Life is a Game

 

Life is a Game

We live in a digital world, where gaming has become a kind of profession with youth playing digital games and making tonnes of money – at least the really good ones. We have software companies which are just dedicated to making digital games for playing on laptops and cell phones! Ten years ago, this would not have been possible – but now gaming is in! So, now we have youth spending hours in front of their screens playing computer games and making a living out of it. But, have we ever thought of life as a game?

We are born with a specific purpose and at the time of birth we know our deliverables, but as we go through life, we forget these deliverables and take on more and more which creates an additional burden and disharmony in our life! Our game is set by the divine – we just have to play the game as per the rules set for each individual at the time of birth and everything could turn out fine. But we forget the rules and forget the game too – and start living life based on our expectations and the expectations of others. Thus, with this pressure of expectations we lose sight of the original game and start an all together new game. Thus, we keep taking re-birth till we learn to play the game set for us by the divine.

When we learn through several births to play the game we are meant to play, that is the time we also realise that life is just a game to be played as a participant. Once we begin to play the game as participants, we start becoming a witness to life. In this phase it is possible that we meet our spiritual Master, guide who goads us on towards meditation. All this happens automatically and the seeker in us is drawn like a magnet towards our own individual spiritual Master, who plants the seed of self-realisation in us and sets us on our inner journey. This journey is one we have to undertake alone, no one can help us complete this journey – all this we do while we play the game of life, while fulfilling our role in society with responsibility. The inner journey helps us to see life as a divine game in which each one of us has a role to play – all those we come across in this game stay for some time and leave, some stay for longer durations, some stay from beginning to end – these are all there for paying off karmic debts – as we start vibrating at a different frequency, people of the same frequency will be with us and those with a different frequency move away. We just need to observe life as a game and live it as a game – enjoy the game and give joy to those who come in our life during this game. It is all about enjoying, giving, loving, and playing the game as the divine wanted us to play it originally. Only then will you win and reach your ultimate destination – liberation.

Are we all ONE?

 

Are we all ONE?

All of us take birth to endure or enjoy our past birth karmas. According to karmic law – whatever little I understand of it – we are reborn again and again with almost the same network of souls meeting up again and again, birth after birth till we work out all the karmic effect existing between us.

We live our lives again and again as parents, children, friends, enemies, colleagues, strangers, spouse etc and while doing that we keep enduring our past karma – we remember our basic objective of taking birth only till the age of 4-5, but now with children being sent to school as early as the age of one, one and half – the present children have very little time to remember their basic objective. It is also true that as the world’s consciousness is rising to higher level, the souls taking birth are also of a higher consciousness – maybe they do not require as much time to remember their basic objective of taking birth – I don’t know, I am just surmising!

At the universal consciousness level, we are all one – on earth, we are all vibrating at different frequencies based on our karmic accumulations. When we reach a certain level, we start meeting group souls who help us on our spiritual journey. With the passage of time, we meet our spiritual Master who has been following our progress birth after birth. When the time has come for our final birth, we meet a Medium who does mass awakening – we are lucky to be living in that age and time – in the divine presence of His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swamiji.

Swamiji has planted the seed within us – he has made us ‘see’ our true nature, experience the divine and filled us with love, compassion and grace. His blessings and divine presence are felt 24x7 – we just need to connect to the subtle and forget the physical form. As a mass body of souls following one divine Medium, we are all connected through His divinity and at the subtle level we find ourselves to be ONE. We are connected to that divine consciousness in which we experience the oneness of everything – where there is pure silence, just listen to the sound of silence, merge with it, let it envelop your being – wait for the celestial sound to emanate and then envelop yourself in its sheer bliss! Yes, we definitely are ONE! ❤️💐🤗

Do we ever become Truly Free?

 

Do we ever become Truly Free?

Freedom – a word which denotes so many things to so many people depending on which lens you are wearing. In a democratic country we talk about freedoms enshrined in the Constitution which give us various ‘rights’ to live in ‘freedom’. If we are in a country ruled by dictators or despots it basically means we are bound to live in a way defined by the dictator or despot – technically no freedom as in a democracy. Now, whether we live in a democratic country or a dictatorial one our ‘freedom’ is defined by the ‘laws’ of that country. But, in either set-up, are we truly ‘free’ – this freedom comes from within – do we have that freedom which keeps us in a permanent state of bliss? If not, then wherever we live we are not free.

Such freedom is of no use as we are still bound in chains by our ego, desires and attachments which do not seem to end! Because of these we live a life of expectation and hope, always wanting more and more till the time we die, realising that our whole life has been wasted because we missed the proverbial bus. The ego chains us to our desires and attachments which in turn causes us untold suffering and pain. Till the time we do not rid ourselves of our ego we cannot get rid of our desires and attachments. The ego is the binding super-glue which makes us stick firmly to material and sense related things.

The way to get rid of the ego is through yoga and meditation – yoga stills the body and meditation stills the mind! Once we start meditating under the divine guidance of a realised Himalayan Master, we begin the long and arduous journey to ‘real freedom’. It is not easy, but if we are persistent and have faith, belief and a complete sense of surrender we will definitely reach that goal of ‘total freedom’. Freedom from bondage of desires and attachments, freedom from the ‘ego’ the ‘I-sense’ as we find our peace within. With regular meditation our entire being starts becoming calm and quiet, this reflects on the radiance on one’s face – what is within is reflected outside. All we have to do is be persistent and focused on reaching that goal of ‘total freedom’. Believe me, we have boarded the boat, we just have to stay on board and not alight, and we will all reach that ultimate destination called ‘liberation’ – total freedom – have faith in yourself and do not leave the Master’s hand – hold tight, become free!

What do we understand about Holi?

 

What do we understand about Holi?

In India, all of us know that it is celebrated at the end of winter and the advent of spring where a holy fire is lit and family and friends gather around the fire chanting mantras, throwing prasad and coconut into the fire, and then carrying some ashes home to apply on one’s body the next day before bathing. On the next day which is ‘Rang Panchami’ people throw colour and water on each other and basically have a ball of a time. This is the most colourful annual festival which is celebrated all over India.

There is a deeper meaning to this festival as compared to the obvious physical aspect of burning the fire and playing with colours and coloured water! In essence Holi means the triumph of good over evil and the conquest over sensuousness through spiritual values. Throughout the year gone by, we have lived a life based on material values and on what kind of society we live in. For most of us it is a matter of survival, so many times we do things which we would otherwise not have done. In so doing, we may hurt people, ride roughshod over them in order to achieve our short-term goals. We do all this just to survive – or so we tell ourselves and convince ourselves. But the truth is we get used to it and it starts becoming second nature.

This festival comes as a reminder for us to introspect in front of the Holi fire and symbolically throw all our negative energies, habits, deeds, etc. into the fire and burn it; the next day we celebrate with colours - thus making our life colourful and joyous. We are supposed to do this just once and kind of turn over into a new leaf – but we live in ‘kaliyug’, hence the moment the festival is over we go back to our day-to-day life and the ‘burnt’ negativities lying inherent in our nature come rushing back!

To turn into good human beings, we need to not only burn the negativities but not allow them to seep into our being again. This we can easily do through yoga and meditation. When the time comes a Himalayan Master will enter our lives and plant the seed of awakening within us. Once this happens, through regular meditation, the fire element within our bodies burns the negativities and purifies us – all our energy centres are cleansed and we turn into radiant beings spreading positivity and cheer to all those around us!

Go with the Flow

 

Go with the Flow

This saying has a particular resonance – going with the flow – just imagine yourself at sea, or in a small boat in a rapidly flowing river and that you are going with the flow. Will you be afraid or will you be feeling exhilaration and have a sense of adventure? There is a difference when you are at sea and when you are flowing downstream in a river. At sea there is nothing to stop you as you are surrounded by water in every direction as far as the eyes can see. The ocean currents will take you in whatever direction that they are flowing in – if you are in a sail boat you can follow the wind and progress, when the water is calm you can enjoy the solitude and peace, when there is a storm, you bring down your sails and use your skills to ride the storm and pass into calmer waters – does this sound like life?

Going downstream in a rapidly flowing river is different – you need to control your boat, watch for rocks and shallows, keep in the middle of the river and eventually reach the ocean. Trying to go upstream you will struggle, hit either shore and there are breaks in your progress, again reminds you of life isn’t it? The best way is to use your oars to avoid all the rocks and the shallows, keep your boat in the middle of the river, take the rapids and increase your speed to reach your ultimate goal – the ocean. Trying to go against the current will make you struggle, change direction, lose momentum and focus – focus being to reach the ocean.

Life too, is like that – if you learn to go with the flow, accept whatever life throws at you, you will ultimately ride the waves, avoid the shallows and rocks, and progress towards your goal. Any resistance where your ego tells you that it can win, then you will be rowing upstream and will lose focus and direction, probably the boat will hit some rock or get stuck in the shallows. Then you have to get out, seek help of others to set the boat right and then re-focus to start rowing towards the ocean again. In life acceptance of one’s situation and then acting on it and not against it, making the situation your ally and not enemy will help you miraculously transform your whole life. Go with the flow, meet the ocean of consciousness which is just waiting to embrace you!

Why does one Pray?

 

Why does one Pray?

There are many reasons why one prays. In India, most of us pray because we are told to do so right since childhood. This form of prayer is more like a ritual or a task – it is something one has to ‘do’ as a part of one’s daily routine. Take a bath, light a lamp, fold your hands and pray – most of the time for most of us this is a very shallow prayer and is offered merely as a formality – as part of one’s daily routine. One offers prayers with all seriousness when some major event is to take place, or when one is sick, or in financial trouble or when one finds oneself in any kind of sticky situation. This prayer is offered with serious intent as it comes from the heart as a cry for help to ‘God’.

In such times, the prayer does work and we find a solution to that specific problem of ours. As we go through life riding the waves – up, down, up, down and so on – we pray when we are down and forget to offer gratitude when we are on top – that is where we fail in balancing our divine with our material life. This attitude clearly highlights man’s selfish nature where he only thinks of God in times of trouble and forgets Him when the going is good.

When we start meditating with the help of a realised Master, we start clearing the cobwebs built over several past births which encase our soul – this takes time and dedication on the path of the meditator – the deeper his meditation, the deeper he goes within, the faster the cobwebs get cleared. There comes a stage when the soul is revealed – crystal clear – and then all of life’s problems can be seen for what they are – a part of our past karma which we have to either endure or enjoy! Once we accept this, then we become a witness to our life – detachment takes place, we find that God lies within our own self and we realise that we are praying to the God within. The God within then starts guiding us in our life and we either miss the oncoming pitfalls or find a way to pass them without too much trouble. That is the power of meditation – it makes you meet yourself, know yourself and eases the path to communicate with the divine.

Become like a Banyan Tree

 

Become like a Banyan Tree

The Banyan Tree is considered to be a symbol of immortality by Hindus. It grows little by little from a helpless seedling into a gigantic tree with aerial roots coming down from its branches and taking root in the ground, forming additional trunks, thus giving the main tree a greater girth and presence.  Can’t we all grow like this tree – grow tiny roots here and there and then into full bloom. The Buddha attained enlightenment under this tree – so this tree is strongly connected with spirituality too.

This tree gives sustenance to a whole eco system which depends on it, we too can become like this tree giving sustenance, help and support to those who need it. To do that we need to become strong and supportive like the banyan tree. As the tree grows to its full height it gives shelter and food to lots of birds and animals. We too can provide a supportive environment to others. Everything on earth is temporary but one’s impact is felt by those who touch the lives of others.

We can touch the lives of others by spreading the benefits of meditation, helping others connect with their inner core – this is all divine work we do, have full faith in the Guru-energies and yourself and spread the word. As you speak, your words will generate a resonance of its own and the listener will be impacted positively. Speak as an empty pipe and the Guru-energies will flow through you. Believe me you will not remember what you said, and others will tell you that you spoke so well, where did you learn to speak like this, etc.

As we grow in life, more often than not, we distance ourselves from those who are less fortunate than us….maybe they are people who need our support at that time. If we become like the banyan tree then such people will find the shade and the required sustenance under our branches. As we meditate our aura keeps expanding, it is just like the banyan tree’s aerial roots, slowly steadily it expands giving not only you protection, but also those who come in its range. So, become like a banyan tree, solid, strong, gentle and giving, providing shade and shelter along with sustenance to those who come into your life.

Trust and Lies – Truth and Mistrust

 

Trust and Lies – Truth and Mistrust  

From my childhood, from however far back I can remember – I have trusted people. That trust came naturally to me because I never believed that people cheat. And believe me – cheat they do! The more your trusting nature the greater your chances of being conned – because the conmen can literally see you coming as easy game!  I have personally experienced this and the conmen’s chief weapon is his golden tongue which convinces you that he is telling the truth when in fact he is lying. And people with a trusting nature invariably fall for the lies and into the trap set for them. It is said that one learns from life’s experiences – it is true to the extent that once you have a bad experience you are aware and alert about that experience, but life gives you plenty of variations in bad experiences from which you keep learning, isn’t it!

As we go through life, we keep learning that when you trust you get conned – but when your basic nature is trusting, that will not change – what this really means is that you are being conned for a purpose, meaning, your past life karmas are being extinguished. This has been my personal experience before His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swamiji and the Samarpan family came into my life. Once we start turning inwards and on the spiritual path this trusting nature becomes a serious advantage, as it becomes very easy for you to accept what is being dished out by the Satguru! Your receiving capacity goes up manifold as the divine energy starts flowing towards you and into you.

People who do not trust easily will invariably feel the opposite person is lying even though he is telling the truth. So, mistrusting individuals who have their own insecurities to deal with find it very difficult to face the truth. As it is in the modern world, truth is a rarity and when it is spoken, it is usually a bitter pill to swallow, so one thinks that it is best avoided. This is the real world of illusion in which we are living today, where fact becomes fiction and truth gets so many shades that the real truth is lost in its own variations! The media world, the politicians all help us move forward on the path of illusion. It takes character to recognise the truth and say it – once that becomes your practice, your second nature then it really does not matter what ‘people’ think – because you have said it like it is.

Meditation truly helps you in filtering sense out of nonsense – this happens at the energy level as your inner voice becomes your guide. Do meditate and become adept at both trusting people and telling the truth as you see it. This will help you cleanse your inner world and set you onto the path of liberation.

Human Dependency and Nature

 

Human dependency and Nature

Everything in life happens at the right time, in just the right order and with the right amount of pressure so that all those who face their predicament in life progress and move on to the next challenge. Human beings are so used to getting help from a societal support system, that many times they become too dependent on it. God works in such a way that each one of us is tested in such a way that with a little effort we pass every test he throws at us. The question is how many of us are willing to put in that ‘little effort’! That little effort which you have to put in is God’s way of telling us that I am there to support you, but you need to stand up and take the first step to solving your problem.

When it comes to nature, it does not require any help, everything just happens as in a pre-defined template. For instance, look at the Sun – does it need help to rise in the morning or to set in the evening? Does it need our help to shine throughout the day? Does the earth require help while orbiting? The stars shine naturally, no help there either! How about the tides – they rise and fall under the laws of nature – no help from anybody! Does a flower bud require help to become a flower? The answer to all these questions is a resounding No!

So, why do human beings need help to develop into good human beings. Like in nature, every human being carries his own support system inside himself. You just need to know how to activate that support system! There is an innate intelligence lying dormant within every human being just waiting to be awakened and activated. Everything one needs is within one’s self!

If we have a strong desire to go beyond our small world of family, society, race, religion, colour, language and try to become a good human being – then all the ingredients to become one lie within ourselves. Meditation with the help of an enlightened Master helps us awaken that latent dormant energy lying within each one of us. Once this is awakened, we too start functioning in the same manner as nature – everything in our life starts becoming smooth and natural. Regular meditation helps us become one with nature, after which one’s life becomes a journey filled with joy and happiness. May we all reach that state of liberation called moksha which makes us one with nature, is my prayer to the Universe!

 

Should one interfere with Nature?

 

Should one interfere with Nature?

Before the advent of the modern world, people all across the world lived in tune with nature, with development and progress as an excuse man started playing God, he started interfering with nature to satiate his insatiable list of requirements. Building dams, cutting forests, polluting rivers and the seas and what have you – all in the name of development. As a result, the human population on earth has started coming into conflict with other life forms. Many such life forms have over time become extinct. What right do we have to encroach on the territory and homes of other life forms?

We do not have that right, period! So, when nature starts getting back at us in the form of natural disasters, we realise how puny and insignificant and total powerless we actually are!

When we go to forests, seas shores, river sides, mountains – we find out the silence over there, we hear the sound of nature, we hear the sound of silence because in such places there are very few inhabitants, so less thought pollution. Because of this environment we actually can hear the silence. We can hear the sounds of nature as our own mind becomes silent and our entire being becomes receptive to nature. This happens naturally, because in nature we go back to our primal state and instinctively start analysing the sounds that we hear.

In nature we find our own peace, we listen to our conscience, we literally start tuning into our own selves. So, when we understand the importance of nature and how we benefit, this answers the question – should one interfere with nature? Of course not! But if we have to keep the development of the human race in mind, we need to strike a fine balance between the needs of humanity and rest of the life forms fighting for scarce resources on earth. Our efforts at conservation and building a natural, sustainable habitat on earth which both feeds of nature and nurtures it then we may be in a position to all live happily.

With meditation, you learn to be at peace with yourself, your material requirements reduce and with more and more people meditating globally, I am confident we will be able to nurture earth to health.

The Power of Prayer

 

The Power of Prayer

It is commonly said that humans run to places of worship whenever they are facing a problem. They remember God only when they face challenges in life! Is this your experience too? Every person who takes birth has to face problems and this starts right from the time the child is in the womb! It is a struggle to take birth as the child comes out giving birth pangs to the mother – but the point is that this struggle is God’s way of making you strong. A butterfly, when ready to be born, pushes itself through a tiny opening at the bottom of the chrysalis and in so doing forces all the fluid from its body to the wings, which helps it to fly. You don't realise that if you touch or pull at a butterfly’s wings it is unable to fly, and without the art of flying, it perishes.

It is nature’s way to tell us to stand on our own feet, but all of us need some support, for that we have faith – faith in a higher power. How many of us truly have that kind of faith? Those of us who pray selflessly for others, will notice that their prayers are being answered, people benefit by your prayer! It is extremely important for your prayers to go straight from the heart to the universe, the universe is listening, and it sends you the solution or the strength to over come your problem. This happens always. But humans are generally selfish by nature and once their problem is solved then they forget the solution provider till the next big challenge in life. So, have faith in yourself and in the power of your prayer – believe me you will always find either a solution or the strength and wherewithal to overcome your problem.

With meditation comes an innate strength to your prayer, the power of your consciousness gives support to the prayer and results are always positive. This is my personal experience. With meditation we get the power of faith and belief and that lends strength to your prayer – just ensure that it is not for any material benefit but for the general benefit of mankind or for providing celestial help to those who truly need it. You will find out for yourself that prayer never fails!

Are your Doors and Windows Open?

 

Are your Doors and Windows Open?

Everyday we see the sun rise and set in all its glory. Sunrises and sunsets are some of the most visually pleasing sights on earth. During these two times we actually see the celestial artist at work when he spreads his canvas across the sky and colours it with various hues of red and orange, blue, white and grey. But do we get to see these wonderful, elevating and soul fulfilling sights? Ask yourself – do we?? Well in the morning those of us who wake up early and go for a morning walk are fortunate enough to see it, but those of us who wake up late miss such celestial sights on a daily basis!

To see such sights, one has to actually be in love with nature, love to be outdoors and have eyes to see the art. Most of us will actually be out at the appropriate time but we do not have the eyes to ‘see’ what is so obvious and pleasing. That is truly unfortunate.

Similarly, in life, when misfortune strikes opportunities also come our way, but our eyes are shut and we don’t see them. God always opens a window when he shuts the door. Always remember that – we have to be awake enough to keep the window open and not shut it ourselves – if we do that the light which is to enter will be at the door waiting outside for you to open the window. And if you do not open the window in time the sun sets and it becomes dark again.

We need to keep our doors and windows open always so that whatever God sends us enter our homes – here we are talking about the door and windows of our physical body – keep the mind and heart open and receptive to the messages being sent by God. You will then be in a better position to fix your life’s situations.

Do you Live in the Moment?

 

Do you Live in the Moment?

As we go through life and start observing ourselves, we find out where we are actually living. This may sound strange – most of us live in the past and some live in the future and a very few, rare individuals live in the moment.

All of us go through the motions of living, we all get an education, get a job, a career, get married, settle down and try to be successful and happy. Many of us do well in life as far as the society goes but how many of us are truly happy! Very few will be able to say that. Most of us live in our minds and our minds are always living in the past or in the future.

99% of the time the thoughts of the past are negative. We remember only the bad incidents in our live and relive them every time we think about them. With thoughts of the future, we are basically dreaming of either how to earn more money, do well in one’s career, how to get a new house, car, etc or it is about how to get back at someone for not doing right by you!

So, technically we are living in the past or in the future – and all this is in our minds. Our minds are so powerful that we really do not have control over it and the thought process kind of overwhelms us. When this happens, we are filled with stress, sometimes headaches, sometimes migraine, etc.

If we learn to live in the moment and stop worrying about the past or the future then we could become truly stress-free and happy. The way to do that is through meditation. You could start with yoga if your body does not allow you to sit still for half an hour at a stretch. Once your body is capable of sitting for half an hour at a stretch, start meditating. If you can meditate under the guidance of a realised Master your progress will be much faster. With the progress you will slowly start living in the moment, you will notice that your thoughts do not vacillate as much as they did before from the past to the future. You then start living in the moment, with that all your worries disappear, you become positive and happy. So, meditate – live in the moment.

 

Unending Search for the Self

 

Unending Search for the Self

At some point in life, one starts questioning the very purpose of life, why are we here, what are we doing, where are we headed, etc. In terms of one’s career all these questions are valid because our education, our efforts to earn a living and chart out a career path – all these questions relevant. But at some point in life, some of us start asking these questions in relation to one’s very existence! What then? These questions are very fundamental to find out who we really are – are we the body? Are we the Soul? The true seekers, even without knowing it consciously are headed towards their goal. Their attitude to life is different from that of career-oriented people. Such people are laid back, relaxed and enjoy life whatever the circumstances.

It is such people who end up looking for a Guru who can guide them in their search for the ‘Self’. In some cases, the Guru comes and finds the seeker, either directly or through his representative, because such people are spiritual but totally lost and don’t even know that they are subconsciously searching for the ‘Self’. The Guru, then takes such people under his wings and awakens them in a way and teaches them to go within and find their own selves!

This path is not for the faint hearted, you need to have the courage of your convictions, that yes – I will find my self – as on this path you have to end up giving up a lot of ‘things’ which are considered essential to day-to-day life in a civilised world! You have to let go of your attachments, both personal and material, and finally you have to let go of your ego. Both these are easier said than done.

By meditating with complete faith and belief under the Guru’s guidance, and with continuous and regular spiritual practice, you will notice slowly that your attitude to life is changing, you are changing, you become calmer, quieter, more accepting, more giving as you start going deeper within your own being. That calm, that peace, that silence which is eternal – you begin to sense that. You start experiencing cold vibrations, begin getting fragrances out of the blue, you feel the vibrations in your chakras – the energy centres in your body. With time you will see your own soul, hear the celestial sound, find yourself to be in tune with the universe. The trick is not to become a part of this, just remain a witness to whatever is happening and one day that unending search for the ‘Self’. Let us all meditate with dedication and complete faith so that we find our own ‘self’ and then ultimately merge with the universe – ‘Yatha Pinde Tatha Brahmande, Yatha Brahmande Tatha Pinde’ – meaning ‘As is the individual, so is the universe; as is the universe, so is the individual’.

Attitude is Everything!

 

Attitude is Everything!!

During the theory sessions for our paragliding course, our flight instructor had asked us what is the one most important quality one should have to be able to fly. There were several answers from the students and the correct answer was ATTITUDE. Because with the right attitude you will not only complete your course but also become a safe paraglider!

When we talk about attitude, there are several quotes which define this – ‘attitude is everything’ is my favourite. Why is that so? Simply because with the right attitude you can literally touch the sky, nothing is outside the realms of possibility – everything is achievable! Then what is the ‘right’ attitude you may well ask. Well, if you have a positive attitude and a nothing is impossible outlook then you are destined for great things in life. For instance, if you think your attitude is like a box of crayons and you select grey then your whole life is shaded grey – but if you select colour which reflect nature and life you can fill your life with colours of love, humour, laughter and achievement. Once you have these bright colours life actually lightens up for you!

Your attitude is the most important quality needed to be a successful, liked and admired person in life. Show positivity, humour, love, compassion and you will be well liked and admired. Along with the right attitude you also need to be humble and grounded, else your ego will take control and your attitude will turn into arrogance. That is something which one should totally avoid.

Your attitude is shaped by not only those close to you but also by the experiences you get in life. To have control over your attitude, to remain humble and grounded meditation is of great help. Meditation helps you see life from a deeper perspective. You get to literally ‘know’ yourself and once you do that you realise why you have the kind of attitude towards life that has been a part of you as you grew up from a child into an adult. Meditation helps sharpen your attitude along with compassion – so meditate.

Love – Baffling and Fulfilling!!

 

Love – Baffling and Fulfilling!!

When we talk about love, there are so many different kinds of love which one encounters in life that if one sits down to analyse it, one finds it baffling – it becomes very difficult to figure out this emotion! Love emanates from the heart of parents, children, relatives, friends, lovers, strangers even – there are so many different kinds of love with a range of emotions which sometimes ends up baffling the recipient. The love between parents and children is usually unconditional and arises from the special bond between them, other forms of love may come with attachments, here one needs to be careful as any heartbreak will cause untold stress! Love between friends is the purest because in most of the cases there are no expectations and being there for each other regardless of status, circumstances, etc is given – you know from within that if no one comes in tough times – the friends will not let you down!

One can love others provided that one can love one’s self – because if you love your self then you can love anyone! If you do not like who you are then it is very difficult to love others as you find yourself to be inadequate to fulfill this emotion! The day you learn to love yourself, you will learn to love others, once this happens you start getting a sense of fulfilment. The heart strings are very important to live a full life – it is said those with a golden heart radiate their love which is felt by those in close vicinity. Animals too sense this and don’t run away from you!

With love comes attachment – and with attachment comes ownership and this feeling ownership is dangerous. Each individual is born to live out his/her own destiny and the moment you form a love bondage then you begin to have expectations of each other – any lack of fulfilment of such expectations leads to stress and fights – these are the negative manifestations of the same energy.

To save yourself from the negative manifestation it is essential to meditate under the guidance of an enlightened Master who shows you the way. The more you meditate, the more you radiate love - but this love is selfless and is reflected in your aura. The deeper you go the more detached you become, the purer your heart becomes and as the love for yourself deepens, the love for those in your life – both sentient and non-sentient beings – increases. With the clearance of your heart chakra if you can develop a feeling of detached attachment, then you will save yourself from all the negative aspects of love. So – meditate, meditate, meditate!

Who Doesn’t Have Problems?

 

Who Doesn’t Have Problems?

We go through life facing some problem or the other right since we are born – it could be sickness, loss of a dear one, fear of failure, stress, etc. – each one of us faces these kinds of problems right from birth to death. I don’t think there is a single person on earth who has not faced any problems! How we face our problems is what matters most, some people run away from their problems, some behave like ostriches and pretend they do not exist, some face the problem head-on, some take the help of others – each person has his or her own mechanism to deal with their problems.

The thing with problems is that it always has a solution. To solve such problems one always needs time, sometimes money is required and sometimes other people. Beyond these three there is no problem that exists!

It is said that time heals all wounds, hence any problem you face diminishes in intensity with the passage of time, therefor one can say that time offers a solution to a certain kind of problem. Certain kind of problems are solved with the help of money. One may not have money, one may be poor and think how will my problem be solved. In such cases the universe always conspires to send help your way in the form of some good Samaritan who helps you get by your problem. The third is to take the help of people who contribute to solving your problem. This help could be in the form of moral support, financial support or personally helping in resolving the problem through their own presence.

When we start meditating, all kinds of problems in life like those related to health, relationships, finance, career, etc start fading away. Meditation helps you deal with problems better – it gives you a better insight on tackling problems. With the entry of an enlightened Master in your life and your surrender to him, then your problems are not your own, they become those of a huge positive collectivity – when that happens the problem appears so insignificant that it just disappears. For bigger problems you get the inner strength to face them and move on, such problems then do not appear to be problems they just come and go like one of life’s aberrations. Therefore, like Swamiji says – meditate, meditate, meditate. J  

Expectations Lead to Angst!

 

Expectations Lead to Angst!

As we go through life, we come across a whole lot of people - with some we have life long relations, with some the relations are temporary. But one thing is certain the closer the relationship greater the expectations from that relationship. People grow up expecting others to behave in a certain way – a way which they have pre-decided in their minds – that so and so should behave like this, so and so should behave like that. Whenever the behaviour is not as per the expectation set in the mind that causes disturbance - sometimes it disappoints us and many times it makes us angry!

Why does this happen? In personal relationships as opposed to work relationships we expect certain kind of behaviour from those near and dear to us. When those people behave the way, you expect them to – this may have been set from past such behaviour – then it is perfect, but if the behaviour is different and not to your liking then it is out of the comfort zone you are used to, this is what leads to angst and arguments! We never try to find out why the behaviour changed – we just lash out at the person which leads to either a major row or leaves the other person dazed enough for him to leave the battle field quietly! Have any of you experienced this?

How do we deal with it? It is very difficult to tackle irrational behaviour, specially when it is an outcome of high expectations which may be difficult to match. The only way to tackle anger from such expectations is – not to react. Any reaction will only worsen the situation. A calm, quiet response without any reaction usually diffuses the situation. This can happen when one is able to remain centred in one’s own being.

Meditation helps you in remaining centred and balanced. This helps you remain focused on the calm which prevails within you, so whatever is happening on the outside is like a movie you are watching – you just remain a witness to it and you do not become a participant. As a witness you do not join the argument but just watch it – when this happens, it does not affect you and you as well as the protagonist get over the situation and move on in life. A quiet response or a non-response is the best way to diffuse extreme reactions from failure of expectations. So, friends, meditation provides you solutions to varying adverse situations in life! So as Swamiji says – Meditate, meditate, meditate.

Is Comfort a Drug?

 

Is Comfort a Drug?

When you are comfortable you tend to get lazy, this is a bit addictive as the mind tends to relax and be happy in the current situation. Once you get used to this comfort zone it is very difficult to get out of it as it becomes addicting. It is not that comfort is a bad thing, one needs to analyse when and where one feels comfortable. Being comfortable in the company of your near and dear ones is completely different from being comfortable with regards to one’s career.

When one is comfortable in the company of near and dear ones, it means one has a sense of security and safety; whereas when it comes to one’s career then the comfort zone is where a person’s dreams go and die – that becomes the tombstone of the individual’s career! It is said that if you give weak persons consistent stimulation, good food, cheap entertainment then invariably they will throw their ambitions right out of the window.

Anything that titillates your lower senses and lulls you into a false sense of security, making you feel comfortable where in reality you should be alert, that is seriously not good for you. One needs to be alert and aware about being led up the garden path, because if you are not alert you will end up being a coach potato doing nothing to rise up the social ladder, while at the same time maintaining one’s sense of equilibrium.

Meditation helps you stay alert, focussed, balanced and with a purpose in life. With meditation you easily accept what life has to offer and by staying in the present moment you invariably end up putting your best foot forward in all aspects of life. If you enter a comfort zone through meditation, then you make meditation your hobby and with that the entire concept of comfort being bad for you turns turtle – as you become comfortable and happy with whatever life offers you. Let us all be comfortable and joyous in a positive way in life as opposed to becoming addicted to comfort by becoming lazy and indolent!

Are you in Control?

 

Are you in Control?

When we go to management school we are taught about control, responsibility, authority – the pay-off between the three along with its legal ramifications. What happens in the school of life though is quite different because, here universal laws apply. In office you are given an assigned role and long with it comes an authority-responsibility matrix which defines the kind of control you are allowed in the given role. As you move up the ladder in the organisation the responsibility, authority and control keep increasing – along with this in most people the ego also keeps expanding. As the saying goes – power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

When we come to our day-to-day life, we need to ask ourselves whether we are in control of our lives – because most things keep happening in ways which we can hardly fathom. Many times, we plan certain things and we are sure that everything will fall in place and then events take place which are way beyond our control and we are left wondering what went wrong and why it happened in this way. There is always a divine play happening which tells us that we are just puppets in the hands of the master puppeteer. If we accept things which happen then we don’t suffer, but if we do not accept what has happened and keep trying to ‘set things right’, then things go from bad to worse and we start increasing our stress levels. The best way is to let things go and accept whatever has happened.

The only thing you possibly can control is that which is within yourself, anything on the outside – that is not in your control, that is mere illusion being orchestrated by the divine as per each of our own individual karmas.

With regular meditation, slowly you start seeing the picture for what it is, you start realising that you are not in control of the outside world, but you definitely control your inner world. Through deep meditation practice one creates a life that feels good and joyous on the inside, not just one that looks good on the outside – because looks are often deceptive! Accept and you will learn to believe that you are only in control of your inner world and the outer world is play of the divine in which we are just actors playing our own individual roles.

You are the Best!!

 

You are the Best!!

People pass judgement on others so easily; it is like second nature to them. Many of us are victims of such comments and sometimes we too end up passing judgement on others! This could be with friends, colleagues or with whatever is happening all around the world. Unfortunately, when such comments are passed, invariably we do so even though we know only one side of the story. We look at events or incidents from our own point of view. We may not be knowing the reason why a person behaved in a certain way or said something. Human tendency is to blow things out of proportion and pass judgement – so and so said this, he has no sense, how dare he say something like this, etc.

Before we pass judgement or come to any conclusion, it has been my experience that it is best to put ourselves in the other persons shoes to figure out why he said whatever he did or why he behaved in that manner. If we take the trouble to find out we may learn of extenuating circumstances that we never knew of which actually justifies why a person said something or behaved in a certain manner. That is something which we must all learn to do. If we learn to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, we will always know both sides of the story rather than passing judgement with half knowledge!

So, whenever someone passes comments against you and judges you without having full knowledge of the circumstances, just smile and remember that you are the best person that God made. You are unique and you have been made in His mould. Forgive that person, ignore the comment and move on in life.

When you start meditating and begin creating that inner peace and calm, such comments will never bother you, because you KNOW who and what you are – nobody can be a better judge of you than you yourself. Be confident in the knowledge that YOU ARE THE BEST!

Mahashivratri - Har Har Mahadev!

 

Mahashivratri - Har Har Mahadev!

Tomorrow is Mahashivratri – the day Lord Shiva was united with Shakti. It is held on the 14^th night of the new moon in the month of Phalgun (onset of summer) as per the Hindu Calendar. In honour and as a mark of respect and devotion, Hindus fast for the full day and night of Mahashivratri. This is considered to be the darkest night of the year and it celebrates the grace of Lord Shiva who is said to be the Adi Guru or the first Guru from whom the tradition of Yoga originates.

Mahashivratri is celebrated throughout the country in various Ashrams by all self-realised Saints in the presence of their devotees – either in the physical form or remotely – this year due to Corona pandemic, this festival will be mainly celebrated online. We, the Samarpan Family too will be celebrating this online through the live webcast on the GuruTattva YouTube channel. All the devotees wait eagerly for this day as the energy is literally palpable and, in my experience, it always appears that the atmosphere of the Himalayas descends at Dandi Ashram. I have personally seen and experienced the atmosphere as a fog suddenly envelops the Ashram and the Lord Shiva’s crescent moon shines through the gaps. When Swamiji comes onto the stage, I have heard birds chirping in wild abandon as they announce His arrival and the temperature literally falls by 4-5 degrees within a matter of moments. Devotees start shivering in cold and enveloping themselves in blankets. I personally, have always welcomed the cold blast of energy as it is uplifting for the soul and gives one a certain high which cannot be described in words.

This is one day, which should never be missed by those on the spiritual path, as a connection with the divine on this day acts like a catapult to thrust you into realms of higher consciousness. Let us all be prepared for this day, let us keep our soul pure and consciously awakened to receive the shower of consciousness which will fall upon all of us tomorrow – as His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swami comes out of his 45 days of isolation, penance and spiritual practice. Those of us who were meditating regularly would have definitely felt His divine embrace in the form of cold vibrant energy in these 45 days. Let us all attend this festival with purity of mind, body and soul and collectively embark on the journey to inner peace while also helping in raising the consciousness of the world.

Har Har Mahadev! Jai Atmeshwar! Baba Swami Maharaj ki Jai!

The Choice is Always Yours!

 

The Choice is Always Yours!

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! We are faced with the task of taking decisions a zillion times a day – we take most of them naturally as they have become a part of our daily routine. There are other decisions which we need to take based on analysis, discussions, introspection, etc – these could be for your schooling, higher education, choice of career, marriage, job, etc. But always remember that in all these instances, once you are old enough to think for yourself – the decision is always yours to take. You may take advise, consult any number of people, but the final decision is always yours.

In cultures of the East, parents have a role to play to a certain point, they guide you, they provide you with the support system unlike the west, and they help you take the decision. In the west you are left to fend for yourself once you are out of school – you earn and you learn. Not so, in India – here you are given all the help you need – it is up to you to take it and decide what you want to do in life.

The day you start taking responsibility for your choices, one could say that you have truly matured. All decisions you take have two likely outcomes – good or bad – but as the choice is yours, it is you and only you who bears the fruits or suffers the outcome. Do not blame others or find excuses for things which go wrong – because the choice is always yours, it is your decision only, so consequently the result is also yours to bear!

With regular meditation and introspection, you start losing body consciousness and start enhancing your soul consciousness – as this happens your choices, your decisions are guided by your inner voice – such decisions, such choices are never wrong, they may appear wrong in the short term, but in the long term they are always proved right! The best one can do is to start listening to the inner voice, acting according to it, accepting the results as God’s will and sailing through life happily. Believe me, if you start doing this you will be on the road to success both materially and spiritually – may your inner light show you the way, is my fervent prayer to Paramatma!

Silence is Golden!

 

Silence is Golden!

Silence is golden – this is a very old saying and I am sure it has been established by those who experienced the golden silence. The trouble with us is that we feel that the absence of noise in our day-to-day life is silence. During the severe lockdown last year, we experienced that external silence – so much so that without the usual traffic in many places all over the world wild life started taking over the streets! We are so used to the sound of traffic, dogs barking, birds chirping, people talking and arguing, etc – the usual day to day sounds that they become a part of our life and we learn to live with a certain decibel level without actually hearing it!

This noise is not what affects as much as the noise within us. The continuous chatter of our mind with matters which concern us and worry us is never ending. It is when we stop hearing this sound in our mind that we begin to experience the golden silence. We can get glimpses of it when we go to the mountains, forests, secluded sea shores – in such natural surroundings our mind automatically merges with nature and becomes silent – that is because as Swamiji says – nature does not have thoughts, it just exists!

With regular yoga and meditation your body becomes quiet and obedient followed by the mind. Continuous, regular practice of meditation stills the mind to such an extent that you start listening to the silence within you. The sound of that silence is wonderful – it brings peace, quiet, joy, bliss, love in abundance as you start becoming one with mother nature – your existence and that of nature start merging within you, that is when you start experiencing the golden silence. The beauty of that sound is ethereal and once experienced you will start yearning for it 24x7 – but that is very difficult, as with the initial experience the expectation that this will happen arises in the ‘mind’. That becomes the barrier to continuous joy. You need to forget every experience on a daily basis and live each day as if it is your first and last, then only will one be able to live continuously in that golden silence. Let us all do our spiritual practice daily with dedication and learn to live in that phenomenon called the Golden Silence!

Has Someone Caused You Pain?!

 

Has Someone Caused You Pain?!

As we move through life from childhood to adulthood, we meet a variety of people starting with immediate relatives, neighbours, friends, colleagues and so on till we die. All these people come in our lives not by chance or accident – all things which occur have a divine purpose – they are all happening so that we work out our past life karma with such people. Let me repeat – we do not meet anyone by chance at all! Throughout our life people come and go, some for a short while, some stay longer and some till our last breath. Have you ever thought why this happens?

Humans are spiritual beings vibrating at a certain frequency – throughout life they move up and down the frequency bandwidth based on whether they are doing good or bad karma. The people one meets in life are those in the same frequency bandwidth – if you or they start vibrating in a different bandwidth then you move away from each other and someone else in the same frequency range comes into your life. This goes on and on – so if someone has caused you pain or hurt, all you have to do is forgive that person and forget the incident that caused the hurt.

Once you start your meditation practice under the guidance of a realised Master, you surrender all your past hurt at His lotus feet, this is your offering to the Guru – because he asks for that as his Guru-dakshina. Once you have donated your past karma to Him, they do not belong to you, so even if you remember the past hurt, remind yourself that this hurt is not mine any longer and let go of it immediately. The more you start practicing this, the more aware you become of your own thought process – this will initially be a conscious effort on your part, and then it will start happening subconsciously.

With continuous meditation as your body consciousness reduces your soul consciousness increases and your inner voice starts guiding you through thick and thin in life. This is the stage of shifting your life to a higher plane of consciousness, all this happens very easily when you have totally, completely, unconditionally surrendered at the lotus feet of a realised Master. You start realising that whatever pain I have felt is not pain at all but just another lesson in life and then you learn to move on without any baggage. We just need to remember that no one can cause us pain – it is only we who catch that pain and hold on to it – if we decide that this is not causing us any hurt, then the pain is not created in the mind and the hurt remains fictional!

Don’t Think too Much!

 

Don’t Think too Much!

Throughout our life we are told ‘not to think too much’ – this is because the people who care for us see that we are stressed out over something and tell us not to think too much about it. When we are worried or afraid of what has already happened or what is about to happen we tend to think too much. Overthinking isn’t the same as healthy problem-solving. Problem solving consists of thinking about a sticky situation only when necessary and forgetting it once it has been resolved. Overthinking on the other hand is purely dwelling on a problem endlessly. For some people thinking too much about anything becomes a kind of ailment, a psychological problem as they feel that they are unable to do anything to solve such problems – they just think about it fruitlessly resulting in stress and other mental disorders.

The amount of time you spend in deep thought is not really that important, because any time spent in learning from past behaviour and actually coming up with creative solutions is productive time spent. But time spent in unproductive overthinking will not enhance your quality of life – whether you spend ten minutes or ten hours! When people think too much their forehead is furrowed and the stress becomes easily visible on the face.

The best way to tackle this issue is to first accept that you think too much! Once you accept it, half the battle is won. Meditation is a sure-fire way of tackling this problem because with time your awareness increases. With heightened awareness every time you start focusing on a single thought you consciously tell yourself to slow down your thought process – you begin to recognise whether the problem is real or imaginary. Real problems get tackled consciously through positive action and the imaginary one’s are removed from the thought process. With meditation your control over your breathing increases, with slower breathing your mind also becomes calm and quiet and the earlier frenzy of overthinking issues becomes a distant bad memory. You start living more and more in the moment and when that happens thoughts of the past or worries about the future also stop occurring! So, friends don’t think too much – it does not help anybody – live in the moment and stay happy and joyous!