Me, My Guru - On perception - Bhagavatam

...contd....

Usually all people fall under either of these types of people. Their perception is also like-wise! And both are wrong. Yes, it is better to see positive than negative. But after seeing positive everywhere we should move from that place too! Because that is also a wrong place to be in!

Then what is the right way of seeing? In this issue both money and habit of Ramesh hardly should concern us – especially more so if he is not directly affecting our lives. Then do we just not look at such situations? Do we turn a blind eye? Not possible! Data and information is being bombarded on to us day in and day out. We process it continuously whether we want it or not. So better learn to process it right.

In this situation, points that need to be seen, observed and learnt are: 

a.what are the traits he has that makes him such a successful businessman? What do I lack of those qualities and how to develop those qualities?

b.How does he deal with day-to-day crisis in business? What inputs would benefit me?

c.How does he handle failure and success?

d.What are the mile-stones of achievements in his life?

e.Where did he start and what is his goal? What is his plan of action?

Study these and related aspects and take ONLY ‘right’ qualities as inspiration to develop your personality and grow in the similar way. For example if he produces products of cheap quality or bribes people, don’t take that as example but concentrate only on such of qualities that are both ‘right’ and part of his personality.

Then imbibe those qualities in your personality. Look at errors that he committed and remember not to commit them. Like to unwind, you need not drink. Instead pick up a hobby and work on it. But don’t sit to judge him. Its sheer waste of your precious limited time, energy, thought power and your mood also gets affected unnecessarily. Leave judgement to people who have nothing constructive to do with their time and life. You use them for your growth ONLY.

...contd....

Me, My Guru - On perspective - Bhagavatam

...contd....

One man with sight passing by saw these five blind men fighting and stopped to enquire the cause of their fight. They all put forth their points. He listened to them all and laughed and said “All of you are correct. This elephant is all that which all five of you have explained and more! It’s just that you are seeing it from only point or place”. They all started laughing at this man saying “we sure are blind but this man is mad. How can one single animal be seen in five different ways by us? He is trying to fool us knowing that we are blind. Thank-God, we can’t be fooled!”.

The other man not being able to help moved on. And they continued their fight among themselves.

We like those blind men touch a single aspect of one person and decide on his character. We are blinded by our ‘assumption’ that ‘we know from our data’.

The funny and sad part of this story is we already would have decided our emotions and then to validate our feelings, likes/dislikes find such aspects of their life or issue in their life or an incident in their life.

Let’s take Ramesh who is a successful businessman who drinks at night.

Now look at versions of seeing this fact.

 
a. What’s the use of being so successful; he is drunkard at the end of the day. 

b.He must be guilty of all the manipulations he has to do in his business and hence drinks to lose himself in it. 

c.So truly said. Money earned by evil ways is never enjoyed the rightful way

d. Poor his wife! What’s the fun of being successful in business? He’s failed as a husband. 

e. It’s true that money gets evil along with it. I am glad i am not so rich. 

f. It really must be difficult and challenging to manage such a huge business. Poor guy, he deserves to unwind and couple of drinks is okay. 

g. He drinks at club/house with friends and that’s social etiquette. Every society has its demands. He can’t help it. 

h. He is such a great business man and intelligent person. He is drinking out of his earnings. So it shouldn’t bother anyone.

Comments from ‘a’ to ‘e’ look with a negative feeling towards him. It could be envy, anger etc. But from ‘f’ to ‘h’ reasons look at him as a positive person with a small negative trait. These are the people who like him, his status and identify with his situations.

...contd......

 

Me, My Guru - On perspective - Bhagavatam

Me, My Guru

On Essence – Perception – Bhagavatam

Today there was no Rahul to force me to ‘Bhagavatam’ class. Yes, it was a class. It was not just one more discourse on Bhagavatam. It used Bhagavatam to teach us ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ management. Inner meant ‘how to deal with our nature and heal it and transcend it’ and ‘outer’ meant people -management and issue-management. We flipped in so many situations. She used Bhagavatam to teach us to handle those issues. Otherwise, it was something that we all grew up hearing and reading in India. We didn’t need to attend ‘a class’ for it. But the way she took that story, elaborated points in it and applied it to our life situations was very informative and also like ‘Tips on crisis management’. So gladly, today I went to attend this class after enrolling for it yesterday. Previously, I would feel the pinch whenever I had to pay the fees but not now. This time even that thought didn’t cross my mind.

Not that, I had ‘forgiven’ her or something. Dynamics of my relationship with her did certainly change. For good or for bad, I didn’t know. But I felt more relaxed and at peace and so I presumed that it was good that happened. Well, being among the first few in the class, I sat in meditation. It was well past 1/2an hour before I opened my eyes. Others had poured in and ‘she’ was in her place ready to start.

But even before she could start someone asked “Krishna stole curd, butter and milk. He is a thief and called on too and yet he is called ‘God’. Rule for all is ‘marry one and be faithful to that one’ and yet he had eight wives and yet glorified as God. Forget about vanquishing enemies, he didn’t spare Ghatotgaja (son of Pandava Prince Bheemasena) just to protect Arjuna from the wrath of Indra’s weapon. He was master-manipulator. With these many qualities falling short of divinity, how can one accept him as God? And why should he?”

She smiled and taking the fold of her saree in one hand she started her explanation “I’ve told this story many times before. So, it is possible most of you’ve heard it from me before too. Others may have read it elsewhere. Yet listen carefully once more because this story explains the point needed to understand here like no other story.

In a small town were five friends who were born blind. It so happened that they were taken to a circus one day where they met an elephant. Wanting to know it, each one went around it and touched it. Because, they were blind, they could understand something or anything only with their touch and that feel.

One said “wow, this elephant is so huge and round” he was touching its stomach.

The other said “no, no. It is long, rough and soft”. He was holding its trunk.

“Ofcourse not so!” exclaimed the third “It is thin and hairy”. That was the description of tail that he was holding.

The fourth one touched ears to give a totally different picture and fifth felt everyone was wrong as he was holding on to its feet.

...contd...

Me, My Guru - On essence - Bhagavatam

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Having replied she left us. We realized it was lunch-time then. We served our lunch and sat down to eat.

“No doubt, just being in her company gives me peace of mind”, who else but Rahul would say that. Usually I used to find that amusing. Always he would find a way to lead all examples and explanations to her. He would understand everything with her-centric. Did she encourage this or not, we never found out. But I couldn’t approve of it everytime. Many times, I was being blinded by his faith or her or his Guru-bhakthi. Then, I would’ve said so to him or would think it was silly of him. But this time I found myself totally non-reacting to all this. Yes, this thought did occur to me, but it didn’t touch me.

“Why don’t we all go on pilgrimage? That way, we can benefit with satsang of people and place at the same time. What say”? such suggestions always found lots of takers. Today, I saw that by this act, they were proving that they didn’t get the import of the lecture correctly. She taught, explained and told what needs to be told and ‘yet they listened to what they wanted to’ ONLY. I pitied them. Today, I understood why we underwent what we underwent in our lives. We choose to undergo this with each of our choice that we made. Yes, non-understanding was also a choice that we had made and we paid the price for it and we thought ‘others’ and situations were responsible for our pains and sufferings! Today, I pitied us! Today I felt sorry for her hard and sincere efforts too which seemed to go down the drain. Yes, what was the purpose of all this work if no one followed what was to be understood? Even after listening to everything she said, we choose wrong!

I paused to relook at the train of my thoughts. This really amused me. Just couple of months ago, I was on that side thinking, feeling and understanding like them.

But today, I was thinking differently. I was reacting differently. I was ‘a new one’ that I didn’t know I had become. I noticed just here in and during the class.

I hadn’t done any sadhan in this field nor had any idea of this possibility. Where did all this come from? I was among all these people, my so-called co-travellers and yet was all alone. Not the sad, lonely ‘alone types’. On the contrary, I was enjoying being ‘this different and standing away from the crowd types’.

She used to say often

“mein bheed mein bhi akeli hoon”

“I am all alone even in the crowd!”

Was this what she was talking about?

Whatever it was, I was enjoying it. I like being in this space. For once, I seemed okay to be with myself.

...contd....