Girish's Blog

  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 u...

  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, ...

  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 t...

  Go with the Flow This saying has a p articular 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 ...

  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 ...

  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 th...

  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 na...

  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...

  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 place...

  The Power of Prayer I t 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 ...

  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 – d o 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 a...

  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, ...

  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 ...

  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...

  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 ...

  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 ...

  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 us...

  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 int...

  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 ou...

  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 th...