prayer

Asato ma Satgamaya
Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya
Mrityorma Amritamgamaya...

from untruth, lead me to truth,
Form darkness to light
and from death to immortality.......

- ancient Indian prayer

Prayers and wishes for learning in life to all of you.

Happy Saraswati Pooja! Happy Dassera!!!!

This is a picture of teh traditional Devi installed at home.It is made on coconut and plastered with turmeric and sandal paste.Thanks to my friend, Manoj Chellapan who made this .

redefining terror

I believe each of us in india and maybe elsewhere today has a challenge - to rise above reactive pettiness or to transcend into relams of real healing and peace creation.

India is a concept , an idea that represents amongst the highest ideals of co-existence and acceptance. I am proud of being born into this idea as conceived by the visionaries of yore. The greater the vision , the greater the challenges in achieving it.But then, challenges should not deter us, weaken us. States of dis-ease require medication, treatment, surgeries and healing. Hurts within humans and teh pain within are the cause of strife outside. Each of us who are able to transcend that hurt within are helping win the war on humanity's collective suffering.

I do not believe for a moment that India has ever been weak.Acceptance demands understanding beyond superficial symptoms asnd India as a collective has demonstrated this.

There are dips and pauses as in any process but the trend in wholly consonant with the highest spiritual ideals as espoused in various wisdom of the world.

I identify with this heritage and see myself as a global citizen. If you take the history of India, we have never been an aggressor. We have embraced even our attackers and inetgerated them into our culture.We have lost battles but won wars.

This can be either of two things - we are too weak or we are mature in our understanding. I feel aligned with the latter.I beleive India and Indians have a destiny to fulfil and the sacrifices we are called on to make in the realization of this destiny would naturally be greater. I see India playing a global role today, something which would evolve into a leadership position it has to take on.The birth pangs are natural.

I connect to my higher vision and see myself as a critical player in its actualization.

While battles are going on, I am relating to the fundamental war within every human - the war on inner strife and conflict..It is easy to behave as every one else and compromise our standards. Genius and Excellence have always come at a price and lessons learnt the hard way.

I know the war will be won.....The terror seeds within each of us would be destroyed and the seeds of genuine peace, not managed peace created..silencing anyone does not transform them - if at all it strengthens them; a rubber ball bounces higher each time it is hit on the ground.Symptomatic repressions are not the need of the hour , sustainable solutions are at the very root.....

The content of the mind has never changed . The Mahabharat and the Bible and the Quran all indicate strife and terror and rift.Its a cosmic opportunity today in realms of grace to declutch ourselves from the tyranny of the mind; management processes are rendered impotent.

This is the only solution for humanity..........and it starts and ends within each of us...We are either weapons of breakthrough or breakdown...we are at cosmic crossroads....

Grace ...

Recently had an occasion to experience live GRACE ....

last week, was on my way from thane to chembur in a rick which was travelling at breakneck speed on the eastern express highway.

a car suddenly cut across from the right and hit our rick.The driver and his asst ( sometimes 2 guys sit in front) were thrown out of the rick while the rick turned on it's side.I was left squatting on the ground with the rick around me and was dragged alongwith the rick a few metres by the car. The car jerked us off and went on it's way.

The inner silenec that I have been experiencing did not desert me at the moment nor did my awareness. the rick came to a halt and people rushed to lift it from above me.I was able to climb to my feet and my clothes were badly torn and my right side of the body in great pain as I was dragged against the tar road.

A young college student drove me to a Dr near my house and miraculously i had suffered no fractures etc. A few bruises were there but they are manageable.My goggles, mobile phone, watch etc were unscathed.

Looking back, i cannot believe that I could get off so easily in a bad accident right in the middle of the expressway where vehicles coming behind me could have easily knocked me off.

Grace had made it's presence felt and a feeling of gratitude overpowered me.....

Prayer - a potent weapon

Prayer to one’s chosen form has been regarded as a gateway to Grace from time immemorial.When we operate out of a dire need , prayer is a “happening” in helplessness.

There are a few aspects that require clarification vis-à-vis the art of prayer.Very often people mistake worship for prayer. Worship can be a part of a nitya sadhana(routine religious exercises); it is an acknowledgement, an offering of gratitude to the source of all that is in a way we perceive it.

Worship can also be a part of a planned prayer session; it is always beautiful to start with an acknowledgement of blessings in one’s life and feel grateful for the same.It sets a sacred inner ambience for releasing our prayer or intent into the vast expanses of the universe.

A fundamental need to release a prayer is a strong bond or a sense of connect with one’s chosen form, this could also be formless.A sense of deep connectedness helps emotionalise the prayer and energize it’s manifest more effectively.When one is relating to a form, the scriptures recommend a bond in one of the four Bhavas; Vatsalya, where the object of our worship becomes a parent or a child ; Madhura Rasa, where the object of our worship acquires the hue of a romantic lover or beloved; Sakya Rasa, where the object of our worship is a friend and finally, the Dasya Rasa, where we treat the object of our worship as a master, a ruler, a Guru, God or any other….Relating in one or the other of these forms help us connect in a deep sense of bonding and emotional intimacy.

When the bond is strong, it has the capacity to breakthrough various protocols of communication in this Divine connect.Hence, the emphasis on the Bhakti Rasa in our scriptures.Have we not heard immortal tales of great bhaktas such as Namdev, Pundlik,Mirabai, Sudama and many others who enjoyed a great personal rapport with the objects of their worship.

A second aspect in prayer is the need for clarity vis-à-vis our need. The greater our clarity, the more probable it’s chance of manifesting.Prayer has to be always positive; as an eg if one is praying to seek alleviation from a financial crisis, one should ask for the money one requires rather than wallow in the problem.It also helps to visualize the solution clearly.A positive intent thus released into the universe has a greater possibility of manifesting into an actuality.A person with a chronic and crippling ailment tends to focus on his miserable condition and reinforce the situation.What should be done is a release of a positive intent visualizing ourselves a healthy bereft of the currently manifested condition. We should see ourselves as healed and offer gratitude for the same..

The Universe does not respond to vagueness.However, in the presence of a strong bond, the Universe responds from a tuning in of our deepest needs.

Generally, needs are answered , not desires born in mere mind comparisons.We see a Mercedes Benz as we walk down the road….a desire grips us to own one…this is not a need…When we observe childless couples, more often than not, their need is born in peer pressure rather than in intrinsic longing.One man’s desire can however be another’s need.

The completion of a prayer is in an expression of gratitude to the Divine Will and an unconditional acceptance of Divine Will vis-à-vis the response.We have to acknowledge that our seeking is in the context of our extremely limited perspective of things and events.

Pre-requites for the manifest of our prayers are a harmonious relationship with our parents and with those around us. It is always advisable to offer pada-pooja to our parents in a sense of gratitude and seek their blessings for an alleviation of our problems and a fulfillment of our desires.

The Universe responds to every need of man….as our consciousness levels evolve, we grow in our abilities to manifest whatever we conceive for ourselves.

learning : a repost...

recently celebrated "saraswati pooja", a lovely concept in prayer; an expression of gratitude for all the wisdom and knowledge that flows into our lives from myriad sources.mebbe one should add "blogging" to the endless list of media and sources that fulfil the dream of the rigveda; "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side".The universe, the original multi-media classroom...fascinating, awesome,inspiring, disciplining, self-regulatory and so much more...we are all learners and teachers at the same time as a certain Mr Bach had expressed...
Let this day be a dedication to the spirit of "learning"....
some learnings I have had on "learning" itself"
.never pre-judge, pre-suppose.
.be aware of the contexts and the assumptions.
.every speck in creation is a potential teacher.
.our perceptions and mental formations can inhibit genuine learning.
.learning is an attitude in humbleness.
.teachers persist in our lives until we learn what we have chosen to learn.Hence , we observe repetitive patterns recurring time and again.
.unlearning is a critical part of learning.
.the process of learning is joyful, a voyage in discovery ; not self-condemnatory or guilt-provoking.
.................and so much more.....

bhakti rasa...

was listening to an old Jagjit favourite from cry for CRY. was privileged to be a part of the production team on behalf of CRY...the lyrics and melody seem to grow on one...

Mujhme jo bhi achha hai sab uska hai,
Mera Jitna Charcha Hai sab uska hai..

Meri aankhen unki noor se roushan hai
maine jo bhi socha hai sab uska hai..

Maine jo kuch khoya tha sab uska tha
Maine jo kuch paaya hai sab uska hai

Jitni Baar main toota hoon, woh toota tha,
idhar udhar jo bikhra hai, sab uska hai...

Prayer to the Divine Mother..

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Mathru Rupena Samsthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Daya Rupena Samsthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Sakthi Rupena Samasthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Lakshmi Rupena Samasthitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

Yaadevi Sarva Bhootheshu Budhi Rupena Samashtitha
Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namasthasyai Namo Nameha

WISH U ALL A HAPPY NAVARATRI.....

vidya's rendevouz with simi...

read this fascinating excerpt in today's DNA.To be aired this Sunday on Star.

Simi: Do you feel you are the chosen one?
Vidya: When we want things to happen in a certain way and they don't, we think that's the end of the world. But I'm a diehard optimist. I believe that all happens for the best.

Simi: You spend a lot of time in the temple.
Vidya: We've always been taught to pray and to believe that there's a supernatural guiding force which is responsible for everything. But I don't think anyone from my family is much into it. They all pray for sure, even if it's on the bed. But I spend a lot of time.

Simi: What gives you such deep faith?
Vidya: I think it's a combination of what I have read and the experiences that people have had. I have seen great things happening to people. When you surrender, it's beautiful. You realise you're not the doer. I don't think any of us are doing anything. We're just playing out God's plan!

Simi: What type of a relationship do you have with God?
Vidya: I think the guy up there is in each one of us.

Simi: Do you talk to him?
Vidya: All the time! Prayer is a self-fulfilling process. When you genuinely want something, like Paulo Coelho said, 'The Universe conspires to get it for you'. Where there is doubt, it won't happen.

Simi: Has your faith ever wavered?
Vidya: Not much any longer. But there were times when I used to be a very badly behaved teenager! But somewhere faith took over and I've been calmer.

Eternity..

Om Poornamadha Poornamidham

Poornath Poornamudachathe

Poornasya Poornamaadhaaya

Poornameva Vasishyathe....

Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi...

from here and there..awesome....

........in a period of drought, all villagers in a village decide to get together and pray for rain. on the day of prayer, everyone gathers around. a little boy shows up with an umbrella.....

the essence of prayer, faith.

Happy Birthday, dear Bhagavan.....

Happy Birthday , dear Bhagavan....Thank you for being the life of my life..the breath of my breath....

As an old sufi couplet says, "The noise of the lover is only up to the time when he has not seen his Beloved. Once he sees the beloved, he becomes calm and quiet, just as the rivers are boisterous before they join the ocean, but when they do so, they are becalmed forever."

please accept Gyaneshwar's Pasayadan as my gift in prayer for you on this most blessed of days....

today is "saraswati pooja", a lovely concept in prayer; an expression of gratitude for all the wisdom and knowledge that flows into our lives from myriad sources.mebbe one should add "blogging" to the endless list of media and sources that fulfil the dream of the rigveda; "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side".The universe, the original multi-media classroom...fascinating, awesome,inspiring, disciplining, self-regulatory and so much more...we are all learners and teachers at the same time as a certain Mr Bach had expressed...

Let this day be a dedication to the spirit of "learning"....

some learnings I have had on "learning" itself"

• never pre-judge, pre-suppose.
• be aware of the contexts and the assumptions.
• every speck in creation is a potential teacher.
• our perceptions and mental formations can inhibit genuine learning.
• learning is an attitude in humbleness.
• teachers persist in our lives until we learn what we have chosen to learn.Hence , we observe repetitive patterns recurring time and again.
• unlearning is a critical part of learning.
• the process of learning is joyful, a voyage in discovery ; not self-condemnatory or guilt-provoking.
• .................and so much more.....