Girish's Blog

  Photo Credit: Tatthastu| Ganga Beckons The New Year Beckons At the beginning of this new year, we are witnessing the same chaotic conditions as were there at the beginning of 2021 – omicron a mutation of the original corona virus is causing chaos across the globe. People are frightened and politicians and the pharma lobby are trying to milk the people for their own selfish interests. We as citizens of the world have a responsibility to ourselves and to all those whom we come in contact with to maintain safety precautions and follow all the guidelines for safety as laid down by our respective governments. In my personal view, we are now at the fag end of the pandemic, we just need to hand in there for a few more months and we will see the last of this virus. The last two years for me have been personally very fulfilling, I have got a lot of alone time and that has helped me realise that I CAN live alone, in silence, being self-sufficient, learning how to cook in the bargain ...

  Photo Credit: The Random Vibez Leave Behind the Madness In India, from March 20, 2020 the corona pandemic and dirty politics took pride of place over humanitarian values and basic kindness and humanity. The central government did everything to get things right and today, as we enter 2022, we have already seen things which we had never dreamt that we would. Lockdowns, stay at home, stay safe – work from home, economic downturn and revival, control over the pandemic, our own vaccines which proved effective and caused a huge loss to the pharma lobby. Lots of noise and politics over our own vaccines – and they proved successful and the international pharma lobby lost a huge market! Moving on, India proved to the world that in spite of its huge size and population at the people level, humanity prevailed and kindness and love by strangers was not unheard of. Helpful hands always extended to those who needed it the most – this happened again and again – not reported by the press, be...

  Photo Credt: BuzinessBytes What is Most Important in Life? We have all given thought to this question – ‘what is most important in life?’ Based on individual preferences it could be anything from friends, family, money, wealth, happiness, love, health, adventure, a good home and so on. All these preferences come from thousands of years of ingrained experiences gathered over several births – our focus natural goes on things which are material in nature and which we think are most important for us. This is but natural and it is difficult to think of anything else that is of paramount importance unless you get a glimpse of such a thing. We consider going with the flow rather than being out of control a more important matter. But all these thoughts, all these considerations are relative and differ from individual to individual. A little bit of moderation – not too tight nor too loose – that should be the approach, a middle path in dealing with life’s circumstances. When we say go...

  Photo Credit: Quotesjin Disturbance during Meditation In the beginning when we start out on the spiritual path, we try to meditate, but it is very difficult. The moment our eyes shut our mind goes out of control with all kinds of thoughts shooting through the mind. Is what I am doing right? Will I succeed in my spiritual endeavour? Swamiji in his discourses has mentioned that you will feel like scratching the moment you sit for meditation, you may pass gas, you will absorb all the external sounds and then you will think, “Hey, I cannot concentrate, this is not for me!” And then give up. But the trick is to hang in there, this is a practise, a sadhana and one has to do it with complete confidence and faith that at some point meditation will happen. And it does – for some it takes less time and for some more time, but happen it does! During meditation you will suddenly hear the loud cawing of crows or the barking of dogs or maybe you children begin to fight and there is a rac...

  Photo credit: Findhorn New Story Hub||Daniel Wahl Aloneness is our Very Nature When we take birth we come alone in this world – who has taken birth? That is the fundamental question – who has assumed this physical body? We take birth to parents and we receive everything associated with the material world as a gift from our parents – our language, our religion, our race and so on – so that we can fit into this materialistic world. We are born alone, we live alone, and we die alone. Aloneness is our very nature, but we are not aware of it – we live in ignorance. And because we live in ignorance, in unawareness – we remain strangers to ourselves, and instead of seeing our aloneness as a boon filled with bliss, silence and peace, we mistake it for loneliness! When one says one is lonely, one is missing company and feeling alone – this is psychological and becomes a kind of illness – but aloneness is beautiful, it is filled with your own self, silence, bliss and pure solitude. L...

Photo Credit: Twitter.Com||S. Gurumurthy Burdens we Carry   Have you seen a butterfly take birth? It progresses from egg to larva to caterpillar to pupa and then when the sun is out it shakes itself, struggling to break the pupa, slowly opening its wings and lets the sun dry the wings before it takes off. If you are watching this struggle to take birth and decide to help the butterfly and assist it in any way, you are only harming its prospects of survival. The struggle is necessary to take birth, that burden has to be carried to survive. This is true of all beings, without a struggle, without burdens life will become meaningless. We all carry burdens in some form or the other, lack of education, poverty, death of a loved one, it could be anything – but the purpose of life is to overcome these burdens and move on. Every burden we carry has a lesson in it for us to learn. We just have to learn the lesson, and slowly let the burden fall away from our subconscious and conscious mind...

  Photo Credit: Crosswalk.com Dreams and the Mind All of us have had dreams at some point or the other in our lives, some continue to dream even today. Many people like to go to astrologers to interpret their dreams, thinking that their dreams have a message for them – a very few do but the majority of the dreams are just trying to warn you about something about you. The mind has only one capacity and that is to dream. The dreaming continues even while we are awake. This dream-state is even while living and acting in day-to-day life we are living in an illusory world, thinking about the past or planning for the future – when are we ever in the moment, that moment which is the only thing that is real. We are always vacillating between the past and the future – and that is what the mind makes us do – dream! It is important for us to understand a couple of things: the mind is the source of all dreaming, but dreams can happen only when you are asleep. And if it so happens that ...

  Photo Credit: Tech Spot Is Lying Good? Many religions and belief systems say lying or telling lies is not good, it is even considered to be a sin. But tell me, is there anything that is good or bad in this universe, or is it our perception or view that defines something as good or bad. What is good and what is bad is predefined by society and the way things are accepted by that society. So, can a little lie told to a person prevent hurt? And if it does, is it justified? Is lying terrible”? Is it always bad to lie? If lying is bad then why has such a concept been created in this world? We are all aware of white lies – lies told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Even in law lying is considered bad, and one is asked to take an oath to tell the truth and nothing but the whole truth. Remaining silent is also legally considered to be accepting any averment that is being made. In India, the concept of narova kunjarova is used when someone gives a diplomatic response without taking a...

  Photo Credit: QuoteFancy||Swami Satchitananda Control over the Tongue We have seen so many people in life who love to chatter, some of it is nonsense, some of it gossip and some of it may be sensible too; the point I am trying to make is that we talk a lot! Talking also involves consumption of energy and if it is for a useless cause then your energy is wasted. The tongue has two primary functions – taste and talk. Control over both aspects of the tongue is crucial to maintaining a peaceful and calm existence. If we cannot control our taste buds while eating, we become obese, lazy and unhealthy. If we cannot control our tongue while speaking it leads to all kinds of complications which consumes our energy in trying to set things right and restore balance in life. Taste buds harm us only, hence it is somewhat easier to control our tongue while eating, but it is another matter while talking. Humans have the desire to talk because of their minds, the mind is active all the time...

  Photo Credit: The Daily Guardian Just be Content All of us have so many desires, we want to accomplish so much in life, we want to learn more and more – I have seen people’s visiting cards which have their qualifications running into 3 – 4 lines – the visiting card is saying, “Hello, my qualifications speak volumes about me, what do you say?!?” This is just another manifestation of one’s ego – how much are you going to fill your mind with – in the end you are not leaving any space for universal consciousness to enter your body – you will just become another highly educated robot making enormous money at a huge cost to your spiritual and inner well-being. The pressure you put on yourself is tremendous, because after you become so highly qualified you always want a job which pays you according to your idea of what is your worth and not the markets. In this manner, if you don’t get what you feel you deserve you end up feeling depressed and stressed. The universe is always givi...

  Photo Credit: Gracifit | Heart, Soul & Spirit Empty your Mind, Brush your Heart Many of us feel that once we have embarked on the spiritual path, we have automatically become purified and we begin to get a holier than thou attitude. This is unfortunate as this attitude itself another manifestation of our ego, a subtle feeling of superiority over so called ‘others’. In the olden days seeking a Guru, living in an Ashram, studying under the Guru’s tutelage involved a lot of hard work and penance. Today, we live in the fast age and think that spirituality is also fast-tracked – this is the biggest misconception – we need to do our meditative practice, we need to do everything that was done earlier, but in a far more comfortable environment. You may be very regular in your practice but the moment you get up from an hour’s meditation, instead of enjoying the silence and peace which you had just experienced, if you get a call from office and get into an argument or heated discus...

  Photo Credit: Just Between Us Magazine Running After God We remember God only during tough times, only when we face challenges in life which seem insurmountable – that is when we remember God from the depths of our heart. Then we go to temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras etc depending on which religion we have been born into! We have completely forgotten our true nature and we keep running after God to help us and save us from our current predicament! My mother strongly believed in horoscopes and what the astrologers predicted – she used to worry about me, as I was quite carefree and reckless as a child. And as I grew up, I realised that all the predictions about my elder siblings always proved accurate but not about me. Then we met an astrologer cum seer who told me that your horoscope is difficult to predict as there are other factors ruling your planets – thereafter I would take all those predictions positively which just helped me get through the next crisis in life. B...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest Time and Inner Time We have always been bothered about time – how many times have you said or heard the statement, “I don’t have time!” Umpteen times, I bet! What is it about time that both fascinates as well as bothers us? I remember as a child that time would move very slowly, but as I grew up the hours just flew! When we are doing something that we enjoy, we find that time just flies and when we are in trouble, time appears to stand agonisingly still! We keep looking at the clock and see that the minute hand has hardly moved! When we are in love with someone and so deeply engrossed in sweet nothings – time has no meaning as we are lost in our own cocooned world. When we are doing something that we love, something creative, then too we are in our own world and time has no meaning – it just flies, we don’t feel the pangs of hunger, or anything else as we continue doing what we love. On the other hand, when we are stressed because of any reason, then w...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest||Quotes by AiR Masks and our Reality Each and every one of us has wears several masks, and with each mask we play a different role and none of these roles are real. Shakespeare in his play ‘As You Like It’ had said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the people merely actors; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts.” This statement has the essence of one’s life written in it. It embodies the human role on this global stage and the various parts played by one person throughout his/her life. We play several roles – a child, a son/daughter, a brother/sister, a father/mother, a grandfather/grandmother, an employee/boss, a friend/enemy – we wear all these different masks and we play our role perfectly fitting that mask! Others are living with painted face, wearing masks – these people are called Christians, Hindus, Moslems, Jainas, Sikhs, Buddhists – they wear masks of religion and some of these religions kill to p...

  Photo Credit: IHeartIntelligence Do you get Intimidated? Just remember that only timid people get intimidated – believe that we are God’s own children and then there is no case for intimidation!  Don’t be timid, don’t compare yourself with others at all. You are what you are – a unique person on the whole wide world stage. The king is needed and so is the queen, the gatekeeper, the hero, the warrior, the villain and the serf, isn’t it? All these people are playing their role on the world stage – and so are you – just play and act your part. Assuming you are the gatekeeper in the drama standing in front of the gate to the king’s palace, while the king is sitting on the throne, why should you feel bothered? Without you the play cannot proceed. You have your roles to play only in the drama, once the curtain falls, you embrace each other. You congratulate each other on how well each role was played, laugh and go out and eat together! So, we all have our roles to play. Ther...

  Photo Credit:QuoteFancy|Sri Chinmoy Work as an Instrument of God When we ask someone to perform any kind of task as if we are performing it for God – what do we mean? What we are trying to say is do that task so selflessly, filled with love and compassion such that the result will always be positive for the beneficiary and you will feel good and blessed within. The happiness which one derives by working selflessly for others is very difficult to explain – this joy and happiness makes us glow from within. Swamiji has said this umpteen number of times – do not bring your ‘I’-sense into your work – do whatever you are doing by surrendering it to the Guru-energies – it may be as mundane as sweeping the floor – do it as if you are offering service in the house of God – and you will get that inner glow – believe me, just try it and see for yourself! In Sanatan Dharma the concept is of Karma Yoga, which is a path of devotion to the work. One loses one’s identity while working, onl...

  Photo Credit: Yana Virtual Centre of Spiritual Living Giving a Helping Hand What’s the point in blaming or disliking others? The approach should be to avoid such persons and don’t go near them. Swamiji keeps saying that if you are uncomfortable in and around certain people or conversations, don’t participate or inter-mingle, just move away. If you do participate you are most likely to end up in an argument which will only end up hurting you. The best thing to do is first try and analyse for yourself – why don’t I like this person? There may be certain things that you do not like about a person, the way they behave, the way they do things, how they speak and so on. But that should not affect you – ask yourself, “Have I not behaved in a similar manner earlier at some point or the other?” Maybe you learnt your lesson then with whatever consequences you had to face because of that behaviour, so now you feel that you have a right to question others or to look down upon them! Suc...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest Dreams and Reality We, in the eastern hemisphere and especially in India attach a lot of importance to dreams, we ‘believe’ that dreams come true – no doubt some of them do come true – though the reality is that our entire life is a dream and nothing is real! You may well ask how this is possible – in India the ancient sages used to call life ‘maya’ or an illusion, that we live in an illusory world far removed from reality. But for the sages it was true but not for the ordinary mortals – for them life was as real as it can be. As an ancient culture we have always been seeking ‘the truth’, in fact it is believed that we all take birth to attain that ultimate state which is called liberation, merging with universal consciousness by attaining the state of unity, oneness with Paramatma. So, what happens when we dream, we actually watch a kind of move when we are in deep sleep and in that state that dream is as real for us as can be. We are actually livin...

  Photo Credit: Yeshye Rabgye Desires - a Hindrance to Liberation It is said that for a human being to have the following three things at the same time is very rare – a healthy human body, a desire for moksha and a Guru to show you the way. All these three elements come together to a very few select people in their lifetime. And when this confluence does take place, then know that it is time to become liberated. Each soul knows this deep down, but the vagaries of living one’s material life buries it to the extent that the soul’s voice gets muted and ultimately dies down. When the time is right, and life’s lessons are learnt then the above confluence of three occurs. We have a healthy physical body (Swamiji keeps telling us to exercise regularly), the desire for liberation awakens within us (we meet our Master – in our case His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swami), and He tells us to meditate and now He is telling us to love selflessly to attain that state of being that is called moksh...