Equanimity of mind

                                   Equanimity of mind

      Human being is the highest evolved one in the creation. It is with a purpose. With his unique power of discrimination, he alone is endowed with the quality to realize the true eternal changeless nature of Himself in this constantly changing world. Life is a means to achieve that end only.

Life is a web of both pleasures and pain. Being caught in this web, purification of mind alone can lead to Self-realization namely discovering peace and bliss within himself. To achieve this, he has to develop equanimity of mind. That is to treat pain and pleasure as the same, not allowing them to enslave him. This is called samatvam or yoga accordint to Bhagavadgita. This is the sign of a self-realized soul. Actually, pain and pleasure are at the level of senses only. If one's mind is strong, he can rise above them . Sufferings becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind . In the same manner ,elation arising out of pleasures can be controlled , not allowing the mind to be touched upon or polluted by it.
When the equanimity is achieved, the events of life are mere passing sceneries in the journey of life. He becomes a mere spectator only.
Seeing life not as a struggle, but as an adventure of all the senses and all the faculties, one can develop equanimity of mind.
The ideal of equanimity is advocated by most philosophies and religions of the world over.
Life is a web only. An ordinary person will get into the web of pleasure and pain leading to nowhere. Where as , an intelligent cautious man , will extricate himself with his strong mind and find out and reach the goal of bliss .
     
                            ' Thus Life is a grindstone ,
                               whether it grinds us down ,

                               or polishes up,
                                 depend on us.'

     A teacher was giving a lecture to students to treat the pleasure and pain at the same level,  not being involving oneself into it. He was emphasizing the equanimity of mind for achieving spiritual knowledge. The students could not understand much. The teacher to make the subject more clear, pointed them to a donkey on the riverside carrying a load of dirty clothes to be washed by a washerman. In the olden days, washerman would carry the bundle of dirty clothes on the back of a donkey, wash them in the river, dry them on the banks of the river and carry the washed clothes on the back of the donkey back home.

     The teacher said," my dear students ! Look at this , the donkey is not aware of the bundle of dirty clothes on its back and takes them merrily and the same donkey is not aware that the clothes that are washed on its back. Just it goes on the road carefree without bothering about the type of clothes.            
In the same manner, man should never feel elated in pleasure nor should be weighed down by the pain, but should carry on his duties."
'  Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free.
  Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing.'
This is the ultimate wisdom.

Thus developing equanimity, when one is at peace and love with himself, to that mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. He should give his best to the world. Thus in the words of Rumi,
         ' Be a lamp or a lifeboat,
              or a ladder,
            Help someone's soul heal .'
And ultimately, this makes one to live life to the fullest.

The efficacy of words

                                      The efficacy of words



      Words arising from sound is nothing but  Brahman, the Supreme. The words arise from deep within, that is our life-force in the form of breath.
.
Once a teacher asked his disciples- " Why people always shout when they are angry?".
One of the disciples replied- " It is because they lose their peace at heart."
Then the teacher asked him, " why they shout at the person who is nearby ? Because generally people raise their voice to persons standing at a distance. "The student did not know and could not explain the reason. Then the teacher pointed out that in anger, people shout because their hearts go far away and are at a distance, though physically people may be nearby. Where as in love, the speech becomes soft and sweet because the hearts are together. When the hearts are together, distance matters not, when the lovers are separated by distance,even silence becomes more eloquent than the words. That is why while speaking we should be careful and choose words soft, sweet and effective words so that hearts don't fall apart. Harmony in relationship comes through love and kindness.

In controlling children also, there should be sternness in voice with the layers of love, kindness and concern. This will create a reverence with a fear towards the speaker. The person will definetly listen and understand and obey.

Even in meeting, or in solving any problem in a group, shouting never yields any result. Shouting reflects an uncultured, unbaked mind. The more you tune your mind with good thoughts, the words need not be loud and the words spoken with a poise and determination will be more effective in bringing people together and in getting positive results. On the other hand, shouting creates acrimony and rift among the members. Because the words spoken with good thoughts produce positive vibrations  and shouting in anger produces negative vibrations vitiating the atmosphere.

Even in music, the effect is seen. When the words are sung without any application of feelings and heart, the music cannot be listened to. Whereas the music, when sung with feelings and heart touches the heart of the listeners and transport them to the higher realms of bliss.

Where there is depth in thoughts, words can never be loud.
Don't raise your voice, improve your mind with good and noble thoughts and poised arguments, the words ,dressed in those thoughts will become precious and more effective. Words are powerful. In words are seen the state of mind and character and disposition of the speaker.
'  Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. ' - Rumi.


Three things you cannot recover in life :

The word after it's said,
The moment after it is missed,
The time after it's gone.

Tradition verses Modern Law

 


                                  Tradition verses  Modern Law



     One can argue that just as the times have changed , so too should traditions.  When there is a practice of tradition that has been respected, acknowledged, practiced by all and over the years, no one seems to have had an issue with this.  Suddenly the new issue has been cropped up .That is mapping unpaid women's work. A servey to estimate the value of unpaid household chores done by women, to understand how much time is spent in cooking and washing and other things. This is an effort to convert a rich cultural society into a perishable materialistic society.

The Law should come into force in cases where women are ill-treated by husband, in-laws and are deprived of their rights. Similarly when admission is denied to women in educational institutions even if they qualify on merit basis. The Government should take action against pay-disparity given to women, unnecessary harassment meted  out to them in offices.

Regarding the freedom and equality, women are given opportunities to enter into the fields of men like sports, space, etc., though till now they were considered fitting jobs for men in accordance with their physical strength.

Family is the basic unit of society. All along, an Indian woman excelled in all her roles as a dutiful daughter, wife, a mother, as a daughter-in-law. In the role of wife, she has many roles such as a beloved, an ideal companion, partner, counselor, as a nursing mother. She does this willingly and happily. Even now , with men devoted to their career twenty four hours a day, it is woman who takes care of her career if she works outside, manages the house and children. Till today, there was no cry from her side.

To sum it up in the words of George Byron

' The labor of women in the house, certainly enables men to produce more wealth than they otherwise could; and in this way women are economic factors in society.'

The same is the case with Gay-marriage and Live - in Relationship. The courts should take into account traditional aspects and beliefs and not to be guided by the modenity.
Indian society is even now intact because of the traditions followed. One such tradition is marriage. Marrige is a beautiful institution, envisioned by the  ancient sages,ideal law-makers, devoted to the social welfare, taking into consideration the biological diversity and needs of the woman and man, making it complementary, whole being, resulting in the spiritual sublimation of the same and utilization of their complementary comlementary qualities for a proper, all-round upbringing of their progeny. Infact, the Hindu marriage may be described as the union of two families. In this union, there is no room for petty ambitions and personal ego-trips.The main factor is love for the entire family that one is marrying into. Not only this, the relatives of both the families get connected and stand together in good and bad times. Thus according to Hindus, marriage is a sacred institution devised for the welfare of the society.
It is said that a happy family is but an earlier heaven. This life is given to experience it to enjoy and realize it.

According to Hindu tradition, marriage between two souls is a very sacred affair stretching beyond one's life time. The couple are expected to carry out their traditional duties as householders and  upholders of family traditions and work for the material and spiritual welfare of each other, the members of their family and also society. Their destinies are intertwined by their previous karmas and they have a responsibility towards their family, society, deities,other living beings and their ancestors. Marriage  is the best moral means for the continuation of family through their progeny. Many festivals revolve around the family , cherishing and fostering various beautiful relationships of the members.
There has never been a moral degradation or mental cases in children also. Thus, instead of watering and nourishing the roots of all- beneficial sacred tree of marriage, what wisdom is seen in clinging to delicate branches, anytime-falling, untrodden paths of gay marriage and Live-in-Relationship and deliberate celebration of Father's day, Mother's day, siblings' day, Valentine day ? It is nothing but a movement towards and reflection of consumerism and not of culture.

The greatness of a nation is judged by the richness of its culture. A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.
These modern trends in Gay-marriage and Live-in-Relationship may be for convenience and freedom, they may consider, but it is a reflection of uncultured mind and barbarism only, leading to chaos in society and the country.

 The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of the world that it bequeaths to its children.

Truth always shines

                                         Truth always shines

       
                This world is not full of sufferings. It is one's feelings and emotions that are the real causes for one's suffering.

In Nature, there is discipline and harmony everywhere. Creatures of all types live amicably in their own zones. It is only man who is supposed to be superior most creation , creates problems for himself and for others.

The goal of life is attainment of peace. But out of ego ,selfishness , greed , hatred , jealousy and discontentment, people keep on creating disturbances and lose the sight of the goal, namely peace. Faith is another factor which accounts for smooth trading , co-operation and relationship among people and nations. Faith  creates hope and he who has hope has everything. Another element for harmony everywhere is love. It is the bond that cements all. It is the faith and love that move the world. But monetary and materialistic thirst cuts off that bond also.

As rightly said, in short ,  now we have multiplied our possessions,  but reduced values. We talk too much , love too seldom and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.
That is why man struggles. After sometime, wisdom of the truth will dawn on him that no life grows great until it is disciplined and harmonized. He will realise the values of peace, faith, and yearn for them and embrace for establishing harmony and happiness.
This is the cycle of life , secret of life. He will realise the eternal truth that life is a festival only to the wise.

There were four candles burning in a room. The first candle ' Peace' was burning little and said, "  No one wants me now in this world . No one remembers me. What is the use of my flame ? Let me go out"  , saying thus, the flame of the candle got itself extinguished.

The second candle ' Faith ', looking at the first candle lamented, " I too don't have any existence now. For whose's sake should I shine? " saying thus , the flicker of the candle went off.

The third candle ' Love' looking at his friends told himself, "  In this world, money has taken my place. I am no more recognised. I have been thrown out. For whom should I show my light ?" , lamenting thus, it extinguished itself.

The fourth candle ' Truth' was still burning.

A child suddenly came into the room. Looking at the candles shedding down their flames , started crying. The 'Truth' candle comforted the crying child , " Oh my dear child ! Nothing is lost. Don't cry. I am still burning. With my flame , You can light all of them. They will come back to life again."

Fascinating facts about Great men

                             Fascinating facts about Great men

•      Dr.Joseph Bell taught his medical students to notice small details in their patients. He said that any observant doctor often could tell exactly what part of the body a patient was going to start complaining about.
• The Scientist Louis Pasteur, used to sneak a microscope into friends' houses under his coat and then examine the food they serving to make sure it was safe from germs.
• Charles Dickens only worked from 9AM to 2 PM writing his 28 books and over 200 essays without working longer than 5 hours a day.
• One time Albert Einstein was jotting down some notes about his thoughts while attending a banquet. Everyone rose in a standing ovation and they were applauding , so Dr.Einstein rose and clapped his hands too. He didn't realise the ovation was for him.

Show me the God

                                       Show me the God


              Faith is nothing but optimism. Faith is a passionate intuition and recognition of those things which are above the sense and it comes from within. Faith is unseen but felt.

Faith only makes things possible. If faith or confidence is not there, nothing can be achieved in life. If   one has faith, one has everything.

Rationalism is the trademark of a highly developed ego. The rationalists also live in this very world, enjoy the gifts of nature , watch the orderliness of the universe and the happenings of events beyond their understanding, yet their ego cannot yield to faith in anything. They become cynic, try to assert their superiority and ridicule and challenge the people who believe in the power of Supreme.

Once, one such arrogant so called rationalist went to a Self-realised saint and asked him to show him the God. He added that he wanted to see the God himself. The saint simply smiled and said, " look above , you can see God !" The rationalist looked above , and could not face the shining Sun at all . He closed his eyes. The saint said , " You are not able to see even the Sun, one of the tiny creations of the God, how can you see God, the creator of this entire variegated universe?"

The rationalist's ego was humbled and he bowed down to the saint in awe and reverence.

Eating with hands - Mindful eating

                                       Eating with hands - Mindful eating


     All machines need fuel to make them go, and the human body is like a living machine whose fuel is food. Right food supplies for energy and make the body grow, maintain itself, and repair daily.

All food is a priceless gift of love from Nature. We have to be thankful for all food, it is Brahman, the Supreme Being. His universal energy is transmuted into our individual energy and helps us in all we do .

From an early age, Indian children learn the pleasures and the skills of eating with fingers. For adults as well as children, this way of eating is part of enjoyment of a meal. Touching, feeling, smelling, licking and savoring the food with the fingers fulfill more than just humger.

Food is eaten with right hand fingers after thoroughly cleaning them with water .

In   vedic tradition , it is believed that eating food with the hands feeds the body, mind and spirit. Hands are our most precious organs of action. Our hands are said to be the conduits of the five elements of Nature - Space  , fire , air , water and earth. Each one of them flow through each finger. The five elements in the fingers are Fire, representing sight or thumb in the thumb, Air representing the sense of touch in the index finger , sound in the form of Ether in the middle finger, Earth representing smell in the ring finger and the quality of taste by water in the little finger.

It is believed that the five elements   begin to transform the food and make it digestible even before it reaches the mouth. This heightenes the senses so that we can smell, taste , and feel the texture of the foods we are eating, and even hear the sounds as we eat. All of these sensations help to ready the body, or to awaken the fire ( agni ) within ourselves. Agni is the term used for the digestive fire that breaks down the food, assimilating what is useful and eliminating the rest. This awakening aids digestion, and according to vedic beliefs, good digestion leads to good thoughts.

In Indian  cuisine, in addition to primary tastes sweet , sour , salty , bitter  , and pungent  , there is a sixth taste called astringent ( kashaya ) comes from ancient Indian medicine. To maintain perfect balance and ensure complete nourishment, Indians includes spices of all tastes at every meal.
Daily meals consists of chappaties ( wheat bread home-made), rice, vegetable curry , a legume curry , vegetable salad  , raita ( beaten curd with vegetable ) , chutneys and pickle.

South Indian meals consists of vegetable curries, both in fried and liquid form, rice, sambhar, rasam, curd or butter-milk and pickle in daily routine.
Thus, it provides all the elements of food pyramid.
All the six types of food which Ayurveda recommends as a practical technique for keeping our digestive fire strong are also included. They are-

1-  Choshya, the food that has to be sucked like fruits.

2- Peya, the food that is drinkable like soups and gruel.


3- Lehya, that has to be licked like chutney.

4-  Bhojya, the food to be eaten like cooked items like rice and dal .

5- Bakshya, the food that is to be broken with teeth and be eaten like nuts .


6- Charvya, the food that has to be chewed, all knids of rich fibre foods.

There is a pattern of spreading the food items in the plate on festive occasions and on normal days.
Kheer ( sweet milk pudding ) and little dal ( lentil) is to the extreme right. Moving anti-clockwise, Sweet chutney , Raita, vegetables, plckles to the left of the vegetables in order. Fried papad is served usually on the extreme left. Rice is served on the plate in the center. Then sambhar, khadhi, rasam, curd and milk pudding are served fresh as needed.

The method of proper eating food is very scientific as seen in the prescribed sequence for taking food.



'
पूर्वं  मधुरं   मध्ये लवणा म्लो  कटु तिक्तकषाया पय श्च  ततः त्रि दोष साम्यम l'

First sweet foods  , the second group to consume are salty and sour  , the bitter, hot and astringent foods foods in the end to maintain the balance of three humours,  vata , pitta  , and kapha .

There is a difference between eating and drinking for for strength and from mere gluttony.

A great variety of foods at one meal exerts a potent influence in creating a love for eating. Eating with hands is a way to feel connected to food. Eating becomes sensational and mindful.
The brain and the other organs of the body are affected by the quality of the blood which nourishes them and the blood is made up of the food eaten.
Indian foods have ayurvedic elements which prevents people from falling ill.
Food cooked and eaten with reverence is both nutrition and medicine.
 It is hard to imagine that until about four hundreds years ago, European people ate everything with their fingers. When a few people started using forks in England, every one else thought the idea of tools for eating was totally ridiculous.
It is said that in a dinner party held in London for diplomats, all took spoons and forks and sat down at the table. Only an Indian diplomat of well-repute went out, washed his hands and came to join the others. He started eating with his fingers. All were surprised. Before they could ask anything , the Indian diplomat said with a smile on his face, " I am eating dinner with my fingers , given to me by the God. It is pure and untouched by others. Spoons and forks are man-made and they do not belong to an individual in a public place, they are common and used by all, where as my fingers are naturally made, exclusively mine and no one can use them."