“Sanskar” is nothing but what are the habits cultivated in a young child and perpetuated. Most people follow a different code for their own lifestyle and expect that their wards to be well cultured and good in everything. Children observe far better than we give them credit for and they learn most things through observing elders, especially behavioural traits. For example – My parents were early risers and started their day around 4 am to 5 am, a habit that both my brother and I have inculcated and still follow naturally. I observe that there is so much of my parents behaviour reflected in my own even as of today.

The point I am getting to, is before setting off to change the world you need to change yourself, only then perhaps you can inspire someone else to change. Especially for parents this is critical since the child is learning from you. In my experience, for any endeavour in life to be successful the 3 critical success factors or qualities you must imbibe are ODD – Organised, Disciplined and Determined 

Regardless of whether you have the Sanskar from your parents/elders, change is in your hands. Discipline is the start point, gift it to yourself and you are your own GOD “Gift/Giver of Discipline”

Be ODD, be GOD.

​There are 3 expressions of living – possession(chase of Power, wealth, fame – Rajas), float(chase of laze – Tamas), dive(chase of transcendence – Sattva). Whilst all of us have all the three expressions of living in certain proportions, there is one mode that is dominant which can be found out by examining what activity you occupy yourself with most of the day. There is nothing right or wrong about any of these, they are simply habits formed over lifetimes and expressed as a personality trait in this lifetime. These habits are stored as memories in the storehouse of the mind – Chitta.

So long as there is desire, there is no liberation. To experience liberation you need to transcend desire itself and that is the purpose of Yoga as conveyed by Maharshi Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra’s – “Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodha” which means that Yoga is achieved when you cessate/transcend desire. So long as you are alive your Chitta will always send desires to be fulfilled, the path of yoga is to align the desires with Sattva Guna which is a rewarding life in itself and finally to transcend desire itself so that you can watch the game of life with equanimity. 

Of course the path of Yoga starts when you are ready to seek liberation and are mature to let go of the grip on desires which is nothing but Maya – An illusion….

It is said that one meets 80000 people in a lifetime. Parents, Siblings, Spouses, Children, Close Relatives/Collegues and Friends are the ones who see you through the most of the journey whilst others are just short term guests/visitors in your journey who you attract as per your interests that change as you mature. 

“Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava, Atithi Devo Bhava”.  This Shlok from the Taittiriya Upanishad says that You have to treat mother, father, teacher and guests as God – give them love and respect as you would to your God. “Love and Respect” is the X factor of a successful life and it can only be practiced by you.

Make being loving & caring with everyone around regardless of what your interests are both – the journey and the destination of your life. It’s possible if you make it so. As Jain Muni Tarun Sagar says

Manzil mile ya na mile yeh to mukkadar ki baat hai

Hum koshish hi na kare yeh to galat baat hai

Existence is a zero sum game – everything is just a form of energy and change in energy form doesn’t affect the underlying power, much like what we do to sun rays has no effect on the sun itself…

It’s the understanding of what life is all about that makes a difference. All of us can observe that everything is impermanent, all that is born has an expiry date and despite that we create attachments to people, things, titles, ideas,… and suffer them at leisure.

The code to living a peaceful life is simple to understand but difficult to implement since it is like trying to live sanely in a madhouse wherein it’s easier to accept the madness rather than to practice sanity….Nevertheless it’s worth a try…

Every saint/religion has tried to introduce a code of living that would lead the society towards sanity and the essence of all such codes is recommended by Guru Nanak in his 3 point code of living:

1. Naam Japna – Remember God’s Name in every single endeavour you undertake​. This purifies your intent of engaging in action since you remind yourself that the “God” is in you as well as in everything else. ​

2. Kirat Karni – Earn your livelihood through hard work and by honest means​. This brings the pure intent to action through work ​

3. Vand Chakna – To selflessly serve and share with others especially with those less fortunate than yourself.​ This sharing is acknowledging that you are a part of the whole and that sharing is actually practicing detachment… ​

​You don’t need to read/study any religion or philosophy if you follow this code in essence, if you are able to – It would certainly  be a blessed life…​

Stop for a moment and reflect on what are you running towards in such a hurry? Has it brought you joy earlier that you think it will do so again? Mind you I am not talking of joy in the sense of “sense/desire indulging pleasures” or “ego satisfying trips”, I am talking about pure joy of just being. 

The joy when you can sleep peacefully without a care in the world and wake up to witness a magnificent sunrise, the joy of being. You can’t find it anywhere but in a peaceful mind that is uncluttered with information and desires of wanting to be somewhere else than the place you are in. 

How do you get there? Well actually you are already there, you are just not aware of it. The moment for cultivating awareness through observation is Now! Let the cares of the world sit lightly upon your mind, do what needs to be done lovingly and accept whatever comes your way with the same love and continue doing so every moment of the day and take life a moment at a time. That, my friends, is living joyfully, worth trying isn’t it? 

“Spaces in togetherness” is such a lovely way of presenting the dichotomy of relationship which exists not only between two people but also between the temporary/impermanent human form(body/mind/roles we play) and the eternal underlying substance(consciousness) of which the form is made. Both, the temporary as well as the eternal, are essential facets to the human experience. We get so enamoured and attached to the temporary form of ourselves and the relationships it has with everyone/everything around, that we forget the eternal substance that the form is made of… 

Although we are reminded of the mortality of our form time and again, we refuse to let go of our grip on the temporary form even after knowing/suspecting that we return to the eternal substance. Its this refusal to accept the eternal and clutching on to the temporary form that brings us back again and again to play the same game in a different form…

Its as if we are addicted to the temporary form along with its pleasure and pains and want to return again and again to re-experience it… This dilemma of the dichotomous relationship between the human form and the underlying eternal substance  is beautifully expressed by the Sufi Bulleshah in his couplet 

Kuch rishton ka namak hi doori hota hai, 

Na milna bhi bahut zaroori hota hai…

If you examine the roles you play son/daughter, spouse, work designation, friend, etc you seek to re-establish your identity and seek self import/relevance through them. Any relation that doesn’t give you respect is disliked and the ones which do are automatically liked and cultivated. A human is a relational being and wants to be “relevant” in the social scheme of things to gain “respect” or his/her place under the sun. This respect could come to you due to birth in a particular sect/family/wealth/etc or you have to earn it during the course of your life or both. 

People who don’t get respect from others either try to be indifferent to it or turn to undesirable ways to seek attention – become cantankerous, violent in their expression of life. The ones who work hard to establish a position for themselves in the social order of things (success) keep trying hard to maintain that relevance and the ones who don’t rely on “other means” to seek attention and life goes on. Both encase themselves into armours that suit their roles that are designed to perpetuate the feeling of respect from others, the craving for respect continues.

Both categories have got it wrong and are living outside in – whatever is important to the society or what gets me attention is what I do. Instead it must be exactly the opposite in the sense that you must find love within and then spread the love to the world around you just like a flower disperses its fragrance, relevance will follow. You have to let go of the self created armour of titles, position, possessions, relations and allow yourself to bloom like a flower and spread your fragrance. Be a simple human being by letting go of craving for relevance or respect and act for the well being of all, after all love is your nature and it doesn’t need any armour to be relevant in the world. 

Sant Kabir says:

Chaah miti, chinta miti, manwa beparwah

Jisko kuch nahi chahiye, woh Shahenshah

If your wishes end, then your anxieties and troubles will also end and your mind will be carefree. One who doesn’t crave for anything, he is a King

​Life as you observe it is lived in 3 states – waking, dreaming and deep sleep but ask yourself who is observing? There is an underlying state called the “Turiyam” that is a witness to the entire drama of cognition/energising/experiencing. This Turiyam is the manifest (Saguna) form of the unmanifest (Nirguna) which is the Source of Consciousness. 

“You” as a sum of parts (Body, mind, experience), doesn’t exist, its only modifications of consciousness somewhat like a ray of light passing through a prism appears different at both ends but in reality is the same. It can be confusing if you conduct this enquiry through words, it has to be conducted through silence to get the full import of 

“Jo hai wo nahi hai

Jo nahi hai wahi hai “

There is a difference between choosing and judging but very often the line gets blurred. Choosing is picking up one alternative from the available options whilst judging implies consideration of the options with some prior knowledge, preferences, memories, etc before choosing. Choice is conscious (Response-able) behaviour whereas judgement is pre-conditioned (reactive) behaviour.

What you choose today determines your tomorrow, in effect your destiny is ruled by the choices you make today. Most people don’t choose, they judge and feel that they are making a choice. It’s very difficult to differentiate between the two, so the best way forward is to first choose a code or a set of principles that resonate with what you wish to be and use that code/principles as a guideline to making a decision of which option to choose given the alternatives. This is conscious choosing and it could go against your “judgement – habitual response” but that is the way forward towards achieving your ideals.

The first step towards conscious choice is accepting the moment without judgement and then before responding, weighing the alternatives against your pre-decided code/principle and then choosing the one that resonates best with your code and nor your pre-conditioned judgement. Make sure that love and well being of all concerned is the foundation of your code…

If you judge people, you have no time to love them… Saint Teresa.

Sun and moon are represented in our own pranic bodies called by different names…

Ida-Pingala, Yin-Yang…

Moon represents change whilst Sun represents discipline.

Balance in both has to be established by us…