Reflections

It was raining since yesterday. I always took advantage of rain to laze away my hours in watching rain drops pitter-patter on poodles, buildings, trees-just about everything. Today was no exception. I stood in the balcony looking at an apartment near ours. My eyes feel on the fifth floor balcony of that apartment on the window sill and the sun shade, I saw pigeons sitting close by. The sight was picture-perfect of purity, hard-work and beauty. I was lost looking them.

They were shifting their places with each other may be to avoid rain. They moved from the window sill to sun shade and back to window sill. They were working continuously and yet were cold and wet. I found it amusing could I call them stupid or innocent?? I wondered. But, none actually went into the balcony or go under the space under water tank.

This set me thinking. Hard work in every place doesn't guarantee comfort or respite from our problems. Is my hard work at the right place should be the Question I am asking myself to see why hard work doesn’t pay off as expected of it.....

I say I want to be free of pain and suffering, yet from one negative thought to another negative thought I go why?

And then I complain, though I try hard. I am not free from pain and suffering.

If success is all you want, If peace is all you want to experience, if happiness is the state you want to be then......

to leave negative thought, Feeling you don't need reasons...

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Reflections

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Crow represents us. wanting water equals to our desire.

When it came across half filled pot, did it wait for someone to come and help it. No, it believed 'self-half is the best help' and so could quench it's thirst.

-Complain about its fate which gives only half filled pot to it?

-Compare with someone who didn't have to work hard to drink water?

No, in both the cases. It spent its entire energy and 'thought' it's way to fulfilling it's desire

-It did not sit to question 'why me?', 'what next?'

He just understood his 'need', went searching for it, when he found it- worked his way to relish/drink it and once the job was done, went on way towards his next agenda.....

After completion of his task, he just moved on. Read again moved on. He didn’t stand by to tell others his story analyse it. Just went through the experience and moved on..... We need to learn this very important lesson after an experience move on to next.

So in short walk towards your dreams alone it need to be.

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Reflections

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Get up. Take charge of your dreams, desires, hopes, wishes and work to realize them alone if necessary!

It can be as simple as putting away few of these things like.

-stating an exercise rejoices

-start going for a walk

-start getting up early in the morning

-visiting a place that you always longed to visit. Etc…..

Remember, only “you” are responsible for your health and happiness. You are responsible to make your dreams come true/no one in the world is…

So….

Ekto charlo, ekto chalo,ekto chalo re walk alone….. to reach the land of your dreams, walk alone!!

Do it, see the difference and let me know if you’ve benefited….

Once a thirsty crow flew far and high to get water.It came across a pot that was half filled. It tried to drink out of it, but it's beak didn’t reach water in the pot. It wanted water. It had water. It thought on 'how to drink water' and hit upon 'an idea'. It went flying picked a pebble put it in the pot. It repeated this act and soon water raised high enough for it to drink. It drank the water and flew away.

Familiar with the story right? But, did we learn anything atall from that crow in all these years?

It learnt have we applied it in our day-to-day life situations?

If yes, Write down when, where and how and share with us......

if not ,read on...

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Reflections

 (Note : Vaibhav this anwers your query)

Bell rang. Let me tell you honestly that I don’t anymore like the sound of my Telephone ringing. Not that the changed ring tone would make any different. It was just receiving a call that put me off now-a-days. Surprising! When there was a time I had been to a Govt office with a friend of mine and the phone rang there. (Remember, there were no cell phones 20-25 years back). I was almost about to pick the receiver and my friend teased me saying “Every phone in the entire world doesn’t ring only for you”. That crazy I was about receiving calls and now I put my phone on silent mode-most past of the day. I switched it off. I chose not to take it with me – many times. Funny how times change us!

Well that is past, now I received the call “Maam, thanks a lot I am so very happy my husband’s too very happy with the changed me. We are actually very happy. Thanks to you and I degree my health has improved too” said the voice from the other end. I simply asked “since its one year since you’re taken I degree why don’t you come for II degree?” “Because, my friends-the ones? I came with are not ready. I’ll come with them blah…. Blah….. She replied.

This is exactly what happens most of the time with people. They wait for others even to better their lives. No, I am not talking about people not coming for higher Degrees alone. It covers all that is good and beneficial for us.

Postponing and many times denying the self of some benefit because there is no one to attitude that is self destructive. This one at least can be the major impediment in our growth-both personal and professional. Question this all find why we need someone to tag along as we wish to loam/do/experience something that we are sure is beneficial to us?? Work on it. And the best way is to go out and start doing what we have postponed doing waiting for someone to come along with us. Start and see the different. ‘You’ are the stumbling stone in the path of your success.

Fifth step- Is the level of 'Guru tatva' represented by the Guru.


Students in various positions convey - one can learn just by listening to guru's words, meditating, doing seva to Guru.

Pots, one above the other represent the pyramid representation of our desires and knowledge. Desires reduce as we go Spiritual and the knowledge converges ultimately into the 'one’.

Swan represents the Guru's quality of being able to separate milk from water. Milk being the spiritual insight in the ordinariness of world, represented by water.

Couple represent the 'Yin'/'Yang'-female-male energy balanced in the Guru.

Sixth step- As per Hindu Mythology man has to take 84,000 janmas, lives, before taking birth as a human.

And his journey is represented by the various Avatars of Vishnu from Aquatic (matsya) life form to amphibian (koorma)- Varaha (lower animal form) pig- beast, Narasimha-Lion man, dwarf Vamana, powerful man yet driven by passions- Parasurama, stable and virtuous Rama, to super human form Sri Krishna, vairagya detachment Buddha hood and ultimately Kalki the future that would bring end to the cycle.

Seventh step - the final stage and the only purpose of life is realizing (Aham Brahmasmi), Thath thva masi- that which is I am.

This can be realized in three ways-

- Prema yoga marga - Path of Bhakthi and love - Represented by Radha-Krishna.

- Gnana marga - Shiva Shakthi represent this, in which we realize the truth.

- Karma marga - On all paths, the need which is common, is to control the senses - horses representing the senses here.

This way, when we remind ourselves of our illusions, Maya and the purpose of our life through the various rituals, the urgency to shift from ignorance to knowledge compel the practitioner to go within.

Hope you got an idea of the reasons behind arranging dolls during Navaratri. See you all in next post...!

Fourth step represents Love that transcends all cause of suffering and makes this life's purpose fulfilled.


Love can be experienced, lived in a mother-child relationship, shown by the cow and calf here.

Crystal tree shows the multiple possibilities of expressions of love. Cherry tree shows fulfillment of any wish that one asks for standing under the cherry tree. Here it means 'love' energy.

Radha-Krishna represent ultimate form of love that of Jivatma and Paramatma.

The third step is the hurdle that stops me from realizing self- i.e., Ego.

It's the 'Power centre'- which makes us crave for money, money and more money represented by the money tree - which gives us an illusion of happiness, security, abundance proportionate to the money that we have.

Crystal tree shows us the possibilities of expressions in our life - the positive use of ego.

Hare Rama Hare Krishna dolls represent the only way to use our ego, that is, to lead our life as an expression of his will.

Jokers say that there are thousands of jokers in the world – and no two jokers have an identical make-up, but each joker stands out with his make-up. Like-wise, though we all lead more or less the same type of existence we can bring our unique 'I’ness (or) ‘our touch' to our existence that can express our unique Quality.

Nature also can't produce a second you that way, every person is unique. Why not accept it, celebrate it- find it and express it, instead of comparing ourselves with one and all and trying to be one-e-one also!

Elephants represent Ego. Smallest First elephant represent the ego of our body our beauty, physical strength and our entire existential ego.

Second Elephant represents arrogance that comes with fulfilling our responsibilities and living that, like, I take care of my parents, I fend for my family, I go to office to earn for my family, I get up early, I am a 'good' spouse/father/son

Third elephant- Ego comes from success and achievements - I've huge house/assets/degrees/posts.

Fourth elephant- I am a sensitive, good Samaritan ( a person who does charity, helps people), etc.

Fifth elephant- I am highly talented.

Sixth Elephant- arrogance of knowledge know how

Seventh elephant- This is the biggest elephant and the most difficult to break once it manifests- spiritual ego. Ego that comes by following scriptures, faiths or techniques which are for spiritual upliftment.

Knowledge is required to break the bondage of ignorance but ultimately "knowledge itself becomes the bondage".

Only way to break it is Bhaja Govindham Bhaja Govindham Govindham bhaja Moodamathe.... Sing the praise of Govinda to break the bondage of life and death.