The Prisoner of Birth

He was always known as an achiever. The idealistic go-getter who never failed to attain his goal that was the way he was, even in his school days! Born into a comfortably well off family, belonging to the privileged class, he was taught right from his childhood that he was extra blessed by god. He was lucky to be born into the "highest" caste/class of people But that extra blessing also brought with it some "responsibilities" towards the very social set-up which gave him the status of belonging to "god's chosen few" . And redeeming others seemed to be a very important part of the cosmic plan that god had for his people

All of this, his personal & social identity really did not bother him on a conscious level he was at ease with whatever the role he was expected to play in society and never questioned its logic that is, until he met her .she was like a whiff of fresh air .embodying the freedom of the sea and the freshness of spring. He had gone to a very prestigious Ivy League Business School to do his MBA & she was his classmate there.

With her, he learnt to laugh and sing aloud, with her he learnt to set his heart free from the prison of social roles. The exceptional success that he achieved both in his academics and his career during the 2 yrs that they were together made him realize that God did not grudge human beings their happiness that God did not create the social divisions or the rules

Soon it was time for him to return home and, as he had feared, his family refused to even consider her as a prospective bride .she not only belonged to a different class and caste but to a different culture altogether.  In their eyes, any such union was a sin in the eyes of God and a bad example to the rest of the world.

When she saw the toll this emotional turmoil was taking on him, she asked him to go back to his roots, to his family, to the beliefs and values he grew up with. If their goodbye was what God wanted then so be it .

Today almost 18 years later, the society sees him as an ideal man .but deep within he suffers from an undying sense of guilt guilty of not having enough courage to stand by the very person whose love was strong enough to let him go and seek a life free of controversies and guilty of not belonging fully to the people around him(except perhaps his children)

A part of his being belongs wholly to her even today (though they never met again after saying goodbye) a  secret  corner of his mind where she lives on even today, where he finds most solace and comfort even today!

LIVE ON

“In our lives;

Unlike on tracks

We can’t rewind

We can’t go back”

The words filled me with wistfulness….immediately took me back; long back through the time machine of my mind.  Wonder what it is about the past that it holds our present and future to ransom? Or maybe it’s just our own fear to let go of the familiar to sail the unfamiliar seas again…who knows!

But is there a need to look back only in sorrow, regret or bitterness… why not in happiness? Vacuum cannot exist on this earth…it never did. How we choose to fill in the gaps left by the tide of time is up to us completely.  In consciously trying to forget, we keep reminding ourselves of the days gone by.

In trying to move on, we keep moving back…wishing to change what HAS become a constant for eternity! It’s a part of our lives so how can we leave it behind & move on… it was it was a conscious decision we took and whether it turns right or wrong , life  goes on ….ironically instead of stopping to smile at the  happier things , people often brood over the sadder parts…

 But, without people life is the biggest loser…Life needs us as much as we need it…So let’s LIVE ON!!!

All world’s a stage - by William Shakespeare.

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel,

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bobble reputation.

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,

With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper's pantaloon

With spectacles on nose well and pouch on side,

His youthful hose well sav'd a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends his strange eventful history, 
In second childishness and mere oblivion

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Faith

Read this wonderful conversation between a professor and his student.. its from a real life situation.. read on till the end…

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem
science has with God, The Almighty.
He asks one of his new students to stand and…..

Prof:  So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t. How is
this God good then? Hmm?

(Student is silent.) Prof: You can’t answer, can you? Let’s start again, young fella. Is God
good?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From…God…
Prof: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil?

(Student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible
things

exist in the world, don’t they?

Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?

(Student has no answer.)Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the
world around you.

Tell me, son…Have you ever seen God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have
you ever

had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student: No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocyour

GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof: Yes.

Student: No sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega
heat, 
white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called
cold.We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any
further after that.

There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the
absence of heat.

We cannot measure cold.  Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat,
sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student: You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You
can have low light, normal light, bright light,

flashing light…. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing
and it’s called darkness, isn’t it?In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were you would be able to make darkness
darker, wouldn’t you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality.

You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God.

You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure.

Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and
magnetism,

but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.

To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that
death cannot exist as a substantive thing.Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.

Now tell me, Professor.Do you teach your students that they evolved from a
monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of
course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the
argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work
and cannot

even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching
your opinion, sir?

Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class is in uproar.)Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s
brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain,
felt it,
touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the
established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says
that you have no brain, sir.

With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face
unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student: That is it sir… The link between man & god is FAITH. That is all
that keeps things moving & alive.

NB: I believe you have enjoyed the conversation…and if so…you’ll
probably want your friends/colleagues to enjoy the same…won’t you?…. This is a true story, and the student was none other than………

Our very own Former President of India,

APJ Abdul Kalam !!! 

Conquer your innerself

Alexander the  Great along with his army was moving on
one bank of the river looking for place to cross the river .  There a Sage was just lying and
relaxing on  of the bank of the river.  One of the army man was
asking the sage to move out from that place.  Sage was not moving . Sage
asked,’ what is the probem.  I am only relaxing  in one corner of the
place at the bank of the river.”  Soldier said,’ no, you have to move
because big army force has to cross this river at this place”.  In the mean time
Alexander himself came to that place and enquired about the commotion which was taking place there.  The soldier said to him,’I asked this Sage to move
from this place but  he is not moving.’  When Alexander requested him to
move , the Sage told him,’ if you still want me to movefrom this place so that that  your big
army force can cross the river, I shall move now immediately but by the
way I want to know where are you all going so urgently.”  Alexander
replied,’I want to conquer Asia minor.’  Then the Sage sked,’Then what
you will do ?’  He replied,’ Then , Asia Major.”  Sage asked ,’then.’.
Alexander replied ,’ Europe and entire world.’.  Sage again put the
question, Then what.’  He said ‘ I will realx somewhere on the bank of
a river the rest of my life.’  For which Sage ,’ replied,’ That is
what I am doing  now .  Why to go all round about and come to the same
point of what I am doing.” 

 

Then the Sage further advised him,’ Conquer your inner self first before conquering the outer world.”

 

The above moral of the story reminds me the following:

 

“All
Masters in all religions had conquered their inner world first.  That
is why the whole world is at their feet.  Christ, Krishna, Buddha and
other Great Master had conquered their inner world .  That is why they
could conquer the minds of the entire world .’

work of God

Sometimes
we wonder, “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why did God have to do
this to me?” Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her
Mother how everything is going wrong, she’s failing algebra, her
boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

 

Meanwhile,
her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a
snack, and the daughter says, “Absolutely Mom, I love your cake”

 

Here,
have some cooking oil,” her Mother offers. “Yuck” says her daughter.
“How about a couple raw eggs?” “Gross, Mom!” “Would you like some flour
then? Or maybe baking soda?” “Mom, those are all yucky! To which the
mother replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But
when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully
delicious cake!

 

God
works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through
such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these
things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to
trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

 

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk,
He’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

 

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

 

 

Love Story

Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived:   happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the others, including love. 

One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. 

So all the feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island paradise until the last possible moment. 

When the island was almost totally under, love decided it was time to leave.  

She began looking for someone to ask for help.

Richness: - 
  Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, “Richness, Can I come with you on your boat?” Richness answered, I’m sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere.” 

Vanity :- 
  Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, “Vanity, help me please.” “I cn’t help you”, Vanity said, “You are all wet and will damage my 
beautiful boat.” 

Sadness:-  
   Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, “Sadness, please let me go with you.” Sadness answered, “Love, I’m sorry, but, I just need to be alone now.” 

Hapiness :-

Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, ” Happiness, please take me with you.” But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn’t hear Love calling to him. 
The Real Hero ::-

Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” It was an elder.Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land, the elder went on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder. 

Love then found Knowledge and asked, “Who was it that helped me?” it was Time”, Knowledge answered. “But why did Time help me when no one else would?”, Love asked. Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding 
how great Love is.

Beauty- Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn the beautiful actress who starred in ‘My Fair Lady’ wrote when asked to share her ‘beauty tips.’ 
It was read at her funeral years later. 
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

Story of Shabari

This story is for those who do not know or have forgotten the pure love between God and devotee:

On their way southwards Rama and Laxmana passed through many difficult terrain. The forests were sparsely populated. Occasionally one encountered an ashrama of a sage with a small village around it. One such ashrama belonged to rishi Matang whose heart grieved for the lowly and downtrodden.

In his ashrama, one tribal devotee of Rama, named SHABARI, used to stay. She used to keep the place clean and tidy, and along with that she also performed her japa -repeating the holy name of GOD, did her ritualistic worship by offering flowers etc., and sang many songs in the glory of the Lord. Her chosen ideal was Rama for whose meeting she was waiting for long time.

Years passed by; Rishi Matang became old. When he was on his death-bed, he called Shabari near him and said, “Look, O devotee of Rama, your tapasya -austerities - and spiritual longing for Rama would not go in vain. Sri Rama is sure to visit this ashrama, this I can say on the basis of my spiritual power. Therefore, after my departure, I plead you to wait for Rama’s arrival. Hence take charge of this ashrama and live in peace and as a devotee of Rama. Your efforts would be rewarded in due course of time.” So saying the rishi passed away.

Simple hearted, poor, and belonging to lower caste, Shabari did not know much about running the ashrama. Soon everyone left her. The birds, the flowers, the shrubs and occasional domesticated animal became her friends. But she had full faith in the words of her Guru Matang. When he had said Sri Rama would come to that ashrama, she could not disbelieve those words.

Hence Shabari used to clean the place early in the morning, collect fruits, and would wait looking at the distant road for her Rama to come. Every day this was her routine. Every day she thought “Rama would definitely come today!” In these days of eager wait and expectation of seeing her Rama, she forgot all about her rituals, worship, japa or songs! She forgot about day and night, month and year as well as the seasons. Rains were replaced by the winter, winter turned into summer of scorching heat, but Shabari had lost her interest in everything. For her the sun rose with the definite hope that her Rama would come that day and she would be able to serve him.

These long years of wait turned Shabari into an old woman. Her eye sight became dim and the hearing was affected. She had no remorse. She continued to keep her tiring body busy in her routine of cleaning the ashrama and collecting fruits for Rama.

One day, at last, Sri Rama arrived in the ashrama. Pleasure of Shabari knew no bounds. The long awaited desire was fulfilled. Falling at the feet of Rama she said, “O Rama, I cannot describe your kindness in words. When so many great sadhakas (rishis and munis and yogis), cannot seek your Grace even in many births, you have come to me so soon.”

So saying she washed the holy feet of her chosen ideal and offered him berries which she had collected from the forest that morning. And the beauty of the relation between the true Bhakta and the Lord was such that Rama was happy in eating the same fruit that had been tasted by Shabari herself, lest the fruit should be bitter!

Laxmana, with tears rolling down his cheeks, was silently observing the pure love between God and the devotee. Until now he used to think that there was nobody on the earth or heaven who loved Rama as dearly as he did. But today Shabari proved him wrong. When tears dried down in the eyes of Shabari, when her voice was not choking, when she lifted her eyes from the holy feet of Rama then Laxmana bowed down at the feet of Shabari and said, “O mother, your love for Rama will be remembered for ever in this world. I bow down in reverence to the great devotee of Sri Rama.”

Then Shabari inquires about the purpose of their such hard journey. Rama recounts the sad tell of kidnapping of Sita, etc. Reflecting upon the facts, Shabari directs them to go further southwards to Pampa lake and to Kishkindha where the monkey king Sugreeva and the great Rama-devotee monkey Hanuman would be of great help in their search of Sita.

The Nine Forms of Devotion

It was then that Rama enumerated the nine forms of devotion as follows:

1. The first form of devotion is the company of saints;
2. The second form is listening to the Epics and Puranas;
3. The third form is humbly serving ones guru;
4. The fourth form is singing devotional songs;
5. The fifth form is chanting God's name with unwavering faith;
6. The sixth form is the practice of good conduct avoiding all undesirable activities;
7. The seventh form is to see God in everyone and to revere saints above all else;
8. The eighth form lies in contentment and not wishing ill for others even in ones dreams, and;
9. The ninth form is having faith in God through good and bad times.

Rama added that no one form of devotion was better than another. Anyone who follows any one of these forms could attain salvation.

Communication with God

There have been innumerable revelations in ancient books about communication with river goddess, rain god, wind god and other gods.  Are these just myths?  Or ancient rishies could actually communicate with gods of natural phenomenon.  We cannot say definitely.  But it is a fact that over the years of evolution, as we have gained material and scientific progress, we have been drained from inside.  We have lost sensitivity to connect with nature and the natural phenomena, the existence, the universal spirit, whatever you may say. 

Materialism has made us blind and deaf; we can’t hear the whispers of gods or understand their language.  Jesus must have thought about this blinding effect of material progress when he said that a camel can pass through the eye of a needle, but a rich man cannot pass through the gates of heaven.

Having lost the dialogue with gods, we are not at peace with ourselves.  We have lost values; the life seems meaningless, just a repetition of the routine things and there is no goal.

A few poets, including William Wordsworth could effectively communicate with nature.  I had heard from persons coming from the remote villages of Almora that communication with gods is no problem with them.  They can talk with their kulguru and gram devta and carry out their lives according to the wishes of their gods.  I do not have much knowledge about the lives of the village people on high hills and would appreciate if some learned friends can throw some light on the subject.

Spiritual masters do assert that meditation is the mean to regain the communication with God.