanta philosophy and also practices prescribed by Shirdi Sai and Guruji, the four paths of yoga are - Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga and Raja Yoga. Shirdi Sai Temple Chicago is a true demonstration of the the paths mentioned above. This is how it goes - The temple complex was divided into distinct four parts each reflecting one of the four paths.

Bhakti Yoga - Divinity through worship. The main temple hall where Baba's statue resides, you can feel only one thing - the ever compassionate presence of Shirdi Sai Baba. What emanates from Baba's hall is pure and serene bhakti (devotion). His presence is in the life-like form of His statue in this temple. His compassionate love can be experienced in the hall filled with hundreds of portraits of characters associated with Shirdi Sai Baba during His stay in Shirdi. Also in this Hall, you would see Baba's paintings and photographs performing his divine leelas. Baba and His Bhaktas (Devotees) who saw the 'God who walked on earth', adorn this hall.

Jnana Yoga - Divinity through philosophy. Just below Baba's hall, there is 'Guru Sthan' - The abode of the Gurus. Photographs of many realized saints or Gurus from the past adorn the Guru Sthan. You will see Guruji C. B Satpathy Ji's portrait above entry to Guru Sthan. These Gurus with their divine knowledge had transformed the society and still guide millions of people towards God realization through the Jnana or knowledge imparted. Their divine knowledge acts as the lighthouse for millions of souls drifting in the ocean of Maya.

Raja Yoga - Divinity through psychic control. Adjacent to the main temple, there is a meditation hall. Baba with a hookah adorn this hall generating a divine and serene environment for devotees to meditate on God. Raja yoga is the practice of meditation.  The meditation hall is the place to practice the same.

Karma Yoga - Divinity through work. Adjacent to the meditation hall is another building which houses the temple office and kitchen. All of Baba's work in the temple and reaching out to devotees across the globe is being carried out here. During the event, the volunteers in the basement kitchen incessantly fed thousands of devotees every single day, only with devotion towards Baba and selfless service without any thought of gain or reward. Such is the work done every week in the Baba's temple for years. The true path of divinity through service to mankind is reflected here.

                 After having visited Chicago temple and having experienced this in person, its is needless to say that  in the background of all the events, there lied a powerful message of Guruji and Baba which people would sooner or later start to realize more divinity as they revisit the Chicago events in their mind in the months to come.

What do we seek from God ?

Recently a friend of mine said “ Please pray to Baba to bless me for my exams” And I said spontaneously “ Baba’s blessings are always with us, we just don’t realize It” As I said that , it brought two interesting questions to my mind.

1) First – Do Baba’s blessing(s) come for specific  purpose(s)?

When we seek blessings for our sick child, our healing of sorrows, for success in a venture, for help in desperation, does the Supreme Lord bless us then and there with some powers that cater only to solve the problem we sought help for? I am amazed sometimes to think that over and over again we have been trying to realize the formless and unlimited God and still seek for packaged blessings for small little things and hurdles in our life. Why? If God who is infinite, who is ‘One’, chooses to bless His devotees , why would He chose to bless with finite and multiple blessings for innumerable times we seek? If after all, the sole purpose of God’s blessing(s) is raising our consciousness and uplifting the soul in us, wouldn't it be justified that blessing (and not blessings) come as one?  It’s just the limitation of human memory  that we keep forgetting -  He, the creator and operator of the universe is always present in us and governing us. He being aware of both happiness and sorrows, the giver of both gain and pain is always blessing us. We just need to realize the blessing in every moment we live.

2) Second – Are Baba’s blessings time bound?

We mostly reach out to God begging when the situation propels us to. In the best of out time, we hardly feel the necessity of seeking help from anyone, leave alone God. Only when things start getting out of our hand and incidents beyond our understanding, we get desperate and feel the necessity of some powerful God to hold our hand, to comfort us and save us. We expect a miracle to happen. Parambrahma or the Supreme God is timeless then how come His blessings come to action within limited boundaries of time defined by human beings?  He who governs births and rebirths of living beings, He who governs the creation-destruction-reconstruction of universes, He who operates beyond the human time, how can His blessing be time bound?

With our limited wisdom we categorize moments and situations to be pleasure  vs pain, happiness vs remorse, gain vs loss and react accordingly. Why do we differentiate good as the blessing and unpleasant as a curse? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves before we seek His blessing any given day.

Relevance of Guruji in our lifetime

The relevance and purpose of birth of Saints and Sadgurus on this earth is completely beyond the comprehension of mankind. For a layman like me, this could be my vain attempt in trying to write this article. Before I start, I seek forgiveness from Sri Sainath and Guruji for writing something purely out of my imagination which sprouted from the very limited knowledge that I have gained in my life. I would like to quote from Bhagwat Gita:

paritraanaaya sadhuunaam vinaashaaya chadushkritaam |

dharma samsthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge ||

Meaning - For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evil and for the establishment of dharma (righteousness), I (the Lord) am born from age to age.

                         Very fortunate are we who have been born to live in the era of Guruji Chandra Bhanu Satpathy Ji. It is one thing to be guided and and inspired by spiritual books but being in the direct contact of a spiritual master like Guruji brings a completely different perspective to one's spiritual journey. Similar would have been the experiences of devotees and followers who had come in contact with Sai Baba at Shirdi, Sri Ramakrishna at Dakhineswar, Anandamayee Maa at Haridwar. Many experiences of the devotees get documented and many more which stays only in the memories of the witnesses. It wont be long when tales and experiences of followers with Guruji will become a remarkable Grantha in the spiritual world. 

Shirdi Sai and other Sadgurus:
                    The relevance of saints and spiritual masters has always been tied to the time or era in which they walked the earth in a human body. There is always predetermined relevance about the time of their birth, self realization, spirit evolution, becoming a social inspiration, becoming a spiritual guide for devotees, entering Mahasamadhi (leaving the human body and merging with the Param Brahma, the ultimate reality), and then becoming the spiritual lighthouse for all generations to come. From the pre-historic times, through the middle ages and the modern day world, each master had specific purpose for their descent on earth. All events surrounding a spiritual master mostly seem to be mere coincidences to a layman. 
                    As we all know from Guruji, Baba appeared at Shirdi, India at the time of the confluence of three religions - Hinduism from prehistoric times, Islam brought by the Mughal empire and Christianity brought by the British rule. As with many saints, religious rules were broken, the traditional ways of worship was questioned, differentiating factors across religious lines were dissolved. People from all walks of life irrespective of their religious beliefs and caste and language came together under the umbrella of Sri Sainath. People who came in contact changed and evolved. They started throwing their weaknesses and practices which obstructed them from accepting others who were different. Love and affection towards people, focus on one and ultimate nirakaar God while worshiping their own deity(sakaar) was being realized. Charity, benevolence and tolerance started to take precedence, the utmost qualities one needs to develop for God realization.
                   Similarly Ramakrishna's transcendental love and longing for Maa Kali at Dakhineswar and later becoming  a Paramhansa had it's influence in the lives of millions around the world. He practiced and experienced all other religions , yet was beyond them. The greatest of Sri Ramakrishna's disciple, Swami Vivekananda de-intellectualized himself in order to realize the omnipresent and omniscience God. He became the foremost torchbearer to expand the vedanta philosophy in the whole world. It was time when missionaries considered it necessary for Indians to learn and follow a global religion, Vivekananda's speech at the Parliament of Religions in 1893 amazed the whole world.The western religious leaders and philosophers were left baffled at what young Vivekananda had to say. Vivekananda's talks on Hindu philospohy and vedanta studies on universal acceptance, tolerance and, how all religions merge into one ocean of God realization would soon become the epitome of 'Oneness of God and universality of religions'. Similar are the lives of Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayee Maa, Kabir, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and other sadgurus..

Spirituality Today:
                    In this age of tele-communication and internet, spirituality and acceptance by the society has been facing unthinkable challenges. With the advent of television, started the mass broadcast of religion with customized discourses, religious gatherings, yoga camps and meditation. Catch words were created and they made their way into the common man's dictionary and psyche. Seekers now need not travel far way to visit holy lands or experience spiritual awakening. They were available on the television which could be enjoyed relaxing on the couch. Religion, yoga, merchandise, gemstones etc. came in a package for the modern day devotee. People got more indulged into rituals and practices they never were able to comprehend.

Guruji Chandra Bhanu Satpathy:

Guruji who on one hand is a successful family man, a respected administrator, an admired writer and poet is also a realized soul of the highest order. I could only imagine one of his many purpose to have come to our lives.I believe, He comes to cleanse the process of spiritual seeking in this era of commercialized spirituality. Time had come to show the world the reality and explain the true meaning of God seeking.The mythical world created by numerous present day Gurus with their self proclaimed God realization and building an empire around them are growing. People's faith in the ultimate God is being tested as they get lured into the corporate level marketing of spirituality. Shirdi Sai Baba's philosophy of simplicity in the path of God seeking through one's actions in day to day life has become the greatest of the mantras. It could not have been more relevant than what it is today. Through his books, music and discourses, Guruji is spreading the much needed SAIISM in the world.  Guruji through his work has touched millions of lives around the world and is inspiring millions to follow the same path - Being in this mundane world, in your limited lifetime, you can realize God through love and respecting people of all faiths in the world. Difference of opinion should not lead to difference of mind. By self correction and being self less, you can achieve self realization. By understanding death, you will understand the value of your life. 'Bhava' is more important than rituals and mantras. Being spiritual means expansion of one's consciousness. Acceptance rather than rejection is the tool for evolution. In order to get Sadguru's kindness, you have to be kind to others.
                         One would need a separate book to record all of his teachings and philosophies. I have stated a few lines. Through his epic Guru Bhagawat which is a five part series explains in detail the simpler aspects of spirituality and the different realms of Guru-Shishya relationship. A true sense of religion and bhakti can be experienced in all of his books and music alike. The misconceptions pertaining to one's own religion and associated practices can be removed if one studies Guruji's work. His discourses on simplicity of bhakti towards your Guru are eye openers. One who follows Guruji would definitely realize how omnipresent he is and how active Sri Sainath of Shirdi is from his tomb. He continues to give directions to many seekers, holds the hand of the distressed, comforts the sorrows of his followers, takes care of all like a mother and gives strength like a father. He stands like a light house for the drifting souls until they reach the ultimate shore.

Question, Devotion, Exploration

Many times we come across this question on How to develop a steady faith on someone? How to focus on the teachings of a Sadguru? How to increase devotion towards your Guru and Paramatma? How to believe in what you see? How to find the hidden divine purpose in events, both joyous and unfortunate in our lives?
A simple answer to all these questions is a steadfast devotion. And the only way to develop this and is proven in my life is a through a three step method.

Controlling the Mind:             
                 Step one is the most difficult of all. It is to shut down your mind, in other words, to control your mind and put the question generating machine to a dormant state. Mind is like a volcano which generates innumerable questions. We fail to find answers to many questions that arise which in turn creates confusion leading to frustration and disbelief. In its most active form, the volcanic mind would gush out hot lava of inquiries about everything we see and want to believe. Mind as its functionality was design to be inquisitive and hence question. But when not in control, this volcanic eruptions of questions hinders the growth of belief. Once we can control this mind and make it dormant, we can focus on the next step.

Devotion in Heart:
             The next step is something which would not need an effort and practice like the first step. It is of devotion. Devotion comes out of knowing, believing and slowly increasing the faith in what you know. Growth of faith in our Guru is a continual process and it develops in every heart throughout our life in various ways. Once in a while there will be someone who will show you the path. We get ample opportunities in getting introduced to your Guru. You will experience this many times in your life. With appropriate understanding you will be able to chose your perfect master and you will realize the perfect moment. There will be a divine intervention. Now that you have controlled your mind, your devotion in your master will grow without a single question. If you have questions midway in this phase of developing faith, either you have not chosen the perfect master or else you have not fully controlled your mind. Let this faith grow into devotion which will fill your heart and touch your soul. We should then learn and practice what our Guru teaches. We have to take His guidance in exploring the spiritual world, holding His hand. Every single day from here on, the journey will be pleasant and spirit will rise. We will be at peace with ourselves and ready for the next step.

Conscious Exploration:
            This is the stage of exploration. I believe when we are soaked in the pure devotion of our Guru and have taken on the path shown by Him, our mind is ready to explore every dimension of Dharma, the universal law. Exploration leads to questions, but having come this far, our questions are now directed towards learning rather than creating conflicts in the mind. These conscious questions are generated in the confluence of the controlled mind and the devotional heart. The exploring phase of questions now become the tools to study religions, spiritual books, the masters, the yogis, the practices, the beliefs across the world. By exploring the lives of other spiritual practitioners, we can not only get some of their joy but also will help us gain skills helpful in our own search. Every question in this stage will help us purify our thoughts and elevate our consciousness towards Him. We would be able to see that all the religions and all the practices eventually merge and the conflicts will diminish slowly and slowly. The questions that once created confrontation in the first step will now be able to generate smile in your face. At this stage, the questions come with answers. Every moment from here on will boost you with knowledge and that in turn will increase your devotion, until you find Him.

Finding the Ultimate : The non transient SKY

The winter was coming to an end and the spring was all about to set blooming colors of life, on a cool Thursday evening I was sitting in my living room and watched the distant sky, I saw the floating clouds on clear blue sky. The rays of the setting sun threw a splash of gold on the smooth sailing packets of cloud. A question arose - 'why am I enjoying the little floats of cloud? What makes me smile as I see this little act of nature?'

        As I wondered, the answer came in a slightly philosophical assessment. There are two ways to look at it. I can be attached to the cloud passing by or I can take the sky as my point of reference. When I think the cloud to be mine, I will lament the loss as they pass by and slowly fade away. I will be in pain thinking I could have owned them and viewed them every single moment because they give me happiness. I felt sad.

And for a moment I paused and thought what if I was the sky, the sky be mine, how would I feel about the passing clouds? It was joy. It was the joy of having the presence of the clouds, the beauty of the clouds and the little play and dance they did on the sphere. I enjoyed the clouds. I could feel the little smile on my face. Suddenly, it amazed me because of the fact that the same situation can result in completely opposite emotions. The reason for the two different results was simple. It was the 'point of reference'. 

         If I refer to the clouds, I felt remorse because they were moving, going away, fading, never to come back. If I refer to the sky, the omnipresent, encompassing, infinite sky, the clouds are a transient but at the same time pleasant and beautiful. Their existence at that very moment has a reason. Out of many reasons, one definitely was making me joyous. That gave me happiness. I was not perturbed by the fact that they will go. I knew it.

Similar is the joy and happiness we get from attachment. Attachment to the right aspect of our existence and short life span on earth will result in happiness and sorrows. Attachment to physical objects that are transient in nature has always resulted in sorrow, even after the momentary pleasure we derive out of it. Attachment to   people and the surroundings, and the emotions generated out of our relationships are nothing but the beautiful clouds. They are generated for a reason and they exist in our lives for a reason. The good and the bad - memories, people, things, emotions are short lived. They will come and go. They too shall pass. If we refer to those and live by those, we will be sad once they go. Now, the same clouds of feelings, people, and objects can be enjoyed even when we refer to them from the SKY, the sky of permanence. The enduring and everlasting spheres where from the small clouds of life generate ultimate joy. We have to find our Sky, the permanent blue sky where in the transients can float and charm. That sky has been realized by the Siddhas or the accomplished Ones. Each has his own Akshaya sky, which eventually merges and is unified. They are defined in different cultures, different philosophies, over different ages of human civilization and addressed by different names. Every human takes that journey to find the Ultimate, sooner or later. The sooner one realizes, the longer happiness persists.

Go look for your SKY.

PS: I wrote this blog in June 2013. Six months later, in Dec 2013 while reading the 'The Tibetan book of Living and Dying', I found something similar mentioned by author Sogyal Rinpoche. Page 26 THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING-"Reflect on this: The realization of impermanence is paradoxically the only thing we can hold onto, perhaps our only lasting possession. It is like the sky, or the earth. No matter how much everything around us may change or collapse, they endure. Say we go through a shattering emotional crisis . .. our whole life seems to be disintegrating . . . our husband or wife suddenly leaves us without warning. The earth is still there; the sky is still there."

How to get rich ?

We have survived the most feared doomsday in the history of human civilization. The Mayan calendar and the deadlines have been proved wrong but as the human race survives, the most advanced species on the face of the earth are getting wretched. They are getting poor and hence feeble.

Talking of poverty, if you look at history, the meaning of wealth has changed over time. The cave men's wealth was food, they hunted animals and conquered forests for food. That resulted in capturing territories and hence building kingdoms. They invented weapons made of stone, wood, brass. Definition of wealth changed. In order to maintain and protect the kingdoms, the wealth needed was strong men, warriors. To create and maintain the system, a currency was needed - then came precious metals. Gold captured the imagination of thinkers and philosophers. The same shiny metal would be no value a few thousand years ago for the cave men. They could not have made attacking weapons out of it. Meaning of wealth changed again. With gold and jewels, men fought for power. The next phase of human civilization saw the emergence of pride, the pride of becoming world leaders. The world wars were not meant to capture gold mines of hostile countries. It was the supremacy of human prowess. We evolved from that and we have reached a point where we have everything our fore fathers wished for as their wealth at different phases- food, gold, land, prowess, dignity and pride. So, the question arises - what do we wish for now to call ourselves wealthy? How do we get rich today?

After much thought and weighing different valuables I posses, I came to conclusion that if there is something I would call wealth and thus protect it is Relationships. We build and treasure relationships in our life and like wealth it comes to your rescue when you are in distress. The tools used to earn this wealth is love, compassion, forgiveness, accommodation, ignoring faults in others. It's not an easy job to do. Like it takes sweat and persistence to build wealth, so does relationships need a big heart and patience. People don't realize how much vulnerable our life has become that it takes years to build a good relationship and earn the right people in our lives. Having said so and as the old saying goes, it takes years to build and so it takes a few seconds to loose.

Like money and gold, if we do not build on it, we lose it. We spend it and we waste it. Similarly behaves relationship. Once we have the people in our lives, if we do not nurture them with constant love, affection, care and communication, we too will lose them. Look back and you will realize how much wealth you have wasted in the last few years just because you did not have time to value them as wealth. We did not spend time and effort of retaining those. We lost them.

Now, what we get out of this wealth is far more precious than what you could harness from so called fictitious worldly wealth. Relationship is non-perishable, money is. You never lose this - It stays, waiting for you. Look back, forgive if you are hurt, find if you have lost, establish connection to someone in the past. All it takes is a little time and a heart filled with love. That gold will come back to you. This has happened and will keep happening. Unlike money, lost relationships can be regained and re-earned. All the tools it needs are the one that I have already mentioned and many more that you know but above all tools you need - Patience and Acceptance. Rest all will follow.

Since all this inspiration comes from my Gurujee and Baba who guides me in my journey towards being a better human, the wealthiest people on this earth today are the ones who have built that relationship with the Supreme, or, are on the path of building the same. Your love and journey towards Baba, guided by your Guru will lead you to discover the greatest wealth of your life. Go, get on the journey and earn more wealth. Go, get rich.

PS: discovered something similar in Dec 2013 while reading - Page 24 - THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING effects their actions have had on others, and experience the emotions their actions have caused. One man told Kenneth Ring: I realized that there are things that every person is sent to earth to realize and to learn. For instance, to share more love, to be more loving toward one another. To discover that the most important thing is human relationships and love and not materialistic things. And to realize that every single thing that you do in your life is recorded and that even though you pass it by not thinking at the time, it always comes up later.

From "India Against Corruption" to "Individuals Against Congress"

Cheers to team Anna to have pulled one of the biggest practical jokes of the world. No, literally. The joke was tried on more than one billion people. Millions got directly involved, either in person or on social media. No other revolution had seen such participation in every continent on earth as did India against corruption. Anna Hazare was the messiah. Road rallies, radio, Facebook, twitter, I-Am-Anna branded T-shirts and what not. There were 10 million hits on Facebook alone and Anna Hazare was almost the Time Person of the Year 2011. Alas, the Arab spring protesters won the grand finale at the very last moment.
                       The movement started in March 2011 and let me quote the very words of Anna"The government has not seen what people power is. It is more powerful than Parliament" It was wise by the way they had chosen the name of the movement because as Congress party said " Anna had a hidden agenda". I guess that was the name ! Because now IAC can be used as Individuals-Against-Congress party and target 2014 general elections. Jokes apart, Now, here is the funny part which non-political public haven't realized yet. It was "India" who was against corruption but when this becomes IAC party, there will be no India in it. Meaning, if you are thinking that your role as a protester will help you chose a representative in parliament, better stop day dreaming. Here on, You (protester) have no more role. You will be invited to cast your vote sometimes in 2014. 
                        Wait a minute, that reminds me of something. YOU have been doing this since 1947. Mr Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi mentored the congress party to take care of India after the so called Brits ruined the legacy and fortune of the greatest nation of the world. Look what happened: half a century later, trillions of dollars are stacked in secret locations around the world even beyond the reach of Mr. Bond. Congress was an alternate to the cruel British Raj and now IAC needs to be created as an alternate to Congress. For around 100 years it was the people, who came participated, got hit, sacrificed their lives. Once the rulers went away, few hundred people controlled by a few individual leaders ruled the nation. Those YOU "people" came to vote and watched helplessly how these handful of leaders exploited them for next 50 years. So old formula, like in Bollywood. But amazing part - It Works !! 
                         Now, Anna ji, just for your information you are not the first one. Your team needs to know that a similar party was formed to transform India and take the rule back to the educated and non-corrupt masses. It was named Lok Paritran. Paritrana meaning "To bring relief from the cause of distress" in Sanskrit,The party was formed in February 2006 by a group of six graduates from IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur. This party contested in 2006 Tamil Nadu elections in 7 constituencies, but failed to pull crowd. It was reported that the party was split. One faction formed another party called Bharat Punarnirman Dal. Then came Baba Ramdev's Bharat Swabhiman Andolan. Same formula, different name.
                             60 years later, same story will be repeated. My condolences go to the families who lost their near and dear ones for India's independence in 1947. So does my condolences go to the emotionally shattered and confused volunteers of India Against corruption and general Indian public. Gear up for 2014 and make sure you come and vote like our fore fathers did. 

The Ultimate Power

(The origin and End of life)

Ever wondered how flawless initiation and culmination of any event is, needless to mention- Life?

              When a woman gets pregnant, in her womb germinates a new life. A life in a sac which had no sign of life before! A regular body doing its daily metabolic activities suddenly becomes the generator of a new life. Every new life has a soul or aatmaa, at least all religions believe so. Now the question arises where did this life come from? Answer to this question is not a mystery. Medical world can provide explicit details. But we have to agree that from ‘nothing’ a life full of energy and sustenance emerges. The new body will come to the world and maintain its lifecycle for years to come. The body will take energy, give energy and will create a presence in this world.

                Having said that, what ignites a thought in my mind is this – Was there an energy which existed in the womb to germinate a life? I believe yes. And since we know that the super power or the ultimate energy is still a mystery for non-believers and a matter of realization for great saints and gurus , it definitely exists. I realized this recently.  And I want to validate my belief.

               God as we know is the ultimate power with no limits and no definition. I believe every Sadhak seeks for the final answer and wants to realize the ultimate definition till the very end. But what they have found in this path of realization is that the Ultimate Energy is FLAWLESS. That intrigued me to think, is that flawless energy present in the womb of every woman which generates a new life? I believe yes and because of one characteristic – It being flawless. The conception or fertilization generates a flawless life, in six weeks you can feel the heart beat of a new life and the body takes shape.

               As the body takes shape and organs develop, the life although generated from the ultimate energy, starts to indulge and divulge into the world around it. Starting here on, the body starts getting flaws, one after the other, the life gets vulnerable to factors around it. Starts with physical complicacies and then as soon as it steps into the world, it is on its own. Here, the mental and psychological complicacies creep in. And the struggle of the life starts, struggle to survive and keep up with the challenges of the world. Some bodies successfully survive these, some do not. Some get physically challenged, some mentally but most of them survive, in their own ways. Maybe, because the energy is still there. And interestingly, as the life progresses towards the culmination, it loses all the flaws, sheds all the pain and gain it had accumulated in its journey, it suffers in order to get rid of the flaws and finally merges into its own origin. It becomes one with the Ultimate power ( I say Shree Sai, Lord Jagannath, Maa Durga – All different forms of the same Energy). And there are no sufferings what so ever as it merges in the same. From zero to zero or may be from God to God, a life is a mere role in this world that we play– so why waste it? Why not find your purpose and play your role? Why not make a difference?

I love Baba. I am from him. I will end in him.

Jai Shree Sai

A Man's Existence under Sri Sai: Purpose of Pain

I recently read an excerpt from ‘Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space’. You will realize that scientists and philosophers have been constantly striving to visualize an object from different frame of references and one such was the view of earth from Saturn. It was merely an obscure pale blue dot in a vast universe. That brings me to believe that a Guru's vision of earth and lives on the surface of the planet is way better that what can ever be captured by satellites and all possible man's inventions. The spiritually elevated seekers like Guruji and the supreme incarnate Sri Sai could very well see beyond the worldly existence and affairs of man on the time constrained existence of planets and lives. Like the satellites in outer space refer to earth as a small dot where the man, his machines, his creations, his love and hatred, his accomplishments have no relevance what so ever in the infinite universe, so does the Sadguru visualize much beyond the worldly affairs that we are engrossed in our lives. He under the influence of the Paramatma can visualize clearly what ordinary eyes and our thought process cannot. He can see from far and high and deep in the hearts and minds of the mortals.

That brings me to think why in our short lives and our finite existence, we get into conflicts - conflicts within one's self, conflicts with ideologies, believes, faiths and practices. And why such conflicts cause pain? Why do we get hurt? Why can't the supreme power control and diminish such sufferings? The more I think and focus on Baba, I faintly and vaguely get a reply. EVERY PAIN HAS A PURPOSE. Everyday challenges, everyday sufferings have a reason. An ignorant like me have interpreted the reasons being two fold - Self development and Spiritual progress. One intends to cleanse your senses, helps hold yourself together, makes you more tolerant, more patient, execute your daily duties and social responsibilities, builds your character, helps feel sympathy for your fellow beings, helps you being kind and generous and makes you able enough to dedicate your life for services to others. The other intends to take you closer to the Supreme power. The spiritual journey through realization where you get a bit closer to your Guru, Sadguru and the Supreme Lord every single day. Man like any other animal seeks help, cure and comfort when in pain, this seeking of help reaches its pinnacle when one seeks the blessings of the Guru and ever emancipating Baba. Understanding and accepting not only comforts for the pains and losses in our life but also drives us a little closer to Sri Sai. Every pain has a reason and purpose and we need to accept that and seek His blessings. May Sai Bless.

No Body, One Soul

Question arises when someone address you as 'You are no body'. Questioning - who you really are? Are you irrelevant and non-existent for somebody at that moment? May be yes and may be not, depends on the person who addressed you as no body and depends on the situation which provoked the speaker to say so. No matter what goes through your mind at that instant, the reality is that he or she was right, if not in whole, partially right. You are No-Just-A-body, you are a soul embodied by matter, the matter is called body. A man's relevance and identity is beyond the matter because science has proven that matter change. No matter can stay in one form forever, it has to change under different circumstances, it has to erode and decay and eventually take another shape. Your body is no different. Referring to science, what remains intact is the energy. It can transform from one form to the other but the total energy remains the same. This is something our vedas and ancient scriptures have referred as a phenomenon with our soul. Soul like energy is intact is often encapsulated by a body or rather matter which changes form time to time.

Now having realized that, the next question that arises is having a limited span of time of the body which we refer to as life on this earth, would you focus on caring, uplifting and realizing the eternal soul or the short lived body? One side of the coin is no mystery for humanity since its origin. The reality is that matter changes and the body dies. No one ever with what so ever power of science has been able to stop the nature's process of death or diminishing the matter. One the other side of the coin, the intangible part of this concept is that who will validate the ever existence of a soul?. Trying to find an answer to this question, it makes me wonder why in a time limited span of life, a man seeks God, why he/she feels the pain and happiness of something completely unrelated to his/her life? why a living being cares for his/her siblings, relatives, non living things around them, animals, trees and flowers? Why do you and like all your forefathers have been seeking guidance from books and scriptures? We have knowingly and unknowingly shaped our lives in a way designated by ancient and prehistoric texts and we constantly go back to these books for showing us the right path in this short life. Why reading the Mahabharat, the Ramayana, The four vedas, the Gita, the Sai Satcharitra, the Bible and many other religious scriptures have influenced mankind in achieving peace and happiness. The answer lies in the question itself. Souls exist through these books.

The lives and after-lives of souls, both good and bad has lived through the ages. The lives of saints, kings, teachers, disciples, farmers, warriors, servants, and Gods have been passed over for ages from one generation to the other, sometimes written, sometimes by folk lore. All these books have are individuals, incidents, teachings and realizations that can help us learn and shape our lives for a meaningful existence on this earth. If we have ever been influenced by the life of great saint, we know his soul is present. Reading the Sai Satcharitra and vaguely relating to the life around Sai Baba and for that case reading the Bhagwad Gita or Bible and being able to learn from the inferences of Lord Krishna, Jesus and Sri Ram makes us realize that those great souls of Gods and Demigods still live and exist. Had that not been true, we would not have felt the greater necessity or seen the greater expansion of spirituality in this modern world. If closing your eyes and for a moment seeking blessings from the Guru or the Paramatma or seeking comfort from someone you love gives you peace and happiness, you already realized that there is no Body but one Soul. And yes, you are nobody and you are one of them....

Happy Indi-Pain-Dance Day

I wish all my fellow Indians happy Indi-pain-dance day. Sounds weird isn't it? How can I be so sarcastic on a day that we have celebrated for over 60 years with enthusiasm and pomp? The sound of the national anthem and the hoisting of the tricolor always brought goose bumps for all these years. Not any more. I dont feel it. May be we forgot what independence means or may be the whole concept of independence on the 15th of August, 1947 was not meant to be in the first place.

My heart aches as I write this and its been hurting since I gained conciousness and have been trying to figure out why we celebrate this day. We should have gained independence from the British raj by waving a war. The PAIN caused by the shameless DANCE of corruption that mother INDIA is going through, I have felt that for years now. Gandhiji's non-violence method did pave the way for our independence but sadly enough we lost the zeal and fighting spirit of the Aryan's whose blood still run in our veins. Bapu would surely be ashamed of us all and specially of the clan he lent his surname to. He would have never realized that one day we would drag the nation to the morgue, killing it a little every day for over half a century.

I don't want to and don't have to mention the instances of how corruption has become a part of our lives like daily meals. We eat it every day and reason it with a energetic word called survival. Yes we survive, we forgot how to live and in the process have killed the values and ethics that built this civilization thousands of years ago. I don't want to mention how corruption and bribery and siphoning of public money is happening in front of our eyes every day. We know the names and how it is done, media can't help. Even if they do, the bad guys are not scared any more, people like me have given up and how many of us would go to the court to fight a public litigation, charge-sheet the corrupt and how many courts and judges would be needed to bring the demons to justice? As I browsed through the news everyday for the last ten years or more, only thing I have realized is that corporations and political leaders are getting unaffected by anything around them. We are a tolerant nation - we do our job well.

Joseph Marie de Maistre, a 18th century french philosopher said "Every country has the government it deserves". I can't agree more to this statement. Yes we deserve the corruption that is affecting our lives today. And the reason is because we are corrupt and we hardly try to lead our lives in a righteous path. We do whatever is convenient for us and profitable to us. How may of us have said NO while paying bribe at the local driver licenses office? how many of us said NO to copying in exams? how many of us have said NO to easy money that comes through any profession? how many of us are doing or at least trying to bring in a difference to the lives of the under privileged? The list is endless. Have we ever tried to think beyond are needs and satisfactions? Answer would be bleak to none.

Then why complain? Why are we complaining that political leaders are corrupt? Are you right in your own small world? Are you doing things or at least trying to make things right at home, loving your family and friends? Are you doing your job properly ? Are you sympathetic to your countrymen? Do you care for the the injured person laying unattended in an accident scene? If the answer is NO, then do not blame any government, do not take out rallies against the system. Rectify yourself. Change the way you live and think. Become less selfish and think beyond your small little world. Remove yourself from the shackles of bondage and you will realize the true meaning of Independence.

And for the day when India will be Independent, I will wait and strive for it every day. Will you join me?

Journey of a Soul

Of millions of cars in the street across the world, GPS has changed the way people reach their destinations. In the early age human beings had a limited mobility in terms of the land they could reach. With the evolution of the species and its interaction with the nature's creations, man started conquering lands then water and air. Technological advances raised mankind to new heights when we floated in the space and landed on the moon.

On the earth evolved a more sophisticated species from a mere four limb crawler to a man who created cars and rockets. Roads were built and man started exploring new lands. Every man, woman and child realizes the joy within when he or she steps on a new place on earth, may be a few hundred miles from where he or she was born or across continents in a new country. When one watches the sun rise from a shore of the sea in an unknown land, the ecstasy and the joy within surpasses all adventures and achievements. As the man feels the warmth of the rising sun, he slowly closes his eyes to absorb the energy and that brings smile to his face. Even when he knows it is the same sun he has always opened his eyes to. It's a indefinite joy and cannot be defined in words. It's personal and intimate and can only be felt.

On his journey of never ending conquest and search for the knowledge, man created roads and highways, ocean routes, air traffic routes and even a definite route to the moon and beyond. Man started travelling in seek of something unknown, something new. And suddenly he realized the importance of guidance. Guidance for the traveler, information of the route undertaken and definition of the destination. Our ancestors created landmarks and monuments, rigorously drafted maps and learned to read the stars for not getting lost. The twenty first century man created the GPS, the global positioning system. Twenty four earth orbiting satellites powered by the energy of the sun send signals to the earth for man to navigate. The GPS unit in the car and in hand receives the signals and guide us to our destinations.

If we divert from the route shown by the GPS, it guides us back to the original route, at least it tries. If the driver is adamant to take a different route, GPS always re aligns by recalculating the driver's location as how to reach the destination. Eventually he reaches his destination. The driver has the option to set up the navigation options in his GPS. He can choose the shortest route, fastest route, whether to avoid toll roads or take a particular scenic route. And man follows the GPS because he believes in his choices, he believes in the options he set for himself. But man knows he has to reach his destination , destination that he chose. And he does.

The world is governed and run by the supreme power in a fashion similar to Satellite and the Driver. Replace Sun with the ultimate power, Satellite with God we believe in, Signals with the spiritual energy, GPS with the Guru, Options with the methods of belief, GPS instructions with the faith and rules, driver with the soul, car with the life, highways with the path to salvation, new lands with the realm of self realization and happiness, and destination with the Supreme God.

Some drivers choose not to use a Guru or GPS. Sometimes they use their instinct, sometimes knowledge and sometimes maps. Some of them make it to the destination some of them don't. Some people choose to get a Guru. Their journey of life becomes easy and they reach the destination. That also calls for constant education for the disciple and the Guru, in other words maps and software upgrade for the GPS and education for driver. That ensures the driver reaches destination or in other words soul reaches to the Master.

PS: Guruji CB Satpathy in his book "Shirdi Sai Baba and other perfect masters" wrote a chapter 'The divine journey of the soul' written between 1991-95 and later published in the book. I came across this book towards the end of 2013

Spring came along

Chilly as it could be, was the wind

sweet as could it be,was the song

love was kicking in, waiting

O-one November seemed so long

Frozen was I, i don know who've I been

Lonely,all in the crowd, i dint belong

Day and night, I was dying

suddenly i felt your presence strong

Eerie, my world, now was fast changing

Darkness around, my worries flung

only had I heard cloud number nine

with you, floating above, it was cradlesong

one, two and came the third spring

fine morning, my heart ached,you're gone

had no clue, it came as a lightning

flowers bloomed all over,my fall came along

Here among all the glitterati and bling

know not what I do, where I go

I wonder why, had to come that dark spring

May be now I wish, there never had come

that November, never, ever, my lifelong

Scubrats Cafe Diary: The green bicycle girl

On a sunny afternnon with the humid Houston loosing its moisture as a little soft chill mingles with the setting sun, Harriet takes a break form her coffee vending schedule to soak in the setting sun and chit chat with her freinds who had stooped by. Erika who also works at the Scubrats cafe and had taken that day off had come to smoke her lungs out as Harriet chatted incesentaly. The third girl, Heidi, in teh party was not so into the converstaion but was very much a company as she sipped her passion fruit drink.

Harriet was twenty one. Fair, skinny, weighing a little more than her green bicycle who lies locked to the cafe bench all day long. A tom boy character and unstoppable force when it comes to talking. She could talk anything ranging from her struggle as a student to the concern of her freakingly tiny breasts to the huge amountof loan she has taken to buy something valuable, which I had missed to over hear, to the arrangement of her sharing her apartment and eventually life with a man who was more than a decade older than her.

She has been home-schooled for more than a decade before she was put into a church school and this transition resulted in a very narrower view of the world. With least intercation with people in her home schooling days to the church's pattern of over powering one's independent thoughts with strict religion-influenced teaching resulted in creating a rebel who would later break the bondages of religion, family, sterotypical life style to the bike riding, tattooed, pierced rebel. The other day when I saw her behind the counter brewing my cafe-misto, I saw her limping and she must have run into some kind of trouble I deduced. She has been thrown out of school in her childhood, thrown out of the jobs when she did odd jobs to meet her tuition expenses, out of apartments by the sharing renter, out of another cafe for failing the weekly employee attitude-something tests, which I guess is fairly easy to conquer. She eventually landed in Scubrats.

But as you look into her eyes, you will always find something mysterious, something very innocent, something very childish and mischievous yet sensible human being.

All the names are fictitious, although the characters are not. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely intentional

That's what she knows

You will notice, there are three categories of flocking people (gatherings) that you would encounter often in your life. These gatherings of flocking people can be categorized by the type of crowd or audience or spectators. When I say CROWD, no one is noticing you, for instance a crowded beach, mall or a fair. In other words, you do not know a single person in the crowd and do not expect to meet them ever again, even by coincidence. AUDIENCE – somewhat attending to you but not that concerned on the specifics, look at you but they don’t smile back and neither are you so concerned what the expressions on their faces are. It’s like you performing at the stage and all the lights blind you from seeing your audience, except for a few near the stage. Instances of audiences will be the people who you often meet at the neighborhood coffee shop. You do not know their names but you definitely know what she has been wearing over the last couple of weeks or may be the bald guy who prefers seating on that particular bench and likes to have only iced mocha. By the way, they too feel the same about you and notice things about you. As you notice there is a degree of personalization and acquaintance as we move from the crowd to the audience. The highest degree of the influence is the SPECTATOR. The closest synonym would be critics. These are the people who really care and feel about what you wear and what you do and the way you talk, even if they do not care to know which part of the city you are from. You will find such specimens at the social gatherings or community events. They influence you to the extent where you would ponder whether to put on Armani’s Aqua di gio or just manage with Davidoff ‘s Coolwaters.

EVENTS in terms of the category of the crowd can be broadly classified into two. Now the difference is – the perspective. Here I am talking about the crowd categorized by your better half (BTW, this blog is for the guys already chained in the sweet bondage of marriage). So, quite evidently I am referring here to the fairer sex. They categorize events into two kinds based on the crowd or audience or the spectators.

One thing you would always notice is that they are always well dressed, looking sexy, attractive, ready to acknowledge the admirers, give room for pouring compliments, sometimes in words and sometimes just a silent look of the passer by. Anyways, the events they categorize are – ‘The partner (guy) should look very attractive, sexy, match-up-to-her’ category and ‘Need not be too smart, dress casually, not un-attractive’ category. The first category (let’s say, match-up-to-Event !) would be applicable where there would be spectators and sometimes audiences. An event where people know you and would come up to you to talk to you and comment about other’s attire. Such an event would be community events and parties. They want to hear- how good her partner looks. It’s a pleasure you can never feel and I can never express but we will always be a party. They want to show their possession and when on display, better be the best among all. Here you are handed over with the choice of shirt, perfume, matching shoes, absolutely clean shaven – argument even if you had done it the very morning on your way to office. Every single properly-not-shaven spot would be inspected and redone. It’s like her best dress she has worn and wants others to look at it. In other words – sometimes you are just an accessory to their perfectly matching Louis Vuitton purse or the Estée Lauder lip gloss.

The second category of the event (let’s say Whatever-you-want-Event ! ) occurs in the crowd like a beach or a mall where the admirers ranging from the desperate sexagenarian to the not-so-yet teens would not care to look at the side screen, where you would be lingering holding her hand and is just a part of the hundreds walking by. Imagine a scene where the gorgeous lady is the only being in color and rest of the characters are in black and white and the whole scene moves in slow motion, one you would see in innumerable movies, you are one of the characters in the black and white who the millions of movie goers ignore. That’s you in the crowd. So it makes sense that you do not spend much time dressing up to her. She is the best as ever and you are JUST fine. The thing to take away from the joy of this event and being in this category of the crowd is – you get not to shave for the cause, wear the most comfortable tees, although wrinkled, and slip in your flip flops, grab a coffee from starbucks and glide through the crowd. I love that.