“What do you want to become when you grow up?” is a common question asked of small children wherein the chase of finding your place under the sun begins and never really ends, only the “what” keeps changing. So ingrained is this question in your psyche that you feel inadequate/incomplete if you don’t play an important role in the society, so you keep running from role to role seeking adequacy/completeness but don’t realise that the direction is wrong, you are trying to find adequacy in external roles which is but a part of the impermanent ever changing world. The completeness that you seek was, is, will be within, it never left you, you just imagine that it did. 

Journey from chasing/becoming something to realizing that there is no chase, is enlightenment. 

Life, at times, hits you at full speed and shakes you out of your comfort zone – it’s life’s way of telling you to move on and not get stuck to anything since you are but a part of the impermanent nature of all things. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, who knows? Whether all is fate or not, who knows? However, to respond to whatever comes your way lovingly is a cultivated habit that is most definitely in your hands…

This is the simple message of Bhagavad Gita – “Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou Kadachana” — You have the right to perform your actions, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions… 

In the first episode of the film trilogy The Matrix, lead character Neo was given the option of taking a red pill, which would enable him to understand what was actually occurring outside the illusion created by the Matrix, or a blue pill, which would allow him to return to experiencing only that illusion…

We are all in a similar situation since this choice is presented to us daily and most of us choose the blue pill to remain in the blissful ignorance of illusion. Only the very few who choose to take the red pill go down a rabbit hole of confusion and doubt and a very few of those who persist are eventually rewarded. 

Why take the Red Pill then? As Swami Vivekananda answered when asked “what do you get by prayer? He said “I gained nothing. In fact I lost depression, jealousy, irritation and insecurity”

Most of our lives are hijacked by the regrets of the past or anxiety of the future – it is our own memory and imagination working against us… Life was, is and always will be in the present moment but we don’t know how to remain in the moment – that is “Dhyana”/Meditation…​

As the Dalai Lama says “There are only two days in the year where nothing can be done. One is called “yesterday” and the other is called “tomorrow”, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.”

“Now” and “Won” are mirror images – the one who can stay in “now” has “won” the game of life. 

​”How would you like to be treated?” asked Alexander to Poros after defeating him. “Like a king” was Poros’s answer and so it was. Graceful of the victor to offer and brave of the defeated to ask but such examples are far and few, especially in the history of power, wealth, fame. Those who have it don’t want to share it and want to have it all for themselves.

Now, there is a power beyond the materialistic pursuits of power, wealth and fame which everyone has in plenty but restrict using it to only a few who they believe to be their’s… That is the power of love which empowers you to give everything and expect nothing in return. As they say the most wonderful place to be in is someone’s heart and prayers but you have to earn this place by sharing your inexhaustible store of love. Reminds me of one of my favourite songs…

Woh Sikandar kya tha jisne, Zulm se jeeta jahan

Pyar se jeete dilo ko, Woh jhuka de aasman 

Jo sitaro par kahani, Pyar ki likh jayega

Woh Mukaddar ka Sikkandar 

Janeman kehlayega….

My father always said “On the day of the match, it is not the better player/team that wins but the player/team that plays better that wins”.

Winning and losing is a part of any game. The important thing is that you stood your ground and played the game to the best of your abilities, despite all odds…

Accept the result humbly & gracefully, whether win or lose since today’s winner may be tomorrow’s loser and vice versa. Reminds me of the famous Qawwali  “Chadta Suraj dheere dheere dhalta hai dhal jayega”🌻

In a book I had read long back “Towards the Silver Crests of the Himalayas” by Shri. G K Pradhan, I found a deep insight that changed my way of looking at everything, sharing the small anecdote/insight with you.

During India’s freedom struggle some freedom fighters asked Gurudeo “Why don’t you spiritually evolved Masters do something in the ongoing freedom struggle of India”. Gurudeo said “what you see as a family, city, country, etc, I don’t. I see everyone/everything alike, I don’t make distinctions and love everyone alike…”

It is as relevant today as it was then. We are creating and perpetuating differences that are creating strife. Urgent need to evolve spiritually… 

When you spiritually evolve, “i”dentifications dissolve…

On the Anniversary of enlightenment of one of the greatest Yogi that ever lived – Gautam Buddha, how do we ​honour this maverick who charted out his own course and did not stop till attaining enlightenment? By walking on the path that he recommended – the Middle Path – neither severe austerities nor excessive indulgence, by keeping the body and mind healthy and practicing meditation.

The first step towards enlightenment is taking ownership of oneself as Buddha had guided –  “Appo D​eepo Bhava” – “Be your own light”.​ 

Happy Buddha Purnima

That the world exists, with all its creations​, indicates a possibility of existence of a Force that has been called “God”. Now, whether this “God” is something different from us or we are “God” is a question. Some people are comfortable with giving this Force a human form for the sake of worship and God is worshipped in different forms across the world, whilst some people prefer to commune with God without a form. There is nothing right or wrong about any of this except when you start claiming that your approach is better than the others…

As Anandamayi Ma said (in Bengali)”Du niye to Duniya” which means the sense of two (Du) makes (niye) the world of Duality (Du​-niya…​) and most people are steeped into this world of duality that relies on symbols and worships forms, this possibly helps them cope with challenges of duality – joy/pain, like/dislike… 

One way to transcend duality is the path of Yoga wherein you start with the assumption that everything is Advaita(Non Dualism) and then explore the path in order to actually experience it within through Samadhi and then experience for yourself the saying of Adi Shankaracharya – “Bramhan Satya, Jagat Mithya” (Brahman is the real reality, the world is deceptive (because its apparent reality is superimposed on Brahman​)

I received a video on whatsapp(Not all videos on whatsapp are useless ;-)) just the other day with a man explaining the difference between “need” and “want” that I found very interesting. “Need” is something that you need for sheer survival/existence e.g. the body needs Air, Water, Food, Shelter, etc for just surviving but what kind/quality/type etc you desire is a “want”; the mind needs love to survive – but who you desire it from is a “want”.

This is an essential difference to understand since, if you observe, all other creatures live “need” based except humans who live “want” based. The more we live towards “want” the more we complicate life, the more we live towards “need” we simplify life. 

However, we are born into a world governed by “want” and feel justified in chasing “want” since the entire world around us seems to be doing it. It is only the blessed that realise that freedom is in simplifying life by letting go of “want”.

Simplify life urgently, freedom awaits on the other side.