My new year resolution finally came true. It took me nearly 2 years to break down the barriers I'd put around me. When I first relocated to India, I was averse to working in the software/ IT industry, primarily because I had a Masters, journal publication, research experience and so on - merely reasons to convince others. But the real reason was, I didn't want to be one among the masses and was fearful of total disrespect the industry has for work-life balance. Over the past 2 years there has been a change of heart though the conditions haven't really changed externally. Opportunities for research are still very limited in Bangalore, especially in the private sector. Those that really do great r&d don't recruit a non-PhD, the vice-versa being true too. Thus, I'd been caught unawares belonging to neither group fully. I had merely followed the stream of events that led me to specialize in an obscure branch of knowledge that is quite unmarketable without core software skills! On careful analysis of my personality, I found that I'm not even the type that can dedicate decades to solving one single problem, which is the profile of a true researcher. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the past few years in research.
There have been a lot of learnings from this job, which I'll soon be done with. Setting time bound goals is crucial. This necessitates creating desires artificially, even if I don't feel like it. All this is due to the mad rat race & fiercely competitive environment. In a running race, if you take the break to enjoy the scenery, you not only don't finish among the top, if there're too many people running frantically, you also run the risk of being run over in a stampede! The other important take away is to always be diplomatic. Never express what's on your mind instantly, however important & urgent you think it is. Always hide your true intentions, at the cost of putting on a mask. Even if you're stabbing somebody with a knife, the person should feel you're doing him a favor. After all, the life that one leads isn't remotely related to one's true nature anyway. The other lesson is to give the higher-ups a great impression of oneself, even if it is as mundane as staying late just to appear busy and the 'hard-working' type. Of course, true worth will always shine through, but why make things tougher by being modest! My favorite quote here is 'perception is reality to that person'. How true! If only everybody understood this, there would never be any quarrels. Some of this runs contrary to the intuitive feeling of what constitutes highly ethical and moral behavior (sathwick qualities). As long as the intentions are good & there is a solid inner spiritual strength, these will merely be like flakes of snow melting in the sun.
All in all, there are no regrets whatsoever, only a multitude of experiences. I've immensely enjoyed the journey so far, even if it means branching off to alien lands now. I have created concrete desires which might seem too ambitious, but like the heavy stone sinking to the bottom without getting carried by the current, these will eventually hit their mark. Once you hold something as accomplished in your mind and believe very firmly in it, it is merely a matter of time before it actually happens. This approach combined with the Bhagavad Gita philosophy of detaching yourself from actions and not craving for results is a great way of balancing material progress with spiritual growth.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
How to bring a city to it’s knees!
Last Wednesday was a fateful day for Kannadigas & Bangaloreans. Dr.Rajkumar, the ever-green super star of Kannada filmdom (Sandalwood!) passed away peacefully. But the rest of the story was far from peaceful. People turned up in large numbers to bid adieu to their idol and on the way decided to have some sadistic fun. What followed was total chaos, death and destruction. The sense of security of people used to living in cocoons was shattered. The entire incident is just a huge magnification of the chaos and destruction that happens daily in the city, though not in a collected fashion. While the barbaric acts are certainly not to be condoned, it is time the causes are understood more clearly, rather than focusing entirely on the trigger. There will be more such incidents in the future since the causes lie dormant, like a volcano waiting for a small fissure to erupt in all it’s fury.
The city of Bangalore is like a huge system that needs many functional sub-units to keep it going. It is similar to a living being, albeit one diseased in body & depressed in mind. Imagine snatching a favorite toy permanently away from a possessive & depressed child of great strength. Toys come and go & snatching keeps happening, but a permanent cure is to uproot the disease itself! What ails the city? That’s the easiest question that the auto-driver can answer as well as the Harvard educated businessman! There is deep-rooted simmering discontent about what the unplanned growth (IT or otherwise) has done to the city. The quality of life has decayed terribly. There is a wide chasm between the haves and the have-nots. The haves take home tens of thousands of rupees every month & are rarely exposed to the atmosphere, while the have-nots take home tens of thousands of rupees over the course of a decade & toil from the mid-day sun to the midnight moon for a simple meal. Kannada has taken a back seat so much so that speaking the language is considered shameful in many posh settings. There is also the larger issue of lack of public idols. The masses rarely have an individual in a position of power that they can look up to and aspire to emulate. This is a direct fallout of the corrupt system entrenched with money laundering politicians.
Well, what can be done then? Proactive and wise developmental plans have to be set in motion and completed on time. Reservation and such hare-brained ideas have to be shelved. Judicial system with corrupt rotten judges has to be revamped. Focus has to shift on improving the life of common people without neglecting high-end development. There is a long wish list that’s easier said than done. While my complete sympathies rest with the people affected adversely, this sort of thing will continue to happen. The system gets what it gives. The law of karma is brutal and operates collectively too. As such, I have no sympathies for the system, of which I too am a part, but not in a position of influence or power to do much about it!
The city of Bangalore is like a huge system that needs many functional sub-units to keep it going. It is similar to a living being, albeit one diseased in body & depressed in mind. Imagine snatching a favorite toy permanently away from a possessive & depressed child of great strength. Toys come and go & snatching keeps happening, but a permanent cure is to uproot the disease itself! What ails the city? That’s the easiest question that the auto-driver can answer as well as the Harvard educated businessman! There is deep-rooted simmering discontent about what the unplanned growth (IT or otherwise) has done to the city. The quality of life has decayed terribly. There is a wide chasm between the haves and the have-nots. The haves take home tens of thousands of rupees every month & are rarely exposed to the atmosphere, while the have-nots take home tens of thousands of rupees over the course of a decade & toil from the mid-day sun to the midnight moon for a simple meal. Kannada has taken a back seat so much so that speaking the language is considered shameful in many posh settings. There is also the larger issue of lack of public idols. The masses rarely have an individual in a position of power that they can look up to and aspire to emulate. This is a direct fallout of the corrupt system entrenched with money laundering politicians.
Well, what can be done then? Proactive and wise developmental plans have to be set in motion and completed on time. Reservation and such hare-brained ideas have to be shelved. Judicial system with corrupt rotten judges has to be revamped. Focus has to shift on improving the life of common people without neglecting high-end development. There is a long wish list that’s easier said than done. While my complete sympathies rest with the people affected adversely, this sort of thing will continue to happen. The system gets what it gives. The law of karma is brutal and operates collectively too. As such, I have no sympathies for the system, of which I too am a part, but not in a position of influence or power to do much about it!
Monday, April 10, 2006
A trip divine
Suddenly on a Thursday afternoon I decided to make a trip all alone for 2 days to Sringeri. There was vehement opposition from home - perhaps they suspected, as they have in the past that I might get swayed away from the so called 'normal' accepted life that humans live. When I informed my friends while on the trip that I had gone alone, sympathies poured in from all over. It was considered unthinkable that a person would travel alone. This is attributed to the confusion most people have between being alone and being lonely. Alone & not feeling lonely is the most wonderful state of being, especially in silence & contemplation. Lonely is the worst state known to the human mind & affects a large number of people especially in advanced countries. If you cannot enjoy being alone, you'll never enjoy with anybody else, be it humans or pets or in exotic locations. On the other hand, one can be lonely even in the midst of a bustling crowd, lots of friends & relatives and so on. Being comfortably alone arises from a state of compeleteness, of oneness with all of existence. Being lonely arises from the ego, from the sake of wanting someone or something to feel complete & this is totally natural since ignorance hides the real nature of the self that includes all.
Coming back to the subject, Sringeri is one of the four mutts founded by none other than Adi Shankaracharya. Take a look at their website at
http://jagadgurus.org/ . Since then, the unbroken lineage of Jagadgurus have drawn scores of people who come in search of solace or just to witness a confirmed jnani! The whole place appeals so much since it has temples, a river, some forests, plenty of space to sit in silence and is rarely crowded except on special occasions. This becomes especially important, since most temples these days are heavily crowded and noisy. To get to a silent place, you need to travel far away & get into one of the upper-class resorts in the jungle. But here, one need not fork out princely sums and book months in advance to have a decent roof over the head. One need not go in search of exotic restaurants for some great piping hot food. There is even a patha-shaala (vedic school) in the traditional Gurukula mode imparting Vedic education to many enthusiastic disciples of all ages. In the evenings, one can listen to the melodious strains of Karnatic classical music. The puja, chanting and the whole atmosphere transports one to the mythical times that we've only heard or read about, provided you keep the mind calm & free of worries about what's happening back home!
All in all, an amazing experience. I wouldn't want to go there with anybody but my self :-). I wouldn’t want to listen to anybody, but the silence of my heart.
Coming back to the subject, Sringeri is one of the four mutts founded by none other than Adi Shankaracharya. Take a look at their website at
http://jagadgurus.org/ . Since then, the unbroken lineage of Jagadgurus have drawn scores of people who come in search of solace or just to witness a confirmed jnani! The whole place appeals so much since it has temples, a river, some forests, plenty of space to sit in silence and is rarely crowded except on special occasions. This becomes especially important, since most temples these days are heavily crowded and noisy. To get to a silent place, you need to travel far away & get into one of the upper-class resorts in the jungle. But here, one need not fork out princely sums and book months in advance to have a decent roof over the head. One need not go in search of exotic restaurants for some great piping hot food. There is even a patha-shaala (vedic school) in the traditional Gurukula mode imparting Vedic education to many enthusiastic disciples of all ages. In the evenings, one can listen to the melodious strains of Karnatic classical music. The puja, chanting and the whole atmosphere transports one to the mythical times that we've only heard or read about, provided you keep the mind calm & free of worries about what's happening back home!
All in all, an amazing experience. I wouldn't want to go there with anybody but my self :-). I wouldn’t want to listen to anybody, but the silence of my heart.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Pleasurable vagaries
Millions of stars start to wink at me,
Beckoning me to the abode with no boundaries.
The rabbit leaps out of the moon
Smiling graciously at my mundane existence,
Beckoning me to come frolic on a land
That promises fantasy and more.
The night sky appears in its regal splendor
Bedecked like an emperor out on a roll,
Like the way it was meant to be.
Noise from idle distractions waft no more
Finally, one can hear the sound of a trillion thoughts
That makes thee mind numb with fright!
Some think the silence is deafening;
Like the way it was meant to be.
The pure elements bask in their own light
Making one frolic as a lamb with no plight!
Like the way it was meant to be.
O, what a glorious night this is,
May the KEB power Gods heed my prayers,
To bestow on me in all their kindness,
Darkness and silence night after night!
Beckoning me to the abode with no boundaries.
The rabbit leaps out of the moon
Smiling graciously at my mundane existence,
Beckoning me to come frolic on a land
That promises fantasy and more.
The night sky appears in its regal splendor
Bedecked like an emperor out on a roll,
Like the way it was meant to be.
Noise from idle distractions waft no more
Finally, one can hear the sound of a trillion thoughts
That makes thee mind numb with fright!
Some think the silence is deafening;
Like the way it was meant to be.
The pure elements bask in their own light
Making one frolic as a lamb with no plight!
Like the way it was meant to be.
O, what a glorious night this is,
May the KEB power Gods heed my prayers,
To bestow on me in all their kindness,
Darkness and silence night after night!
Astrology - Science or pseudo-science ?
This is one of the most common debates..something that one can never convince somebody on the other side of the fence. Most people are sitting on the fence regarding this issue. Even before delving into pros & cons, we need to have a clear understanding of what 'Science' really means to us. As commonly accepted, it is a set of laws based on observation of phenomenon & characterized using a formal methodology which we call as Mathematics. Inherently, what you can express in words is limited by the language you use. So also is the case with Science, often limited by the observable phenomenon & the Mathematical conjectures developed over 1000s of years. What if the formal body of knowledge had come to be defined in a different way ? Would that have changed our concept of accepted beliefs ?
One of the foundational reasons why we call some conclusion Scientific is usually because of the certainty we associate with it. I feel I know with 100% conviction that the apple that detaches itself from the tree will fall only down & not up. In practice, every prediction is probabilistic, always lying between 0 & 1, but never either of these. It is on this premise that Astrology can be called a Science, albeit a probabilistic one, just like anything else. Now it becomes much easier to understand that perhaps some planet somewhere has an effect, however small on us.
There is a much deeper significance to astrology. The planetary system is a macro-cosmic model of the human micro-cosm. The planets relate in some way to the chakras, subtle sources of energy as yet un-discovered by mainstream Science. Everything in the Universe being interconnected in some way, it is not preposterous to assume this just because the laws of interaction are unknown! By themselves they have neither a good nor a bad effect. However, what they do is to activate the karmic tendencies already present in the psyche. I’ve been amazed by the accuracy with which the astrologer can predict your nature & the past without any prior information.
Some pointers to astrology is the chapter from “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramhansa Yogananda discussing this subject in depth. This book, by the way is my all time favorite read & it’s what got me started & interested in self-discovery.
Finally, information is constantly present in the universe. It is up to us to make sense of it & apply it to the task at hand. That is all astrology does – provide a means where information can be meaningfully interpreted. I say this from a simple experience. It was in the back of my mind for past few days to buy additional stock of bathing soap, but I kept forgetting. Yesterday, while on the bus back home, I saw this ad. for soap & it suddenly reminded me to do the needful! All the ad. did was to activate the intent for action already at the back of my mind. So do the planets & the horoscope is merely capturing details of that! All this is in a probabilistic sense as I mentioned earlier!
One of the foundational reasons why we call some conclusion Scientific is usually because of the certainty we associate with it. I feel I know with 100% conviction that the apple that detaches itself from the tree will fall only down & not up. In practice, every prediction is probabilistic, always lying between 0 & 1, but never either of these. It is on this premise that Astrology can be called a Science, albeit a probabilistic one, just like anything else. Now it becomes much easier to understand that perhaps some planet somewhere has an effect, however small on us.
There is a much deeper significance to astrology. The planetary system is a macro-cosmic model of the human micro-cosm. The planets relate in some way to the chakras, subtle sources of energy as yet un-discovered by mainstream Science. Everything in the Universe being interconnected in some way, it is not preposterous to assume this just because the laws of interaction are unknown! By themselves they have neither a good nor a bad effect. However, what they do is to activate the karmic tendencies already present in the psyche. I’ve been amazed by the accuracy with which the astrologer can predict your nature & the past without any prior information.
Some pointers to astrology is the chapter from “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramhansa Yogananda discussing this subject in depth. This book, by the way is my all time favorite read & it’s what got me started & interested in self-discovery.
Finally, information is constantly present in the universe. It is up to us to make sense of it & apply it to the task at hand. That is all astrology does – provide a means where information can be meaningfully interpreted. I say this from a simple experience. It was in the back of my mind for past few days to buy additional stock of bathing soap, but I kept forgetting. Yesterday, while on the bus back home, I saw this ad. for soap & it suddenly reminded me to do the needful! All the ad. did was to activate the intent for action already at the back of my mind. So do the planets & the horoscope is merely capturing details of that! All this is in a probabilistic sense as I mentioned earlier!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Some workdays
These days that slip by so slowly
That I feel like a snail on the track of time
Unable to move any faster on this long journey
Seeing others move by faster than I can blink
All I can do is find many ways to think
Of ways to escape this drudgery that haunts me
Everything around me is so still
It feels like eternity has descended on this moment!
That I feel like a snail on the track of time
Unable to move any faster on this long journey
Seeing others move by faster than I can blink
All I can do is find many ways to think
Of ways to escape this drudgery that haunts me
Everything around me is so still
It feels like eternity has descended on this moment!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the storm
This is the first stanza from the song 'Riders on the storm' by Doors. It's a wonderful song & you probably need to be doped to get the full effect. Else you need to be philosophical to begin to understand its implications. Actually, it's quite simple. I had no control over which body to take on, which family to be born into, the part of the world to be born into, what kind of intellect/mind etc to possess. Coming to think of it, these are THE defining factors that're shaping the course of this life, which I sometimes think is mine. If I had absolutely no control whatsoever on these super critical factors, then how much control do I really have on daily activities & other more significant events? It's a chilling reality check on all of us who keep spending the present making plans for the future!
Riders on the storm
Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the storm
This is the first stanza from the song 'Riders on the storm' by Doors. It's a wonderful song & you probably need to be doped to get the full effect. Else you need to be philosophical to begin to understand its implications. Actually, it's quite simple. I had no control over which body to take on, which family to be born into, the part of the world to be born into, what kind of intellect/mind etc to possess. Coming to think of it, these are THE defining factors that're shaping the course of this life, which I sometimes think is mine. If I had absolutely no control whatsoever on these super critical factors, then how much control do I really have on daily activities & other more significant events? It's a chilling reality check on all of us who keep spending the present making plans for the future!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Wishful desires
Living a life where you're constantly evaluated, compared & dissected w.r.t others in your category is no fun. But that's the sort of life most of us lead or are forced to lead. It's a rat race, especially in the highly competitive corporate world, where there's no altruism, hardly any friendship (really!) & a carrot hanging in the front & stick behind the back! I for one know in my heart of hearts (whatever that is!) that all I desire is a life of quietude with no responsibilities, no goals, living with nature & just experiencing the joy of being one with everything. I'm still waiting for that day, when I can break free of all shackles, though I'm very much aware every bondage is only in the mind. A life of renunciation from the world! Some call it escapism, but truly, there's no need to prove your so called 'self' (as in yourself), simply because most people aren't even aware of their true self, always mistaking the body-mind complex to be that! Besides, aren't we all escapists in some sense or the other? We're striving hard to escape from the troubles of living, be it noise, pollution, troubled relationships, financial hassles..always trying to move to a physical, emotional, monetary or other plane that we perceive to be higher than our present! Perhaps that's a negative way of looking at it, but it all boils down to a pain vs pleasure weighing act. What better escape is there than to break free from the notion of being an entity limited in time-space?! I now realize that's the very important goal of all difficulties...to know that there's a place where everything is you, nothing is desired, all is bliss, lasting forever...something the mind just leaps with joy even at the very mention of, but becomes sad thinking no such existence is even possible!
Friday, February 17, 2006
Moments...
The only way to live life,
Is moment by moment,
Making no comparisons,
Thinking of everything in life
As the best possible
For me at that moment!
Is moment by moment,
Making no comparisons,
Thinking of everything in life
As the best possible
For me at that moment!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
All roads lead to...
There are many paths to the infinite (in reality there is only the infinite, no ignorance & no need for any of this. But the ignorant have a different perspective). Most well known among them are the bhakti, jnana and yoga margas. Bhakti is well suited for highly emotional people. Jnana follows the art of discrimination & constantly watching the mind. Yoga deals with controlling the mind through various psycho-physical exercises. It is not merely a matter of choice in choosing these paths, but rather, every individual depending on his tendencies at different points of time falls in line predominantly with one of these. It is hard to argue or compare benefits of each of these paths. But the result & goal of all are the same, to get beyond the mind & the physical and thereby realize that all is one. In yoga, one focuses on raising the kundalini to the sahasrara chakra. In bhakti one completely surrenders ones ego to a higher power. In jnana, one constantly discriminates between the real and the unreal. So here too, for instance on self enquiry, the kundalini would rise up, the ego gets destroyed, but the focus is not on these means! Some of the well known spiritual leaders who followed & advocated the bhakti path are Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Chaitanya & the followers of the various dieties like Krishna. Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj are the proponents of the self enquiry mode. The Yoga masters are numerous, such as Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda, AOL founder Sri Sri Ravishankar. What I've found is that Jnana or discrimination alone becomes too dry & unemotional while Yoga & Bhakti add a lot of spice or adventure to the process. This is in the form of visions, siddhis & such accompaniments. At the same time, both yoga & bhakti pre-suppose or force you to acknowledge & live in duality. There is then a constant anticipation that something has to be done to attain liberation! This sort of dichotomy alone accounts for ignorance. Also, yoga or meditation & prayer are usually time bound activities requiring one to dedicate a certain period for this. Discrimination on the other hand can continue during all sorts of normal routines. One may argue that only a clear & purified mind is capable of self enquiry or discrimination, which is quite true. Perhaps that is one of the main reasons bhakti & yoga are advocated for the corrupt kali-yuga! There is no debate or conclusion here, but personally, I prefer to stick to all the paths in some form or at certain periods. Once a deeper understanding is gained, it is seen that these are all complementary & not really competitive paths!
Friday, January 20, 2006
HaHaHa :-))
This is simply too hilarious. Do not look for deeper meanings, sect bashing or even try to follow any of these. Just LOL or ROFL till your guts ache. That's chat lingo for rolling on the floor with laughter.
Here's the link to brighten your day or night:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1688285,00.html
Here's the link to brighten your day or night:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,,1688285,00.html
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Idling
Am just really bored today. There have been many occasions when I've been listless, aimless & just wandering around. This used to happen more often when I was an under-grad engineering student. These days, such occasions are much fewer & farther between.
In such instances, I don't even feel like focusing & reading general articles on the web. It's as if the energy tank has run dry, or rather, the plumbing to supply energy to the activities of the mind-body isn't that efficient. Surprisingly, the stress level is also higher than when there's just sufficient work to do!
As for the causes - there might be many. Biorhythm fluctuates through the day. Food plays a crucial part in making one feel energetic. Things in the back of the mind can sap the energy on a sub-conscious level. Breathing pattern is different at such times, usually shallow. Lack of enthusiasm & motivation targeted specifically at an outcome can be a sympton hard to identify. Though it looks quite easy to fix this, a combination of the innumerable causes combine to render most remedies useless.
Thank God for 8-hour workdays. Pray for Europe-like 35 hr workdays with siesta thrown in ;-) Is it hard to guess that I'm all for Bertrand Russell’s 'In praise of idleness’? Read this here -
http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html
In such instances, I don't even feel like focusing & reading general articles on the web. It's as if the energy tank has run dry, or rather, the plumbing to supply energy to the activities of the mind-body isn't that efficient. Surprisingly, the stress level is also higher than when there's just sufficient work to do!
As for the causes - there might be many. Biorhythm fluctuates through the day. Food plays a crucial part in making one feel energetic. Things in the back of the mind can sap the energy on a sub-conscious level. Breathing pattern is different at such times, usually shallow. Lack of enthusiasm & motivation targeted specifically at an outcome can be a sympton hard to identify. Though it looks quite easy to fix this, a combination of the innumerable causes combine to render most remedies useless.
Thank God for 8-hour workdays. Pray for Europe-like 35 hr workdays with siesta thrown in ;-) Is it hard to guess that I'm all for Bertrand Russell’s 'In praise of idleness’? Read this here -
http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html
Friday, December 30, 2005
Happy new year!
Here's wishing everybody who reads this a very prosperous & fruitful new year! May 2006 be the harbinger of glorious dreams & signal the end of frightful nightmares.
But coming to think of it, sometimes I wonder if this isn't all just a marketing hype. After all, it is just another day like any other. As long as it gives reason to celebrate & reason to cheer, to be with friends & family it's all good.
On my part, there is only 1 resolution. To boost my career & earnings, which due to a lack of any direction or desire on my part (taking things easy, as they come) was going in a spiral of it's own! While lack of desires is a great state in spiritual progress, it has grave downfalls in the material world we live in. You then run the risk of being pushed in the direction of other people's desires & consequently events might not always be in your favor. All if fine, but when the ego wakes up, things are not in the best shape! Thus, it is best to have constructive general goals & desires to shape the course of life. This was a crucial takeaway for me from 2005.
What are your new year resolutions, how did 2005 treat you & how did you celebrate the eve of new year?
But coming to think of it, sometimes I wonder if this isn't all just a marketing hype. After all, it is just another day like any other. As long as it gives reason to celebrate & reason to cheer, to be with friends & family it's all good.
On my part, there is only 1 resolution. To boost my career & earnings, which due to a lack of any direction or desire on my part (taking things easy, as they come) was going in a spiral of it's own! While lack of desires is a great state in spiritual progress, it has grave downfalls in the material world we live in. You then run the risk of being pushed in the direction of other people's desires & consequently events might not always be in your favor. All if fine, but when the ego wakes up, things are not in the best shape! Thus, it is best to have constructive general goals & desires to shape the course of life. This was a crucial takeaway for me from 2005.
What are your new year resolutions, how did 2005 treat you & how did you celebrate the eve of new year?
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Fear factor
The heard began to pound harder. The breathing became irregular. I suddenly froze in my seat. I had a great chance to observe the primal instinct called fear. Other than these physical reactions, there was nothing more to fear, which was a breather. Thank God for fear, for it's a survival mechanism developed over the ages. A huge beast of the jungle weighing several tonnes stood right in front of me. One step & it could have ended my life treating me like a mere twig. How fragile is human life in such uncontrolled situations!
Luckily I wasn't alone. My friends & I were in a jeep in the jungle of Bandipur on a safari. The able driver knew at once what he had to do in such a situation. The elephant herd had been watched by us for a while. But this was sudden, a part of the fight or flight mechanism when threatened. In the jungle, live by the law of the wild. It would've been obvious we had no chance, but the driver bravely revved up the engine & stood his ground without backing out. The standoff continued a while, before the mammoth suddenly realized we're not going to give in. It beat a hasty retreat & without looking back, we raced ahead for 10 minutes. The driver, a forest official later told us that had he reversed, the animal would've taken that as a sign of bowing down & would've chased us...that would be much worse, traveling in reverse gear, chased at high speeds!! But really, all this was not as gory as I describe. In fact, I'd been wishing since that morning for such an experience. Once again, a wish come true & no regrets for wishing either! Moral here - be careful what you wish for, cause it just might come true!
Having started off on the trip without booking any accommodation or making any concrete plans, a bunch of us went on this totally disorganized trip to Bandipur national park. Refusing to shell out 2000 bucks for a single day's stay at one of the luxurious cottages, we scouted around helplessly. A forest guard took mercy on us & decided to make a quick buck. Promising us of a comfortable stay at a forest guest house up on Himavad Gopalaswamy hill, he took a bribe from us & hopped onto our taxi. Going all the way up, we were amazed at the seclusion & scenic beauty up there. The lodging was not worth being called by that name! But being nature freaks, we decided to stay there. He conned us into thinking there's no food available there, so we had to come down & pack a dinner. Meanwhile, this bugger gets totally tipsy as he's unable to make up his mind between arrack & whisky! Late at night, with nowhere to go & nobody to guide us to this lodge with no light, we're torn between dreams of a romantic stay up the hill & comfort of a decent roof on the other! Finally, the feeble minded weaklings amongst us persuade us to choose the latter & we give in. It was amazing to what lengths corruption has pervaded people's psyche in India. Lure of money & booze ruled this guy's mind & he capitalized justly on our dire needs as well. Moral here - money rules & dictates lives of most people!
All in all, the trip turned out great fun as usual. Despite total lack of planning events fell in place quite well. Adventure quotient was very high due to this lack of order. As for me, I'm still unable to make up my mind whether advance booking & such tame activities are preferable on trips! I cannot resist comparing this with life itself. I'm still not fully convinced that I need to plan ahead in life, cause mostly things fall in place as long as a general direction is maintained & some fundamentals are adhered to. After all, plans have a mind of their own :-)
Luckily I wasn't alone. My friends & I were in a jeep in the jungle of Bandipur on a safari. The able driver knew at once what he had to do in such a situation. The elephant herd had been watched by us for a while. But this was sudden, a part of the fight or flight mechanism when threatened. In the jungle, live by the law of the wild. It would've been obvious we had no chance, but the driver bravely revved up the engine & stood his ground without backing out. The standoff continued a while, before the mammoth suddenly realized we're not going to give in. It beat a hasty retreat & without looking back, we raced ahead for 10 minutes. The driver, a forest official later told us that had he reversed, the animal would've taken that as a sign of bowing down & would've chased us...that would be much worse, traveling in reverse gear, chased at high speeds!! But really, all this was not as gory as I describe. In fact, I'd been wishing since that morning for such an experience. Once again, a wish come true & no regrets for wishing either! Moral here - be careful what you wish for, cause it just might come true!
Having started off on the trip without booking any accommodation or making any concrete plans, a bunch of us went on this totally disorganized trip to Bandipur national park. Refusing to shell out 2000 bucks for a single day's stay at one of the luxurious cottages, we scouted around helplessly. A forest guard took mercy on us & decided to make a quick buck. Promising us of a comfortable stay at a forest guest house up on Himavad Gopalaswamy hill, he took a bribe from us & hopped onto our taxi. Going all the way up, we were amazed at the seclusion & scenic beauty up there. The lodging was not worth being called by that name! But being nature freaks, we decided to stay there. He conned us into thinking there's no food available there, so we had to come down & pack a dinner. Meanwhile, this bugger gets totally tipsy as he's unable to make up his mind between arrack & whisky! Late at night, with nowhere to go & nobody to guide us to this lodge with no light, we're torn between dreams of a romantic stay up the hill & comfort of a decent roof on the other! Finally, the feeble minded weaklings amongst us persuade us to choose the latter & we give in. It was amazing to what lengths corruption has pervaded people's psyche in India. Lure of money & booze ruled this guy's mind & he capitalized justly on our dire needs as well. Moral here - money rules & dictates lives of most people!
All in all, the trip turned out great fun as usual. Despite total lack of planning events fell in place quite well. Adventure quotient was very high due to this lack of order. As for me, I'm still unable to make up my mind whether advance booking & such tame activities are preferable on trips! I cannot resist comparing this with life itself. I'm still not fully convinced that I need to plan ahead in life, cause mostly things fall in place as long as a general direction is maintained & some fundamentals are adhered to. After all, plans have a mind of their own :-)
Monday, December 19, 2005
Fruity tastes
"The ripening takes time, the fruit falls immediately" - thus says Nisrgadatta Maharaj. The same fruit was used for so many different analogies. In the garden of Eden, Adam bit the forbidden fruit & the obvious happened ;-). Newton saw a fruit falling & thanks to him, the whole world knows of the wonderful law of gravity. It's another matter what would've happened if none of us knew the gravity of the situation!!
After meandering, coming back to the inane observation I don't think many can guess what it alludes to. It's the hoary term called in various expositions as nirvana, moksha, liberation, enlightenment, mukti...& so on. I'll just refer to it as 'lib' for this post. It's probably the least understood word in the English dictionary. No Webster can shed light on it's meaning to others.
There's a debate sometimes whether lib is instantaneous or happens gradually. The truth is, lib always exists by itself. Its only ignorance that rears its head up intermittently. That being said, is destruction of ignorance permanent? The only way to answer such a question is to know for oneself. As long as questions remain such as ‘am I liberated’, ‘what is lib’, etc., it only points to the fact that ignorance still remains.
There have been moments for each of us when we’ve been so totally immersed in some activity that thoughts cease & the ego totally disappears. This can happen when you’re fully concentrated on a single activity…playing a game, solving a puzzle, in a heated discussion or some other immersion. You then become a part of the activity! It is then said that time flies! How often have you heard somebody say that the day or hour went by so quickly that it never felt like a day or hour?
Memory which is a heavily emphasized part of rote learning is really the culprit. Imagine an existence without memory, where each experience would be as fresh as that moment. A simple act of drinking water or walking would be as joyful as the first time you talked or saw a scenic river! This is not to be confused with amnesia, where a person is unable to recall despite his best attempt. In memory-less living, the memories can be recalled at will, as clear as an image on the screen. Yet they appear floating like clouds in the sky, untouched by the blue skies. What more can one ask for, than to be the space that holds these clouds & appear as colors from another perspective?
After meandering, coming back to the inane observation I don't think many can guess what it alludes to. It's the hoary term called in various expositions as nirvana, moksha, liberation, enlightenment, mukti...& so on. I'll just refer to it as 'lib' for this post. It's probably the least understood word in the English dictionary. No Webster can shed light on it's meaning to others.
There's a debate sometimes whether lib is instantaneous or happens gradually. The truth is, lib always exists by itself. Its only ignorance that rears its head up intermittently. That being said, is destruction of ignorance permanent? The only way to answer such a question is to know for oneself. As long as questions remain such as ‘am I liberated’, ‘what is lib’, etc., it only points to the fact that ignorance still remains.
There have been moments for each of us when we’ve been so totally immersed in some activity that thoughts cease & the ego totally disappears. This can happen when you’re fully concentrated on a single activity…playing a game, solving a puzzle, in a heated discussion or some other immersion. You then become a part of the activity! It is then said that time flies! How often have you heard somebody say that the day or hour went by so quickly that it never felt like a day or hour?
Memory which is a heavily emphasized part of rote learning is really the culprit. Imagine an existence without memory, where each experience would be as fresh as that moment. A simple act of drinking water or walking would be as joyful as the first time you talked or saw a scenic river! This is not to be confused with amnesia, where a person is unable to recall despite his best attempt. In memory-less living, the memories can be recalled at will, as clear as an image on the screen. Yet they appear floating like clouds in the sky, untouched by the blue skies. What more can one ask for, than to be the space that holds these clouds & appear as colors from another perspective?
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Pointers to the truth!
This is one of my all time favorite sites:
http://www.geocities.com/advaitavedant
Do check it out when bored & in front of the computer!
From the ‘Spiritual instruction’ by Ramana Maharshi, here is a neat comparison:
How can there be a connection between the Self which is pure knowledge and the triple factors (knower, known & knowledge) which are relative knowledge?
This is, in a way, like the working of a cinema as shown below:
CINEMA SHOW
- SELF
1. The lamp inside (the apparatus).
- The Self
2. The lens in front of the lamp.
- The pure (sattvic) mind close to the Self.
3. The film which is a long series of (separate photos).
- The stream of latent tendencies consisting of subtle thoughts.
4. The lens, the light passing through it and the lamp, which together form the focused light.
- The mind, the illumination of it and the Self, which together form the seer or the Jiva
5. The light passing through the lens and falling on the screen.
- The light of the Self emerging from the mind through the senses, and falling on the world.
6. The various kinds of pictures appearing in the light of the screen.
- The various forms and names appearing as the objects perceived in the light of the world.
7. The mechanism which sets the film in motion.
-The divine law manifesting the latent tendencies of the mind.
Just as the pictures appear on the screen as long as the film throws the shadows through the lens, so the phenomenal world will continue to appear to the individual in the waking and dream states as long as there are latent mental impressions. Just as the lens magnifies the tiny specks on the film to a huge size and as a number of pictures are shown in a second, so the mind enlarges the sprout-like tendencies into tree-like thoughts and shows in a second innumerable worlds. Again, just as there is only the light of the lamp visible when there is no film, so the Self alone shines without the triple factors when the mental concepts in the form of tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep, swoon and samadhi. Just as the lamp illumines the lens, etc., while remaining unaffected, the Self illumines the ego (chidabhasa), etc., while remaining unaffected.
This is as good a comparison as I’ve ever seen, in helping one understand the nature of existence. This neatly explains my strong preference for fantasy movies. The next time I go see a movie forking out a princely sum, I might as well digest some of these facts :-)
http://www.geocities.com/advaitavedant
Do check it out when bored & in front of the computer!
From the ‘Spiritual instruction’ by Ramana Maharshi, here is a neat comparison:
How can there be a connection between the Self which is pure knowledge and the triple factors (knower, known & knowledge) which are relative knowledge?
This is, in a way, like the working of a cinema as shown below:
CINEMA SHOW
- SELF
1. The lamp inside (the apparatus).
- The Self
2. The lens in front of the lamp.
- The pure (sattvic) mind close to the Self.
3. The film which is a long series of (separate photos).
- The stream of latent tendencies consisting of subtle thoughts.
4. The lens, the light passing through it and the lamp, which together form the focused light.
- The mind, the illumination of it and the Self, which together form the seer or the Jiva
5. The light passing through the lens and falling on the screen.
- The light of the Self emerging from the mind through the senses, and falling on the world.
6. The various kinds of pictures appearing in the light of the screen.
- The various forms and names appearing as the objects perceived in the light of the world.
7. The mechanism which sets the film in motion.
-The divine law manifesting the latent tendencies of the mind.
Just as the pictures appear on the screen as long as the film throws the shadows through the lens, so the phenomenal world will continue to appear to the individual in the waking and dream states as long as there are latent mental impressions. Just as the lens magnifies the tiny specks on the film to a huge size and as a number of pictures are shown in a second, so the mind enlarges the sprout-like tendencies into tree-like thoughts and shows in a second innumerable worlds. Again, just as there is only the light of the lamp visible when there is no film, so the Self alone shines without the triple factors when the mental concepts in the form of tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep, swoon and samadhi. Just as the lamp illumines the lens, etc., while remaining unaffected, the Self illumines the ego (chidabhasa), etc., while remaining unaffected.
This is as good a comparison as I’ve ever seen, in helping one understand the nature of existence. This neatly explains my strong preference for fantasy movies. The next time I go see a movie forking out a princely sum, I might as well digest some of these facts :-)
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Aah! Amrikaaah!
This is a long overdue update. I'd been on a short 10 day trip to the US on official work. Managed to squeeze in visits to Cincinnati, Albany & Wilmington, NC on official work. In between I took a day off, got 2 weekends & made trips to visit two of my friends. The 1st weekend I took off to visit a school friend in NJ. He's made it real big out there, earning 6 figure green dough. Also happened to meet some of my KREC seniors who've made it similarly big (so called 'arrived'). We went to NYC, the epitome of what US stands for. People of every conceivable size, colour, style, orientation....it's like an aquarium packed with curious deep sea fish that you only get to see rarely! The energy there is simply remarkeable. Perhaps due to my jet lagged state, it REALLY felt like a scene out of Matrix...where I was just a passive observer & everything around me just moved in a self sustaining state!
The second weekend was spent visiting another friend. I had a first hand glimpse at one of the top B-schools in the world. The pace of life there is so hectic, you wonder when they find time to expand their lungs & take gulps of air..:-). High energy is the mantra for success. Strategic planning for even the simple aspects of life like dressing, hair style & so on to make an impact is something I learnt anew. Driving 1000 miles in 3 days, I had a chance to look at beautiful fall colors, the mountains, the lakes & some very pretty landscapes.
The first impression when I landed in US was a feeling of freedom. Very conveniently I took a GPS enabled rental car & started to drive as if I'd always lived there. The convenience was un-mistakeable. The roads were so orderly. Everything was so smooth flowing it hardly required any effort of my own or thinking. The lack of people felt like a fresh burst of air for a choking man. In India, I have to go 300 kms away, trek for 20 kms into un-explored jungles to be left alone, away from noise, crowds & filth. Here, everywhere I was alone! Luckily, loneliness is something I've conquered permanently, so it felt real good!
Very posh cars, crore rupee houses, every conceivable gadget from the ipod to the blackberry to the thinkpad, internet shopping mania...how hard I'd striven a couple of years back to get away from all this & more! And get away I had...shunning gadgets for the most part, travelling by bus/auto, disliking shopping...a very different world that's called home in India. I felt quite sick in the stomach reliving my past or retracing the memories. It never felt like home, the comfort level never was the same. This became obvious even in one of the legs of the flight back home which was filled with Indians from India - much more comfortable & noisier.
Here's a quick financial analysis of costs in bangalore vs a cheap place in US:
House - 100 K vs 40 lakh Rs
A pair of jeans - 15$ vs 2000 Rs
Car - 20k$ vs 8 lakh Rs
Fuel - 0.6$ vs 50 Rs
Food at a good restaurant - 15$ vs 500 Rs
Intl. rock concert - 80$ vs 2500 Rs
Air ticket - 200$ vs 10K Rs
Hotel stay - 30$ vs 1000 Rs
SALARY - 60K$ vs 5-8 lakh Rs
These are just indicative & average costs, but it's obvious to anybody that cost of living in India is NOT cheap compared to the US. On an average the cost is about 70-100% of US living costs, while the salary is 10-50% of US levels! SHOCKING! Which freaking moron got that idea into people's heads I wonder! The outsourcing companies just take Indians for a ride paying half or lesser salaries & we take it all lying down. How is this different from the time the Britishers occupied India & took us for a ride? This is the corporate way of exploitation in the name of upward mobility. Creating a chasm between classes, destroying the moral fabric with lure of money, upsetting the work-life balance & so on!
It all became clear to me in a flash. It's much easier being happy in India since I'm so heavily conditioned. However, the advantages of being in the US for a while are easy to see. Lot of savings. Great career advantage & opportunities. Chance to travel internationally & visit expensive places. But in the end, there's nothing like being able to take a leak on the road when you want to, having a masala dosa when you need to or just putting beat with old friends in familiar gullies! The simple pleasures in exchange for all the gold & glory!
In the end, all this only matters & seems to matter when the mind comes into being every now & then. Else, it's clear this is just a dream!
The second weekend was spent visiting another friend. I had a first hand glimpse at one of the top B-schools in the world. The pace of life there is so hectic, you wonder when they find time to expand their lungs & take gulps of air..:-). High energy is the mantra for success. Strategic planning for even the simple aspects of life like dressing, hair style & so on to make an impact is something I learnt anew. Driving 1000 miles in 3 days, I had a chance to look at beautiful fall colors, the mountains, the lakes & some very pretty landscapes.
The first impression when I landed in US was a feeling of freedom. Very conveniently I took a GPS enabled rental car & started to drive as if I'd always lived there. The convenience was un-mistakeable. The roads were so orderly. Everything was so smooth flowing it hardly required any effort of my own or thinking. The lack of people felt like a fresh burst of air for a choking man. In India, I have to go 300 kms away, trek for 20 kms into un-explored jungles to be left alone, away from noise, crowds & filth. Here, everywhere I was alone! Luckily, loneliness is something I've conquered permanently, so it felt real good!
Very posh cars, crore rupee houses, every conceivable gadget from the ipod to the blackberry to the thinkpad, internet shopping mania...how hard I'd striven a couple of years back to get away from all this & more! And get away I had...shunning gadgets for the most part, travelling by bus/auto, disliking shopping...a very different world that's called home in India. I felt quite sick in the stomach reliving my past or retracing the memories. It never felt like home, the comfort level never was the same. This became obvious even in one of the legs of the flight back home which was filled with Indians from India - much more comfortable & noisier.
Here's a quick financial analysis of costs in bangalore vs a cheap place in US:
House - 100 K vs 40 lakh Rs
A pair of jeans - 15$ vs 2000 Rs
Car - 20k$ vs 8 lakh Rs
Fuel - 0.6$ vs 50 Rs
Food at a good restaurant - 15$ vs 500 Rs
Intl. rock concert - 80$ vs 2500 Rs
Air ticket - 200$ vs 10K Rs
Hotel stay - 30$ vs 1000 Rs
SALARY - 60K$ vs 5-8 lakh Rs
These are just indicative & average costs, but it's obvious to anybody that cost of living in India is NOT cheap compared to the US. On an average the cost is about 70-100% of US living costs, while the salary is 10-50% of US levels! SHOCKING! Which freaking moron got that idea into people's heads I wonder! The outsourcing companies just take Indians for a ride paying half or lesser salaries & we take it all lying down. How is this different from the time the Britishers occupied India & took us for a ride? This is the corporate way of exploitation in the name of upward mobility. Creating a chasm between classes, destroying the moral fabric with lure of money, upsetting the work-life balance & so on!
It all became clear to me in a flash. It's much easier being happy in India since I'm so heavily conditioned. However, the advantages of being in the US for a while are easy to see. Lot of savings. Great career advantage & opportunities. Chance to travel internationally & visit expensive places. But in the end, there's nothing like being able to take a leak on the road when you want to, having a masala dosa when you need to or just putting beat with old friends in familiar gullies! The simple pleasures in exchange for all the gold & glory!
In the end, all this only matters & seems to matter when the mind comes into being every now & then. Else, it's clear this is just a dream!
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Having a blast!
Last week was a momentous time of celebration & revelry. Taking just 1 day off, I had 9 days of holidays at a stretch. All plans of travel to various places including some treks were spoiled by rain, Naxal fear (among forest officials, not me!), infectious diseases & infectious un-enthusiasm! Thus, I had so much time on my hands & no plans what so ever. It brought back fond memories of good old school summer holidays. Many a hot & weary day those days was spent simply waking up late, eating, reading books, sleeping & meeting friends. I realized how much I've NOT grown up when these holidays were spent in exactly the same way!
Deepavali the festival of lights woke me up from my slumber & laziness, with a bang! Heeding no attention to my parents, friends & 'green' well wishers who're all up in arms against the innocuous, pristine act of celebrating the joy of a festival, I splurged on pataakis (crackers or fireworks). With great gusto, joined by my brother, I burst hydrogen bombs, eerulli bombs, Lakshmi pataakis, flowerpots, bhu-chakras & many of their kind.
It was obvious that the kids next door were outdone by a huge margin. Every kid I spoke to seemed brain washed by so called morally conscientious teachers & parents - creating zombie like robots, with the childhood innocence & joy sucked out with a vacuum cleaner! People had all kinds of reasons to stay away:
'I pity poor kids toiling in inhuman conditions to make crackers' said the housewife who makes her young maid toil 16 hrs a day.
'Why burn money' said a stock market shark.
'Donate to the poor & under privileged' said another who'd never spared a rupee for the crippled beggar.
'How can you pollute the environment' said one whose bike & lips double up as a chimney!
'I hate the noise pollution' said the fella who's custom fitted his car with ear splitting horn, reverse horn, brake horn & stereo.
I suddenly realized:
I make way too much money in my current job...gotta burn some,
I breathe such clean purified air in Bangalore...gotta pollute some,
I live in deafening silence...gotta make some noise!
Some 'grown-ups' (of my age, no more!) had simply lost enthusiasm - for crackers they said; for life in general & for having fun I surmised.
O dear friend, why hast thou grown up so,
grown to not laugh at a pj,
to not have fun doing nothing,
to not enjoy the early morning dew on the red rose?
How often do you get a chance to reclaim your lost innocence?
How often do you get to relive un-adulterated moments of pleasure?
How often do you get to step into a time machine?!!
How often are you reminded of the victory of good over evil,
of opposites in creation,
of darkness & light,
of mythical legendary stories?
To hell with the anti-fireworks brigand, the so called morally concerned, the so called environmentally sensitive, the hypocrites and everyone out to debase the culture & traditions!
Ah, the simple pleasure of speaking out your mind in your cyber-space!
Ah, the simple joy of celebrating life in the name of celebrating a festival!
Deepavali the festival of lights woke me up from my slumber & laziness, with a bang! Heeding no attention to my parents, friends & 'green' well wishers who're all up in arms against the innocuous, pristine act of celebrating the joy of a festival, I splurged on pataakis (crackers or fireworks). With great gusto, joined by my brother, I burst hydrogen bombs, eerulli bombs, Lakshmi pataakis, flowerpots, bhu-chakras & many of their kind.
It was obvious that the kids next door were outdone by a huge margin. Every kid I spoke to seemed brain washed by so called morally conscientious teachers & parents - creating zombie like robots, with the childhood innocence & joy sucked out with a vacuum cleaner! People had all kinds of reasons to stay away:
'I pity poor kids toiling in inhuman conditions to make crackers' said the housewife who makes her young maid toil 16 hrs a day.
'Why burn money' said a stock market shark.
'Donate to the poor & under privileged' said another who'd never spared a rupee for the crippled beggar.
'How can you pollute the environment' said one whose bike & lips double up as a chimney!
'I hate the noise pollution' said the fella who's custom fitted his car with ear splitting horn, reverse horn, brake horn & stereo.
I suddenly realized:
I make way too much money in my current job...gotta burn some,
I breathe such clean purified air in Bangalore...gotta pollute some,
I live in deafening silence...gotta make some noise!
Some 'grown-ups' (of my age, no more!) had simply lost enthusiasm - for crackers they said; for life in general & for having fun I surmised.
O dear friend, why hast thou grown up so,
grown to not laugh at a pj,
to not have fun doing nothing,
to not enjoy the early morning dew on the red rose?
How often do you get a chance to reclaim your lost innocence?
How often do you get to relive un-adulterated moments of pleasure?
How often do you get to step into a time machine?!!
How often are you reminded of the victory of good over evil,
of opposites in creation,
of darkness & light,
of mythical legendary stories?
To hell with the anti-fireworks brigand, the so called morally concerned, the so called environmentally sensitive, the hypocrites and everyone out to debase the culture & traditions!
Ah, the simple pleasure of speaking out your mind in your cyber-space!
Ah, the simple joy of celebrating life in the name of celebrating a festival!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Living in my own sweet world
Worlds they exist aplenty
Mine, your's, his, her's
Countless in number, too many to fathom.
A world for each human, creature, each particle too!
Each one different & unique,
Limited by imagination alone.
Existing uniquely, simultaneously,
Seemingly interacting and influencing one another,
Like water mixing with oil!
Obvious this should be,
For, is there anything at all
That you & me agree upon?
That you & me find the same,
No matter what!
I continue to live in my own sweet world
No matter what happens to yours!
Mine, your's, his, her's
Countless in number, too many to fathom.
A world for each human, creature, each particle too!
Each one different & unique,
Limited by imagination alone.
Existing uniquely, simultaneously,
Seemingly interacting and influencing one another,
Like water mixing with oil!
Obvious this should be,
For, is there anything at all
That you & me agree upon?
That you & me find the same,
No matter what!
I continue to live in my own sweet world
No matter what happens to yours!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Anandanubhava - The anniversary!
It has been just over a year since I started this blog. The first post was on
Thursday, September 30, 2004. Since then there have been 22 posts spread over about 54 weeks - that's almost a post every fortnight. When I started writing, I was doubtful whether I would have the enthusiasm & ideas to keep updating it. By some strange coincidences, I've never had a dearth of things to blog about :-). The viewership has ranged from the regular friends who follow the musings to the occasional search that leads people to this blog! Some of the search strings have been as weird as "where do banyan tree grow", "Ishavasya Upanishad" to as common as "kannadiga"! It has really helped that the Google bots crawled favourably over the site! Either way, visitors are always welcome to the blog, just like they're welcome to my home! The blog has helped reach out & keep in touch with friends who care to read & provided an outlet for me to keep penning my thoughts, sometimes in poetry form.
Anandanubhava is simply Ananda Anubhava - blissful experience. It also means Anand's experiences :-). Either way, I've tried to indulge in the true nature of this 'self' titled person !!!
Life has begun to come a full circle - from seeking & searching hither-thither to realizing there is nothing to be done, nothing to be sought. Everything just exists -what we sense, don't sense, think of as nonsense, never imagined & beyond. And each of us, (actually there is only one!) is in reality that everything. So simple that it is so very hard to digest.
Thursday, September 30, 2004. Since then there have been 22 posts spread over about 54 weeks - that's almost a post every fortnight. When I started writing, I was doubtful whether I would have the enthusiasm & ideas to keep updating it. By some strange coincidences, I've never had a dearth of things to blog about :-). The viewership has ranged from the regular friends who follow the musings to the occasional search that leads people to this blog! Some of the search strings have been as weird as "where do banyan tree grow", "Ishavasya Upanishad" to as common as "kannadiga"! It has really helped that the Google bots crawled favourably over the site! Either way, visitors are always welcome to the blog, just like they're welcome to my home! The blog has helped reach out & keep in touch with friends who care to read & provided an outlet for me to keep penning my thoughts, sometimes in poetry form.
Anandanubhava is simply Ananda Anubhava - blissful experience. It also means Anand's experiences :-). Either way, I've tried to indulge in the true nature of this 'self' titled person !!!
Life has begun to come a full circle - from seeking & searching hither-thither to realizing there is nothing to be done, nothing to be sought. Everything just exists -what we sense, don't sense, think of as nonsense, never imagined & beyond. And each of us, (actually there is only one!) is in reality that everything. So simple that it is so very hard to digest.
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