LORD GANESH; GOD OF GOOD BEGINNINGS.

Human beings often find a mismatch between their wants and desires and the world around them, where they feel a lack of control and where the odds are stacked against them. A god like Ganesha offers the all-important promise of a good beginning. Child of the divine couple, Parvati and Shiva, Ganesha's creation story is entertaining enough to have been recounted to generations of children by family story-tellers. The most popular version is Parvati to stand guard as she bathed. So diligent is the clay-child in carrying out his duty that he fails to recognise Shiva, the all-powerful Lord of the universe, and bars him from entering his own home. An enraged Shiva, too, fails to recognise the child created by his wife, and beheads him in one fell swoop. A distraught Parvati begs him to return the child to life, which the Lord does by transplanting an elephant calf's torso. And hence is born a beloved deity whose myth and cult have transcended boundaries and continue to grow with each passing Ganesha Chaturthi. Not only is he charged with good beginnings; to ensure them, he has the agency to remove obstacles, and create them where needed.

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NO ESCAPING THE BIG BOSS.

When the rich and famous are caught cheating, the common man feels good. He feels, at last justice has prevailed. Riches bring a feeling of resentment in others unless they are available to all. The rich might flaunt their wealth. However, if we are true to our pure nature, our instinct would be to share it with others. This is selfless action. Selfish actions are condemned by all whether they are well versed in scriptures or not. It comes from loving all, arising from the feeling of devotion and the realisation that the world is an illusion and nothing is mine.

A guru asked two of his disciples to kill two pigeons where none could witness their act. One disciple went to the forest and wrung the bird's neck and came cheerfully to the guru but the second disciple explored the whole forest, the village, nearby hills and river and came back tired saying that wherever he went he saw two eyes of the pigeon staring at him. "Those frightened eyes followed me everywhere, looking at my actions. You had said that no one should witness the killing but even when I closed its eyes, they appeared in the sun, clouds, sky, moon, water, hills, trees, birds. There was not a space where those eyes did not follow me. I could not kill it".

There is no escape from Nature. All its elements witness our actions and thoughts. That is why sages called them devatas. All Vedic samskaras are held in the presence of Nature's elements whether it is marriage, funeral or worship. Natural forces regulate the outside and the inside; devatas rule all our organs. No thought or action goes unnoticed. However, we can appeal for mercy, just as a convicted prisoner appeals to the president. For, isn't life, too, one big jail where we are prisoners of our own thought, action and deed? 

Chanting God's name, accepting teachings of scriptures, becoming selfless, loving God and His creation, accepting all that comes our way calmly and realising that the world is an illusion, are ways of appealing. seeing our changed behaviour, the compassionate One reduces our suffering and we soon find that our outlook has changed and our difficulties seem so tiny. 

A saint regularly visited the local jail to help inmates understand the goal of life, mystery of God and His ways. One day the jailor took him to a miserable inmate who kep saying how unjust God was. Someone had looted and murdered a village merchant with whom he was not on good terms. But since people had seen this man (the one convicted of the crime) with the victim, he was assumed to be the nurderer. Due to circumstantial evidence, he was given life imprisonment. The saint met the jailor, lawyer, neighbours and relatives of the convict and saw that everything pointed towards him. Puzzled, the saint started spending more time with the inmate. One day the inmate began recalling his earlier life in which he had caused the death of a man but escaped punishment as it was deemed to be a case of suicide. Wondered the saint: Was this man paying in this life for his past actions? Is there no escape from God's watchful eyes?

It is a difficult question to answer. However, it is beneficial to perform only such actions as are deemed to be positive - and that do not hurt another - whether one is being watched by God or not.

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FREEDOM FROM HELPLESSNESS.

All of us have faced situations in life where we feel terribly helpless, completely at wits' end. No amount of thinking or talking seems to bring any solution. We feel boxed in from all sides, without any obvious escape or relief from the situation. This can be very stressful and can play havoc with our minds and bodies. Like animals, human beings are controlled by the autonomous nervous system, which consists of the sympathetic and para-sympathetic arms. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the 'fight or flight response' when the individual is faced with adverse situations. Depending on our basic personality, and on our assessment of the situation, we decide between escaping from the given situation, and fighting it. Our body responds by releasing extra quantities of hormones and sugar, increasing our heart rate and breathing, so that we have enough strength to run away or to fight. Either option takes us away from danger.

The feeling of helplessness comes when we are faced with circumstances, where we can neither run away, nor fight. Since we have evolved in such a fashion that we depend on either of these actions for our survival, we find ourselves under extreme stress and strain, since we do not not have any pre-programmed response apart from these two. Such situations are extremely frustrating and the pressures that build up within start damaging our body and mind. In helpless situations, running away or fighting is impossible, and both these options only seem to worsen the existing situation. When we are surrounded from all directions, the only paths open to us are up or down. While up and down are symbolic and metaphorical, in real life, these would translate into death (up) or severe degradation (down), where a person becomes an addict to substances, in order to ostensibly escape the inescapable situation. Both these options eventually result only in more suffering and misery for everyone. 

Arjuna found himself in such a situation on the battlefield at Kurukshetra. He knew that running away from battle, for a warrior of his reputation and calibre was shameful and disastrous, but perhaps not as much as killing his relatives. God had to show him the right way. In our daily lives, such helpless situations are commonplace, where investors are stuck in helpless relationships, where investors are stuck with investments which they can neither redeem nor hold on to, where employees are in jobs which they can't leave or continue with, with teenagers who can't live with or without their parents, or with sufferers of chronic diseases where the treatment is as bad, if not worse, than the disease itself. 

When faced with helplessness, one cannot exist in the status quo for too long, as it is destructive and drains us mentally and physically. One needs to do a lot of introspection, and choose between one of the two existing options, carefully weighing the pros and cons. The questions we often have to answer are: "Do I value my personal freedom more, or do I want harmony? What price am I willing to pay for my choices?"

When we cannot decide between escaping and fighting the situation, the only other option that can save us from deterioration, is the path of total acceptance and surrender. However, this can come only when we have complete and unequivocal trust in a higher power. We need unflinching faith and trust that God is driver of our life's vehicle. Transformation from doer to non-doer, and becoming a witness, is often the only weapon we have against helpless situations.

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THE DEVI AND THE DEMON WITHIN.

What might literally be called a devil of a row has been kicked up by a JNU pamphlet which reinterprets the battle between goddess Durga and asura, Mahishasur, which according to tradition symbolises the triumph of good evil. This view has been challenged both by vedic scholars and subaltern historians. Scholars have pointed out that far from being a 'rakshas', or demon, an asura in vedic literature was a divine being, as much as were the devas, or gods. While devas occupied the celestial regions, asuras were chthonic (underworld) entities, powerful spirits who inhabit the earth and are central to all forms of animism and pantheistic faith systems. Devas and asuras share a common ancestry, both being descended from Kashyapa.

Subaltern history: Subaltern history claims that all conventional history is a narrative devised to privilege the rulers over the ruled and seeks to upend this approach by interpreting the past through the prism of social and economic marginalisation. The asuras, according to this subaltern interpretation, were the aborigines, or the indigenous tribals who were dominated, and 'demonised', by an ascendent ruling elite. A similar view informs the southern tradition of the 'alternative' Ramayana, which treats Ravana as a tragic and noble victim rather than a monstrous villain. However, without ignoring or condemning such socio-historical exegesis of mythology, a metaphysical deconstruction of the simplistic good-versus-evil equation wouldn't be out of order. 

As distinct from western theology and philosophy, what is often called Indic thought doesn't perceive good and evil as mutually exclusive opposites. Tha actions of many so-called 'good guys', such as Yudhistra, are morally questionable, while 'baddies', like Duryodhana, occasionally display a heroic code of honour.

Nothing black and white: Western philosophy, particularly as an offshoot of Christian theology, has long wrestled with the mutually antagonistic good-evil dichotomy. If God, the ultimate principle and primal cause o all good, is omnipotent and omnipresent, where and how can evil co-exist with the Divine Being? Why does God allow evil to exist? Such knotty dilemmas led to heresies like the Manichaean proposition that good and evil are two equal and opposing forces, which complement each other, like light and shadow. One cannot be understood without reference, implicit or explicit, to the other.

Though disowned by the orthodox church, Manichaeism has found a surprising analogy in modern astrophysicis which describes the universe as a composite of matter and anti-matter, energy and dark-energy.

Freedom to choose: Ethical philsosophers have tried to internalise this cosmic chiaroscuro of light and dark, matter and anti-matter. Good and evil are not absolutes; each exists only as a counter balancing possibility to the other. Our capacity to distinguish between good and evil, and to choose one over the other in any act we commit, is what saves us from the bondage of predestination. The freedom of choice between the two, between good and evil, light and dark, is the price we pay for being human, and not pre-programmed automations. 

The battlefield of good and evil is not out there, not between devi and demon, but within us, who have the freedom to choose which we will be today, in the internal Kurukshetra of everyday life.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF YAGNAS.

This whole universe works systematically, being controlled by the Supreme Life- Principle, the Supreme Brahman. The Upanishads state that none can transgress the rule of this Brahman. By fear of this Supreme Being, fire burns, the sun shines, Indra and Vayu perform their functions and death does its duty. Krishna draws attention to the universal law that applies to human beings as well, who partake the natural benefits such as air, water, etc. He highlights their moral responsibility to preserve the wealth of Nature which is offered to them. Nature helps with rains that in turn help the growth of plants and animals.

Performance of yagas and yagnas is recommended for the mutual interdependence between the sections of the multi-layered universe. These are sacrificial rituals involving propitiating the celestial beings through offerings made to Agni. Fire is seen as a deity who can carry the offerings made to Agni. Fire is seen as as deity who can carry the offerings of the human beings to the gods who in turn keep the world prosperous with rains that sustain life on earth. The celestial beings are sustained by the sacrificial offerings during yagnas. Food sustians life and the rains are the cause of food. This is explained through the symbolic representation of the Vedas in scriptures as a tree which is upside down with roots high above and branches extending to the earth. Human beings draw their sustenance from these branches. Performance of yagas and yagnas by which fire and the gods are propitiated is the only means by which the roots situated above can be watered and the tree preserved. The phenomenal world is enveloped in the three gunas and bound by Time and Space. All creation manifested as Nature is in essence Brahma swaroopa. Following the dictates of the Vedas that have their source in the Brahman in the right spirit is considered to be on par with the performance of a yaga.

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UNCLE - A CHILD'S FAVOURITE RELATIVE.

An institution that is in grave danger of withering away is the Uncle-Niece/Nephew relationship. A unique tie, it is a cross between your relationship with parents and that with siblings. An Uncle, especially an un-marrried one, doles out the affection of a parent, while still indulging in the fun and adventure of a sibling. From his angle, he gets to love and enjoy the kids minus the heavy-duty responsibility of turning them into good human beings. He shares with you the fun and frolic, but never the sense of rivalry or competition of a sibling. He gets hero-worshipped by just being himself. Let's say, a good, single uncle is like an amiable, indulgent elder brother without the kinks and mood-swings of the latter. Any of you who are uncles or nephews/nieces, will understand what I am talking about. Though scarily, soon many younger readers may not. 

As families get smaller and more independent, and single kids become quiet the norm, uncles and aunts are in danger of becoming extinct. Consider China, where the single child rule has been reversed after 40 years, though not before it skewed demographics and relationships. Generations have grown up without close family ties of siblings, uncles and aunts. What a loss not to have known an indulgent uncle who tossed you in the air, taught you to ride a bike or fly a kite, perhaps helped you choose your career, supported you during those growing years, and shared family worries.

Strangely, literature and folktales have done a disservice to this unique relationship by mostly recording 'wicked uncles' - from Claudius in Hamlet to Ebenezer in kidnapped to Shakuni mama in Mahabharata, and so on. I was lucky to have several uncles. While one uncle dedicated his printing press to my name and taught me to ride a scooter, another flew kites and made amateur kaleidoscopes with me; yet another created an imaginary character and made up a story a day for me. And then there was the one most dear. He always treated me as an equal, even when I was a little kid and he was training as an IAS officer at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy. "Dearest Winnie..." His letters from Mussoorie would begin, ending with "Yours affectionately, Shyam Uncle".

Over the years his attention and affection never wavered, not even when he was bonkers over his own kids. When like any girl on the verge of matrimony, I got nervous, he promised to bail me out even at the last minute if I decided against the marriage. At the birth of my children, he was outside the OT supporting my parents and husband. When my Dad was unwell, Uncle was next to me. In short, I cannot remember a time when I needed him and he wasn't there firm as a rock.

Back as a child, I remember going to Jaipur with him and his newly-wed wife. With a five-rupee not clutched in my hand, I went from shop to shop. Nothing I liked seemed to fit my budget until I entered a shop, where anything I laid my finger on was magically for five rupees. Happily I grabbed my gift, parted with the money and walked out a contented girl. It was only years later that I realised my Uncle had nipped into the shop ahead of me and instructed the shopkeeper to give me anything I wanted at five rupees, and he would later make up the deficit. Who else, but an indulgent Uncle, would have thought of that? And now Shyam Uncle is no more...He of the glorious smile and the glinting, kind eyes. And yet, he will remain forever alive, the quintessential cool Uncle.

For all of you aspiring for 'cool uncle' status, here are the qualities you should aim for - treat your nieces and nephews as equals; hear them out and share experiences and advice; find some activity that you alone engage with them in; surprise them with gifts; remember important dates; and, most important, be there when most needed.

[An extract from the book "Love is always right - a sequel to the best seller Best of O-zone - It's Your Life!" by Vinita Dawra Nangia. This article was published in The Times of India dated 21st February, 2016 (Sunday)]. 

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HOME REMEDY FOR PEACE.

[Based on an article written by Aruna Jethwani published in 'The Speaking Tree' column of "The Times of India" dated 17th August, 2012].

"You are the cloud, you are the rain,/ You are the healer! You are the pain!" This Vedanta wisdom can apply to our daily life. Most physical pain and illness is self-injected. Naturally, the healing has to come from within, from one's own self. We hurt and harm ourselves with negative thoughts and energy. The cure has to come from within. It has to come from heart and mind. Like garbage at home, the mind too accumulates garbage - both kinds, stinking wet garbage and dead, dry garbage. The wet garbage is hate, envy, prejudice and ill feelings. The dry garbage is regrets, hurt, pain and mistakes committed in the past.

The past is dust, for how long will you gather it? The pain may become sores and numb nerves, and for how long will you nurse it? Somewhere you have to delink yourself from the past and come back to the present. This you have to do for two reasons: One reason is so that you remain healthy physically. Writes Hay, a life coach, "All disease comes from the mind. Whenever we are ill, we should check with ourselves who is it that we need to forgive". And the second reason to get rid of internal garbage is to live in peace mentally. All those grudges, hurt and pain cause turbulence in the mind leading to anger and frustration. We have to be free from both in order to be in harmony with our surroundings. You may call this goal happiness. 

The easiest way to reach there is to dispose of your mental garbage. How should i get rid of all the garbage i have accumulated, you may ask. The simplest way to carry out this operation is through practice of forgiveness. It is a tradition among some communities to write every year what they call a Kshama Patra. The Hindi film Dor was based on this theme. The written ritual of kshama patra is one way of disconnecting ourselves from the past. It purifies the mind, creating space for peace and harmony in the present, while writing the script for the future.

The other way is to  sit in silence before a lit lamp and forgive those who have insulted, humiliated, harmed and hurt you. Actually there are three stages in forgiveness. The first is to forgive verbally in a prayer. The second is to think positively about them. Thirdly, you should do something that is good for them. Send a gift, take them out for coffee or simply acknowledge them. Yes, do not forget to forgive yourself. Also you have to seek forgiveness of all the animals, trees and birds you have harmed or intend to harm.

Forgiveness lifts the burden of the mind and creates space within. It is said that if you want to create your own destiny then you must create space for it by throwing away the emotional garbage in you that leaves little space for anything else. Forgiveness is a way of disposal of unwanted hurts and humiliations. By forgiving one can destroy past evil karmas and create a clean space to write one's future destiny.

"How many times should you forgive?" asked Dada J.P. Vaswani, messenger of love, peace and compassion. "Seven times", i replied confidently. "No. Not seven times; you should forgive everyone and everything at least 700 times!" he smiled radiantly, echoing the words of Jesus Christ. 

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TRANSCEND ALL IDENTITIES.

If we human beings are mortal, then how is it that we desire eternal existence , knowledge and bliss? Human beings devoid of the attributes of existence, knowledge and bliss, logically cannot express the desire to live in this world eternally, to attain complete knowledge and complete bliss. Beyond the existence of the physical body, you can directly feel the existence of mind, intellect and perverted ego. As we are of a finite nature, our  mental and intellectual capacities are also finite. The existence of perverted ego can be perceived by the 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 the physical body there is the existence of any such nationalist, religious or language groups - in fact, it may be pertinent to ask whether everything is destroyed or if there is the existence of a subtle body consisting of mind, intelligence and perverted ego or even beyond that, the existence of an eternal entity.

Human birth is best due to endowment of the special quality of power of discrimination between good and bad and eternal and non-eternal. Physical bodies are in the grip of numerous births and deaths, and are subject to many other drawbacks. This renders the physical body to being non-eternal. If this physical body is non-eternal then the body's sense organs must also be non-eternal and whatever is perceived by non-eternal 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.

In the Mahabharata, Arjuna was blessed with divine eyes, so that he may witness the vishwaroopa of Krishna, a dazzling sight. Thousands were present at Kurukshetra when Krishna revealed His Virat form, yet Arjuna was the only one to see Him like that. Why? The Supreme God is infinite; everything about Him is infinite. He has created countless species to a plan. If one accepts that human beings can determine their own cause y means of material senses, mind or intellect, then that will be a mentally or intellectually concocted thing. That will not be Reality. If Reality is in fact Reality, then He must always exist. What is the Truth?

Why do we wish to be eternal? Why are we eager to learn and to experience bliss? We are a part of the Supreme - so we are like the Supreme in some respects. He is Saccidananda and so are we. Sat in Sanskrit means eternal life, chit is eternal knowledge and ananda is eternal bliss. Soul is sacchidananda. We were given this limited body to know our true identity. Our duty is not to hanker after temporary bliss, but to have eternal bliss. We have to find ways to realise our true identity to become servants of Sachiddananda. Since we are part of the Supreme Lord, it is our primary task to serve Him or to act in a way that pleases Him. Once we realise Him, we will also realise other eternal truths, and know that not only He, but His Associates, too, do not take birth, but descend.

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LIVE THE GURU PRINCIPLE.

Guru is a tattva, an element, a quality inside you. It is not limited to a body of form. There is a story that Krishna sent Uddhava, his close friend and a very wise man, to the gopis and gopas, who were full of devotion. Uddhava went to give them some wisdom, to talk about liberation, but none of them was interested in listening to that. They all said, "No, tell us some story Krishna, tell us what is happening in Dwaraka, where he is. We don't want to hear all this wisdom; you can keep that to yourself. But tell us what news you have of Krishna? We don't care about wisdom; we are happy with longing and we are happy with love. So, let's sing and dance". That's all they wanted to do. This is how love makes you crazy. That's when all the boundaries drop; you feel one with everyone around, and one with the whole universe - and that's called Guru tattva.

Devotion is your nature. When you rest in your own nature, there is no conflict. But usually we feel a conflict. We feel bad about a negative quality we have or something that we did. A Master is one who lifts these burdens from you that you yourself cannot carry - and kindles in you devotional love. Offer everything to the Master - your anger, your frustration, all your bad feelings and good feelings. Your negativity pulls you down. Your positive qualities bring pride and arrogance in you. Your whole life becomes a big weight. When you offer it all, you become free. You become light like a flower. You can again smile and rejoice in the moment. What remains in you is pure love.

Since ages, all this knowledge and wisdom have been passed on. On Guru Purnima, we express our gratitude to the guru-shishya tradition. It's the day to celebrate knowledge and love. Mind is connected with moon, and the full moon is a symbol of completion, celebration, a pinnacle. The highest desire is to ask for knowledge and freedom. Ultimately, happiness cannot be bought by money. Comfort is a small thing. But there are only two things that will be asked, and that make life more fruitful - how much love did you give? And how much knowledge did you acquire?

What gets imprinted in the consciousness is knowledge. Knowledge is not what you read in a book; it is awareness. Knowledge is like the ocean. Some people take a walk along the beach and they get good oxygen, fresh air and they are happy with that. Others would put their feet in the water and feel that scintillating impact of the ocean. Some others go surfing or scuba-diving and they find precious things. So, it's up to you - if you want to take a walk on the beach, swim or go deeper.

Every single person on this planet is a spiritual seeker - everyone is looking for peace, love and happiness, and this is what spirit is. Guru Purnima is the day when the disciple wakes up. More gratitude means more grace, happiness and knowledge. On this significant day repose on the vastness of your own self, review your progress on the spiritual path, renew your focus on the goal, and resolve what you want to do in the coming year.

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PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY.

The first guru of yoga was Shiva, and Parvati was the first disciple. It is said that when humankind began to forget its potential for spiritual realisation, Shesh Nag, the serpent king and the carrier of Vishnu incarnated as Sage Patanjali and wrote the yoga sutras. Though the purpose of yoga is Self-realisation, there are various by-products as you move up the ladder towards realisation. Here you embrace the inner and outer realities for a perfect harmonious balance; the important point is that you do not intellectually understand inner and outer realities but experience them. Yoga is an experience and not a subject of the intellect. Yoga works on all aspects of a person - physical, vital, mental, financial, emotional, psyche and spiritual. Only when all the aspects are in a state of balance does a being experience liberation and perfect harmony. The aim of yoga is kundalini awakening for liberation from bondages. A practitioner of yoga goes through three phases.

The first stage assumes that the practitioner is a normal person who is attracted to various aspects of the physical world; that he wants to enjoy everything and miss nothing. He wants to live life to the fullest. Yoga says, why not? Go ahead, enjoy and sail in the ocean of life, but do not sink in it. Be like the boat, which is in the water but the water is not in it, it sails through the ocean and misses no part of the ocean and yet completes its journey, experiencing the ocean in totality. The first stage of yoga deals with very simple asanas and pranayamas; these are preparatory for the journey ahead; your vehicle, that is your body, is taken through physical purifications with the aid of yogic asanas, pranayamas and shatkarmas. The emphasis is on purifying yourself. A by-product of yogic practices is a light body, a clear and active mind, great physical and mental strength and balanced emotions. You feel as if you have been overhauled, and have gained a new body.

Now you are ready for the intermediate practices on the physical plane that make your limbs supple and your bones strong so that you can do long hours of meditation. Only when an asana is perfected do you feel bliss and stillness in that posture, which is indicative of you having thoroughly gone over the yoni, the level of existence. Now your mind is prepared for controlling thoughts and emotions. You are getting ready for awakening the kundalini. You are preparing for the advanced stage through total experience and ananda. By the time you have reached here, body and mind are in perfect harmony. You have total control over body, mind and spirit.

The next step is advanced yoga. You are ready to awaken the kula kundalini or the force of Creation, which lies in a semi-dormant state in your mooladhar chakra. The guru gives you shaktipath: the mother, the kundalini, awakens and begins her ascent. You are given mantras for various levels of evolution. You are introduced to the energies controlling Creation and are told how to harmonise yourself with them. You are taught the five states of matter and how to become one with each state. The advanced level is a level of pure bliss and ananda. This you will achieve with the help of a suitable guru.

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AWARE, BUT NOT YET AWAKE.

An aware mind is one that knows that a problem or issue exists but does nothing about it. For example, an obese person with health problems may know that  he is suffering due to weight issues. He has the choice to exercise and improve his eating habits to overcome the problem. However, he chooses to do neither. The person is aware of the problem but is not awakened to address it. Or a person may know that he gets angry easily at the slightest provocation and this may have landed him in many difficult and embarrassing situations too - yet he makes no move to cultivate calm. Again, he is aware of the problem but is not awakened enough to adopt a solution. It is easy to be lazy. Laziness requires no effort. To be active requires effort. To identify a problem may be easy but to tide over it requires great resolve. Imagine a hungry animal in the forest; what if it did nothing to go and hunt for food? It could die of starvation, eventually. Or if we knew we are weak in a particular subject but choose not to do anything about it before sitting for the exam, would that not prove disastrous? Likewise, merely being aware of a problem does not solve it. It's the difference between: kuch karna hai (problem identification). While the former (awareness) is passive acceptance the latter (awakening) is active acceptance.

Let's take a look at mind control. Tempestuous thoughts and emotions arise daily in an agitated mind. There could be virtuous thoughts but they might get buried, when the mind is stressed. Even if these were to manifest outwardly, by their sheer nature they would bring benefit to us or those around us. However, we need to be extra cautious of the arising of non-virtuous ones. Once we learn to be aware of disturbing thoughts, through certain practices, we can help them to subside quicker - because waiting for them to subside on their own (which they will eventually) might take longer than is good for us and, in the meantime, could get translated to speech or action and cause us to suffer. If this happens, it is because though we are aware, we haven't taken adequate care and effort to be awakened to actually getting down to doing something constructive about it. To be awakened about such a mind condition requires training which in turn requires hard work.

When well-meaning relatives and friends point out some hidden faults in us, we might become aware of them. But that's not enough; we need to address those faults, and so we need to make the effort in order to benefit. How do we make the time to surf the internet or chat with friends? Don't we make sure we read up on work-related matters to perform better? Then why cannot some time be set aside to understand our own minds better to improve the quality of our lives?

Perhaps we are more vigilant and proactive when it comes to matters which are purely worldly in nature - then we are not only aware, but wide awake as well. However, in matters of the mind or in developing our metaphysical quotient we are either unaware of what needs to be done - or if we are aware, we do not make the effort to rouse ourselves awake to undertake the task at hand.

"For if I bind myself with (mere) promises

But fail to carry out my words in deed,

Then every being will (I) have betrayed.

What destiny must lie in store for me?"

            -Shantideva, Way of the Bodhisattva 4.4-  

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WHY THE STOMACH DOESN'T CATCH FIRE.

When Lord Krishna talks about the body's digestive system to Arjuna who is loath to go to war, it does seem out of place. But Krishna is drawing Arjuna's attention to the uniformity and multiplicity existing in every bit of action within and outside the body. "There is no escaping Me, Everywhere you glance you will see the play of maya, My power...I am even inside your digestion system", (Gita 15.14), meaning 'I am the fire of digestion in bodies of all living entities, and I join with the air of life, outgoing and incoming, to digest the four kinds of foodstuff'.

As with every verse of the Bhagwad Gita, this too lends itself to different interpretations. One commentary focuses on the word 'food'. Food is not only that what is being taken through the mouth. All five senses take in food, through sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Whatever is heard is food for the ear, touched is food for the skin, seen is food for the eyes and smelt is food for the nose. Another says that He is the digestive force of four types of food that is swallowed, chewed, licked and sucked.

Another interpretation deals with the digestive fire in the stomach being Krishna. Ayurveda says that all five elements - earth, fire, water, air and space - are inside the body just as they exist in the outside world. In a harmonious body fire doesn't burn, water doesn't flood it, the earth doesn't become barren, air cannot blow us away but any disharmony in the five elements indicates that the body needs healing. Krishna says that this fire in the body makes its presence felt as hunger. When food is being digested, a conscious person can feel God's presence and be thankful.

Biologically, the verse applies to all living organisms including micro organisms like bacteria, plants, birds, animals, reptiles and insects. In all living organisms, biochemical functions like respiration, nutrition and reproduction occur in cells and protoplasm, the bio-physical basis of life. Commentators may explain 'the air of life, outgoing and incoming', as oxygen and gas expelled through anus but biologists are unable to understand the reconciliation of these two gases. 'Apan Vayu' is commonly explained as waste gas expelledthrough anus (H2S), through nose (CO2) and through skin, that is, perpsiration as water vapour with mineral salts. In the Gita (5.27), Krishna refers to prana and apana vayu as gases moving in nose as inhalation (O2) and exhalation (CO2) suspending inward and outward breaths through the nostrils.   

In biochemical process like digestion, carbohydrates are reduced to glucose; starches to sugars such as sucrose and finally glucose which then enters blood vessels. Oxygen enters through nose and lungs and finally blood vessels. Circulation of blood is an amazing transport system of body in which glucose coming from stomach and oxygen coming from nose and lungs is carried and delivered to each and every of billions of cells of every living organism as per requirement.

A chemical reaction takes place as glucose is broken down to form carbon dioxide and water and energy is developed. In the process, atoms in gases on either side, namely oxygen, carbon and hydrogen in water, are equalised. Chemists call this equalising 'balancing' the equation. So, pran apana samayukta occurs in cells of all living organisms. Clearly, Krishna dwells in all living organisms. He is therefore Lord of not just human beings, but all living beings.

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