on darkness....

On darkness....

It's very easy and for anyone to shine in the light,
but to glow in the darkness, well, that is the mastery only the blessed few can do...

not because they are special but because they worked to be special...





The one who looks at the dark lonely (single) sky misses out on noticing the millions of stars in the sky that lit up the sky.........

Sometimes we take a road that hits the blind end, but we forget that is not the only ROAD ........

and that the road doesn't freeze the goal...

when you have your eyes on the goal you'll find thousand ways to reach it....






and don't worry, the days you are not able to see the bright side of things in life, I'll sit silently with you in the dark....

On intelligence

On intelligence especially of women....

Today I overheard two women talking and one of their sentences caught my attention. Need your opinion, understanding of the same. They said “Brainy women don’t fit into society and they shouldn’t be allowed to stay in the society and over and above that that woman went ahead and got married. Women with brains shouldn’t marry. They don’t fit in the institution of marriage”.

I didn’t understand a word of that statement of theirs and before I could catch up with them, I lost them. Please share your views, understanding, opinion, stand on their statement….

The Winds of fate - A poem

The Winds of fate

One ship drives east and another drives west

with the selfsame winds that blow.

Tis the set of the sails

and not the gales

which tells us the way to go.

Like the winds of the seas are the ways of fate,

As we voyage along through the life

Tis the set of a soul

That decides its goal

And not the calm or the strife.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What does this poem tell us?

How are we to apply it in our lives?

What does wind and gale and sail represent in our lives?

On love!

On love!

If there was only one thing that I was allowed to do, then that would be to LOVE!

If there was only one thing that I was allowed to pursue, then that would be LOVE!

If there was only one refuge that I was allowed to go to, then that would be LOVE!

If there was only one word that I was allowed to say, then that would be LOVE!

If there was only one prayer that I was allowed to say, that would be LOVE!

If there was only one legacy that I am allowed to pass on, then that would be LOVE!

If there was only one teaching that I am to teach, then that would be LOVE!

and If I am to live only one life, that would be for LOVE!

and I searched for such a love in work, people, relations, dreams, books, sayings, acts and when I had finally lost hope of finding it, I found it in my silence...

and I have kept it wrapped inside me since with eyes and mouth shut ....

on goodness!

On goodness!

So, you have had quite a good reading all these years, now let's see how you perceive and take few things and issues in your life....

What is the meaning of getting 'good name'?

and What is it about being a good person?

Is there a difference between both? If no, move on. If yes, explain with atleast one example. 

How important it is to be a good person and how much more important to get a good name?

Which comes with you after you are gone?

What remains with you and affects you of the both and how?

If being a good person is more important and sensible than getting a good name, then why do people go to great heights to get a good name?

And if getting a good name is more important than being a good person, then what is the purpose of being a good person?

How far would you go to get a good name?

Would you force/hurt/make it difficult for say person A so that you can please person B from whom you are to get a good name? If yes, what does this tell about you and your principles and values in life?

For Anne Gregory - A poem by W.B. Yeats.

For Anne Gregory

NEVER shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.'
'But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.'
'I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.' 

William Butler Yeats

What does this poem tell you about?

What is the context of this poem?

Is there anything from this poem that can be taken into our lives?

How can the understanding that one gets from this poem be applied in our life and make it better and happier?

Abode of Happiness – A short story!

contd.....

Abode of Happiness – A short story!

The man ran towards the pile and grabbed it. He felt elated. Then a second later was confused and looked at his Guru who was in deep meditation. He kept staring at his pile and Guru’s face alternatively for some time and then suddenly with a smile that lit up his whole being fell at his Guru’s feet, left his pile and walked into the forest.

What exactly happened in this story?

Why did Guru run with the pile if he had to come and sit at his spot with eyes closed?

What did the disciple understand at the end and why did he leave behind the pile and entered the forest?

What are we to infer from this?

Where are we to apply it in our life?

Abode of Happiness – A short story!

Abode of Happiness – A short story!

There lived a Guru outside a forest in a small hut which was in a small patch of land that had a mango, peepul and neem tree in it. One day one of his disciples came up to him placed a pile of gold ornaments, cash and such of valuable things in front of the Guru and complained “Guru, I am fed up of chasing happiness all my life. When I first asked you to show me the way to happiness you said “Get a job”. I did and later when I still was dissatisfied you said get married. Then it was have children, earn assets, tour the world, do charity, meditate. I did all that you asked me to. But nothing gave me happiness. Today, I want to leave everything and be in your company. Take all that I have (so saying he pushed the pile of valuables that he brought towards Guru) and give me happiness”.

Guru looked at the man for some time and then stared at the pile of valuables and again at the disciple and suddenly with an odd laugh picked up the bag of valuables and started running. The disciple was confused and stared at his Guru. Then seeing his Guru standing at a distant with his valuables he ran after his Guru. As he neared his Guru, his Guru started running again. Guru would run for some time and stop till his disciple almost caught up with him. Then he would start running. Guru ran through the forest, up and down t he hill, along the river and in the fields. His disciple followed him everywhere. By sunset disciple was jet tired. It was then he found himself at his Guru’s place where his Guru was in deep meditation with eyes closed not a wee bit tired of all the running and with the pile of his valuables in front.

contd.....

On love - poem by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore

Love adorns itself;
it seeks to prove inward joy by outward beauty.

Love does not claim possession,
but gives freedom.

Love is an endless mystery,
for it has nothing else to explain it.

Love's gift cannot be given,
it waits to be accepted. 

Rabindranath Tagore



What does this poem tell about love - the oft used word and emotion and the cause of many a heart pain and breaks?

A deaf frog - A short story!

A deaf frog - A short story!

Once a young frog wanted to climb out of the well. It told it's grand idea to all and being young and enthusiastic started working on its desire.  But being old and wise all other frogs started giving advice and kept saying 'You can't, you can't as no one has'.  The young frog was born deaf and looking at all of them talking at a time presumed them to be cheering for it and with more vigour and belief started the climb and reached the top. This no frog who was normal could achieve till date and yet the deaf frog could. It was joyous and all the old wise frogs couldn't understand how it did it!

What did you learn from this story?

Who are these old wise frogs in your life?

If you want to achieve something does that mean you should have been born deaf?

Why could no other frog climb the well before 'the young deaf frog'?

Where do you think we can apply it in our lives?

also read : http://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=donkey

on courage...

on query...

Further  to https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2862044755103556326&postID=4685432830091219686

check the following posts :

https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=self

https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=on+pain

https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=veil+-+its+fabric

https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=maya

https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=sometimes

The gist of it is that as long as we associate or identify ourselves with our emotions, moods, likes and dislikes, possessions and such of 'variables we would be experiencing this 'changing me' scenario without any exception. Only the day we associate or identify ourselves with the 'Real Self' can we experience the 'non-changing nature' of Self....and one test and a simple technique to experience that would be to practice being same with friend and foe, in profit and loss, in cold and hot, in praise and censure, with and without company in short to rise above the dualities of our life....

On friendship! Crab and the Waves!

Crab and the Waves - A short story!

During a certain time, a crab and the waves were friends...One day crab was running and enjoying in the sea shore.  Some time later it saw that the waves were erasing it's footprints. It felt sad. 

It asked the waves "Why are you erasing my beautiful footprints inspite of being my friend?"

Waves replied "I saw a fisherman following your footprints to catch you. And hence, my dear friend, I cleared your footprints to save you."

What did you learn from this story?

What did you learn from Crab?

What did you learn from waves?

What do you wish for after reading this story?

Whom does this story remind you of?

What are you - a crab or a wave in someone's life and why and how?

On doing great things!

on wishes!

Dream it!

Act it!

Live it!

That's the way to live life 'Kingsize'!

If even YOU decide not to cast yourself as 'HERO' in your 'life story', then who would and whose life story would you be a hero?

Think and think and think....

Many want it..

Some wish it...

but only few work for it....

Which group do you belong to? 

You DECIDE that and ACT  accordingly........no body, absolutely nobody can decide or act on your behalf...

isn't that the 'good news'?

Imagine if only 'others' had power to decide, would you ever make it? Think......

Now what do you wish and what do you do about that?

Sometimes.....

Sometimes....

Sometimes, i walk tall
and sometimes i crawl on the ground
sometimes i lead all
and sometimes i seek solitude
sometimes i know all
and sometimes i am not sure of anything...

i am not all alone
and yet i feel the despair of loneliness
i am lost to myself
and i am found wanting 
i am this 
and then i am that too...

sometimes...
yes sometimes i am what i am!

on a wish!

If there was one thing about your life that can be changed then, what would you like to change about it and why?

If there was one thing about you that can be changed then, what would you like to change about you and why?

How do you think these changes would effect your life?

Would it make your life easy, fun, happy, simple or what?

If you have more than one to change, well, you can write the whole lot of it too provided you explain about them too....

The bad man – Stories and all!

The bad man – Stories and all!

There once was a man who helped people whenever they came to him. He was a simple man living within his means. He once found a snake that was badly hurt. He took pity and nursed it as was his nature. Everyone suggested him otherwise. He smiled and continued taking care of it. He would feed it with eggs and milk daily and very soon it became hale and healthy. The man asked it to leave. The snake bit him and left.

Now in that village lived a woman who went around asking everyone “if the snake had bit the man who had helped it, then how bad he must’ve been for the snake to have bitten him?” all in that village stopped visiting this man. It sounded right to all and they judged ‘the man’ for the same. He came to be called a ‘bad man’ by one and all in that village and even those who didn’t know him believed him to be a ‘bad man’ and spread this message around!

What does this story tell you?

What does ‘bad man’ represent?

What does ‘snake’ represent?

Was the ‘bad man’s tag’ justified? If yes/no, why?

What does this story teach us about the world?

on fate

क़िस्मत  से लड़ने का 

अपना ही मज़ा है 

यह मुझे जीतने नहीं देती 

और मै हार मानता नहीं. 

on purpose of life!

Ponder on this!

To me my problems look paramount. But in the larger context of this world, do I really matter?

What is that i am crying about?

Is it really worth it or am i doing it as i don't have anything productive to do?

Who is to give something productive to do?

Does it help to see my problems in the magnanimity of this Universe? 

Then does it help to blow up my problems or keep thinking only of my problems?

think and say anything related to these .........

on life!

on love and ego!

On feelings and ego - A short story!

In a certain island all feelings lived together. But as no story can be without a storm, it (storm) broke out in the sea one day and the island was about to get drowned.

Being scared every feeling felt helpless, dejected and blank. But LOVE made a boat to escape. It asked everyone to board that boat. Every feeling boarded the boat.

But EGO was left out. It did not board the boat. Love got down to bring EGO into the boat. Everyone asked Love to leave behind EGO and come with them. Love being love couldn't do that!

It stayed back with Ego as all other feelings escaped. Within no time, island was totally drowned.

                            

Love died with Ego.

What did you understand from this story?

How and where do you apply it in your life?

The lonely ant

The lonely ant

There was an ant in an ant hill. He like every other ant worked and brought home sugar but the similarity ended there. He didn’t share it with others. All other ants put their sugar in a common place which was under the control the queen ant. They kept telling him that he wasn’t doing it right but he didn’t budge. He kept the sugar to himself. He never shared it with others. Inspite of repeated requests, explanations, cajoling and threats he didn’t change his way of living. At last, everyone went to Queen Ant and complained about ‘our ant’. The Queen ordered him to mend his ways and share his sugar with one and all. He disagreed to do the same. She was furious and commanded other ants to throw him out of the ant hill. They followed her orders.

Now our dear ant was glad he had all the sugar for himself and no one eyeing it. But after some time, his loneliness bothered him and he became sad. He had his sugar but he lost his joy, others company and happiness.

Now what does this story tell us?

What does that ‘ant’ stand for?

What does ‘sugar’ represent here?

Why was it sad at the end inspite of having ‘not to share its sugar’ with anyone?

Was the Queen ant wrong in banishing it? If so why? If not, then why not?

also read : https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=porcupines

The woodcutter and the parrot

The woodcutter and the parrot

Further to link :  https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=woodcutter+and+the+parrot     please find the explanation compiled (all your explanations too have been taken)

In a relationship we may think we are keeping the other happy by providing the best of comforts and by catering to their needs. Yes, it may be true too that they don’t have complaints in this regard. But, no one can stay in a cage for long, whether it is a bird or a human.

Cage here doesn’t represent merely a physical one. Physically, we see most of the people not being bound. But, mentally? We build a cage of expectations, frustrations and conditions around a person and demand (many times implicitly) them to adhere to those mental limitations and parameters. That kills the spirit of the other person. He longs to fly away from you, break away from the relationship – not necessarily because he hates or dislikes you but mostly because he wants to experience freedom of expression and being and that he misses here in this relationship. And so to break the cage he exhibits anger, irritation and silence and distances himself from you.

No person who is bound can be happy.

No bound person can love. And no unhappy person can love. So release the other from expectations and conditions and let him free. You’ll rediscover the love that was and gain respect also along with love!

“if you love someone let them free, if they come back they are yours, if they don’t they never were”

Also note that the moment the woodcutter stops putting the bird in cage, it no longer wants to leave him and go. If your love is genuine and pure, no matter what the world has to offer, the other person will never leave you for all the riches of the world....and one who does never can love 'any person' leave alone you over material things...so what and why cry over such a person in your life?

The more you are accepting of the other, the more you both will experience love between you.  Always remember, less the expectation, more the love. 

But for that, one should be 'true to himself, confident of himself and know about himself'. Only a truly balanced and confident person can let go off the expectations and conditions in the relationship...and as reiki channel it is possible for us to do that job with various techniques at our end....

And if any of you feel YOU are the parrot, then instead of thinking of flying away when the cage is open, as a reiki channel HEAL the situation, your and the people involved who have created the CAGE and then experience the wonderful relationship that YOU BOTH HAVE OR HAD in the first place.....

But if the cage here represents the 'body' for you then yes the 'soul' which is crushed with 'conditions, expectations, lies, manipulations, hatred' and such of emotions and attitudes wants to break free at every given opportunity to experience the joy of 'being love, peaceful, blissful and complete' which is its real nature. But then what is a body without a 'soul'? A mere bundle of flesh which begins to rot the moment soul leaves it...so to experience the 'joys of life' and materialistic life or to be a 'bhogi' (one who rejoices only the matter and is not bothered about the spirit) too we need to have a soul which is comfortable being in this body and for that we need to cater to its needs too.....

So you see, each one of you have thought from one angle/perspective and lo - behold the beauty of the meaning of this story unfold in front of you....you still may stick to your understanding but any day you come back when you are ready for other perspective and layer of understanding, you'll have this treasure of 'understanding' under your belt to assist you....

this is the joy and beauty of sharing each other's perspective...once more i tried to bring out the need to share and grow and if it is of any use, please try to come back with your experiences and understanding so that we together can make haste in this journey...we can also have greater joy of learning in this journey...there is an old Indian saying which loosely translated means 'one who cooks for himself eats one variety of food but when all share their food they end up having a feast (as each would have got his one variety of food' - this is food for thought ...share it with others .....

and thank you all for the participation and hope to see the same happening every time...

suggested reads : https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=conditions

Village boy and the City boy!

Village boy and the City boy!

Please refer to the story link given below and answer the following questions (as per your desire) :

What does description of 'life of village boy' mean? 

What does their life style explain?

What does description of 'life of  city boy' mean?

What was the effect of their 'travel' from village to city and vice-versa on their emotions and state of mind and why?

What did you understand from 'the effect'?



https://kantipadam.blogspot.in/search?q=village+boy+and+the+city+boy