The secret of happiness

Monday, 26 August 2019

Quote from the True charm and power of Vedanta

The secret of happiness

But without respect for and knowledge of the beloved love runs the risk of deteriorating into domination and possessiveness. Respect means the ability to see a person as he is , to be aware of the individuality and uniqueness. This is not possible without knowing him. Care and responsibility may become blind and do more harm than good if they are not guided by deep knowledge of the persons temperament and aptitudes. Being established in Bharamukha, Sri Ramakrishna had a tremendous ability to know the specific mood or bhava of each individual who come to him. Once he knew a person intimately it teas easy for him to guide him on his spiritual path. He never destroyed the specific mental attitude of anyone  . Nor did he try to impose his ideas forcibly on other. rather he endeavoured to raise each one from where he was and led him in the direction of his natural bent of mind innumerable instances can be cited of how . Sri Ramakrishna showed respect for the uniqueness of each individual.

Krish is Bliss, Na is Its Form

The Speaking Tree | Spirituality | ET

B Dayita Madhava Maharaj

We cannot know Krishna through arrogance because He is the unchallengeable Truth. He has no cause, and there is no one equal to or greater than Him. Allow yourself to experience the grace of Krishna. To know Krishna, surrender yourself with all humility. Be inquisitive in a reverential manner, about all that is spiritual. Serve with an attitude of surrender, unto the spiritual master who has knowledge of the spiritual.

To understand the significance of Krishna consciousness, we first have to know who Krishna is. The significance of Krishna is His remarkable divine personality. The scriptures define the etymological meaning of the word Krishna: the word ‘Krishna’ is composed of the root krishh, meaning bhu, the shelter of all existence, and the word na, meaning nivriti, or the form of supreme bliss.

Combined, they form the word Krishna that signifies Param Brahmn, the Supreme Absolute Truth. Krishna means self-existing bliss. Vedanta defines this as Aanandam Brahma: He is that rasa, ananda, or bliss. One who drinks that rasa becomes full of bliss.

In another sense, the word Krishna means krishh, ‘to attract’, or karshane, and na, or giving bliss. The one who attracts all and gives them bliss, and who is blissful Himself, is known as Krishna. In other words, Krishna means ‘all-attractive’ and ‘all-bliss-giving’. When he exhibits His aspect of being smaller than the smallest, Krishna is known as Parmatama. When he exhibits his aspect of being greater that the greatest, he is known as Brahmn.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week  India won aginst wi scoring 297, 343/7

Knowledge and Devotion

Monday, 19 August 2019

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

 Knowledge and Devotion

Where then is the conflict? The conflict is in language and presentation. The conflict is due to the selfish motives of the followers. The ultimate goal of both devotion and knowledge in the same. Both are only different paths to the same goal. The goal is to destroy the worthless “unripe-I” which has bound us with desire for the world and its delights . we have to replace it with the great “ripe –I” the “I that says “I am God’s servant “ or I am a part of Him” Devotion and knowledge are merely two ways of destroying the “unripe –I”

Devotees want to surrender everything at the lotus feet of God. The only thing they seek in life is to remember, and then to live, under all conditions and in all ways the truth that whatever they call their own-actions and thoughts, wealth spouse and children –are not really there . these belong to God. Even actions like eating, which are necessary for the upkeep of the body, are done by devotees for the service of God and not for their own sake. They live for no other reason then to serve God the beloved. Devotee want to drown their “I ness” in the ocean of “Thou-ness” they want to serve God in all beings after discarding forever at His lotus feet the “I” born of egoism the “I “which says. “I am the son of the so and so “ I am a scholars” “I am wealthy, respectable intelligent”

The spirit of free enquiry

The Speaking Tree , Fiction, India | ET

The spirit of free enquiry is, perhaps, best epitomised in the short and crisp Mundaka Upanishad, set amid the sylvan retreat of Sage Angiras. He is engaged in dialogue with Saunaka, a householder in search of truth.

Saunaka asks: “Sir, what is that, knowing which, everything becomes known?” Sage Angiras’s reply constitutes the entire Mundaka Upanishad in 64 verses, encapsulating the Vedantic view.

Angiras was, perhaps, the first to differentiate between knowledge and wisdom, a theme later elaborated by various seers and Advaitists. He makes the distinction between “lower” knowledge —which one would interpret as either intellectually grasped or ritualistically gathered and the “higher” form of knowledge, which one would interpret as the spiritual experience itself, beyond the web of the mind.

Sage Angiras differentiates further between the transitory character of the materialistic path and its fleeting benefits, and the potentially permanent nature of the path of renunciation, which he saw as a prerequisite to attain real happiness. This distinction between dharma and jnana lies at the very heart of the Mundaka Upanishad.

In three similes Angiras posits the intricate relationship between the universe and the Self: “As a spider throws afar its web and gathers in as well, as plants sprout on earth, as hair grows on the human body, so does the universe emerge from the Imperishable Self.”

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Relationship, old vs new

The Speaking Tree | Lifestyle | ET

By Sumit Paul

“Had we never lov’d sae kindly,

Had we never lov’d sae blindly,

Never met — or never parted —

We had ne’er been brokenhearted.”

— Robert Burns, Scottish poet

Everything in life has a purpose.

There’s nothing that happens without a reason. A breakup also has a meaning. It teaches the person(s) deeper lessons of life and relationships. At the same time, when we break off with someone, however close he/she may have been, we are again open to forging new bonds. So long as one is in a relationship, it’s difficult to weigh other options. But once the earlier bond loses its grip, you are as free as breeze.

No one is indispensable in life and, after some time, one naturally forgets all. And one has to forget all, one by one, to feel a sense of blissful emptiness that permeates not just the whole universe but also pervades one’s whole existence. There’s a saying in Urdu, ‘Apni majlisein badalte rahiye’ (Keep changing your company). To welcome the new with an open heart and sans any reservations can make life meaningful.

To sum up with Allama Iqbal’s couplet, ‘Dhoondh koi nai raah khud ke liye/ Kab tak qadeem raahon pe chalta rahega?’ (Find a new path for yourself/ How long will you keep treading on the same old and beaten path?).

So, leave the beaten and welltrodden path and embark upon a new sojourn on an unknown road. Uncertainty has its own charm. Incertitude leads one to new and exotic territories.

Embrace it whole heartedly.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week  Jadon Sancho no 7 socred a goal on bundas liga  ,  

Relationship, old vs new

Monday, 12 August 2019

Relationship, old vs new

The Speaking Tree | Lifestyle | ET

By Sumit Paul

“Had we never lov’d sae kindly,

Had we never lov’d sae blindly,

Never met — or never parted —

We had ne’er been brokenhearted.”

— Robert Burns, Scottish poet

Everything in life has a purpose.

There’s nothing that happens without a reason. A breakup also has a meaning. It teaches the person(s) deeper lessons of life and relationships. At the same time, when we break off with someone, however close he/she may have been, we are again open to forging new bonds. So long as one is in a relationship, it’s difficult to weigh other options. But once the earlier bond loses its grip, you are as free as breeze.

No one is indispensable in life and, after some time, one naturally forgets all. And one has to forget all, one by one, to feel a sense of blissful emptiness that permeates not just the whole universe but also pervades one’s whole existence. There’s a saying in Urdu, ‘Apni majlisein badalte rahiye’ (Keep changing your company). To welcome the new with an open heart and sans any reservations can make life meaningful.

To sum up with Allama Iqbal’s couplet, ‘Dhoondh koi nai raah khud ke liye/ Kab tak qadeem raahon pe chalta rahega?’ (Find a new path for yourself/ How long will you keep treading on the same old and beaten path?).

So, leave the beaten and welltrodden path and embark upon a new sojourn on an unknown road. Uncertainty has its own charm. Incertitude leads one to new and exotic territories.

Embrace it whole heartedly.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

All moments are precious

 The Speaking Tree | Lifestyle | ET

By Sumit Paul

Socrates was in prison awaiting his execution. One day he heard a fellow prisoner singing a difficult lyric by the poet, Stesichorus. Socrates begged the man to teach him the lyric. “Why?” asked the singer. “So that I can die knowing one thing more,” was Socrates’ reply.

There’s a Persian maxim, ‘There’s no end to learning.’ It’s never too late to learn a new thing and add to the repertoire of your knowledge. Thomas Arnold, professor of philosophy, and Allama Iqbal at the University of Lahore were on a voyage to England. Thomas Arnold was one of the three great Arnolds, who were contemporaries. The other two were Matthew Arnold and Edwin Arnold.

Suddenly, an overpowering tempest threatened to sink the ship in the middle of the sea. Everyone on board was terrified, except for the great philosopher.

He was reading, unfazed. The captain of the ship asked Arnold, “Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“Death has its time. Why should I worry? I cannot afford to waste a single moment learning something new,” calmly answered the unruffled philosopher.

The tempest eventually died down and professor Arnold learnt that the 1st-century Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna was a Brahmin, who embraced Buddhism and propounded his famous ‘Madhyam Marg’ (the middle path). Arnold also came to know that the same Nagarjuna gave the world the concept of ‘Ex Nihilo’ (nothing comes out of nothing), all during that mad scramble to save one’s life. There’re so many things to do in life.

Alas, one life ain’t enough.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and power of Vedanta

The eyes of the whole world are now turned towards the land of India for spiritual food and India has to provide it for all the races. Here alone is the best ideal for mankind and Western scholars are now striving to understand  this ideal which is enshrined in our Sanskrit literature and philosophy , and which has been the characteristic of India all though the ages.

... the land where humanity has attained its highest towards gentleness, towards generosity , towards purity, towards calmness above all, the land of introspection and of spirituality –its India

When the life blood is strong and pure, no diseases germ can live to that body. Our life –blood is spirituality, if it flows clear if it flows strong and pure and vigorous everything is right political, social any other material defects even the poverty of the land will all be cured if the blood is pure.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7^th Heaven moment of the week  India won 3^rd t20 by 7 wk  , india won 2^nd odi scoring 279/7