Good Samaritans

Today we live in such a materialistic world and we have become so self centered that we have no time and mind to look beyond our family.Infact,the meaning of family itself has taken a change in the present times and is limited to husband wife and children.Everyone and anyone beyond this circle is not considered family,be it your own parents or be it your own brothers or sisters. Sad state of affairs this for sure...I am absolutely perplexed and shocked that we have today reached a stage wherein even parents have to pay boarding and lodging to stay with their so called sons or daughters.They are gusets in theor own house!!funny that, isn't it????It indeed amazes me that even in the 21st century and inspite of all the economic growth people are still insecure and stuck on food.
I wonder where all the deep and rich culture that we always are proud to quote has vanished???
We belong to a culture that says "Matru Devo Bhava,Pitru Devo Bhava"Adithi Devo Bhava!!
We are taught to see God in every human being....,forget seeing god,unfortunately we are unable to see a human being,people who toiled all their lives so that one day you will be happy and comfortable!!There seems to be lack of gratitude and acknowledgement.However much one does for parents,one can never repay what they have given,so the least that can be done for parents in their old age is to spend some quality time with them,and see that they are comfortable.
Why is it that people are living such mean and mundane lives where they are unable to think beyond "What about Me??"Mera Kya Hoga????"Iske aage sochna hum shaayad bhool gaye hain,ya phir aisi maya ki jaal mein fase hue hain ki aur kuch dikhayi nahin deta......Jo bhi ho, mujhe tho yeh bahut sharam ki baat lagti hai....."jago, jago, aur apni khidki kholke ke dekho bahar ki duniya jahan har tarah ke insaan jeevit hai.Kuch karo samaj ke liya,tumhara kaam apne aap ho jayega.
Manav Seva Madhav seva,meaning help a needy person and you have served God.There is no point making regular temple visits and reading shlokas and scriptures, and turning a blind eye towards the poor and needy.We never know in what from God comes at our doorstep.
Well,well,enough of my ramblings and rantings,there are great people in this world ,doing a quiet and unbelievably great service to humanity and to the really needy and homeless senior citizens.I read about one such young boy from Madurai who gave up his job and career at a tender age of 20 to serve the mentally ill and homeless destitutes of Madurai. Read more about his achievements here.

I am indeed so overwhelmed at what this young man has been doing for the last 7 years,and feel so proud that there are Good samaritans around in this Big Big World,who want to bring about a change in the lives of those suffering. Each and everyone of us can make a difference by our service,whatever that may be .........
My sincere and heartfelt good wishes to this noble person.
God Bless
Jai Gurudev.

I Have Learnt

1)I have learnt no matter how much you love guavas,you just cannot add them to fruit salad.

2)I have learnt that people can keep a straight face and ask you"are you alright",when you just slipped on snow and fell thud on the road with loads of shopping in both your hands!!!

3)I have learnt that if you keep a smiling face people start wondering if you are normal.

4)I have learnt that it is difficult for people to accept the truth because "Truth is generally bitter".

5)I have learnt that "Ignorance Is Not Always Bliss!!!

6)I have learnt that most people don't actually mean what they say.

7)I have learnt that you are lucky to have true friends who are there for you when you really do need them.

8)I have learnt that national and international news can be more important to men many times than the happenings at home.

9)I have learnt that no matter how good a cook you are,all men believe that none can cook better than their mother.

10)I have learnt that most men prefer dumb wives.

11)I have learnt that it is very important to value and feel grateful for all that has come my way.

12)I have learnt that no matter how old I am,I can always depend on my mother when in need.

13)I have learnt that none can take the place of your mother.

14)I have learnt that only a mother's love is selfless,and without expecting any returns.

15)I have learnt that you recognise and start valuing your body only when they give you trouble.

16)I have learnt that arguments are so futile and such a criminal waste of precious days.

17)I have learnt that it is very important to enjoy every little thing,be it the chirping of birds,the morning freshness in the air,the beautiful sky .......

18)I have learnt that what you resist persists..so just let go.....

19)I have learnt that it takes less effort to smile and be cheerful.

20)I have learnt "Manav seva is Madhav seva"

21)I have learnt that it is best to ignore and feel compassionate for people who have hurt you.

21)I have learnt that when you include others in your prayers your prayers are answered.("Sarve Janasu Sukhino Bhavantu")

22)I have learnt that you should never ask saints personal questions.

23)I have learnt that "Silence Is Indeed Golden"

24)I have learnt that a sincere prayer is always answered.

25)I have learnt that Life is indeed uncertain and you cannot be sure of the next moment.

26)I have learnt that no matter what I am responsible for my Happiness.

27)I have learnt that I don't enjoy cooking any more.

28)I have learnt that no matter what I know for sure that "I AM"!

29)I have learnt that "Faith Can Move Mountains"!

30)I have learnt that age is not a limitation for learning.

31)I have learnt that there is something to be learnt from every being.

32)I have learnt that when pointing fingers at someone it is important to realise that the other four are pointing towards me.

33)I have learnt that being consciously aware of every thought going across the mind,callms the mind a great deal.

These 33 points are a small bit of what I have learnt in the last 33 years (29th Oct1976-29th Oct 2009).

Jai Gurudev.

Sage Of Arunachala

Ramana ashram at Tiruvannamalai has a lot of animals, like monkeys,peacocks and the like moving about freely.(I managed to find a picture of some animals which loved Maharishi)There is a true story of a cow named Lakshmi who lived during Maharishi's time and was very close to Maharishi.There is a samadhi too for Lakshmi at the ashram.More about Lakshmi later sometime...
Once a group of monkeys were mourning the death of one of their group when Maharishi was on his usual walk.He went and sat with them and explained to them that death is only for the body and not the soul and that they should not weep.The monkeys kept looking at him while he was talking and then walked away.Similar such anecdotes are plenty,and another very beautiful one that comes to my mind right now is again related to monkeys.
It seems there were a lot of monkeys in Tiruvannmalai and news spread that scientists from some foreign land were planning to come and capture a few of them for their research work.News reached Maharishi and that day when he saw one of the monkeys he sat and talked with him and told him that people were coming to catch them all and if he is intelligent he should escape from here with his group right away.It is indeed amazing that when the scientists did arrive and search around for monkey's they could not get even a single monkey all around Tiruvannamalai inspite of searching all day.
I was really touched and what I learnt from this is that language is not an issue when you talk from the heart.When it is heart to heart communion then language is not a barrier isn't it??
I wonder though how a scientist would view all this or probably may just trash it.Well, whatever that be, time and again all the great masters have stressed on the fact that sprituality cannot be understood by the intellect.Guruji says: 'deepening the mystery of creation is science and deepening the mystery of the self is spirituality'.
There is also another wonderful story about Maharishi and the squirrels around there.Mahaarishi used to feed the squirrels nuts everyday at a particular time and it is simply unbelievable to hear that everyday at that particular time they would all come and wait patiently for their turn to get their share of the nuts from Maharishi.
I am simply amazed at hearing such stories and incidents,and firmly believe that there is so much we can learn even from the smallest of creatures.In today's world we rarely get to see even the so called educated and literate people who like to wait patiently for their turn.People are always in a hurry and in the anxiety of may be not getting what they want they break rules, jump queues and forget all codes of conduct.
Let us learn from these small little ones without a sixth sense,many times we don't even give a glance towards the small creatures.Once we start observing all the creation,it is indeed amazing to see so much beauty all around is,we just need to wake up........
Jai Guru dev.

100th Post !!!

Just got back from a wonderful trip to Haridwar&Rishikesh,and actually I am yet to get back to the routine here.It is rather funny that both of us still haven't been able to adjust to the time difference yet, though it is just about an hour and a half.Waking up at 3.30 am until today,and I must say that it is quite unusual because we do go home atleast three times a year and have not faced this situation until now.

A nice topic for my 100th post I think.Our visit to Haridwar will be in my memory for a long time I'm sure for quite a few reasons.

This is my first trip to Haridwar &Rishikesh and also this is the first Baghavatha Sapthaham that I am attending.Many people told us that we are indeed lucky to attend the first Sapthaham on the banks of the Ganges,which has been the home for many many great saints and great people.I think and truly believe it is all God's Grace and blessings of Guru and elders that one gets such opportunities in life.

Right from our flight everything was so good.First,we got upgraded to business class at Dubai and so could catch some sleep inflight.Stayed with a dear friend at Delhi for a few hours and did a lot of catching up on old times.
Had to join the group at Haridwar station and it was indeed so easy and smooth,which I thought was really cool.The compartment was full of people all going to attend the Baghavatha sapthaham,and it was really wonderful to see so many people.

From Haridwar station buses were arranged to take us to Paramarth Ashram which was the venue for the satsangh.We were indeed blessed I must say to get accomodation in the ashram itself because they had only 50 rooms in the ashram and rooms were arranged in other ashrams closeby for the others.Everything actually fell into place so beautifully for us I must say.Thanks to God and Guru for making it all so easy for us.(I say this beacuse there were many people who did have a lot of issues right from the start)These are times when we are reassured that the gurus blanket is on us always.Jai gurudev!!

Next day morning after breakfast we left for Rishikesh,they had arranged buses to take us there.Had heard a lot about the famous Lakshman Julha and was so happy that I will be actually seeing it now,a child like enthusiasm for sure I must admit.A tourist guide was arranged to tell us about all the places around.She(Her name was Krishna I learned later) led us through a short cut to the famous Lakshman Julha and the view from there was indeed so very beautiful.The Ganges flowing so swiftly was a treat indeed.I always love to watch the waters and love the sound that goes along so enjoyed every moment to the full.We walked on Lakshman Julha nad crossed over to the other side where we were shown some important places and the famous Rudraksha trees which I am told are found only in Haridwar,Rishikesh and Nepal.

We then went to Sivananda Ashram which was indeed amazing.It is one of the oldest ashrams there it seems and there is satsangh hall there where 24/7 namasankirtan is going on,from the year 1942.Isn't that unbelievable??We were indeed blessed yet again to meet a swamiji there who has been living there from 1950.He was kind enough to talk with us for quite sometime.

I really admired the monkeys there.It was a treat watching them.The way they enjoyed the food bit by bit was amazing.One of the monkeys caame up and showed us how they drink water from the tap,which was simply great.The skill with which the monkeys act is simply unbelievable I must say.Every creation of God is a true marvel,just that we need to take a little time to admire,observe and enjoy it all.I for one truly enjoyed everybit that I saw.

We also so Ram Julha which is a more recent one,but we crossed the Ganges on boat this time and that was fun too.The day's sight seeing was over and we were back to our respective places by evening.

Next morning was reserved for Haridwar sightseeing and this we did in samll groups and travelled by autos.We had Darshan of the main Ganga at Hari Ki Paidi or Pairi,there was no water there beacuse claening up the Ganges was going on for the Kumbh Mela coming up later this year.This is one busy place with a lot of shops selling lots of stuff.We next went to Manasa Devi mandir and then Chandi Devi mandir which are up hill.We took the cable car which reached us up in 5 minutes and needless to metion it was so pictureque and scenic around.Wish I had a handy cam could have captured it all !!!With a camera there are limitations I guess!!After agood darshan and some shopping we had to return back.

We had to reach ashram back because the first session of Sapthaham was scheduled for 3pm.Once the parayanam and pravachanam started we were simply taken to another world and then only on the last day did I realise that all things do come to a close and so will this one.
Lived a total life of bliss and joy for 7 days.Enjoyed taking a dip every morning at 4.30 am in the ganges. On 17th Diwali day we had a Pratyaksha Ganga snanam and as early as 4am.The water was indeed chill but just initially only until the first dip.

All in all had a lovely time,met up with some genuine people, and I think this coinciding with my 100th post is lovely too.Something that I would wish to remember for a long time and sure something to chersih.

Jai Gurudev.

I Have Realized

A very nice fwd which I received,made me put it up her right away.

I have Realized that Words had Hurt me more than the Wounds I had suffered in Life.
I have Realized that I am better when I am Silent.
I have Realized that Kids are never at fault, they just mirror our Faults.
I have Realized that Tears convey more than what words can ever say.
I have Realized that when you have nothing to lose you show your true character.
I have Realized that you can't have happiness unless you are already happy.
I have Realized that when I am estatic about something there are never enough people to share it with.
I have Realized that no matter how many times I pray, I only get what I rightfully deserve.

Jai Gurudev.