श्री कृष्ण अर्पणमास्तु

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एक छोटा सा बच्चा है। माँ अपने छाती से लगा लेती है बच्चा माँ का दूध पीने लगता है। माँ मातृत्व के आनंद से आनंदित हो जाती है – जैसे उसके लिए मातृत्व से बड़ा कोई सुख ही नहीं हो। एक बच्चा माँ के दूध पर शंका नहीं करता। इसीलिए माँ के रूप में हमें ईश्वरियता से प्रथम साक्षात्कार होता है । आप कितने भी दुःख में हो, माँ का आँचल अगर दो घड़ी के लिए मिल जाए तो शूकूँ आ ही जाता है।

आज कल लोग ईश्वर पर शंका बहुत करने लगे हैं। ईश्वर में भावना की जगह व्यावहारिकता को ज़्यादा खोजने लगे हैं । समर्पण की जगह लॉजिक ने ज़्यादा ले ली है।
मुझे बचपन में सुनी एक कहानी याद आ रही है – एक स्त्री अपने हर काम श्री कृष्ण को समर्पित कर देती। यहाँ तक कि घर को गोबर से नीपती और बचे हुए गोबर श्री कृष्ण अर्पणमास्तु कह के घर के बाहर फेंक देती। वह गोबर सीधा गाँव के मंदिर में स्थापित भगवान कृष्ण के मूर्ति के चेहरे पर जा गिरता। पुजारी बहुत परेशान। हर दिन उसे भगवान के चेहरे की सफ़ाई जो करनी पड़ती।

वह स्त्री बीमार पड़ गयी और जब मृत्यु का समय आया वो श्री कृष्ण अर्पणमास्तु कह कर प्राणत्याग दी। तुरंत मंदिर के भगवान की मूर्ति भी टूट गयी। फिर उस स्त्री को लेने के लिए स्वर्गलोक से विमान आया। वह विमान मंदिर से टकरा गया और मंदिर भी टूटकर गिर गया।

यह कहानी इस बात का परिचायक है की भक्त जब अपना सर्वस्व भगवान को समर्पित कर देता है तो भगवान उसे स्वयं से भी ऊपर उठा देते है। एक बार बिना किसी लॉजिक के भगवान को समर्पण तो करके देखो, एक बार सर उठाकर उसे श्री कृष्ण अर्पणमास्तु कहकर अपने को उसके हवाले करके तो देखो। प्रश्न अपने आप सुलझ जाएँगे। मीरा के ज़हर अमृत में तब्दील हो गए, द्रौपदी की लाज बच गयी, ध्रुव के प्राण बच गए, और गज़ की रक्षा हो गयी। तो आपका भी हो जाएगा।

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Be attentive to the attack from the lair person in the same way as the snake

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When God Ram, Sita and Lakshman depart for exile, they meet Sage Jabali on their way to the forest. He tried to influence Ram to ignore his father’s wish and return to Ayodhya.

He said, “Dharma, truth, good conduct, character, etc. are a useless imposition on us. You should not care much about it and return to Ayodhya.” God Ram replied: “Looking at a person’s conduct and character, only you can determine whether he is born into a good family or boasting himself. Also, you can find his character whether he is unblemished or blemished.”

You should be attentive to the attack from the lair person in the same way as the snake. Truth is the sole controller of the world, and the truth is rooted in Dharma.

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No act of yours can repay the debt of your father and mother

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It is difficult for the children to repay the debt of what the mother and the father have done to bring them up. Sage Vashisth visits God Ram in the forest to request him to return to the homeland.

Lord Ram refuses to disobey the wish of his father and says to him: “The course of action the parents always adopt in respect of their son, the benefits they confer on him according to their resources, the way they lull him to sleep and clothe him, the affectionate words they always speak to him and the way they bring him up all these cannot be repaid.”

He continued: “Beauty may leave the moon, Himavaan may become bereft of snow, the ocean may transgress its shores but I will never violate the promise my father gave.” Such a commitment and obedience towards fulfilling the father’s wish can only make us God.

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Bootstrapper’s Era, India

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I was born in the ’70s and brought up in a village with no electricity, no water pump, no roads, and no hospitals. Less than a dozen people in the entire village graduated, and only five people were privileged to have a government job.

The best part was everyone was bootstrapped entrepreneur. They were plumbers, carpenters, gardeners, weavers, and mostly farmers. Despite no formal degree, most people were intellectually fit, mentally stable and wise.

No one was worried about the economy because people did not know it. No one was worried about the job loss because there was never one.

Everyday evening village people will assemble at a bazaar in the village. People will buy from each other or exchange goods based on their needs. Plumbers, carpenters, gardeners, weavers, farmers and some banyas (traders) will come with their products. Only banyas will deal in cash.

But, gradually, everything changed. Few people left the native for greener pastures in big cities. They did pity jobs in Kolkata, Mumbai and other places, but when they returned home, they would wear neat clothes, buy a bicycle, apply scented oil on their hair and comb it, wear a watch and listen to music on their radio.

It started fascinating young men like us to look outside for a better life. By the ’80s, the rate race was in full swing – India started losing its bootstrappers and craftsman. We are now part of a larger global mess — worried, sleepless, distracted, and confused.

The only way to get out of this urban living mess and ruts is to hone your craft and reclaim the bootstrapper in you. It’s in your gene. It’s in every Indian gene. Wake up and reclaim yours to live with peace, positivity, and prosperity.

Stop wasting your time living worried, stop stressing yourself to trolling other people and stop being the victim creatively. It’s your nation. It’s your society. It’s your family. It.s you. The time is now to be the bootstrapper! If not, when?

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To bring out the best in you, Make yourself your ally

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  1. Selectively forget the past, but remember some of the daily acts that made a positive change in your or someone else’s life.
  2. Every day aims to learn something new. It will help you keep engaged and feel productive.
  3. From time to time, engage with your friend and family to know the best of you. The best way is to begin by telling them about their uniqueness, and you will see they will start appreciating you and your achievements. It will make you feel your importance.
  4. Whenever there is an opportunity to show kindness, lap it up. Helping others always makes you feel good.
  5. Disconnect from the external world and connect with your inner self. Do deep breathing for just 2 minutes to feel calm and peaceful.
  6. Listen to your favourite music and indulge in the activities that you are passionate about. Music helps soothe and relax.
  7. Plan your day, and schedule things in advance. Do not hassle yourself. Go with the pace. You will do more with lesser efforts.

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Two wolves inside us: The evil and the good

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A grandfather told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth.”

The boy paused for some moments, thought about it, and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?”

The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”
–Author Unknown

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What if you focus on changing the system and not just the symptom

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We’re more motivated to consume instant pleasure than long-term results. You like to eat foods that please your taste bud more than one that makes you healthier, like Broccoli or bitter gourd. You like to go for a movie with an entertainment factor than one which will teach you the lessons you can use for a lifetime.

If you just focus on treating the symptom, you will only get the repressing outcome.

If you go to work on the structure and the system, you will automatically become a natural performer who gets what you ought to.

So, remind yourself of your vision, plan the structure and the system that will get you there, start performing it every day for 30 days, and you’ll convert it into your habit…you’ll be able to RECREATE yourself.

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Ragupati Ragav Raja Ram Patit Pawan Sita Ram

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Mahatma Gandhi used to conduct daily meetings. It will start with the song “Vaishnav Jan to taine kahiye”, followed by his speech on important topics and Q&A.

One day he was speaking about the power of Ram’s name chanting and how it helps him attain peace and clarity.

During the Q&A, a girl asked him a question, “Mahatma, I was also doing name chanting every day until I read Kabir couplet — the rosary rotating by the hand and the tongue-twisting in the mouth, With the mind wandering everywhere, this isn’t meditation anyway. Since then, I stopped the name chanting.”

Mahatma Gandhi replied: “You have asked an interesting question. One day a person purchased a bathing soap and carried it home. He handed it over to his wife, praising the aroma and usefulness of soap. He instructed his wife to place it safely in the cupboard.

Pointing to the specks of dirt on his body wife asked him to take the soap and take a bath. Merchant murmured angrily: “Don’t you think such a beautiful and aromatic soap will get dirtied when contacting these specks of dirt on my body?”
The wife replied with a smile: “The usefulness of soap’s beauty and aroma lies in cleaning and washing off the specks of dirt from the body; otherwise, what’s the use of it? ”

The moral of the story is whether you can get the focus or not, whether you can realise the benefits or not, and whether you can find substantial proof for name chanting; you continue to meditate on God’s name. It will certainly help you clear, cleanse, and attain focus. And most importantly, feel safe in the heavenly adobe of God.

Ragupati Ragav Raja Ram Patit Pawan Sita Ram Read More »

Suppress negativity spread goodness

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Guru Nanak arrived at a village where people were a quarrelling with each other. He blessed them and asked them to prosper and live in that village forever. In the next village, people were living with peace, compassion and tranquility.

Guru Nanak blessed them too and advised them to abandon the village and disperse.

Mardana, his close disciple got puzzled observing the strange blessings, he asked, “Why did you bless the unworthy people of first village with prosperity, and asked the good people of the second village to disperse.

Guru Nanak smiled and answered: ‘The quarrelsome will only spread unrest and friction wherever they go. So I asked them to remain where they were. But it is better for the peace-loving to disperse and take their good qualities so that wherever they go people can learn the art of peaceful coexistence.’”

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Here is how to find yourself when you are feeling lost

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Enlightenment in life comes not by chasing the ultimate consciousness but by living stably in the self. Many in the world are multi-millionaires and billionaires, yet they are poor. When penniless, you crave to have Rs.10. Then you get Rs.10 and feel Rs.10 poor. Somehow you get Rs.100, and then you are Rs.100 poor. You remain poor even after having millions in your bank. The dissimilarities in public life are visible everywhere. People have so much money that they don’t have a place to keep it, and many don’t have a home to live in.

Everything in your life begins with how you feel. The very secret of enlightenment begins by remembering who you are. If you remember being kind, you will start feeling like a kind. If you think you are a master, you will feel like a master.

I remember a story narrated by my mother in my childhood. There was a king, and he had a dumb and spoilt son. One day he fired his son because of his misbehaviour and forced him to leave home.
For ten years, the king’s son lived the life of a homeless beggar in tattered and dirty clothes. He completely forgot that he was ever a prince.

The ageing king felt for his son and asked his prime minister to search for his son. While on the search duty, the prime minister found the king’s son, bare feet, lacerated with wounds begging for little money outside a hotel. He immediately recognized the king’s son, bowed and said, “The king has pardoned you and asks you to return to your kingdom.” Within no time, the son threw away his begging bowl and became a king. He ordered the prime minister to bring him a pair of good shoes and kingly clothes and arrange his bath immediately. Everyone who humiliated him a while ago gave him started obeying him. A person in the crowd reminded him of what he was a moment ago, “How is it you forget us in a moment?”

The prince replied, “I remembered you as long as I had forgotten who I was. Just now I have remembered I am prince so, I forget I am a beggar. Now, I remember, I am a king and I have always been a king.”
You would have heard about fake it till you made it. It applies here — If you continue to remember who you are, there is no need for any practice or reminder for any external forces to remind you of who you are. If you have forgotten your real self, remember who you are and see yourself transforming.

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How to create peace and harmony

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You’ve been complaining about the distractions and disturbances in your everyday life for a long while. You feel that distractions are the enemy of your accomplishments. Finding a place where you can get things done with focus is hard to find.

I can tell you there is no such place. Whether you go to the office, stay home, or run away to the forest, you’d face some kind of distractions everywhere.
I know a story: A man approached the master and pleaded for the secret mantra to help him fulfil his wishes. Master gave him the mantra and warned him to chant the mantra only at a place of absolute peace.

He started chanting at his home, but due to continuous disturbances, he could not continue it. He moved to the forest, sat beneath the tree and began his chanting. The birds started chirping, the animals were hounding, and the birds were dropping their shit on him from the top. Embarrassed by it, he moved to find another place. He found an empty field and decided to build a hut there for peaceful chanting. A saint approached him and warned him that the high wind might blow away his hutment. Scared of the high wind, he decided to return to his home and practice there itself.

If you truly want things to get done, you have to do it in your settings and situations. Stop wasting your time in search of a perfect place. There isn’t one. To live a peaceful life, you must create a peaceful and harmonious surrounding wherever you are now. Fleeing away is not a solution, but it’s a delusion that wanders in your mind.

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Do not choose

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We all crave the joy of heaven. It is because the sufferings and misery inside hell are painted in our minds so deeply that we don’t want to live there.

Like our desire to become rich stems from the misery we know poor people suffer. You ask any rich person whether they enjoy being wealthy, and you will hear NO.

The virtuous good people feel they deserve special treatment because they condemn the sinners, not because of the good itself.

What if you find a man who says nothing is like this in hell, or he says that hell is better and more luxurious than hell?

What if you know the darker side of having luxury items, mansions and cool cars?

What if you face people considering you weak, you attract the wrong type of people, and people distrust you despite you being good to everyone?

Most of our acts are polarized against the good and the bad. Non-violence depends on violence, and light owes its existence to the darkness, and good grows in the soil of bad.

Krishna says to Arjuna – “The world is unity of opposites. Accept both the polarities, because both are there together. Go with them, because they are. Don’t choose!” Krishna advises pursuing choicelessness. Those who choose a part and deny another are bound to be in tension because despite denying it, the other part will always continue to be. And the irony is that the part we choose depends on its existence in the part we deny.

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You have made my day

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“You have made my day” is a powerful compliment to give and receive. It tempts the feeling of kindness, humanity and realization that your act has made a significant difference in someone’s life. A genuine act of kindness can move the mountain, melt the iron and bring forward the irony of your humanity. I advise you to begin developing the habits of the following:

  • Being right is okay but only if it does not erode your being kind.
  • Choose your words wisely before speaking to provide listening pleasure.
  • You must gauge your level of effectiveness by the glow and smile your words have generated on a listener’s face.
  • Everyday, offer the prayer to the almighty to help those who need blessings to come out of the tough times and uneven terrain.
  • Don’t be serious. Each one of us needs a friend with whom you can act goofy.

From time to time, throw out your caring and compassionate best to make someone’s day. You will become happier, more acceptable, more delightful and more generous.

So, for whom will you make the day happy today?

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Do you have these 3 bank accounts

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TIME BANK
Your life is fixed between your birth date and death date. Organise and prioritise your time for those high-fulfilling activities that will move you forward in your personal, family and professional life.

RELATIONSHIP BANK
People come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime. Whenever people come into your life, analyse them, accept them and treasure them for however long they were meant to be part of your life.

FINANCE BANK
It’s not how much you earn but how much you keep. The best way to gain financial security is to constantly grow your income and develop the habit of saving for rainy days.

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Small steps cause a significant impact

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Small steps cause a significant impact

A jet plane with 257 passengers onboard departed from New Zealand airport to experience Antarctica and back. A ground handling staff from the air traffic control department altered the flight coordinates by 2 degrees, putting the aircraft 28 miles east from where they were supposed to be. Sadly that alteration put them directly on the top of Mount Erebus, an active volcano.

Despite turbulence and other conditions keeping aeroplanes off-course 90% of flight time, most flights arrive at the correct destination at the intended time. The snow on the volcano blended with the clouds above, deceiving the pilots into thinking they were flying above flat ground. When the instruments sounded a warning of the quickly rising ground, it was too late. The plane crashed into the volcano, and everyone onboard died.

The reason for the accident was the pilot’s dependency on air traffic control for constantly course correcting their movement. Course correction includes notification and pathway correction to help the pilot stay on course and reach the destination.

This flight analogy is so much contextually relevant to our lives. Even seemingly inconsequential aspects of our lives can create ripples and waves of consequence — for better or worse.

I have some homework for you — Citing this lesson, how do you notify and course correct if you are flying the aircraft called your life:

  • How are you piloting your life and checking whether you are on the right course?
  • What feedback are you receiving to correct your course?
  • Do you have a guidance system? How often do you check your guidance system?
  • Where is your destination?
  • When are you going to get there?
  • Are you on-course or off-course?
  • How would you know if you are on the right course?
  • How do you minimize the turbulence and other conditions distracting your path?

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