DIVINE DOZES OF FAITH AND HOPE

    There are people, the world over, who do not believe in any kind of divine existence, for such people and for all those, whose very existence is dependent on divine faith and also for all those who are in between, I would like to share what I call the 'divine dozes of faith and hope’:

The ocean engulfing the blazing orange sun at dusk…

The ball of fire rising again the next morning to dispel the darkness…

Drops of water moistening a  thirsty and parched throat on a hot summer day…

A  lone tree offering shade to a traveller on a desolate road, with the sun overhead…

Golden sun rays filtering out of dark, dense clouds...

An earthern lamp lighting up a dark and dingy room…

The morning breeze blowing gently after a hot, humid and restless night…

Dew drops under your feet on an early morning walk in the garden…

Winding up at night after hours of physical and mental labor and stress…

Snuggling into a  warm and cozy bed on a cold and wintry day…

First few raindrops after days of hot, humid weather…

Puppy licks of your pet dog on a sad and tearful day…

The smile of a stranger in a lonely and friendless moment..

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A mother setting her eyes on her new born for the first time…

The toothless smile of  an infant on recognizing his mother…

The sympathetic ear of a mother during a teenage heart break…

The first time you took a few baby steps holding your father’s finger…

Being hugged by your brother or sister for the first time…

The love and care of a teacher during your kindergarten days...

The sound of church or temple bells ringing nearby…

Opening your eyes after a prolonged surgery…

      I and  even you could go on and on forever, for there are so many such ‘dozes of divine faith and hope’ that fill up our lives each day…remember just few of them in your moments of despair and feel the magical effect……..

MOTHER NATURE

Days turn into nights and nights into days, with regular rotation and precision,

Bringing in fresh desires and dreams, ever recharging you with renewed vigour.

Pain and gain, sunshine and rain, shades of all kinds of passion and emotion,

Bringing in serenity and tranquility in our lives, mother nature is a true giver.

All the quivers and shivers experienced during the freezing winter days,

 Are soon forgotten with the fragrance and freshness of the Spring Season.

All the nicks and pricks that pained you during the scorching summer days.

Are easily forgiven with the relief and respite brought  by the Rainy Season.

Sunrises and sunsets fill up the sky and earth with brilliant and radiant hues,

Calming your senses and slowing down your life full of hurries and scurries.

Blossoms and blooms  all around us, viridescence and fluorescence infuse ,

Pleasing your aesthetic senses and pushing aside all your worries and querries.

Simply sitting and staring at the sparkling waves  on the riverside and sea side,

Makes you connect and communicate with the universe and your inner being.

Driving down a twisting and turning road with rows of tall trees on either side,

Makes you just love  mother nature with it’s pure and  pristine beauty and being.

DIVINE SCHOOL AND DIVINE LESSONS

     I had quoted earlier, “The greatest lessons in life are learnt, not in any classrooms or through books but through life itself”…in continuation to that I wish to add…”no matter what your education and qualification might be, it cannot equip you with lessons needed to lead your life well or for that matter, move on in life steadily in the face of challenges”…some of the lessons that we learn in the divine school called life  or the ‘ divine lessons’ as I would like to call them, are:

 

Discipline:     If you think you have learnt all the lessons in discipline during your school days, you may well be mistaken, wait till you come across a situation when you have no choice but to follow a regime that you thought you were not capable of following  or sticking to…one that would put a soldier to shame and you end up asking yourself, ‘Is that me, I never thought I was capable of such tight and strict routines?’Yes, you end up surprising your own self…the plus point is that it instills in you  a feeling of fulfillment and gratification…in addition to that it enhances your self confidence and self esteem…the task of getting used to discipline is scary in the beginning but once you adapt and get used to the idea, you end up realizing it was easier  than you had envisaged.

A strong will: One does not have to be an Einsten to know that one needs a strong will to face life’s simplest to the most difficult testing times. Time  and more importantly “tough times’ help you to develop a strong will which only grows stronger as you grow older. In moments when you are longing to take a break, you need an iron will to plunge headlong into completion of tasks and taking up additional responsibilities, needless to say that it does not come easily! Nobody is born with a strong will, one acquires it along the way while dealing with life situations, tougher the situation, more the strengthening of the will. This definitely helps you to surge ahead and find a way, no wonder , they say,  “where there is a will there is a way”.

Patience: It is so often said “Patience is the art of concealing your impatience”, nothing can be more closer  to truth than this  but concealing impatience does not come easy, especially in difficult and tricky situations. Here again the lessons we learn from life situations, about ‘ being patient’, are greater than those learnt from parents at home and teachers in school. Time, age and experience build up your patience and life situations teach you the art of concealing your impatience. It requires immense effort to be patient but it really pays and helps you restore peace with others and within yourself.

Empathy: Another virtue so vital for your existence, which also happens to be the greatest leveller of all times or situations, is ‘empathy’…empathy for fellow beings…empathy for your kith and kin…empathy for other living beings…empathy for the environment…empathy for the ‘not so fortunate ones’ and so on and so forth. We are very often asked to have sympathy rather than empathy for others around us but life teaches us that if we wish to progress spiritually and make peace with others and our selves, empathy is the need of the times. As an educator, that too from the science field I have experienced that all the lessons in moral and environmental sciences do not make you have enough empathy for fellow beings or mother nature but your close encounters with life definitely help you gain this virtue in good measure. The proof of this can be seen in great number of youngsters  getting associated with NGO’S and environmental causes inspite of not having the relevant educational backgrounds.

Faith:   Faith in self and also in God or a Super power is another great example of what can be learnt very well through the divine school. There is an increase in assertiveness, aggressiveness  and awareness with every  new generation that comes up and  therefore also an increase in  their need to voice their opinion. There cannot be a more debatable topic than ‘faith’ amongst the youngsters, whether it is ‘ in self or others ‘ or the more controversial one, that is,in the supernatural . As you grow older and get a brush  with some of the realities of life, resulting in a variety of learning experiences, your  understanding and  belief in all kinds of  faith only deepens .Eventually each one of us realizes that it is impossible to go on without having faith in self, others and in the Almighty, in fact it becomes your greatest driving force, helping you overcome hurdles and sprint along.

   There are many more significant and not so significant lessons that we learn in the divine school called life…we do have a choice to procrastinate or for that matter be unwilling to relent, but the truth is that we can skip schooling or go through our school lessons half heartedly but we cannot escape these divine lessons that the divine school called life teach us.

Realization and Recognition of Divinty

“I cried and craved for the want of shoes until I came across someone without feet” so goes the age old saying...it is a well known fact that we all constantly crib about the suffering and shortcomings in our lives and often wallow in self pity till we hear, read or come across worse cases or circumstances. We all face situations when the going is really tough and full of challenges, during these times we can draw immense courage from the lives of others around us and even from our vast literature, both fiction and nonfiction.

     Ever since I grew up to read and understand mythological stories and tales from epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, I have often wondered whether they are based on facts or fiction. With the increase in age and the learning experiences thereof,  the lessons and morals that these epics have taught me, both in direct and subtle ways,  acquired more meaning than the actual stories they had to offer. Recently ,as I was learning to cope and come to terms with an unusual situation in my life and trying to figure out why I was denied the right to realize some of my basic dreams and desires that any normal being is entitled to, I gathered immense courage and confidence by recollecting what was conveyed through the epic ’Mahabharata’.I remembered how  the Pandavas,  inspite of being good and virtuous had to suffer at the hands of their evil cousins, the Kauravas,  and were exiled twice for 12 years during their lives. Along with that came the realization from my knowledge of 'Ramayana' that even today if peace and prosperity prevails in a city or country, the Indians compare it to ‘Ramrajya’ and yet even in Rama’s Era ,Lord Rama inspite of being an avatar, king and epitome of virtue, had to go to exile due to his step mother’s aspirations for her son Bharata. I thought to myself, if it could happen in ‘Satyug’ then why not in ‘Kalyug’? If it could happen to such great souls then why not to the ordinary souls like you and me.

    Moreover, for the Pandavas, there were equal number of friends and well wishers as there were foes and wicked doers and there came the rightly deserved justice at the end of all their trials and tribulations. Even so for Lord Rama if there was unfair and unjust Mata Kakayi , there was her son Bharata, the devoted and dutiful brother...if there was the wicked and evildoer Ravana, there was the kind  and god-fearing Vibhishan...if there were endless demons and dangers during the exile there were multiple number of devotees and die-hard loyalists... and there were celebrations and jubilations when Lord Rama returned to his kingdom...celebrations that continue to this day, millions of years later as  deepawali festivities. These tales of “victory of  good over evil” are a  great source of inspiration and motivation to thousands of ordinary mortals like me.

   Interestingly when we are happy, we are so oblivious to the fact that happiness and sorrow are two sides of the rotating picture of life, that we do not pay heed to the sorrows prevailing around us and when we are sad, we feel that we are suffering alone...until we share our sorrow with others around us. Pain is a great leveller and a great tutor... opening us externally and internally to the realities of life... making sure that we learn from all that we hear, read and observe around us. Suddenly we start lending a sympathetic ear to the woes of an ailing elder or a grief stricken neighbour...we start recollecting morals learnt from stories read during school days and those we heard from our grandparents...we start listening, reading or contributing to the spiritual columns and discourses...we start remembering and making more sense of the 'words of wisdom' meted out by parents throughout our upbringing... and above all we start looking beyond our own pain and sorrow and start realizing and recognizing that we are not alone...with this comes the understanding of the divine connection that exists between all human beings... and the significance of uplifting spirits through sharing and caring...and eventually the realization and recognition of divinity around us.

TRULY BLESSED TO BE BORN IN THIS DIVINE LAND

     It is indeed  a divine experience to be born in this country with it’s rich cultural heritage, traditions and customs and immense wealth of ancient scriptures spilling over with knowledge about the cosmos and wisdom of our ancient sages. I have always felt deeply connected with anything sacred and spiritual that these scriptures and the ancient manuscripts reveal , just  like several others in my country and even abroad. At the same time there are equal number of critics and non-believers though I have also seen that even the die-hard atheists are influenced and impressed with the immense wisdom that our ancient scriptures contain and try as we much we cannot escape being impressed by it at some point of our life or the other, specially if we are born as an Indian.

     I had heard and even read a few times about one such ancient “ knowledge and practice” called “Nadishastra” and was  full of intrigue and inquisitiveness to know more about this occult science.This opportunity came my way unexpectedly, when I got the information about a nearby centre through  my son’s friend and I decided to visit the place. On reaching the venue I was confronted by a typical south Indian priest who could barely talk in English or even for that matter in Hindi.  As we engaged in a preliminary conversation , discomfort  hung thick in the air. I was told to give my thumb impression, as is the practice and the basis of making predictions in this branch of occult science and asked me to wait in the adjoining room. Barely after five minutes the man came in with a bundle containing strips of ancient looking scriptures stringed  and tied together. He untied the strips gingerly, declaring that on the basis of my thumb print he had selected 20 odd strips and in those he would find the exact strip which would have the main events of my life scripted including the names of my close family members . 

     Barely had I braced myself up for this strange encounter, that the priest started chanting  shlokas, pausing in between to ask questions. During this process he started  eliminating some of the strips on the basis of the information gathered from my answers. The whole thing lasted for about 5-10 minutes at the end of which he declared my husband’s name and profession, names of my parents, that I had an elder son and a younger daughter and gave me their names and few  other details about my family .I was both fascinated and flustered  at the same time. He then asked me if I had any specific questions and I gave him my queries. He told me that he would write my details  in a booklet that he had with him, in Kannada(the local language) and get it translated for me later on.

     He then started writing down in the booklet, patiently and painstakingly, smoothly and steadily filling page after page, humming to himself all the time, visibly enjoying the task. I watched him initially with amusement and later with admiration for he was very unlike any other priest I had met before, who are normally always in a hurry to go over the proceedings. Since he took his own sweet time to write the details I glanced around the room and saw the life-sized portraits of two sages, recognizing one to be of Maharishi Agasthe about whom I had read once, two set of wooden padukas (footwear) were  also kept there along with the usual paraphernalia of a puja room. The environment was serene and the aroma of incense and sandalwood paste lingered in the room. After filling  4-5 pages he took up the task of translating whatever he had written, line by line,  filling me with details about my life. At the end he confirmed  what I head read about Nadi shastra, that all these scriptures had been written thousands of years back by the great Rishi Agasthe after years of  rigorous and deep meditation and there exists a record of almost every person existing today. I paid and thanked him and took  his leave, my mind a whirl pool of thoughts .

     As I walked back home, I was filled with awe and admiration for all the people associated with the ancient practices of worship ,meditation, astrology, astronomy and other fields of occult science. Their knowledge, the dedication and passion with which they pursued their goals is unparalleled and unimaginable in today’s times or even in those times in any other part of the world. Imagine writing about people who would be born thousands of years hence and also to be able to give their names and detailed predictions about their life, what kind of insight and intuitional powers these people possessed? And that too without much technology whereas today even in this hi-tech world our predictions are very often far from accurate. All this awareness makes us feel so insignificant in front of them.  I felt truly  blessed to have been born in this divine land and a believer in reincarnations, wished to be born again and again on this very land, my mother land. And  as if in sync with my sentiments and mood, I passed several gateways beautifully decorated with traditional rangolis in myriad colors and patterns, as thepeople of the nation got ready to celebrate the Makar Sankranti  festival in true traditional style.

Divine Blessings that help us Rejuvenate

THE DIVINE BLESSINGS THAT HELP US REJUVENATE

Life comprises of a series of ups and downs,joys and sorrows, pleasures and pains,successes and failures and we humans continue to cope with these extremities equipped with the survival extincts so characteristic of the human race.In our struggle to cope with these extremities and consequent learning to strike a balance between yearning for the good experiences and adapting to the bad ones develops in each one of us,the “power to rejuvenate”.

In today’s times ridden with the rarest of rare diseases, the fiercest of fierce competitions, the complexest of complex situations, the toughest of tough challenges and above all the highest of high potential threats to our existence,we humans should be heading the list of endangered species…yet we keep on growing miraculously, from strength to strength not only in numbers but also in all possible skills for survival…ever pondered over this mysterious phenomenon? Well none other than the “power to rejuvenate”, not just physically but even mentally. The power to rejuvenate is the most powerful gift that the universe and nature has provided to us.

It is said that not just humans but all life forms are made up of the five elements, namely-air ,water, soil, ether and fire.On close observation of stories of human suffering and their “ proverbial rise from the ashes”,it can be seen that the divine blessings that empower the human beings to rejuvenate, also come from these life giving elements of nature either in single forms or in various combinations and permutations or sometimes in a combination of all five of these elements.

I am sure you must be having several memories of going through agonizing physical or mental pain and finding a gradual release from that pain in the midst of nature in the form of a wift of fresh air while strolling in a garden or a gently blowing breeze at your favourite beach.Inhaling and exhaling this life giving and life sustaining force called air, slowly and rhythmically during pranayams and other yogic exercises is known to cure us of several physical and mental ailments.The breeze that fills up the sails of a boat and takes you sailing across rivers and seas,transporting you to tranquility and serenity,the wind that makes the windmills move to produce energy in an “energy starved globe” are only few more examples of the rejuvenating power that the element ‘air’ lends to the humans.

As for water,it does much more than just quenching your thirst and keeping you alive…the soothing effect of a bath specially under the shower, the soothing effect of washing your wound under running water,the therapeutic effect of swimming in your favourite poolside or the riverside,the blissful experience of soaking in the beauty of a waterfall by observing it and the healing experience of soaking yourself wet in the waterfall,the exhilarating experience of partaking in water rides and sports…and most important,the significance and effect of rain in our lives parched from not just the scorching heat of the sun but the agony of dealing with far too many burning issues that arise in our day to day life…the beauty of nature freshly bathed in the monsoon showers inspires many a poet and writer and even the common man to start living all over again!

And yet another element of nature,the soil or the earth, which yields unlimited resources to us through the life sustaining plants and trees that grow in it’s vastness, besides giving us food, fresh air and shelter,beautify this earth and make life worth living. Soil provides livelihood to millions of people and the most miraculous part that it plays in helping humans is, to go on producing tirelessly,over and over again from one crop to the other,from one season to the other and from one harvest to the other teaching us to develop the ‘never say die attitude’Besides it is known to be the biggest treasure vault-storing precious stones,metals,fuels and a host of valuable resources in its womb,no wonder we call it mother earth,creating a mysterious aura about it.’From dust unto dust’ is another universal truth that we learn from this powerful element ‘soil’ so vital in creating and nurturing us all,teaching us to face life surely and squarely and giving us lessons in humility and generosity.

Fire is the source and symbol of production and purification,it is as useful in creation as it is in destruction.In form of solar heat it is responsible for producing food in the plants and in the form of body heat it is responsible for digestion and other metabolic activities taking place in all life forms.It has life transforming and healing properties.The Sun, the epitome of the element ‘fire’ is the universal source of all energy forms that help all living forms survive. The power it has in creation, through which it helps in unfolding of new life forms as in germination,in development through which it helps in growth of so many life forms and in procreation through which it helps in the survival of all life forms. No wonder we delight in worshipping the Sun.Heat is not the only energy form that fire provides,light is yet another important energy source that it provides,illuminating our lives literally and figuratively.The effect of lighting thousands of candles in a church or in a demonstration,lighting thousands of lamps during festivals and rituals,lighting thousands of torches to make a journey through darkness is as enlightening as it is mesmerising,bringing to light the great lessons of rejuvenation that the element ‘fire’, teaches us.

Another element ether or space, symbolizes the vastness and infiniteness of the universe. It teaches us that there exists space for all life forms from the minutest to the largest,it teaches us about the expansive nature of the universe allowing all life forms to co-exist,it teaches us about the oneness of all life forms specially humanity it teaches us humility on one hand by bringing in the realiztion that we are but a tiny drop in the ocean of humanity or rather millions of life forms that make up the universe and on the otherhand it teaches us about the immense power that we are gifted with,the power to create, the power to transform, the power to heal, the power to unravel the mysteries of the universe and the power to rejuvenate.
As I said these elements inspire and instill in us the power to rejuvenate and surge ahead in life either as solo entities or in combinations-the creation of day and night caused by the movement of celestial bodies,the earth and the sun, is the cause of bringing in fresh energy and vigour in our lives every morning and relief and relaxation to rejuvenate ourselves every night…it does not require us to be a rocket scientist to understand what life could have been if day did not follow night and viceversa.Similarly the change of seasons…the relief of monsoon after a scorching summer…the burst of spring after the fall…the respite of summer after the freezing winter…and so on and so forth…all these empower us with important means of rejuvenation by instilling in us values such as patience and perseverance,acceptance and tolerance,service and selflessness to name just a few.

Finally the most signifcant creation of the universe,the humans that comprise of all the five elements, possess the maximum potential and power to not only rejuvenate but also help others rejuvenate! Provided they are willing to learn the valuable lessons that these elements impart. Can you ever forget the solace and strength you regained through the touch of a friendly hand or the healing power of a listening ear,a friendly smile,a loving look,a warm embrace,a caring attitude and above all a forgiving heart? We humans have as much power to hurt as to heal ourselves and others,as much power to ruin or resurrect the self and others around us ,as much power to accept defeat as to conquer the self and the rest of the world,as much power to resign under difficult circumstances or to rejuvenate and recreate better circumstances…we just need to observe, understand and imbibe the lessons of rejuvenation that all the elements of nature are forever imparting to us since time immemorial.

So just wake up to the innumerable divine blessings that inspire you to rejuvenate,be grateful for all those blessings and lessons that come your way including the painful ones…and the world is all yours to conquer… come on,beat the fastest known regenerating living creature,the star fish… use the power of rejuvenation you possess and be the star you are destined to be.

MY HANDS WERE BUSY

Today is a day devoted to discovering and pondering over the true sentiments of a parent,specially an Indian parent…I shared a poem dedicated to my daughter and all the daughters of the world, today, so how can I be unfair to my son and all other sons of the world and the beautiful and divine bonding between” a mother and son duo “or for that matter” a father and son duo”…I challenge you ,you are not a true Indain parent if this poem does not bring tears to your eyes…

MY HANDS WERE BUSY…

My hands were busy through the day,
I didn’t have much time to play
The little games you asked me to
I didn’t have much time for you.

I’d wash your clothes;I’d sew and cook,
But when you’d bring your picture book
And ask me,please, to share your fun,
I’d say ,”A little later son.”

I’d tuck you in all safe at night,
And hear your prayers,turn out the light,
Then tip toe softly to the door
I wish I’d stayed a minute more.

For life is short, and years rush past,
A little boy grows up so fast,
No longer is he at your side,
His precious secrets to confide.

The picture books are put away,
There are no children’s games to play
No goodnight kiss, no prayer to hear,
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands once busy, now lie still,
The days are long and hard to fill
I wish I might go back and do,
The little things you asked me to…
Here’s hoping that folks of my generation are fortunate enough to spend quality time with their grandchildren and compensate in a some ways, before we finally bid goodbye… and the young parents can take a cue from this beautiful poem…happy parenting!!!

The divine bond that exists between mother and daughter

THE DIVINE BOND THAT EXISTS BETWEEN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

I recently re-discovered this beautiful poem that I had read and immediately penned down for my daughter in my own hand and given it to her…I think it’s simply ethereal and eternal and speaks volumes of a mother’s love for her daughter and the divine bond that they share…I write this for all the mothers out there who would echo the same sentiment…please share it with your daughters and friends and all mothers…

HOW MUCH YOU MEAN TO ME…

Do you know how much you mean to me,

As you grow into what you will be?

You come from within, from just beneath my heart,

It’s there you’ll always be, though your own life will now start.

I know sometimes to you, I seem harsh and so unfair,

But one day you will see, I taught you well because I care.

The next few years will so quickly fly,

With laughter and joy, mixed with a few tears to cry.

As you begin your growth to womanhood ,this fact you must know-

You’ll always be my source of pride, no matter where you go.

You must stand up tall and proud, within you feel no fear,

For all your dreams and goals, sit before you very near.

With God’s love in your heart and the world by it’s tail’

You’ll always be a winner, and victory will prevail.

For you this poem was written with help from above,

To tell you in a rhythm, of your mother’s heartfelt love!