This is possibly the state of most of our Guardian Angels, most times​, since we simply refuse to do what we already know needs to be done. The journey of our lives is in trying to align with what we already know to be true…

But I’m sure the Guardian Angel has the last laugh since whatever we refuse to learn comes back to haunt us till we learn it…

We are born with nothing and go with nothing, so what exactly are we achieving by all the running around? We are seeking glory and riches to be enjoyed in this lifetime and for which we feel that all the pain and suffering is incidental. That’s where we miss the whole point.

Transcending the cycle of pain/pleasure is ours for the asking but we are so busy chasing that we don’t have time for anything that asks us to pause and take a look at what is happening.

Before you start running at least ask yourself what are you chasing and whether that is what you wanted in the first place. The great kings like Alexander the Great, Emperor Asoka felt remorse even after winning and they also finally died with nothing to take away from this world. 

So ask yourself – What is it that “I” want from this life? and more importantly what is “life” and who am “I”?

There is an interesting video circulating on WhatsApp of Vir Das- titled “Two Indias” which is a satire on the present state of polarized affairs in India. It made me think that this is actually a reflection of our own internal struggle wherein we are constantly succumbing to our desires and remain attached to our comfort zone, very well knowing that a transformed life is waiting for us beyond our comfort zone but that requires changing our habits… 

There are two voices in the head in most people(that doesn’t make them bipolar or schizophrenic :)) – a voice of conscience/sanity/clarity that is nudging us to take the correct (possibly difficult) path and the other is the voice of habit that wants us to indulge in our long standing habits/ not leaving our comfort zone. I needn’t say which one wins 😉

It is only those who commit sincerely to something who bring about a revolution, not only in themselves but also in the world around them. With commitment begins the journey to Self and with sincerity, it is accomplished.

Travel(journey) is not really about leaving our homes, but leaving our habits… 

This quote beautifully captures the plight of human existence​ – a multiple personality disorder. All of us suffer from this and then search the world for peace instead of simply letting go of what we are not…

Only people who are able to let go of maintaining perceptions for themselves and others can be free of these multiple personalities and live a simple uncomplicated life by being who they really are.

The path is that of observation and its consequent awareness. It is only through awareness that nothing is “mine”; “I”/”me” is nothing and that they are just used for the purposes of social existence. However with repeated usage of “I/Me/Mine”, we believe that “I/Me/Mine” is everything and then refuse to let go of it since we have not accepted what life truly is.

When we are exhausted playing/maintaining all these charades of multiple personalities, we look for inner peace, not knowing that it is we who have agitated the waters, we are the ones clinging to the “created identities”. If we let go, we are free…

As Rumi beautifully puts it – And you, when will you begin that long journey into yourself?

Our life is governed by our expectations which are nothing but memories/imagination…

Desires are memories or dreams of pleasure

Fear is the memory or imagination of pain

Both are unreal

To see both in the same light as mere urges and doing what is necessary regardless of whether it is painful or pleasurable is the objective of a Yogi

This is possible when you realise the truth of your existence and automatically all “expectations” of seeking pleasure/avoiding pain drop.

The truth of your existence could be discovered in silence, meditation, reflection or as a flash whilst working. One interesting description provided by the famous song of film “Guide” written by Shailendra Singh and sung by SD Burman – “Wahan Kaun hai tera”, provides a perspective of the truth to be reflected upon

“Wahan kaun hai tera

Musafir Jayega Kahan?

Kehte hai gyaani

Duniya hai paani

Paani pe likhi likhai

Hai sab ki dekhi

Hai sab ki jani

Haat kisi ke na ayi…

Kuch tera na mera

Musafir jayega kahan?”

Our endeavour in life, besides simply being alive, is to be important and we try to do everything to maintain this importance by chasing power, wealth, fame. In the process, lot of times we forget that is good to be important but it is far more important to be good….

We are good but our circle of goodness is usually limited to self, family, friends (me,mine).

This Diwali move out of the shell of thinking of good for only self/family/friends and engage in acts that do good for society, environment and all sentient beings. This would bring you incomparable joy since you are transcending the self defined limits of what is ‘me’/’mine’ and what’s not. That is the function of light that overcomes darkness.

Light the lamp of awareness within.

Happy Diwali 😊

What I found interesting about this schedule was the maximum utilisation of time/energy towards various roles that a Mauryan King was expected to perform. There are some amongst us who do follow such schedules but to what end? Are they happy? It got me thinking of what is the best bang for the buck in terms of a life well lived? In other words what would I term to be a successful life. 

Just as I was thinking this, life sent me answers in the form of a phone call and a chance meeting.

My 84 year Maternal Uncle from Bengaluru called me up yesterday morning to enquire about how things are with me. There was the customary cheer in his voice, despite sleeping only for a few hours every night. Whilst I felt ashamed that it should have been the other way round that I should have called him but… Nevertheless it brightened up my day to hear from him, as it always does. 

Thereafter the same morning, I met a 91 year old Parsi Gentlemen (An Ex Air Force Officer)with an amazing attitude to life, who is himself a caregiver for his sister and others in the family that are in need of looking after albeit being much younger to him. He mentioned to me that it is not what you do that matters but how you do it that does… 

Their lives embody the essence of the famous song:

Kisi ki muskurahato pe ho nisar

Kisi ka dard mil sake to le udhaar

Kisi ke waste ho tere dil me pyaar

Jeena isi ka naam hai…

Well, I think success is a combination of a great attitude of living life, maintaining a healthy body and mind and above all giving/caring for others that does the trick. It is not what you do that matters, have “acceptance” of any hand that life deals and yet keep the million dollar smile and never fail to ask what is it that I can do for you? 

This, my friends, is the Art of Living, never late to practice it… 

A “doer” with rajas guna (Activity) dominant needs something to do all the time and goes to bed exhausted of all activity

A “doer” with tamas guna (Inertia) dominant just wants to laze around and indulge senses

A “doer” with sattva guna (Balance) dominant wants to work for betterment of the world

All 3 are trapped in the belief that they are the “doers”. Consequently what they “do” is added as karma to their store – whatever you “do” will come back to you in one form or another.

Then there are those who transcend “doing” and they go beyond the 3 Guna’s of Rajas, Tamas, Sattva and experience the Nirguna. This is possible only through awareness of your true nature that is the end result of observing each and every moment and asking oneself ‘Who am ‘I’?’. Observing oneself leads to awareness, Awareness leads to transcendence… ​

Most of us live a distracted existence, in that we are never in the present. A thought train is constantly running through our heads even when we sleep and then we wonder why we are so restless. We are always living in the “Hurry, worry, curry” mode and don’t know where we are headed but want to get there soon enough. Sounds familiar?

Hurry, worry, curry is a symptom of a distracted/restless mind and the cure is not to tackle the symptom but the underlying cause – the restless mind. Most people teach how to maintain a healthy body but very few teach how to maintain a healthy mind.

Actually it’s very simple, you just have to bring back your mind to the present moment consciously as soon as you realize that it’s wandering somewhere. Consistent practice of this would eventually keep your mind focussed on the present moment, and that’s where life is. Gradually the mind will get habituated to being in the present and calm down.

As Swami Sivananda beautifully puts it “Individual Peace paves the way for world peace. The attainment of inner calm is the greatest work you can do for humanity”

All of us are born with similar faculties but with different fates that are dependent on our karma. The purpose of life is to align our karma with the concept of sattva – all that is life positive. Our own Karma(habits/vasanas) is the demon that makes us move away from sattva.

So metaphorically speaking there is a “Mahishasura” within all of us that is Shadaripu – Six Enemies of the mind – Kama (Lust), Krodha (anger), Mada(arrogance), Moha (delusion) and matsarya(Jealousy) – the negative characteristics that prevent man from attaining Moksha.

Moksha is liberation and we pray to the Goddess Durga (Shakti – present in all of us) that she grants us the wisdom to identify the Mahishasura – the true enemy that lies within us and gives us the strength to overcome this enemy so what remains is pure bliss(Shiva).

This fight of upholding Sattva by overcoming the Shadaripus is the true Durga Puja that we must engage in not only now but every day of our lives. Durga Puja is only to remind us of this fact.
Happy Durga Puja.