Environmentalists are crying hoarse about environmental degradation, social workers don’t have means to carry out their work, but who cares? As long as I, Me, Mine is comfortable, who cares how the rest of the world lives or dies? 

The haves are unwilling to share since their existence is based on “having”, the have – nots don’t have opportunities and yet are better sharers than the haves since they know the pain of being have-nots. The haves are a miniscule percentage of the total population and yet control almost all wealth, power, fame. This is an unfortunate reality of today’s world and we are busy chasing “having” more instead of sharing.

Who bells the cat? We have inherited this mess, it is our responsibility to clean it and not pass it on as a legacy for the coming generations. We all know what is to be done for improving the environment/society but we are not taking action on it thinking that it is the Government’s job to do so and we are paying taxes. Is it working? No! Then? Take ownership of small positive changes in society/environment, whether the change will make an impact on the society or environment is besides the point, it will make you a sharer which is what the world needs…

Indian Wisdom (Dharma) had prescribed 4 age based stages of maturity of a human life along with the relevant Purushartha (Duty)

– Brahmacharya (student – Till 25 years) (Dharma), 

– Gṛhastha (householder – 25 to 48 years) (Dharma, Artha, Kama) 

– Vanaprastha (retired life/forest dweller – 48 to 72 years) (Dharma and Moksha)

– Sannyasa (renunciate- 72+ or anytime) (Moksha)

but this concept has been overtaken by the new age wisdom of YOLO (You Live Only Once) and hence the resultant chaos. The rites of passage are not happening smoothly for most. Dharma is almost forgotten in all stages and the inability to move away from Artha/Kama at the right time is evident.

Then again, maturity is an individual process and letting go is the path of maturity. He/she who understands this taps into the infinite wisdom within and matures, who doesn’t remain craving for that which never was his/hers…

The problem is that you think you have time, which is why you keep postponing that which is important to you. 

Just list out what you really want to happen and then ask yourself what items on the list would be possible if you were to live for 3 years, 1 year, 1 month, 1 day… You will see the list crash as you reduce the timeframe and bring you to that which is truly important to you. If you are not already doing it, what are you waiting for? This exercise just prioritises that which is important to you, nevertheless it is still just a list of things to be done and results to be achieved in future but that is also postponing your joy/peace to a future time/event which defeats the purpose.

Joy/Peace is in acceptance of the moment unconditionally, joyfully which is the choice you should make every moment.

Start SIP – not in mutual funds but in life – Stay in Present

This day 5 years back, as google pictures keeps reminding us, I was reminded of the mortality of the human form when I received a call in Bengaluru that my father had passed on in Nasik. And thus was an abrupt end to a foundational pillar character of my life.

There were so many things left unsaid, despite both of us being articulate enough, I don’t think we ever said “I love you” to each other, it never occurred to us nor was it felt necessary. Love is after all just a word, what action the feeling generates is what matters. The feelings and actions between us were much beyond what the word “love” can convey, again reminding me of the insufficiency of words to convey the underlying state or situation.

Mangoes are sweet and so are watermelons, musk melons… but each of them have their unique sweetness that you can relate to only if you have experienced eating them. My father was a mixture of sweetness that had to be experienced and no words would be able to convey it, so I wouldn’t even try.

He believed that excellence is a journey and not a destination and hence started Purushottam Academy to help people on the path of excellence of whatever they chose to pursue. It started with sportsmen but then extended to people from all walks of life. On his death anniversary, I will share one of his most important teaching:

Choice of focus: He maintained that regardless of the situation you are in, you can train your mind to focus on things that you want it to focus on. The mind usually throws up all kinds of memories, the good and the bad, but we choose to focus only on the bad and that is what happens like a self fulfilling prophecy. You can train yourself to choose to focus only on the good that you have done and that would again act like a self fulfilling prophecy and take you towards success.

The 3 practices recommended were Circle of Excellence, Tratak and Nyaas. 

Should you be interested in knowing more about them, I will be glad to share them to assist you in your journey of being “Purushottam”

Life is a journey in simplicity

from being mindFULL to being mindful 

Simplicity starts where the chase stops

of dependence on something external to bring you peace

It is a journey from dependence to independence to interdependence 

To truly understand what is enough and live in Grace

As Kabir has beautifully put it. ​

Sai itna dijiye, ja mei kutumb samaye,

Main bhi bhukha na rahu, sadhu bhukha na jaye

There is only life. There is nobody who lives a life.

You are complete here and now, there is nothing that time, space, word, atom can fill. Incompleteness is an illusion to be transcended. 

This truth has been expressed in a Shanti Mantra of Ishavasya Upanishad

Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-Idam Puurnnaat-Puurnnam-Udacyate |

Puurnnasya Puurnnam-Aadaaya Puurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate ||
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||

1: Om, That (Outer World) is Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); This (Inner World) is also Purna (Full with Divine Consciousness); From Purna is manifested Purna (From the Fullness of Divine Consciousness the World is manifested),
2: Taking Purna from Purna, Purna indeed remains (Because Divine Consciousness is Non-Dual and Infinite),

The clock is ticking and life slipping away, it urges people to rush to complete their unfulfilled desires, create bucket lists, etc. It is like a bottomless pit, as many desires you fulfill it never gets filled and you remain craving for more… This craving arises from the fact that you think you are incomplete and that fulfilling desires will somehow complete you. Regardless of how many years you have lived fulfilling desires, the craving for more remains and then you seek peace of mind without realising that you are the one agitating it in the first place by holding on to desire fulfilment as the mode of living.

You can choose to live life from the sense of being complete (being)or the sense of being incomplete and chasing things/people (doing) in order to give you a sense of completion. Needless to say, which one brings peace… 

The journey from “doing” to “being” is one of maturity, acceptance, letting go that only a few are interested in pursuing and even fewer accomplishing it. However, “being” is the essence of living – knowing that you are complete here and now and there is nothing to be “done” in order to bring happiness to you. 

As Horace puts it “that best of blessings, a contented mind”….

“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