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A real happiness is certain when you aim to attain the liberation

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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2.15, the God Krishna says, “That person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both situations is certainly eligible for liberation.”

A diseased person happily consumes bitter medicine with the hope that it will help him get cured. A person opts for painful surgery to remove a specific organ/object from his body to live better. Likewise, the distressful situation should be considered the pathway to happiness. This understanding alone can bring so much comfort and happiness to everyone’s life.

Our whole life has become a struggle to possess material objects that can please our senses and provide illusory comforts. Every moment, we are in a war-like situation to accumulate material objects that can bring pleasure—that big car, house, comfort, lavish lifestyle, etc. The more we get habitual of these, the more distressed we become. And once we are trapped in the net, it’s never-ending situation. 

Recently, I was told by the son of a billionaire that he wants to buy a studio apartment and wishes to live a simple and ordinary life.

True happiness comes with the realisation that nothing is permanent. The happiness of being a millionaire is only until you live in a society of poor people. Then, you move to a society of billionaires, and being a millionaire will be a painful experience. Your state of happiness changes based on the lens through which you look at life.

Liberation is felt only when you use your material possessions for the right purpose and when your capacities and capabilities are used to help the needy. You choose to live life within the necessities rather than being surrounded by self-pleasing objects and comforts. You are bound to suffer the biggest distress—the complete waste of life in trying to gain pleasure while swimming against the flow of the river.

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The learned neither laments for the dead nor the living

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Bhagwad Gita Chapter 2, verse 11, God Krishna says to Arjuna, “You are mourning for those not worthy of sorry; yet speaking like one learned. The learned neither laments for the dead nor the living.”
The root cause of our pain is categorising worldly matters between “MINE”and “OTHERS”. We have divided everything around us into these; it’s my family, and that’s not my family, it’s’s my creed, and that’s not my creed; it’s my re not my cast, religion, and that’s not my religion, my cast and that. But in truth, we are all connected, part of the same whole.
Then, we develop emotions, feelings, desires, and expectations based on what we think is mine. This emotional attachment causes fear, greed, infatuation, worries, and tensions when we do not see ours in the frame we want to see it.

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Why you should treat failure as a learning

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The professor of psychology, Carol Dweck, pioneered the research on mindset.

The Stanford Psychology Professor Carol Dweck has done pioneering work on ‘mindset’. She discovered that our mindset determines our mental attitude about how we respond to situations. She classifies the mindset into two types:

1) Fixed mindset people who assume that everything in the world is already fixed: intelligence, qualities, capabilities, traits, and everything runs and obeys the worldly order.

2) Growth mindset: people who believe intelligence is a quality that changes, grows, and develops, like a ropeway created on the pond’s wall by the constant rope running while drawing water from the well.

Most entrepreneurs possess a growth mindset; if not, he’s not an entrepreneur.

I recently read a report that 40% of startups failed last year. It’s projected as a big news. Globally, 90% of startups fail. If 40% is true, then we are the world’s best entrepreneurs or are still hiding our failures under the carpet.

Everyone who’s achieved incredible success has told me that success is going from failure to another failure until you achieve success.

People with a growth mindset regard failure as a learning experience; I attempted something very challenging, gave my best shot, and learned a great deal.

The only caution here is that despite failure if you continue to do the same things repeatedly, you are a fool.

I find Thomas Edison’s answer quite impressive. He tried 10,000 experiments to invent the filament of the light bulb, and each failure brought him closer to the final result.

Carol Dweck’s recipe for developing a growth mindset:
1. Learn. Learn. Learn.
2. Realize hard work is the key
3. Face setbacks.
growthmindset lifelonglearning

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दुनिया आपके मुट्ठी में

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एक गाँव के मंदिर में एक संत रहते थे। आस पास के गाँव के लोग अक्सर उनके पास जाकर के सत्संग का लाभ उठाते। उनके नेक एवं सटीक बातें लोगों को काफ़ी प्रोत्साहित करती और साथ ही लोगों को दैनिक जीवन की कठिनाइयों और संघर्षों का सामना करने के लिए प्रेरणा भी देती।जब भी गाँव के लोग किसी संकट या उलझन में फँसा महसूस करते, वे तुरंत ही संत के पास जाते और संत उन्हें यथोचित सलाह देकर उन्हें निस्वार्थ मदद करने की कोशिश करते। यहाँ तक की अगर लोगों के बीच कुछ आपसी मतभेद या लड़ाई होती तो वे संत के पास जाते और उन्हें एक उपयुक्त और सर्वमान्य न्याय मिल जाती। इस कारण से गाँव के लोग संत के प्रति काफ़ी आदर और सम्मान की भावना रखते थे।
उनके प्रति लोगों का प्यार और विश्वास देखकर उस गाँव के कुछ नवयुवक काफ़ी ईर्ष्या महसूस करते। वे आपस में हमेशा यह बात करते रहते की हमारे पास इतनी सारी योग्यता है, हम पढ़े लिखे हैं, और हमें दुनियादारी की इतनी अच्छी समझ है फिर भी गाँव के लोग हमें कोई इम्पॉर्टन्स नहीं देते है और हमेशा इस संत के पास राय मशविरा के लिए पहुँच जाते हैं।
गाँव के युवक हमेशा ही संत की महत्ता के बारे में चर्चा करते और स्वयं को व्यथित महसूस करते। एक बार उन्होंने सोच की क्यों न इस संत की असलियत लोगों के सामने लाया जाए। क्यों न लोगों को यह बताया जाए की ये कोई चमत्कारी संत नहीं बल्कि एक साधारण आदमी ही हैं।आपस में डिस्कशन करके वे इस निर्णय पर पहुँचे की वे अगले दिन जब सारे लोग संत के पास बैठकर सत्संग कर रहे होंगे तभी वो सब साथ में जाकर संत का भांडा फोड़ेंगे।
वे सब संत के पास पहुँचे और अनुग्रह किया, “आप तो बहुत बड़े महात्मा और संत हैं। लोगों पर आपकी बड़ी श्रद्धा और विश्वास है। तो आप यह बताइए की हमारे दोनों हथेलियों के बीच में एक तितली बंद है, वो तितली ज़िंदा है या मरी हुई है।
संत ने गौर से नवयुवकों के तरफ़ देखा और उनके मंसा को समझने में उन्हें तनिक भी देरी नहीं लगी। संत ने उनसे कहा, “बच्चों, आपके हथेलियों के बीच में जो तितली बंद है वह ज़िंदा है या मरा हुआ है यह पूर्ण रूप से आपके मनःस्थिति पर निर्भर है।तितली ज़िंदा तब तक है जब तक आप अपने हथेली के बीच में उसे सहेज कर रखे हुए हैं। अगर आप चाहें तो अपने हथेलियों को ज़रा सा कस दें और तितली तुरंत ही मर जाएगी।
यह तितली ठीक उसी तरह है जैसे आपके पास असीम ऊर्जा, ज्ञान और टैलेंट है लेकिन आप उसे घृणा, नफ़रत, अकर्मण्यता और तलमटोल की आदत से पीड़ित होकर बर्बाद कर रहे हो जबकि आप उनका सदुपयोग करके एक अच्छी ज़िंदगी जी सकते हो, अपने परिवार, अपने समाज और अपने देश का नाम रौशन कर सकते हो।”
सारे उपस्थित लोगों ने मिलकर तालियाँ बजानी शुरू कर दी। नवयुवकों को संत की महानता और जीवन को सफल बनाने की कुंजी हाथ लग गयी।
तो क्या आप भी अपने गुणों को, अपने ज्ञान को और अपनी क्षमताओं को अपने मुट्ठी में बंद किए हुए है और उसे बर्बाद कर रहे हैं या उसका सदुपयोग करके स्वयं का, अपने परिवार का, अपने समाज का और अपने देश का नाम रौशन करने के दिशा में सदुपयोग कर रहे हैं?

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Lack of strength to decide cost more, compared to do things

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“What you want to do tomorrow, you must do it today. What you want to do today, you must do it now. Your time may turn unfavorable anytime, don’t wait for the opportune time.” ~~ Kabir

The above couplet by Kabir is used by all and sundry to depict the importance of time. It’s an apt reminder to all of us that time and tide wait for none. However, the challenge we are facing is to decide on what to do.

Increasingly, we are getting overloaded by conflicting thoughts, ideas, opinions, and options. Driven by the accessibility of choices of similar products, similar price, and similar quality, our struggle with decision-making is becoming challenging and draining your energies.

You delay for taking decisions on whether taking the decision will constrain you to take up another one as they may be better for you.

The law of attraction says that if you take any decision driven by your aspirations, all of the forces of the universe work around that decision.

There is no right or wrong, but a series of opportunities that arises with each passing steps, and the actions that you experience. It’s like a frame of a movie that inspires next step.

Don’t delay your decisions in anticipation of waiting for a better option, because you what is in front of you today can become better by you making the decisions to do it. What is there in front of you is your calling and what is not there may not come up.

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गुरु वचनों के श्रवण से ही ज्ञान की प्राप्ति संभव है

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श्रीकृष्ण कहते हैं:
“गुरु वचनों के श्रवण से ज्ञान की प्राप्ति होती है और अर्जित ज्ञान का जब हम मनन, साक्षात्कार बोध और अभ्यास के माध्यम से सम्पूर्णता से ग्रहण करते हैं तो वह विज्ञान हो जाता है।
जिनमें ज्ञान और विज्ञान दोनों की स्थापना हो जाती है वैसे परमज्ञानी पुरुष के लिए धूल, पत्थर, सोना सब एक समान हो जाता है।
श्रीकृष्ण कहते हैं की ऐसे परमज्ञानी योगी को हममें, तुममें, खड्ग, खंभ में।घट, घट सिर्फ़ ईश्वरीय ऐश्वर्य की ही अनुभूति और अनुभव होती है।”

गुरु वचनों के श्रवण से ही ज्ञान की प्राप्ति संभव है Read More »

Finding the focus in the distracted world

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“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends, but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.” Bhagavad Gita 6.6

Passion is an important quality that helps us dream with open eyes, wake up every morning, and get out to go and do things to realise our dreams, visions, and goals. But, when surrounded by so many distractions, pursuing the passion with the focus is difficult. On many occasions, caught between these distractions, you can’t go with the flow to get important things done. Your days, weeks, and months pass, living in an uncertain terrain, feeling victimised.

My journey has involved embracing a morning walk, meditation, reflection techniques, and reading books to strengthen my conviction and draw inspiration. These help me maintain my focus.

I have learned that you must discover your strengths and focus on developing them rather than pondering your weaknesses. For example, if I am good at creating products/services, I should strengthen my thinking, innovation, and brainstorming skills. 

The other thing that helps me keep moving is actively seeking opportunities to explore my aptitude in different/adjacent fields that complement my strengths. It’s like a side project that offers an opportunity to strengthen your core.

Another key realisation has been the importance of not spreading myself too thin. Instead of trying to excel in every area, I’ve learned to rely on others who can complement my strengths. We all have unique abilities, and by focusing on our strengths, we can surpass the capabilities of generalists.

With these, the only things left for me to focus on are managing my thoughts, applying my strengths with full focus to get things done, and pursuing stability that will lead to the path and outcome that I desire.

God Krishna meant to say to Arjuna that this is about the mind and achieving results with focus.

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Whether to do business with friends or not

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“Pyar dosti hai, agar wo meri sabse achi dost nahi ban sakti to main usse kabhi pyar kar hi nahi sakta” Shahrukh Khan in movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

The dialogue says a lot about the formation of love beginning with a good friendship. Then why do we have so much reluctance to firm up a business relationship with friends, citing, “Let there not be any business between friends; it spoils the relationship.” My mother also constantly reminded me that “put money factor in any relationship, and it will become the sole cause of spoilers.”

Alongside my entrepreneurial journey, I have formed businesses with friends and experienced both good and bad tastes in them. But it has never happened that we have entered into any quarrel or litigation. When things didn’t work out, we reconciled the account and decided to part ways mutually. The friendship still exists.

I know many people who are successful in their life journey better with their friends than doing it alone. So many chartered accountancy firm partners have succeeded in doing business together. When asked about their relationship, my CA friend said, “Ishwar, we have always worked as a family. We never checked the bank withdrawals; we have brought life essentials together, we have gone for holidays together, and we handle everyday family/work responsibilities based on our strengths.”

It’s hard to handle personal, family and work priorities alone unless you find a pill that eliminates our need to sleep, relax, and rejoice in life.  

In my view, the first step is to consider partnership only with friends who share matching values regarding money, social impact, lifestyle, and commitment.

Second, it is crucial to establish clarity on the rules, roles, and responsibilities from the beginning.

Third, you must be willing to ignore the tiny things that will come in the way of painting the picture you’ve decided to paint.

Fourth, having a good partner gives you an ally to easily discuss and decide on the frustrations, challenges, and obstacles that come your way. 

Whenever you feel that you’re entering a challenging terrain with your friendship, watch the friendship of Jay and Veeru in Sholay and listen to the song “Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge. Todenge Dam Magar Tera Sath Na Chhodenge.”

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NAMASTE 🙏

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Your spirit is the same as mine, and therefore, there is no difference between you and me.

I welcome the place where you and I meet. My energy salutes the energy within you.

I recognise the divine power that dwells in your heart.

NAMASTE 🙏 Read More »

Whether to choose heartful or powerful

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You have often faced the dilemma of choosing between a heartfelt person (embodying intellect, compassion, creativity, and maturity) and a powerful one (possessing money, power, personality, and social status). Arjuna faced this very choice during the preparations for the war of Mahabharata.

When given the option, Duryodhana chose the Narayani Sena, the army of well-equipped warriors trained under Lord Krishna’s leadership, valuing their worldly power. Arjuna, on the other hand, chose the unarmed Lord Krishna, valuing his divine wisdom and guidance.

The heart of a person who seeks God’s strength is truly strong because divine strength is real. Conversely, the heart of a person who seeks worldly power is weak because worldly strength is ultimately an illusion.

So, whom will you choose?

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Can entrepreneurship be taught?

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In my view, you can teach the principles of entrepreneurship but not the passion for execution. You cannot teach what it takes to be successful. You cannot teach someone to have an execution plan and the ability to carry it out when no one is there to hold their hand or guide them day-to-day. You cannot teach how to create values and build a business or how to improve and transform it.

However, you can teach how to prepare a business plan and present ideas with the right pitch deck. You can teach how to discover and implement the value curve in products or services. You can teach how to identify and execute a product’s unfair advantage. You can teach how to explain a product and uniquely position it with the right perspective. You can teach how to develop an idea into a product that people love and find valuable. You can teach how to research, innovate, and bring together people to build a product, ensuring that you ship the right product, service, or opportunity.

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The relationship with you that God wants to extend to you

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He wants you to think of him as your father, mother, brother and a friend.
He wants to be the voice that steers through every situation,

The peace that sets your heart rest in trouble and the power that holds you up in the storm.

He is closer than your dearest friend and more faithful than any other person you’ve ever known.

Just instill your mind in him and weave maintain that connection with him.

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If You Say It You Must Mean It

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Far too often you hear the dialog of the Salman Khan movie, “Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di, fir main apne aap ki bhi nahi sunta”.

Similarly, the value of Raghukul(Lord Ram dynasty) was to fulfill the commitments even if it is at the cost of your life.

Most often we fail to think deeply about our values, our uniqueness and what differentiates us from others, and we simply flounder when we have to present our values in an articulated manner.

There is nothing else that can make you more valuable than you present what you say and what you mean closer to each other.

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Well planned or Stop Gap

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Recently an entrepreneur approached me with his business plan.

I asked, “Why do you have such a short sighted and stop-gap kind of plan for your idea?”

Entrepreneur, “You see, If I could see the source of more money, I would have a better plan.”

said, “In my view, it’s not the amount that is a decisive factor; it’s the better plan, better strategy and a great team that counts.”

I revisited the business plan with the entrepreneur this week again, and I was happy to see a well thought out plan, and a strong execution strategy this time.

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The significance of Red protruding tongue of Goddess Kaali

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Raktabija was awarded the boon that whenever a drop of his blood will touch the ground, a great austerity, in that very same place a new

Raktabija would be born with the same vitality, courage and strength with the same capacity to captivate the mind. Raktabija literally translates as the Seed of Desire.

See how he manifests in action. In order to accomplish his desire, he multiplies into countless new desires with the same intensity, the same capacity of captivating the mind, all of which seek fulfilment as well.

As we find desire for one thing, one drop of blood has touched the ground, and immediately, automatically, a new ‘something’ is required in order to fulfil that desire. Another drop.

This goes on indefinitely, causing a continual necessity to act. Every time a Seed of Desire touches the ground, a new Seed of Desire is born in that very same place. Ultimately the entire earth has been filled with Seeds of Desire.

Divine Mother killed the demon by drinking up his blood before it falls on the earth and making him blood less. We in our life pray to Goddess Kaali for garnering her blessings to help us kill the seed of desire from our mind before it  gives birth of another desire.

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