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 |   As the first blog entry got exhausted. My second book |
| Evolution of Love Part 2 |
From my very childhood, I was prone to adore Sakti as my cherished deity (Ishta).The world itself appeared to me as the manifestation of God's omnipotence, the translation of His divine vigour. The popular idea, that Siva remains merely a Sava, (corpse) without Sakti, was also patent enough to make me aware of the supremacy of Sakti over other forms (swarupas) of the Lord Almighty. This worship of Sakti on my part went on with a strong urge to find Her in a human form having a definite Personality. That longing within me grew deeper and deeper and I got firm on realizing Her through Sakama bhakti and seeing my ailing husband recovered through Her grace. It was in the year 1949 that one fine morning I was told to have Ma Anandmayi's darsana. The very idea of seeing a woman saint thrilled me to the core of my heart. As a girl of fifteen, my innocence was beaming to bow down at Mother's feet. At the first blush, I had a wonderful expe rience of seeing Ma surrounded by Her sevikas and devotees all with their eyes fixed at Her face. It was as if I had been caught up in the spell of Her eternal serenity shining on Her face and I felt as if Her one glance had blessed me to the point of becoming desireless. Ignorant as I was I had, that moment, nothing to offer at Her lotus feet except a garland. Ma accepted that humble gift of mine and blessed me as my Sadguru with Her kind and compassionate look. I then experienced that She had given me graciously what I needed most in life by purging me of my past vikaras. I recalled again and again the lines. Tulsidas Pattrain JalasyaChulukenava, Vikrinetai Swamātmānam Bhagwana Bhakta vatsalah (God who loves His devotees sells Himself for only a tulsi-leaf and a handful of water.) Bhakta vatsala Ma, my Sadguru, blessed me by giving Her dariana at a time when I was pining to see Sakti face to face. This is how Ma Anandamayi fulfills Her bhaktas desires. Ma does, many a time, advise us to become desire through our sustained sädhana, since desires are the cause of the cycle of births and deaths. However, human nature is such that one cannot easily be free from desires, even if one grapples with them con stantly. It is by the Sadguru's Kripa (Grace) that One begins to feel the simplification of one's needs. Lord Krishna says in the Gita : Dhyayato visayan pumsah sangastesupajāyate. Sangat sanjayata kamaḥ kämätkrodhobhijayate. Krodhatbhavati sammohaḥ sammohat smritivibhramah. Smritibhramsätbuddhinaso buddhi näsät pranasyati. (When a man thinks of the objects of sense, attachment for them arises; from attachment desire is born; from desire anger arises. From anger comes delusion; from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory the destruction of discrimination; from destruction of discrimination he perishes) Hence the key to eternal bliss lies in the elimination of desire. In this humdrum of temporal life, none can make us free from desires except a Sadguru like Mataji. Two or three personal experiences will reveal how Ma has graced me by fulfilling my desires to the point of rendering me a sharanagata, surrendered at her lotusfeet. My husband's weak health was a matter of constant worry to me. With a view to invoking Her grace, I used to worship Her day and night for my husband's speedy recovery. In the meantime I was asked by someone to pray directly before Mataji for his health. It was in the year 1959 that I made up my mind to beg of Mataji to cure my husband.. Luckily, Mataji came to Etawah in February 1960 and I decided to go and see Her there. It was my first private visit to Mataji. I quietly approached Her as a petitioner; but no sooner did I enter the room, than what I had to say and how I had to say it completely vanished from my mind. To my utter surprise, I found that the mental fog, in which I had been enveloped, dissolved at the sunny smile of Ma. On Her asking me about my problem I found myself speechless. Somehow, I regained my original self and told her that I wanted to see my husband cured of the serious disease he was suffering from, upon which Ma with Her usual ineffable sweet voice advised me to have faith in God and pray to Him for my husband. Although there was nothing new in Her advice, yet Her words were spoken in such a sympathetic tone that I had the experience of drinking in Mother's infinite compas sion oozing out of Her lustrous eyes. Soon I reached the state of empathy, the state of oneness where Ma was mine and I was Hers completely. It made me feel as if Mataji had yielded to my wish and my husband was completely cured. Thereafter I would go nowhere else for his treatment. This is how Ma, my Sadguru, infused me with the spirit of welcoming the impending misery in the shape of my husband's prolonged ailment and made me content with my lot. Mataji offers us many an opportunity to wash away the dirt of our samsakäras collected in countless former lives. She always asks us to welcome temptations and dis tractions and to look upon them as God-given opportunities for our advance and to turn our eyes inwards. Even our good deeds make us egoistic unless we offer them to the Creator of the world. Man feels himself to the doer . Thus he is liable to be caught in the clutches of his ego. Being ego-ridden, I was proud of my services rendered to my husband during the period of his illness. As a result I used to feel that my beloved was not subject to decay and that I was chaste enough to obstruct the speed of Time and Death, and to fight even with Death like Savitri, if some misfortune came my way. With this intensity of delusion I continued to serve my husband, feeling that I was the doer. This had wrapped. me in the veil of moha (attachment ). Then it happened that the tidal wave of the inscrutable Will struck hard and deprived me of my husband's company forever, in May 1963. The blow was terrible for me. As the attachment was intense, the grief was equally intense. My vision became clouded, my senses paralyzed and I remained unconscious for three days. It was on the fourth day that I recovered from that state of torpor and started uttering: "Ma, Ma, Ma, Ananda mayi Ma, Dayamayi Ma !" My eyes closed again and to my consolation, I saw Ma in Her very subtle form consoling me with Her benign touch. I cried:" Ma! You have desert ed me. I have lost my life's joy forever." I still remember the wonderful experience when Ma took me in Her affection ate embrace and said: "Your husband was not yours alone. He was God's first, yours afterwards. He needed Him more than you. As regards your life, you have other duties to perform. Now look after your children as you used to look after their father". The vision had faded away. The next moment, I opened my eyes and felt I was a differ ent person altogether. The grief had subsided and the state of normalcy returned. Since then, my tears disappeared and with a calm mind I began to console those who came to mourn my husband's death. I encouraged them to read the Gita and Ramayana for the benefit of the departed soul. His loss made me feel that the services rendered to him egoistically had been insufficient to satisfy his Maker. I, then, understood the meaning of Milton's famous lines: "God doth not need Either man's work, or His own gifts: Who best bear His mild yoke, They serve Him best." Who else can give me such insight except Ma, my Sadguru ? Ever since, I have endeavoured to act as Mother's instrument and carry out Her commands as best as I can. My salutations again and again to the Goddess who resides in all beings as 'Mother' and shows them light as Sadguru in the moments of gloom. |
| 🙏🌹🌹🙏 *The greatest fortune in this world is to be a disciple, or a devotee. Those who have become a disciple or a devotee only know the value of it.* *A disciple in Sanskrit is called Antevasi. This is a magnificent word. Antevasi means one who dwells inside the Guru. It is not that just the master is in the heart of the devotee, the devotee also dwells in the heart of the master. Antevasi - means one who dwells inside the master. There is nothing other than the Guru.* *Everything around is Guru. You dwell inside the heart of the Guru all the time. The love of the master is surrounding you all the time. The one who realizes this is a disciple or a devotee. What else would you want once you realize that you are surrounded by unconditional divine love all the time. No lack remains in life. It is all bliss.* *Antevasi - this is such a beautiful name!* |
| I’ve been reading every expert from every country All warning of global catastrophe when corona did come to india When it came we controlled our borders Like no other They said all fake measures All are fake reports India must have lakhs of cases India isn’t doing testing etc Well it’s been 2 months since WHOs warnings India has placed the strictest controls of any nation on earth (Like China) That is acknowledged by WHO & UN & Economist India’s rates 100 along on the measures index where countries like US etc are at 70 We still have the lowest numbers of infection per million across earth Some may argue, we don’t test enough, But in 14 days even those untested should have shown infection ? Or died ? It’s now more than a month and we still have it under control (except for one big incident in delhi) Look at our Mumbai See how well they have fought this Corona Listen to our CM on FB/twitter see the steps taken daily, Look at our BMC, who would have imagined such precision in epidemic control Roads r being swept, washed & sanitised Water is being treated Waste is being disposed off Buildings in lockdown Areas in containment They work silently, whilst we r at home in lockdown People laughed at the idea of Taali bajao Both in India & also foreigners, but after India doing it , You have UK NYC Paris Italy all doing similar things People criticised India’s lockdown as stupid And said look at Singapore They have nothing Yesterday Singapore was forced to bring in a one month lockdown as Corona is back Spain is now doing a 3 week lockdown again UK is doing a one month lockdown Italy has been in lockdown The day is not far when even NYC will also be forced to do a lockdown the cities borders Think of our own brave crew Who are flying to bring back our own And take other people to their homes A few days ago even Pakistan & Iran ATC praised our pilots & our Airlines flights Also spare a thought for our cabin catering staff & the BMC guys who dispose off our bio waste / hazmat suits Yesterday I watched Donald Trump in his press briefing saying “I called PM Modi, because India makes a lot of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID treatment , They need a lot too for their billion-plus people, but ‘Mr Modi promised he will try to help USA” A Bangalore doc is treating the British Royal family for Corona with Ayurveda and we laugh at our own culture & people India inc has stepped upto the plate Tata’s & Mahindra’s stopped making cars Now inventing ventilators in their factories Taj Sats catering stopped supplying Airlines Now it gives daily meals to Hospital doctors free Taj hotels has opened its doors for all doctors & nurses Reliance gave it’s hospital for COVID & also equipped 7 hills for treatment Vedanta is supplying lakhs of PPEs across India A sanitary pad IIT startup has been making masks for free distribution A microbrewery Meadery in pune is making sanitisers Domestic Airlines have carried more than 1500 tonnes of Medical Cargo gratis Many more companies have done lots of things free Our Sikh gurdwaras supplying lakhs of meals free daily Even in NYC & London more than a lakh meals daily That’s the level to which India & it’s essential services - Doctors Nurses Cop’s airline staff, Industries have risen to fight this new war That is the spirit of our India In my 34+ yrs in AI Ive never seen anything like this And I’ve seen coups, 2 Gulf wars, SARS Ebola, 9-11, volcanoes etc We are the Stalwarts group So let’s not criticise anyone’s efforts, So let’s as Air Indians at least praise the brave efforts of all our colleagues & also the workers, Air Indians, ATC, Airline workers, CISF, Police, Doctors, sanitary workers firemen, essential suppliers first responders & ourselves. We should be proud of our country 🙏🏻🙏🏻 |
1. " Whenever you Feel a negative emotion - BE ALONE - In a room and just sit down with it and FEEL. Don't Judge it, Criticize it, Intellectualize it or Explain it away. ALLOW yourself to Feel the pain. It's OKAY. Accompany it - Breathe into it - and after a while, you'll feel the anger or fear or sadness Lose it's urgency and power. Allow GOD to tenderly EMBRACE you in your pain. And then, At the Right Time, You Can LET GO.................". 2. " Hug and kiss Whoever helped Get You - financially, mentally, morally, emotionally - TO THIS DAY. Parents, Mentors, Friends, Teachers. If you're too uptight to do that, at least do the old Handshake thing, but I Recommend a HUG. DO NOT let the sun go down without saying " THANK YOU " to Someone, and without Admitting to YOURSELF that Absolutely NO ONE Gets This Far ALONE..." 3. " Before you can Inspire with Emotion, you MUST be Swamped with it yourself. Before you can Move Their Tears, YOUR OWN MUST FLOW. To Convince Them, You Must Yourself, BELIEVE...........". 4. " I am NOT a believer in Love at First Sight. For Love, in its TRUEST FORM, is NOT the thing of Starry-Eyed or Star-Crossed Lovers, IT IS far more Organic, Requiring NURTURING and TIME to Fully BLOOM and, as such, Seen BEST NOT in its Callow Youth BUT in its Wrinkled MATURITY........ Like all Living things, LOVE TOO, Struggles against Hardship, and in the process SHEDS its Fatuous skin to expose one composed of more than just a storm of EMOTION – one of LOYALTY and DIVINE FRIENDSHIP. And though it may be TEMPORARILY Blinded by Adversity, it NEVER GIVES IN or GIVES UP, Holding TIGHT to Lofty Ideals that Transcend this EARTH and TIME–while Love's Counterfeit simply concludes it was mistaken and quickly runs off to find the next real thing......." - Richard Paul Evans. SO VERY TRUE........ |
Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee has so often taught us that vasanas (desires, want) is the root cause of rebirth. She has in various interactions explained the interactions between desire, avidya(ignorance), karma (actions) and results. A couple of poignant vanis of Ma are presented blow, which in many ways summarize the teachings of our Vedic scriptures. Ma emphasized, “One's actions themselves create a sense of want. Again one's actions only will destroy this feeling of want. One has to strive for one's own fulfilment. By enjoying sense objects ,one gradually advances towards death. Father, become the one to drink nectar. Enjoy immortality. On that path, there is neither death nor disease.” Elsewhere, She advised, “The more time spent in remembering God the greater is the advantage gained. Where there is the world,there is want. That is His nature. One can only hope for peace by keeping the mind at His feet, willingly or otherwise.” Ma says,”Human being is manifested in the form of want. He thinks of want only. And ends up in want. That is why he should contemplate on his real nature. Otherwise: want–inactivity– inertness–misfortune–death (continue). BHAGAVAN ADI SHANKARACHARYA The transmigratory cycle of birth and death has been aptly brought out in much of our treasured scriptures. In the immortal classic, ‘ Upadesa Sahasri’, Sri Adi Shankaracharya says, “ Actions ( both enjoined and prohibited) bring about one’s connection with the body ( as it is through this that we perform actions). When the connection with the body has taken place, pleasure and pain must surely follow. Thence comes attraction and repulsion ( from our actions and results of the same). From attraction and repulsion, actions follow again as results of which merit and demerit appertain ( as appropriate and applicable) to the ignorant man ( jiva, who is shrouded with the layer of ignorance veiling his real Self). These ( merit or demerit) in turn again lead to a connection with the body. This transmigratory existence is thus going on continually for ever like a (revolving) wheel).” ( Part 2, Chapter 1, Verses 3 and 4). THE WAY OUT Ma says, “You attempt to appease want by want; hence want does not disappear and neither does the sense of want. When man awakens to the acute consciousness of this sense of want, then only does spiritual inquiry become genuine.” And for us to introspect Ma said, “You must bear in mind that only when the sense of want becomes the sense of the want of Self-knowledge does the real Quest begin.” |
●I'm a nobody, nobody is perfect, and therefore I'm perfect. ●I've got to sit down and work out where I stand. ●If I save time, when do I get it back..??? ●I am free .... of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally. ●Take my advice, I don't use it anyway. ●Statement below is true. Statement above is false. ●As I said before, I never repeat myself. ●Sometimes I need what only you can provide: your absence. ●A conscience does not prevent sin. It only prevents you from enjoying it! ●Best way to prevent hangover is to stay drunk. ●Doesn't expecting the unexpected make the unexpected become the expected? ●A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where train stops. On my desk, I have a work station. What more can I say! ●If it's true that we are here to help others, then, what exactly are the others here for? ●How come _abbreviated_ is such a long word? ●Living on Earth may be expensive but it includes an annual free trip around the Sun. ●Your future depends on your dreams. So go to sleep !! ●Alcohol kills slowly. So what? who’s in a hurry? ●Can you do anything that other people can't? Sure.. I can read my handwriting. Cheers |
| A little boy goes to his father and asks, “Daddy, how was I born?” The father answers, “Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, and googled each other. There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said: 'You've got male!'” |
The experiences of my life have intensified my conviction that human pride is the greatest barrier to wisdom. Egotistical pride must go. It is a blind that prevents our seeing God as the sole Doer, the Director of the Cosmic Drama. You are playing different parts in this cosmic movie-house, and you may not foresee what part will be assigned to you tomorrow. You should be prepared for anything. Such is the law of life. Why sorrow, then, over life's experiences? If you take every happening as you would if you were seeing someone else playing it in a motion picture, you will not grieve. Play your 365 roles each year with an inward smile and with the remembrance that you are only dreaming. Then you will never again be hurt by life. You have played many roles through many incarnations. But they were all given to entertain you-not to frighten you. Your immortal soul cannot be touched. In the motion picture of life you may cry, you may laugh, you may play many parts; but inwardly you should ever say, "I am Spirit." Great consolation comes from realization of that wisdom. You cannot expect to wake up from the delusion that earth life is real merely by running away into the forest. You have to play out to the end the part that is given you. Each human being is contributing to the enactment of the motion picture of the cosmos. If you want to be happy you should play out your part with dignity, assurance, and happiness. When you are awake in God He will show you that you are unchanged, even though you have played countless parts in His earth drama. |
*What happened in the United States, when cooking at Home stopped ?* *Famous American Sociologists of the 1980s, had warned the American people of the consequences.* *The kitchen has gradually been handed over to the Corporates. Earlier if the elderly people at Home, took care of the small children, it is now left to daycare Centres. Family responsibilities and it's relevance, have been gradually destroyed. ”* *But very few people listened to their advice and gradually cooking at Home, has completely stopped.* *The habit of ordering Food from outside, had led to the extinction of American families as the experts had warned earlier..* *Cooking with love, means connecting all the members of the family with bonding and affection.* *Culinary Art is not just cooking alone. The focal point, is the culture of bonding of the Family.* *If there is no kitchen, but the house has only bedrooms, it's not a family at all. it's a Hostel.* *What about American families, which closed down the Kitchen and thought that the bedrooms alone, were enough ?* *In 1971, almost 70% of U.S. households had a Husband and Wife, living together with children.* *By 2020, it has fallen to 24%.* *Elderly members of Family who had lived together, are now living in Old-Age Homes.* *In the United States, women make up 18% of single-parent households.* *Men make up 12% of single-parent households.* *28% of Homes in America, are owned by dads and moms.* *16% of households in America, consist of Male-Female live-in relationships.* *35% of all babies born today in America, are born out of Wedlock, to unmarried women.* *Half of them, are Girls going to school, with a single parent* *About 45% of first marriages in the United States, end in a Divorce.* *74% of Second marriages, are also highly problematic.* *The bedroom is not the Home.* *Now a days, we notice that the Kitchen is not being put to use, and only the bedrooms are being used.* *The United States is a typical example of the breakdown of the institution of marriage.* *Our Feminine Activists will buy Chocolates & Cakes, to celebrate their liberation from the daily chores of Cooking.* *Mental and physical health gradually deteriorate, when families are broken.* *Eating Junk Food from outside, leads to gaining Body Fat and other lifestyle diseases like Diabetes and Hypertension, besides unnecessary spending* *So cooking in the kitchen, is not the only reason for the well-being of the family.* *Physical health and mental health, are equally essential to the country's Economy.* *That's why Elders in our house, advised us to reduce / avoid eating outside food* *But today, we eat with our families in Restaurants.* *Ordering and eating Food Online from Swiggy, Zomato, Uber eats, is now becoming fashionable amongst the highly-educated, Middle-class people.* *This habit will be a long-term disaster.* *Now-a-days, these Online companies decide what we should eat ...* *Our Ancestors, before going on any long-distance Travel (or) a pilgrimage, used to cook & carry Food from the Home* *So cook at Home, eat together and live together as a Family. Apart from food, it has love and affection embedded.* |
A famous book writer sat in his study. He took out his pen and began to write: “Last year, I had surgery to remove gallstones. I was bedridden for a long time. In the same year, I turned 60 and was retired … quitting a company that I loved so much. I had to leave the job I've been doing for 35 years. That same year I was abandoned by my beloved mother who passed away. Then, still in the same year, my son failed his final medical exam because of a car accident. Repair costs from the car damage marked the peak of bad luck last year.” At the end he wrote: “What, what a bad year!" The writer's wife entered the room and found her husband who was sad and pensive. From behind, the wife saw the husband's writing. Slowly she backed away and left the room. 15 minutes later she came back in and put down a piece of paper with the following words: “Last year, my husband finally managed to get rid of his gallbladder which had been making his stomach hurt for years. That same year, I am grateful that my husband was able to retire in a healthy and happy state of mind & body. I thank God he was given the opportunity to work and earn for 35 years to support our family. Now, my husband can spend more of his time writing, which has always been his hobby. In the same year, my 95 year old mother-in-law, without any pain, returned to God in peace. And still in the same year, God protected our son from harm in a terrible car accident. Our car was seriously damaged by the accident, but my son survived without any serious injuries.” In the last sentence his wife wrote: “Last year was a year full of extraordinary blessings from God, and we spent it full of wonder and gratitude.” The writer smiled with emotion, and warm tears flowed down his cheeks. He was grateful for a different point of view for every event he had gone through the past year. A different perspective of the same events now made him joyful. Friends, in this life we must understand that it is not happiness or joy that makes us grateful. It is *gratitude that makes us happy/joyful*! Let’s practise seeing events from a positive point of view and keep envy away from our hearts. _”We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”_ *Abraham Lincoln* |
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