RENOUNCE WEALTH TO ENJOY IT.

The Ishavasya Upanishad says your ego will disappear if you cease to call anything yours. "Everyone in the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. Accept only those things that are necessary...". Don't entertain a desire for anybody's wealth. Why? When nothing can be mine, then neither can anything be yours. Be aware, because the sutra, "Don't covet; don't desire another's riches", has been greatly misinterpreted. Most commentators have explained it thus: "It is a sin to desire another's wealth, so don't entertain such a desire". But the first part of the sutra says that wealth belongs to nobody; it is existence's. "When it is not mine, how can it be yours"?

It's true meaning is this - do not wish for another's wealth because the wealth which is not mine is also not yours. So desire has no grounds on which to stand. No expert of ethics can get at the real meaning of this sutra. It is subtle and deep. The moralist is anxious to see that no one steals another's property; no one should consider as his own what belongs to another. But his emphasis on another's property is just the converse side of his emphasis on what is his own. Remember, the person who says, "This is yours", is not free from the notion, "This is mine"< because these two are different sides of the same coin. As long as the feeling persists, "The building is mine", its counterpart, "The building is yours", will continue.

So don't wish for another's property, because it belongs to no one. I don't mean simply that it is sinful to seize another's property with a view to making it your own. It is a sin in the first place to consider it either his or yours. It is a sin to look upon it as anybody's or to pretend ownership is anyone's but existence's. If you can comprehend this interpretation, then and only then will you be able to grasp the deep and subtle meaning of the Ishavasya. Otherwise the apparent meaning of these sutras is that each should securely possess his own property and, to protect his own interests, should propagate on all sides that no one should wish for another's property.

So stealing and extorting is useless, meaningless and irrelevant. There is no skill or art in it. It is as good as labour lost. It is trying to draw a line on water. Enjoy wealth by renouncing it. It is said that if you renounce a thing, you can enjoy it. The statement is very antithetical to our belief. They alone become real masters who refuse to be masters. Everything falls into the hands of those who have no desire to hols onto things. 

People have misinterpreted these sutras. "Enjoy through renunciation" has come to mean that if you give in charity, you will be rewarded with heaven. But pay attention: the sutra says, "He who renounces, receives". It does not say, "He who gives up with a view to getting, will receive". In fact, he who gives up with a view to getting does not give up, because he is just working out how to get the reward.

This sutra makes a straight, simple statement that he who renounces, enjoys. It does not say, "Give up if you desire to enjoy". It announces that if you can give up, then you can enjoy; but if you are nursing the idea of enjoyment, you can never renounce.

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THE SOUL'S JOURNEY.

Our next birth gets decided based on the intense and predominant last thought of ours at the time of death. And our last thought generally is about that to which we are excessively attached to or feel - based on attachments and aversions. Most of the people during their lifetime desire to remember God at the time of their death but they remain ignorant of the fact that they cannot do so unless they had remembered him all along their life with fairly good intensity and faith. Childhood is spent in ignorance, youth/middle age in lust then how one can remember God during old age and at the time of death? More importantly, since no one knows when death would strike, waiting for old age to remember God isn't foolish. Lord Krishna has said in the Gita that "the last thought of a person would be based on his attitude and behaviour which he has practiced during his lifetime". If one has lived a life fully engrossed in the world with all kinds of emotions attached to it such as pains and pleasures, hatred, jealousy, revenge then accordingly will be his last thought. He will not be able to remember God at the end.
Once, two disciples came to Lord Buddha and one of them while complaining about the other person asked: "Lord, don't you think this man will be born as a dog in his next birth?" When Lord Buddha asked as to why he thinks so, the disciple replied saying that this man is extremely attached to his dog. He goes to walk with his dog, sleeps with him and plays with him. Lord said that this man may or may not be born as a dog, but you will surely be born as a dog in your next birth, as more than him, it is you who thinks of his dog.
Just like a camera captures an image at the time of the click, certain images get clicked in the mind of the soul at the time of death based on its attachments and aversions during life. These very images are caught hold off by the soul, which comes out of the body along with the life force. A suitable physical body, which can take the soul to those places and people matching with these images, attracts that life force and through food and water that soul gets impregnated in that body. If one is in the remembrance of God at all times, even while performing one's worldly duties without fear or attachment, then whatever time death strikes, there is no worry because he will leave the body peacefully and merge with the supreme divine being. Second, remembering God at all times helps one remain relaxed and connected to the higher consciousness (as God is the highest and purest level of consciousness) thus attracting good things and happiness in life while one is still alive. 
Thus, remaining established in the remembrance of God at all times is a profitable proposition, not only from spiritual point of view also from a worldly point of view. God could be remembered through any name or form or formless as divine energy, atman, brahman or pure consciousness.
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SEEING HIM IN ALL BEINGS.

Great learning brings great humility, for it exposes the extent of one's ignorance. That is why Krishna extols the vision of a true bhakta who is endowed with the knowledge of the infinite greatness of the Lord and of His all-pervading presence that inheres in the entire creation. There are as many kinds of devotion as there are individuals. The average devotee is generally compassionate and affectionate to all beings, but feels a sense of differentiation between friends, enemies and so on. The beginner in the path of devotion worships the Lord in the form of a deity or some form, but fails to accept His presence in other beings. But a true bhakta sees the Lord in all beings and also sees all beings in His Self. This vision is the culmination of jnana and bhakti and a bhakta never slips from this awareness.

It is said that once Eknath, when returning from Khasi Yatra, was moved to see a donkey almost dying of thirst on the way. Without any hesitation, he opened a vial of Ganga water and poured it into the parched mouth of the donkey. He saw only the Lord in the soulful eyes and not the donkey. In the case of Saint Namadev, he once chased a dog that had taken away the bread given to him by his wife, only to offer it the sugar and ghee as well which it had left behind. The dog became the Lord in front of him. When Lord Shiva is said to have come in the form of a chandala to grace the yagna of Somasi Mara Nayanar, the Adiyar unhesitatingly offered the same hospitality he would offer others. The Lord wants to show that in the eyes of a true bhakta, where Truth alone is revealed, there is no need for Him to come disguised.

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TRUTH IS LOVE...AND LOVE IS TRUTH.

One of the axioms of religion is, there is no religion other than truth. Another is, religion is love. And as there can be only one religion, it follows that truth is love and love is truth. On further reflection, we shall find that conduct based on truth is impossible without love. Truth-force then is love-force. We cannot remedy evil by harbouring ill will against the evil-doer. This is not difficult to comprehend. It is easy enough to understand. In thousands of our acts, the propelling power is truth or love. And we, therefore, consciously or unconsciously apply satyagraha in regulating these relations. If we were to cast a retrospective glance over past life, we would find that out of a thousand of our acts affecting our families, in nine hundred and ninety-nine we were dominated by truth in our deeds. It is not right to say we generally resort to untruth oor ill will. It is only where a conflict of interests arises, then arises the progeny of untruth, namely, anger and ill will, and then we see nothing but poison in our midst.

Those men and women who do not recognise the domestic tie are considered to be barbarous. They have never known the law of satygraha. Those who recognise the domestic tie and its obligations have to a certain extent gone beyond that brute stage. But if challenged, they would say 'what do we care though the whole universe may perish so long as we guard the family interest?' The measure of their satyagraha, therefore, is less than that of a drop in the ocean. When men and women have gone a stage further, they would extend the law of love, that is, satyagraha, from the family to the village. A still further stage away from the brute life is reached when the law of satyagraha is applied to provincial life, and the people inhabiting a province regulate their relations by love rather than by hatred. When we treat one another as brothers and sisters, we have advanced a stage further still from the brute nature.

In modern times, in no part of the earth have people gone beyond the nation stage in the application of satyagraha. In reality, however, there need to be no reason for clash of interests between nation and nation, thus arresting the operation of great law. If we were not in the habit generally of giving no thought to our daily conduct, if we did not accept the current coin, we would immediately perceive that to the extent that we bear ill will towards other nations or show disregard at all for life, to that extent we disregard the law of satyagraha or love, and to that extent we are still not free from the brute nature.

There is no religion apart from that which enables us entirely to rid ourselves of the brute nature. All religious sects and divisions, all churches and temples, are useful only so long as they serve as a means towards enabling us to recognise the universality of satyagraha.

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THE LIGHT DIVINE.

Do you wish to receive the Divine Light? Well then, you need to take note of three things:

(1). Sanga or power of association: You must be in contact with a man of light, an Illuminated One. To live with such a one is a rare privilege, for his life will give more than what a million books might offer. Out of life comes life and a man of light will wake up within you, the centre of Light.

(2). Meditation: Through meditation you will gradually grow into harmony with the man of light. The aim of meditation is harmony and rhythmic vibration; you will, through meditation, become more and more magnetic. The shouts and shows of modern life produce discord. Never was the world more chaotic than it is today: and never was the need greater, than today, of magnetic men. Schools and colleges aim, in their education, at making youth intellectual. A new culture is needed to make them magnetic. Intellectual youth are often controversial and aggressive; they could disintegrate. Magnetic youth are needed to integrate, harmonise and unify. You are helped on in meditation by pictures and symbols. And as you grow in meditation, you will find how veil after veil is withdrawn, until a new revelation of what you are in the depths, rises before you. A new consciousness - your hidden power - awakens within you. You see the emergence of the Superman in you.

With practice of meditation, you become conscious of new reserves of life in your being. You have but to tap them and through you will flow shakti, energy, to others. You become a centre of forces; your very silence is dynamic. Unlike a reformer, the magnetic man does not fight, or denounce. His words are not those of a preacher, of a party or creed: his words are sparks of the fire of life. His very silence shines as light, burns as flame.

(3). Love and service: Don't aim at big things. Organisations, institutions, imposing associations - let them be. Be happy to serve - in little things, with little acts of kindness, and little deeds of love. And in every act of service, whether done to a bird, beast or the poor, let what you give be an offering to your guru, your ishta, the Illuminated One. It has been your privilege to live in contact with, blended in wisdom and love. Then, every act of your seva becomes a song and you become Radha-like. 

Of a little reed I asked on a river-bank: "Why doth the Lord choose thee for His Flute?" And, me thinks, the reed did answer thus: "I am in Radha's image, and so the Lord takes me up and sings!"

And whoever becomes Radha-like and serves in love, offering, is taken up as a Flute through which the Divine singes to bless and heal!

This process of receiving the Divine Light' is ascent from height to height, and descent from depth to depth. Has the process an ending? Through sangha, meditation, and seva, the mirror of the heart is cleansed of impurities. Then, it focuses rays of the Divine Sun and hears the Nada Shabda, the words: "Aum Tat Sat! Aum Illahu!" This vision appears, at first, as a flash, then as a series of flashes that gradually assume definite forms, as you grow in the power of meditation and in purity of the heart. The lamp, flame, stars, moon, sun, lotus, flute and the cross, are some of the forms in which the vision gleams. And, sometimes, you are overwhelmed by the Light of the vision: the Light shines as a hundred suns.

A test of this Light is the joy aroused in the heart. This joy, bliss, is the ananda of which rishis have sung in rapturous strains. 'Out of ananda', we read, 'are the worlds born'. When ananda fills you, you see the One in the heart, and the One in this world and the stars, soul and the One in all things, and all jivas. Bliss, which grows out of thsi vision of the One in all, thrills you to an ecstasy in which there is neither space nor time, day nor night, is far nor near, east nor west. Bliss is unspeakable: the Bliss passes understanding. The intellect fades into night, words falter and, having beheld the glory, you enter into silence. You become a muni!

In this silence, your mundane knowledge is seen as ignorance; in ananda, all desires melt away. You see the futility of outer forms, the yellow robe, the saffron turban, the Sanyasin's staff, the ascetic's seclusion. In this Light , you yourself have vanished . You have entered into the voice of silence.
[Based on an article written by Dada Vaswani published in The Speaking Tree dated 20th November, 2016].

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REALISING THE SUPREME.

The Mandukya Upanishad discusses the problem of the Ultimate Reality. From the Advaita point of view, the goal is the attainment of the knowledge of the non-dual Brahman and the Atman. The Upanishad does not ignore the belief of those in the external objects or in the manifested manifold. It shows that their belief is because of their perception through the senses, or through their attachment to their worldly concerns. The idea is that the Supreme Brahman is realised only by those in a state of renunciation, whose intuitive perception is backed by scriptural knowledge. But how is one has to transcend the limits of human cognition to realise the Supreme Brahman that remains ineffable and beyond human grasp?

This Reality is attainable to the mind which dismisses desire, anger and fear and is freed of delusions. Desire, fear and anger compound the state of ignorance in an individual. The individual who identifies with the world, imagining it to be some or many or all of the diverse things in it, is in the grip of the same illusion that arises when a rope is mistaken for a snake, or a stick or a streak of water. But in truth, one has to understand that the manifested world of creation is the very Brahma swaroopa and is to seen as a springboard for realising Brahman.

Even as one knows the true status of the ever changing scenes displayed on a TV screen, a realised soul understands the ephemeral nature of the manifested world. When Narayana Bhattathiri addresses the deity in the Guruvayur temple as the very Brahma Tatva, he shows that this is a manifestation of that elsuive Truth that the Upanishads painstakingly strive to explain. Devotion and selfless living are a means to God realisation.

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RISING ABOVE THOUGHT.

As you grow up, you form a mental image of who you are, based on your personal and cultrual conditioning. We may call this plantom self the ego. It consists of mind activity and can only be kept going through constant thinking. The term ego means different things to different people, but when I use it here it means a false self, created by unconscious identification with the mind. To the ego, the present moment hardly exists. Only past and future are considered important. The total reversal of the truth accounts for the fact that in the ego mode the mind is so dysfunctional. It is always concerned with keeping the past alive, because without it - who are you?

It constantly projects itself into the future to ensure its continued survival and to seek some kind of release or fulfilment there. It says: 'One day, when this, that, or the other happens, I am going to be okay, happy, at peace'. Even when the ego seems to be concerned with the present, it is not the present that it sees: it misperceives it completely because it looks at it through the eyes of the past. Or it reduces the present to a means to an end, an end that always lies in the mind-projected future. Observe your mind and you will see that this is how it works. The present moment holds the key to liberation. But you cannot find the present moment as long as you are your mind. 

Enlightenment means rising above thought. In the enlightened states you still use your thinking mind when needed, but in a much more focused and effective way than before. You use it mostly for practical purposes, but you are free of the involuntary internal dialogue, and there is inner stillness.

When you do use your mind, and particularly when a creative solution is needed, you oscillate every few minutes or so between thought and stillness, between mind and no-mind. No-mind is consciousness without thought. Only in that way is it possible to think creatively, because only in that way does thought have any real power. Thought alone, when it is no longer connected with the much vaster realm of consciousness quickly becomes barren, insane, destructive. 

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PREPARE THE GROUND.

A businessman once approached a sadhu for initiation. The sadhu said, "Wait, I will initiate you after some time". The businessman pressed the sadhu again on several occasions for quick initiation. The sadhu totally declined and went away. He. however, visited the businessman after a couple of years with his bhiksha-bowl containing some mud, hair, urine  and excreta, and asked the businessman for alms. The businessman brought out nice sweetmeats, kheer and halva. He had prepared these nice dishes, as he thought that he would be initiated this time by the sadhu. The sadhu said to the businessman, "Put everything into the bowl". The businessman said, "How can I place them, Swamiji, in this dirty bowl! Clean the bowl and bring it to me. I will then place in it all the nice preparations". The sadhu replied: "When such is the case with this bowl, how can I place the pure Lord in your heart which is filled with various impurities like lust, anger, pride and greed? How can I initiate you now, when your mind is very dirty like this bowl?" The businessman went away in shame. Just as coloured water penetrates freely and nicely into a piece of cloth when it is pure white, so also, the instructions of a sage can penetrate the hearts of aspirants only when there are no desires and when the impurities of their minds are destroyed.

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REJUVENATE YOURSELF THROUGH YOGA - SHAVASANA..

Shavasana, also known as corpse pose, is a fully conscious pose aimed at being awake, yet completely relaxed. The Sanskrit word shava means 'corpse'. This pose looks like a sleeping pose, but it needs a lot of concentration on each part of the body. 

Procedure: Lie down on your back. Keep your hands on the ground, away from the body. Your palms should be half-open, facing the sky and you should close your eyes and lie like a corpse. Concentrate on your breath. After that, shift your concentration to your body and try to feel every organ mentally. Start from the toe and end at the head. This will relax all the organs and enable your body to go into rest mode. After some time, bring your attention to the Ajna Chakra and try to concentrate inwards. After practicing this exercise for a while, focus your attention on your breath and inhale and exhale deeply, imagining that your body is being rejuvenated. Next, move the fingers of your hands and legs and rub the two palms together. When the palms become warm due to friction, keep them on your eyes. Remove the palms after a while, open the eyes and sit in a meditative posture. After some time, turn to the left and rise from this position.

Benefits: This exercise cures physical and mental fatigue and rejuvenates the body and mind, making you feel happy and content. It counters mental problems like  tension, stress, anxiety, insomnia and nervous weakness. It also improves concentration and mental stability.

Please note: Consult a doctor or an expert yoga instructor or health advisor for your exercise regimen.

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TO SUCCEED, YOU NEED CONCENTRATION.

On every level of mental activity, concentration is the key to success. The student is taking an exam but is distracted by a popular song running through his head. The businessman trying to write an important contract is worried over an argument he did with his wife. The Judge is distracted by a teenager appearing before him as he resembles his own son. Lack of concentration means inefficiency. But what is not generally known is that a concentrated mind succeeds not only because it can solve problems with greater dispatch, but also because problems have a way of somehow vanishing before its focussed energies, without even required to be solved. A concentrated mind often attracts opportunities for success that, to less focussed (and therefore less successful) individuals, appear to come by sheer luck. The one who concentrates receives inspiration and this may often be thought of as a divine favour by others. But such seeming 'favours' are due simply to the power of concentration.

Concentration awakens our powers and channels them, dissolving obstacles in our path, attracting opportunities, insights, and inspirations. In many ways, concentration is the single most important key to success. This is particularly true in yoga practice. The mind, in meditation, must be so perfectly still that not a ripple of thought enters it. God, the Subtlest Reality, cannot be perceived  except in utter silence. Much of the teaching of yoga, therefore, centres on techniques designed especially for developing concentration.

Ask what is concentration? Concentration implies, first, an ability to release  one's mental and emotional energies from all other interests and invlovements and, second, an ability to focus them on a single object or state of awareness. Concentration may assume  various manifestations, from a dynamic outpouring of energy, to perfectly quiscent perceptions. In its higher stages, concentration becomes so deep that there is no longer any question of its remaining merely a practice: The yogi becomes so completely identified with the object of his concentration that he and it, as well as the act of concentration itself, becomes one. In this way, he can gain a far deeper understanding of it than would be possible by aloof scientific objectivity alone.

In concentration on our own higher realities, identification with them becomes lasting. For in this case there is no other, more personal, reality to come back to. We are those realities. We are the infinite light, and love, and joy, and wisdom of God. Our concentration should be so deep that the consciousness of diligent practice is refined into an effortless process of divine becoming. The most effective technique of concentration will therefore be one which both interiorises the mind and permits a gradual transition from technical practice to utter stillness. In that state, the senses become automatically stilled, permitting an undisturbed continuation of the concentrated state. Once the mind is so perfectly focussed, its concentrated  power may be applied to any object one wishes.

The techniques of concentration are like finger exercises on the piano, which enable one to play fluently but are no substitute for actual palying. Once your mind has become focussed and quiet, it is time to forego the practice of techniques, and offer your entire awareness calmly up to God. Concentration leads naturally to that state in which the will, no longer busily engaged in outward planning, can be uplifted in a pure act of becoming. Concentration, directed in this way, become ecstasy.

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LOVE AT THE BRIGHT SIDE.

Has this ever happened to you? Your life seems stressful, your task list is growing, work is dreadful, your relationships are a challenge, and you are a angry and dissatisfied. Then you get a wicked cold. As it hits you with its full force, you look back to those terrible times you were experiencing just days earlier and they don't seem so bad. All you want now is for the cold to go away. Just feeling 'normal' would be a blessing - even with all of the frustrations that seemed to overwhelm you. Singer Joni Mitchell memorialised this shifting mental process in 1970, with the song 'Big Yellow Taxi'. She bemoaned the destruction of nature, paradise being paved over for parking lots and the loss of relationship. The essence of her insight was embodied in the verse, "Don't it always seem to go / That you don't know what you have got till it's gone?"

We take blessings for granted, as if they were our birthright, and we if fixate on things that aggravate us. We miss out on much of the joy of daily life, unaware that our aggravation is a choice and that it arises from illusion. "What do you mean", some might exclaim indignantly, "my overbearing boss is neither my choice nor an illusion". But our reaction to the situation is our choice. We can choose to loathe our boss, complain to our colleagues, and wallow in self-pity. The result? More stress, unhappiness and lack of vocational fulfilment. 

Or we could choose to use the situation for personal advancement. We can seek options, such as entering into dialogue with our boss to find common ground, or find a new job or focus on aspects of work that we find rewarding. Take skillful action. The world is never what our ego and self-centredness demands that it be. Not everyone will see the greatness we see in ourselves or constantly seek to affirm us. Our reactions to situations that don't fit our illusion cause us to suffer. If we were fired from that miserable job we might shift perspectives unconsciously and begin to mourn our loss, suddenly realising how fond we were of our colleagues, how rewarding much of the work was, and we might even recall times when our boss gave us praise. Once again, by choice, we would be suffering. "Don't it always seem to go...?"

You might be able to review your life and see ways in which your choice of reactions to life has only increased your pain. You might also notice that much of the negative self-talk in our busy minds is based upon reactions to a reality that does not conform to our illusory expectations. It's even likely that we are not seeing the full reality, but instead viewing it through the constricted prism of our smaller self, or ego...Make a list of your blessings right now. Friends, freedom, material abundance, mobility, yoga classes, recreational activities, books, spiritual pursuits and more. Everything is a blessing because it is the most profound of blessings just to be here. Just to experience the miracle of being.

With a constant sense of gratitude come peace, contentment  and the unfolding of a whole new world before our eyes...a world in which we live in awe of life. To cultivate gratitude, I invite you to say 'thank you' to everyone and everything. For, all to soon, our time shall pass.

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LOVE IS THE BEST FUEL.

If life is a journey, and the human being is the vehicle, then the best fuel for a successful completion of this journey is love. When we substitute some other emotion and make it our central core, our fuel, the vehicle obviously cannot perform as well as it should. The journey is then no longer smooth, but jumpy, noisy, bouncy, uncomfortable, and prone to frequent breakdowns and constantly needing help from others to set it right. Love is available in plenty; it is unlikely to get depleted. Every human being is a source of this fuel called love. We are capable of producing love 24 hours a day, endlessly. Love is our natural state.

Love works slowly as compared to its opposite emotions, namely fear and hate. Though love is natural, hate and fear come to us much more easily. If you want to get a group of people together for a common cause and under a common banner, love for something might take you years to unite them. Hate and fear can work in a matter of minutes. Hence, the natural enemies of love are much more powerful and appealing to us. Love appeals to the true being or soul, while the mind thrives on hate and fear, more than love. Why does fear predominate, when we all know that love is the true fuel of life? This is where the mind comes in. Our true being or spirit thrives only on love. But between spirit and body is another important entity, the mind. The control of our lives, instead of being in the hands of the spirit, has been taken over by the mind. And the mind is complex. It is logical and illogical, rational and irrational, good and bad, loving and hating, giving and grabbing, killing and rescuing, full of hope and help, while also filled with hopelessness and helplessness. Mind is a paradox, unpredictable with its own way of functioning. It is volatile and restless; yet it constantly seeks peace, stillness and stability.

To be with the mind means to live our lives like a roller coaster ride. Up and down, side to side, in and out - the ride goes on. The stability and stillness that we seek in our lives, the rest and relaxation that we crave for, the peace and calmness that we desperately need, are not to be found in the arena of mind. If they are found, they will come coupled with their respective opposites. This is the duality of life. Duality is always of the mind. The spirit or soul is always one. And it needs only one fuel, love.

One cannot get love without first giving love. That is the law of Nature. In existence, giving comes before receiving, sowing comes before reaping. But we are unaware of this. We seek and hope to receive without wanting to give. So, the first step, which is totally in our hands, is to give love. And then we will receive love, not as much as we want or as much as we have given, but a thousand times more. The Universe is ready and waiting to flood us with love. But it needs us only to take the first small step of giving. The Buddha used to say to his disciples, "If you knew what I know, about the power of giving, you would not have a single meal in your life without first sharing it with someone".

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HISTORICAL INSTANCES OF PROTECTING COWS.

Cow is the source of all spiritual powers. All great men served mother cow. Maryadapurushottam Sri Ram, Yogeshwar Sri Krishna, Maharaja Dilip, Satyakam, Jabal and Sri Sanat Kumar served cows and ate products given by cows like cow milk, curd, Ghee, etc. In our all samskaras, there has been a tradition of donating cows from birth of a child till his or her marriage. 

Panchgavya: Products given by cows and their byproducts and their medicinal uses - Cow urine, Cow ghee or ghreet, Cow milk, Panchgavya - are capable in treating dangerous diseases including cancer.

Fertiliser: By using cow dung and urine, a best quality fertiliser can be prepared which can save a lot of money spent on chemical fertilisers.

Insect Controller: Insecticide made of cow urine is an effective option of chemical pesticides and insecticides.

Energy: Energy requirements can be fulfilled by using biogas produced from cow dung.

Transportation: Calf and oxen are best available means to draw load in the rural areas.

If the economic assessment of cow is done on the basis of these five observations, a cow can earn for you nearly Rs. 25 lakhs in her whole life. But when it is slaughtered, one can earn not more than Rs. 25,000/- by selling flesh, bones and skin.

Cows have been an integral part of social, economic, religious and cultural life of India. This is the reason why the Indian Kings and their subjects in past made greatest sacrifices to protect cows. History of India has been a witness to such examples. Citing some examples, Lala Hardev Sahaji says:

1. Great emperor Dilip, ancestor of Lord Rama, had agreed to sacrifice his own life to protect a cow Nandini. Maharishi Vashisht incurred a lot of pain to protect a cow.
2. Maharishi Jamadagni was beheaded for hi bid to protect the cow. Cows have been called Aghnya (one which should not be killed) for 131 times in Vedas.
3. Prithvi Raj Chouhan had put his empire at stake in 1192 but his army denied to hit the cows which Mohammad Ghori had used to defend himself and his army.
4. Chhatrapati Shivaji had put his life at stake at the tender age of twelve to chop the hands which were slaughtering cows in the Kingdom of Bijapur.
5. Guru Tegh Bahadur had in 1675 sacrificed his life to protect cows and Brahmans.
6. The immediate reason for 1857 revolt were the bullets in which fats of cows were used. In some of the British military camps, some Indian soldiers put their life at stake by denying to use the bullets.
7. On 17-18 January, 1872, sixty-four Sikh Namdharis were blown up by artilleries for their love and affection for cows and a 12-year-old boy Kaka Bishan Singh was tied with the mouth of an artillery and blown up. Baba Ram Singh, the leader of Namdhari Sikhs were asked to leave the country with his twelve disciples who later took exile in Rangoon.
8. On 18th August, 1919, 145 cow lovers and devotees of Katarpur (near Haridwar) were sentenced severe punishment. Eight of them were sentenced to death, 135 were sentence to Kalapani and two others were sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
9. In Arthashastra of Kautilys, there was a provision for punishment for killing animals and birds.
10. Mahatma Buddha had stopped by his speeches the killing of cows by leftists.
11. In Ashoka's period (273-32 B.C.) was a golden era for animals as he had imposed complete restrictions on killing of animals and any living creature.
12. First Mughal emperor Babar had advised his son to avoid cow slaughter in his will. 
13. Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati had launched a campaign in 1880 to send a memo to Queen Victoria demanding a ban on cow slaughter.
14. Gandhiji in 1925 had said, "killing a cow and a human being are equally cruel".
15. Acharya Vinobha Bhave had said in 1951, "Banning cow slaughter is a public mandate. He held fast unto death in 1976 seeking ban on cow slaughter across the country".
16. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had launched a signature campaign in the country in 1952 seeking ban on cow slaughter and on 08th December, 1952, a delegation led by Guruji Hansraj Gupta met the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad with the meorandum and signature of nearly 1,75,000 people. It is noteworthy that the memo was endorsed by even people of Christian and Muslim communities.
17. Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators were shot by police when they holding a peaceful rally at Sansad Marg in New Delhi to protest against the practice of cow slaughter. Those who sustained injuries in the police firing were kept in the vehicles carrying dead bodies and later they were also allegedly cremated along with dead bodies.
18. Scholars and scriptures have said that cow slaughter is like self-immolation.

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DISPASSIONATE VIEW OF REALITY.

An important theme running through Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is of pratyahara or withdrawal of mind from its scattered externality to interiorising it and focusing on the origin of thought. Patanjali details several practical steps to initiate this withdrawal including yama-niyama, svadhyaya and satsang. He also emphasises the need for vairagya or dispassion as the crucial prerequisite temperament to be cultivated for pratyahara. The distinction between real and momentary vairagya is repeatedly emphasised in Vedanta. It is said that even Brahmn vichara or enquiry into Self and all yogic practices become redundant if the mind has not yet fully turned away from externals because vairagya is absent. Sages have pointed out that most people go through momentary phases of dispassion that arises out of personal disillusionment in a situation, but they are unable to sustain this state for long. This is because they are distracted by externalities. Then there are those who hypnotise themselves into believing that this 'accidental' vairagys is a real state of renunciation and, curiously, the so-called renunciation itself becomes a means to seek external vanities. True vairagya, say the wise, can arise only when there is genuine inner discrimination developed through vichara to be able to distinguish between the glamorous outer that is transient at best and the witness-Self which is beckoning to a dimension beyond what is transitory.

Bhartrihari alludes to true vairagya in his classic work 'Vairagaya Shatakam' - Hundred verses on renunciation - pointing out how, despite the transitory nature of the world that's staring us in the face and which is full of death, disease, deceit, greed and what not, we continue to desire a slew of things, and never get satiated. And so get trapped in a vicious cycle of pleasure and pain. Nothing seems to stop us from desiring more, says Bhartrihari, for desire arises from our mis-understanding of what is real and permanent. In perceiving outer empirical reality as the only reality and in perpetuating this notion, we keep desiring external 'enjoyments' and thereby get addicted to them. Desire gives birth to more desire, triggering a self-consuming mind-reality that is desperate to possess just that bit more - be it riches, fame or position. 

The play of the mind creates in us dissatisfaction with our identity and so makes us restless. This is because we fail to recognise that identity is never static; it is fluid. A true yoga practitioner tries to reverse this notion through pratyahara and vairagya. One more thing - vairagya does not entail going to the other extreme, of the abnegation of social responsibilities by running away on a whim. If the mind is not disciplined enough, desires will follow you even in the most secluded of spots. The path of a Buddha or Sankara must be taken only when the seeker has cultivated intense vairagya, a state of total disregard for all things material; not merely momentary disenchantment.

Vedanta says that the mind itself must be used as an enquiring tool to look deeper into the purpose of life, beyond the visual-auditory-sensory matrix of impressions. A discriminating mind would be able to distinguish between what is essential and what is perishable, even as you go about your duties in life.

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THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME.

Andrew Cohen is saying, "There has never been a better time to be enlightened" - and I long for this to be true. When I was a child, it was easy to feel left behind. I was born too late to shoot arrows beside Arjuna, meditate under the Bodhi tree with the Buddha, or sit on an olive covered hillside in Galilee hearing the Sermon on the Mount. There is a pervasive sense, even in advanced spiritual circles, that we are looking over our shoulders at the epochs when humans were closer to God or to their souls or to the promise of moksha. So it's heartening to hear a teacher who insists, with passion and a clear voice, that we haven't been left behind. Andrew has the pulse of modern life at his fingertips. His diagnosis of the demands and distractions of our noisy, busy world shows the accuracy of a skilled diagnostician. But long ago, when I spent many hours a day diagnosing patients, I learned that none of them would take any advice until they understood, quiet basically, what the first step to healing needed to be. That first step was always the same: "You are going to get better". Reassurance is medicine, even if it can't be bottled, and Andrew touched me with a deep sense of reassurance: "Don't worry. There's a place for the seeker. The universe has collaborated to bring you here, to this moment, so that you can wake up.

The journey of a thousand miles doesn't begin with the first step. It begins with the assurance that you can take the first step. Many lack that assurance, for all kinds of reasons. Some feel unworthy to seek beyond the limited territory of the known; some feel trapped behind walls or inwardly blocked; some feel paralysed by timidity, fear, doubt and scepticism in all their dubious colouring. When Andrew asks, "Why do some people develop a passion for spirituality while others don't", the answer he gives agrees perfectly with my own perspective: they haven't awakened to the evolutionary impulse within.
There's an adage about the spark that is enough to burn a whole forest. It means that a glimpse of your authentic Self will be so appealing that you cannot help but follow where your own growth leads. We know that this is a natural tendency. Children are eager to pass through every stage of development. Being five years old holds no allure when over the next horizon you can be six and then seven and eight. This automatic process has a magic hidden  inside it that few realise. As a child develops, he doesn't have to lose who he is today in order to become who he will be tomorrow. Children happily remain who they are, while at a deeper level the future is unfolding the next stage of their growth. 
We lose touch with that magic once we grow up and, as William Wordsworth said, "the world is too much with us; late and soon...The means is simple: reconnect with the evolutionary impulse. That impulse began beyond space and time, in the domain of pure consciousness. It manifested in physical form and thus became shrouded by the mask of materialism. The human mind became distracted by the dance of maya. For all these reasons, the evolutionary impulse needed to be revealed again and described in detail.
[The above passage is written by Deepak Chopra (extracted from the Foreword to Andrew Cohen's 'Evolutionary Enlightenment'. It was published in The Times of India dated 27th February, 2012].   
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WHAT MY CUP CAN HOLD.

Well, this time it was a sprain in my foot. Last time it was problems with fluctuating blood pressure; before that it was high cholesterol levels. All these have given me physical limits to what I can do. But, I continue to focus on what I can still do and that is a lot. I know that my cup can hold just this much of experience. I do not stretch myself to infinity. Instead, I live within my limitations. Metaphorically speaking, each one of us has a cup-like receptor that takes in experiences. IT is not for us to determine the size. That cup can hold all the experiences of a lifetime and overflow. If we are not stingy and small-minded, we will welcome many good experiences and goodness always overflows naturally. 

There have been many seasons in my life. When the going was good, my cup of joy was full. When the way ahead was hard, my cup of sorrow was full. Sometimes, there was so much of excitement and enthusiasm, that there was an overflow. Other times, the road was dry and barren. I did manage to fall into potholes of stagnancy. When the way was an uphill, I was held by supporting hands. When I tasted the calm and tranquility of peaceful hours, I was as it were, lulled into a quiescent state of being. It was by divine design that I was a human being with limitations. My cup of life was meant to hold just this much, not more. I was made to be comfortable in the environment around me. Like fish struggling on land and completely at ease in water, I too was made to flourish in certain circumstances and not in others. 

The cup that overflows is the cup of peace and joy. These cannot be contained. They are infectious, as is the laughter of little children. With such joy, there can be no comparisons. It overcomes boundaries and barriers and enfolds others. I was not made to overcome great heights, but to rise above small hills and mountains. I have been content and happy with  small achievements. That was as much as my cup of life could hold. Whenever I have gone beyond myself, my cup was overflowed.

All the empowerment I have experienced in life has come because these were the memories my cup could hold. Deep self-doubt was thus converted to deep self-confidence. The empowerment came not from unlimited exposure but from limited experiences that are part of every human being's life. Today I count myself lucky that my cup has been able to hold this much. I don't aspire for the impossible. I have my faults, failings, foibles and mys share of mistakes. I am imperfect and in many ways flawed. So I do not need to prove myself over and over again. I do not need to impress others. I can be just natural - without formality or pretence. I can be bold in what I do and say - knowing that my world view is mine, not necessarily the same as another's.

As I continue on the pathway, I am not distracted by things that do not figure in my life priorities anyhow. There are many things I can still do for others, despite my limitations. By doing these, I take in what my cup of life can hold and then my cup overflows with joy, contentment and happiness.

[Based on an article written by Janina Gomes, published in The Times of India dated 03rd March, 2012].   

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SIMPLY BE IN THE NOW.

Daily, we tend to flow with "what-is-gone" and "what-is-yet-to-come" - that is, we function with an eye on the past and one on the future - a habit born of social conditioning. At birth we were simply 'being' - spontaneous, without any concern of "what-is-gone" and "what-is-yet-to-come". As we grow into adulthood, we begin to think of past and future, agonising over the former and worrying about the latter. So worrying and getting anxious has become our way of experiencing life. We have been conditioned that way. However, we worry in the 'now'. The past is gone but we insist on recollecting any scars in the present, keeping them alive. The future is uncertain; it is yet to come; we keep scratching our heads for the same in the now. Is there no escape? Ordinarily, we are not at all aware of 'now' because of sensation of time. Time is neither stable nor permanent; it is transient. Time is moving; it is impermanent, and so it is 'not'. Identifying with time is like identifying with that which is not.

However, 'being' is never transient for being means 'to exist'. Only existence exists. Being and existing are synonymous, and to exist means to exist now. If we identify ourselves with now, we are 'being' - in the eternal present. Our desires and cravings are time-bound. They tend to rise and fall with time. We hope to fulfill our cravings and desires in future-time. However, if these desires and cravings are not fulfilled then they remain as unfulfilled desires of past time as memories that keep haunting us.

Craving and desires thus create sensation of time as we oscillate between past and future and so we are unable to hold ourselves in the now. We consequently drift from the very being-ness which is our original nature, a spontaneous being as-it-is. The moment we drift away from being or life we become non-being or non-life. Being means to exist; it is that which is real. All non-being is non-existing and therefore unreal. All that is unreal is illusory. From the standpoint of being there is no secondary being, reality or even non-reality. There is only one reality, and that is now.

Since 'being' and 'existence' are the only reality, they are infinite. The rest are subject to measurement, movement, space-time and are therefore finite. Being or life, is independent of time and therefore it's timeless. In being is pure awareness or life or whatever else we may call it. It is the very existence or being-ness which is prior to any conditioning, thought, personality, i-ness or any physical form. All these are our secondary identities. They arise subsequent to and over and above our being, the very existence, that which is eternally present. However, we carry these false and illusory identities with us throughout our lives. They are the very basis of our desires and cravings. Thus an endless cycle is created wherein secondary identities give rise to desires and craving and vice versa. They take us away from true being-ness and the moment we drift away we lose the spontaneity, abundance and unconditional love that we already are. We instantly become finite from the infinite being and existence.

The key lies in being constantly aware of cravings and desires. This awareness can prevent us from drifting away from the very being, existence and help us to be in the now, the eternal present. Our being-ness is always in the now. You alone exist as being in the now.

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ABSOLUTE TRUTH IS ETERNAL.

The concept of an Absolute is current in both western and eastern thought. Some like to call the Absolute 'It', others refer to it as 'Supreme', Almighty or He. He is unchallengeable, self-effluent Truth. He can be realised only by His own grace, and grace is experienced only by a completely surrendered soul. Hence, ultimate reality descends. He who descends is called an avatar. The word avatar is used by Self-realised souls and this has found mention in many of our scriptures. Supreme Relaity is ever-existent. As human beings, we are finite. If we accept that, we can determine our own cause by means of the material senses, material mind or material intellect, but that will be a mentally or intellectually concocted thing. That will not be reality, then He, the Absolute, must always exist. Absolute has neither beginning nor ending; it is infinite and eternal. We are to find the way, to see, to realise Truth. The truth cannot be manufactured in the factory of mental or intellectual capacity.

As human beings, we have a special quality - we have the power of discrimination to know what is good and what is bad, what is eternal and what is mortal. However, the perceived physical bodies of human beings are all non-eternal. Physical bodies are in the grip of numerous births and deaths, and are subject to many other changes. If the physical body is non-eternal then the body's sense organs must also be non-eternal. Therefore, if there should be any eternal entity, it must exist beyond the comprehension of human, material, non-eternal, sense organs.

Furthermore,beyond the existence of physical body, we can directly feel existence of mind, intellect and perverted ego. As we human beings are of a finite nature, it follows that our mental and intellectual capacity will also be finite. Existence of perverted ego can be perceived by presence of specific thoughts such as thinking that one belongs to this or that country; this or that religion; that one speaks this or that language or belongs to this or that group - whatever it may be. It may be questioned whether after death of physical body there exists any such nationalist, religious or language groups - in fact, it may be pertinent to ask whether everything is destroyed or if there exists a subtle body consisting of mind; intelligence and perverted ego or even beyond that, the existence of an eternal entity.

If as human beings we are mortal, why then do we hope to live forever, and think that we can attain complete knowledge and bliss? In the material universe we perceive limitless non-eternal planets, so it is possible for the Supreme to have infinite spiritual transcendental realms. Therefore, there are infinite transcendental forms of the Supreme - avatars - to preside over these realms. In the West, scholars have used the word incarnations, but this word refers to rebirth in the flesh, whereas Godhead is completely transcendental. Avatar literally means avataran or God's descent on earth. God is all-existence, all-knowledge and all-bliss and therefore His avatar (descent) is also eternal. Because the Supreme is infinite, everything about Him is also infinite.

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ATMA BODHA - AWARENESS OF THE SELF.

Set in 68 verses only, Shankara's Atma Bodha seeks to put the abstruse philosophical speculation of the Brahma Sutras within easy reach of the common man. Using everyday common metaphors to illustrate Advaitic concepts, the Atma Bodha serves as a primer for those seeking to find a deeper reality beyond the desire-driven mind. Unlike his detailed reasoning in his Bashyas, Shankara gets to the heart of the matter quickly. Atma Bodha declares that knowledge alone can be the cause of liberation, just as fire is the direct cause of cooking, and while this may include the requirement of water, pots and pans, it is fire that actually makes cooking possible.

Shankara declares that karma or action is powerless to destroy ignorance for "it is not in conflict with ignorance". The Self can be known only through knowledge, just as light alone can dispel darkness. He compares jnana abhyasa or the practice of knowledge which purifies by removing ignorance, with the traditional method of purifying muddy water in rural India with kataka-nut powder. Just as the powder sprinkled on the surface of the water forms a film and drags all the impurities to the bottom, leaving pure water on the surface, constant use and practice of knowledge removes the dirt of ignorance. And just as the kataka-nut powder dissolves into the water after doing its work, knowledge too disappears after the Self emerges.

He refers to the illusion created by oyster shells scattered along the beach on a moonlit night. We mistake them for silver, only till we recognise the reality of the oyster shells. Similarly, the world of names and forms exists only till self-knowledge dawns. The phenomenal world exists in the mind of the perceiver alone, and names and forms exist like ornaments , and Vishnu, the all-pervading consciousness, is like gold. Shankara reinforces the spirt and content of the Upanishads by alluding to the Mahakavyas, in his delineation of the nature of Brahmn, reiterating the well-known method of arriving at the definition of Brahmn, by practicing "neti, neti...not this, not this".
He emphasises the need for continuous meditation on the impermanence of things, which is essential to refocus on the Self. The flame of knowledge can only be kindled by constant meditation, which he compares to the act of robbing wood to create fire. The stody of Rama is allegorised as Atmarama, who derives satisfaction from the Self alone, having crossed the ocean of delusion to vanquish the creatures of passion, just as Rama crossed the ocean to kill Ravana.
Shankara seems to visualise his awareness of the Self as he alludes to the nature of Brahmn - sat-chit-ananda (knowledge-existence-bliss). These verses reflect the cosmic bature of his thought, as he says: "All things which can be perceived or heard are Brahmn itself and nothing else...and though Atman is reality, it can be perceived only by one who has the eye of wisdom".
Shankara exhorts us to undertake the real pilgrimage to "the shrine of the Atman", which will bestow real equanimity. The Atma Bodha, like its companion-piece the Vivekachudamani, is a call from the heart, reflective of Shankara's reaching out to people as much as to the intellegentia of his time.
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WHY PASSION AND COMPASSION GO TOGETHER.

Let me begin with a story: There was an old woman in China who had supported a monk for over twenty years. She had built little hut for him and fed him while he spent his time meditating. Finally she wondered just what progress he had made in twenty years. To find out, she obtained the help of a girl rich in desire. "Go and embrace him", she told her, and then directed her to ask him suddenly: "What now?". The girl called upon the monk and without much ado caressed him, asking him what he was going to do about it. "An old tree grows on a cold rock in winter", replied the monk somewhat poetically. "Nowhere is there any warmth".The girl returned and related what he had said to the woman who had sent her to the monk.

"To think I fed that fellow for twenty years!" exclaimed the old woman in anger : "He showed no consideration for your need, no disposition to explain your condition. He need not have responded to passion, but at least he could have shown some compassion". She at once went to the hut of the monk and burnt it down. How advanced do you think this monk was in his spiritual life? He had been in meditation for twenty years and when a young woman comes  and unexpectedly embraces him he responds poetically - An old tree (an old man) grows on a cold rock in winter (has no emotions/is as cold as in winter). Nowhere is there any warmth (everything is gone, I am totally dispassionate). Is this a spiritual goal?

The old woman remarks thus: "To think I fed that good for nothing fellow for twenty years". And expose his pretension: "You need not have responded to passion, but you should have shown compassion". Passion and compassion - they go together, you cannot separate them. If you do not have passion, you do not have compassion. The young girl comes to the monk and he talks to her about his own attainment. "I have become dispassionate. I have become free, I have no more desires, I have no more emotional needs, nothing!" He is not listening to the young woman; does not acknowledge her or her needs. He does not respond to her at all. This is why the old woman considers that he has not grown spiritually in all his years of meditating.

You are practicing meditation and trying to live a spiritual life, so ask yourself: what is the goal of spending your time this way? Why do you do it? The goal should be in Zen terms: enlightenment and compassion. Put in more general terms and it would be: Fullness of life. 

Jesus said: "I came so that they may have life and have it more abundantly". Life in this sense does not mean just a biological life; it means fullness of life. It means love, freedom, joy, peace and justice. Meditation should lead there, to fullness, and not simply to a destruction of your passions and emotions. It is emotions that we need to understand and address in order to help us and others. But one major problem with some of the Buddhist meditations is that they discard, ignore and even deny emotions and the body.

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GURU: THE HEART OF KASHMIR SHAIVISM.

A Sanskrit word that entered the English lexicon a long time ago is 'guru'. In fact, we hear it being used so loosely today that one wonders: what is the traditional understanding of the word 'guru'? This question becomes even more relevant when it is considered that guru-bhakti or 'devotional love for the guru' is an integral aspect of Hindu tradition. Kashmir Shaivism, in particular, a monistic philosophy, explores and articulates the role of the guru and the practice of guru-bhakti in great detail. To understand the role of guru, we need to first understand our own condition. Kasmir Shaivism says the individual is 'anu', an atom, essentially describing the individual as one who feels as small as an atom, one who feels powerless (unaware of the powerful potential within). Like Arjuna in the middle of the battlefield - helpless, wanting to change the situation but realising that he has no power to do so. But isn't this the predicament of each individual at some point in life?

Everyone wants his life to take a certain course but life flows in its own way, despite our preferences. This creates much frustration. What is the solution? A hint is provided in a sutra from the middle section (Gururupayah 2.6) of the 'Shiva Sutra', the foundational text of Kashmir Shaivism: Upaya means solution or means, so the standard translation is 'the guru is the means'. In other words, the guru is the means by which the 'anu' can feel like Shiva, infinite, magnanimous and powerful. This sutra is even more interesting given the times we live in - when most want solutions to their problems but want to sidestep the role of a guru. The straightforwardness of this sutra leaves no room for doubt that not only is the guru essential to find solutions but that the guru is the solution.

The word 'upaya' is interesting in that it doesn't simply mean a 'solution' but implies a 'clever solution'. How does the guru make a powerless and finite individual feel powerful and infinite? The guru enables the individual to realise that any problem lies only in the mind, is merely a thought and thus not objective, not real. The source of the problem is not outside, not someone else, but the individual's own notions of 'me' and 'mine'. 

Lord Krishna, God-incarnate, did not (and could not) change the situation that Arjuna wanted to run away from; however, being a guru, he was able to give Arjuna divine insight that changed Arjuna's outlook of the situation and made him feel at peace with it. Hence, the word 'upaya' or 'clever solution' - because the guru does not change the situation, he changes the vision. The guru does not solve any problem; he dissolves all problems. The guru does not answer any question, but in his presence, where no thought is tolerated, all questions disappear and silence alone remains.

The practice of guru-bhakti is thus essentially being absorbed in this state of the guru, seeing the world from the 'guru's eye' - a vision which accepts any outcome as it is, convinced that all judgments and preferences stem from a vision limited to 'me' and 'mine'.

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A P J ABDUL KALAM'S ONLY REGRET.

In 2014, A P J Abdul Kalam was invited to address the students at the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of a college in Mumbai. Kalam was happy to see that the college was catering to students from low-income families, giving them quality education at affordable fees. Kalam was greeted with a lot of cheering when he entered the hall. Through his speech, he addressed the concerns of the youth who had come from challenging economic conditions. He spoke about his own life, his failures and his successes. He spoke of the great Nobel Laureate Mario Capecchi, a victim of the Second World War, who had lost most of his family in the war. He had to spend his childhood in an orphanage. But despite his difficulties, he persevered and went on to...become a renowned scientist. At the end of his speech, Kalam was given a standing ovation. This was followed by a question-and-answer session. He answered each question with his usual wit and grace.

Suddenly, a young student of about twenty stood up to ask a question: "Sir, you have had so many successes. I am sure you had some failures too. You always say that you have built your successes over the lessons learnt from failures. I want to know something. Is there something that you could not do, and still regret not doing it?" Kalam took his time to think through the answer and finally replied, "You know, back home, I have an elder brother who is ninety-eight years old now. He can walk slowly, but steadily, and completely on his own. He has a little problem with his vision and hence there is always a need to keep the house well lit, especially in the night.

"Now you see, in Rameswaram, there are power cuts sometimes. Thus it becomes difficult for him to move about freely. So, last year I got a rooftop solar panel installed at home, with a good battery. When the sun shines, the panel gives power, and in the night the battery takes over the power supply. Now there is plenty of power all the time. My brother is happy. When I see happy, I also feel happy. But I am also reminded of my own parents. Both of them lived for almost a hundred years and towards their later years they had difficulty seeing things well. Three decades ago, the power cuts were more frequent. Back then, I could do nothing for them. There was no solar power. The fact that I could not do anything to remove their pain is my greatest regret, something which will remain with me forever".

The answer touched a chord in the hearts of everyone in the audience. Here was a person, more than eighty years old, who had achieved so much in life, but still had the compassion and the humility to speak publicly about his greatest failure. He was still bothered about failing his parents. How many of us think of such things?

I couldn't help but wonder when I had last stopped to consider my parents' situation, when I had tried to do anything to ease their burden.

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YOU CAN FALL BACK IN OR OUT OF LOVE AT WILL.

At the height of emotion - any emotion - you reach a point where you know with certainty that you can feel no more. Be it the height of happiness or the depth of grief, after this point, emotions plateau and then start losing intensity. Pleasure or pain, this reality covers all. Consider: Are you in love, and the intensity keeps increasing with every meeting, every experience, and every thought? Well, a time will come when it will plateau. Breaking up with a lover or spouse and the heartache keeps getting worse? Don't worry; this pain too will end. Nervous or worried, and can't take it anymore? A point will come when you will stop caring and just go along...

Knowing this and being able to recognise the point of heightened intensity before the imminent collapse, enables us to take charge of emotions. Knowing that emotions are transient and give way to the opposite soon enough, helps keep us grounded and vigilant. There are of course those who give in to depression and make it an art to stretch an emotion beyond its "use by" date. Not being able to manage emotions leads to depression, personality disorders and social anxiety disorders, not to mention more serious issues such as those of sociopaths and psychopaths. Do you not get angry easily and stay so for longer than normal? Do you get inordinately nervous or anxious. 

While normal, regular emotions do not need managing, negative emotions can and should be monitored and managed. A well-sorted person recognises when an emotion attains its optimum level, and makes an effort to take charge. In this way you can regulate your emotions without allowing them to overpower you. And now experts have discovered that love can be regulated too! Love is more a way of being, a life energy that flows constantly. It is defined by the depth and expanse of one's own being. Well then, is it really a surprise to know that you can manipulate love to increase or decrease it? Researchers Sandra Langeslag from University of Missouri-St. Louis and Jan Van Strien from Erasmus University Rotterdam have proved that we can indeed steer our feelings of love with the help of cognitive and behavioural strategies. 

And, to share a secret, this is a strategy that I have often applied. Whenever I have been disappointed or hurt by someone, I try and shift the focus from my disillusionment to the negatives of the person - and start feeling better. On the other hand, if I feel less loving towards someone who deserves more, I consciously bring to mind all his or her good, noble qualities. Both tactics have always helped me. And this is the advice the two experts give too - calling it the technique of 'reappraisal'. So in order to up the passion quotient, they want you to look at photos of your beloved and think of their positive aspects. In order to get over heartbreak fast, look at the same photos and focus on the negative aspects. And this way, you would have conquered love!

Cognitive reappraisal can help us effectively manage all other emotions apart from love too. It isn't easy, but not impossible either.

1. Avoid situations that arouse negative emotions.
2. Defer reaction; give yourself some time.
3. Try to shift your attention away from what irritates you.
4. When getting upset, try changing your thoughts towards what gives you happiness.
5. Change your response to negative stimuli.
6. Try acceptance of other view-points, other people.

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LOOKING THROUGH OTHERS' EYES.

[Based on an article written by Shri Pulkit Sharma, a clincial psychologist, published in Times of India (The Speaking Tree column) dated 13th March, 2012].

I heard this poetic line - 'Looking through the eyes of the other' - while training as a psychologist. It made sense that in order to understand, connect to and heal people you need to see the world from their perspective. I am still in the process of learning. Understanding the other person from his perspective has tremendous value; it can start a relational and transformational process in anyone. Once a person feels empathic connection he becomes strong and trust develops. This helps him undertake a deep journey within and return resurrected, as it were. Having often wondered how best to look through the eyes of the other person, I have come across a few simple principles. First, give up up narcissism. Till the time you are trapped in self-love and grandiosity, the other person's perspective will appear small or invisible. A couple engaging in rigorous spiritual practices once brought their son to me for treatment of temper tantrums. While they wanted to inculcate spiritual values in the child he was more interested in video games and toys. The parents found this objectionable and scolded him which led to temper tantrums. While the parents valued spirituality, the child did not, but his parents could not see his point of view. The child needed to play with toys at this point of time and as his parents had taken time to reach the stage they were in, he too needed his own time. By not seeing this, his parents were actually impeding his progress.

Secondly, cultivate emotional similutde. Once, while working with bomb blast victims and overwhelmed by their pain, I began to think of ways to motivate them. However, nothing came to my mind except a sense of despair and helplessness. Then, with introspection, realisation dawned on why this was on. I had begun to feel the way they felt. I finally shared my feelings with an elderly man who had lost all his family members and from his narrative came to understand how hard things were for him and said so. Upon hearing this, he hugged me tightly and wept. This was a transformational moment for him - and not the words of positive thinking I had been composing for days.

Thirdly, try to take pleasure in whatever the other person considers to be achievement. If the other feels they have done well, rather than judging or quantifying the result, we should also celebrate it. When someone feels that people are acknowledging his achievement, talent blossoms.

Finally, offering the kind of emotional support needed by the other is crucial. We may have good intentions to help the other person, but need to clearly figure out the kind of help the other person needs at a particular time.

There was this person who came to see me for psyhco-therapy but she rarely allowed me to speak. Frustrated, I began to think that probably she does not wish to be helped and therefore shuts me up. It took me a while to realise that it could be the other way round - although she had been coming regularly but also telling me that at this moment she does not wish me to speak but to just listen to her, the psychologist in me feels reluctant to give up notions of being to help; for she just wanted me to be there and lsiten. From that day, her need came before mine and she started changing. Indeed, it is important to look through the eyes of the other.

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BED-TIME HABITS FOR GOOD SLEEP.

Like with most other things, there's a protocol for peaceful bed-time. A comforting bath, softly-lit ambience, relaxing conversation and no stimulants...are some factors that decide whether you will sleep well. Studies prove a good sleep hygiene solves long-term sleep issues.

Lay out your clothes: You can help your body recognise that bed-time is looming by setting routines and repeating them every night, like laying out your nightwear. If people establish nightly routines, they can help their brain shift into sleep mode faster.

Fix the lights: As it starts getting dark outside, your body releases the chemical melatonin, which peaks at 2-3 AM. It automatically makes you sleepy. Any kind of light (gadgets, phones, iPads) that interferes with the secretion of melatonin, causes a delay in sleep and poor quality slumber. Lights in the bedroom should be dimmed and gadget use avoided for at least one hour prior to bed-time.

No stimulants: A heavy meal or spicy snack too close to bed-time can leave your digestive system working over-time. Also, any substance high in caffeine or nicotine acts as a stimulant and interferes with the ability to fall asleep. They are best avoided for at least 4 to 6 hours before bed. Also, contrary to common belief, alcohol relaxes and induces sleep only initially. In the long run, it actually keeps you from getting the deep, restorative REM sleep you need to feel refreshed.

Cut the noose: High intensity sounds can cause arousals (periods of wakefulness in sleep) resulting in poor quality of sleep. It results in fatigue during the day. For instance, intense traffic noise causes increased cortisol levels, resulting in poor sleep. So, what content you watch or listen to before sleeping is also crucial. Soothing chants or symphonies, a light banter with kids or simply catching up with your spouse can put you at ease.

To nap or not to nap: Snoozing while travelling or catching short power-naps in between work is a habit with most of us. However, studies have shown that sleep is best obtained in a single and continuous block and such frequent naps during the day may eventually hamper a restful night's sleep.

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DO GOOD TO OTHERS.

Once upon a time, Lord Krishna and Arjuna went for a short stroll around the city. During their saunter, they saw a poor priest begging for money. Arjuna felt pity towards the priest and gave him a bag of gold coins. The priest was exhilarated. He thanked Arjuna profusely and ran towards his house. On his way, he met a beggar begging for alms but he simply ignored him. As luck would have it, the priest met a robber, who stole his gold coins. The poor priest was dejected and went begging for alms the next day. He met Arjuna and told him his unfortunate story. This time too, Arjuna gave him a diamond. The priest was overjoyed and left for home. Once again, he ignored the beggar on his way back. Upon reaching home, he safely put the diamond in an empty pot and went off to sleep. His wife, who was not at home then, soon returned. She picked up the empty pot, went to the riverside and filled the pot with water. She didn't even notice when the diamond fell out of the pot and went into the river. When the priest woke up, he was surprised to see the pot filled with water and no sign of the diamond.

The priest was dejected but took this loss in his stride and the next day went begging again. He met Arjuna and Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna gave the priest one coin, which was not even enough for buying lunch. Arjuna was surprised, "Lord, how will this coin help the poor priest?" Lord Krishna smiled and said, "Let's follow the priest, you shall understand". 

On the way, the priest saw a fisherman who was getting a fish out of his net. He thought that this one coin wouldn't solve any of his problems, and it would be better to save the fish. He gave the fisherman the coin, took the fish and put it in his small pot of water, which he always carried with him. The fish was struggling for breath, it wriggled and spit out a diamond from its mouth! The priest screamed with joy, "I found it, I found it!" At that same time, the thief who had robbed the priest's bag of gold coins was close by. He thought that the priest had recognised him and would get him punished. He returned his bag full of gold coins. The priest just stood there flabbergasted. Arjuna saw all this and said, "Oh Lord, now I understand your play". When you do good to others, it comes back to you multi-fold and in unexpected ways. Life is is hard enough, and doing good can make the world a better place. I wish that you put out good, so that your life is filled with unexpected blessings.

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