The dog and the old man...

People were floating around. 

Some huddled in deep but inaudible conversations.

The ladies were seated on the floor.

Verses from the Ramayana were resonating in the hall.

Death had caught up.

The only truth in the universe.

Why do we fear death? The answer is very simple. We do not understand it. What we humans don't understand, we fear and we retaliate. We do not know what is on the other side of the door. Is it heaven or hell, nobody knows. Those who know cannot communicate it to us. So we are stuck with our imagination.

I remember reading a story of a dying man who realised what's on the other side of the door by observing a dog!

I will try and recollect it as much as I can for you.

"Mr. Burke was terminally ill. He has been diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma of the intestine. It means he has been diagnosed with malignant cancer in the intestine. He innings was coming to a close and by the looks of it an abrupt finish was in the cards."

He started his radiation therapy and Chemo to begin with. As his condition progressed the amount of medicine that he consumed was more than the amount of food he ate. He suffered bouts of pain in his stomach. He had loose stools mixed with blood. 

He was weak, physically and metaphysically.

On one particular day his pain was unbearable. He was writhing and twisting in his bed. He thought that god had forsaken him. For all the abuse his body had tolerated through his younger years it was paying back with interest. An intense pain shot through his body and he convulsed. He convulsed in pain badly. In that moment a prayer slipped out of his soul without his knowledge.

The door open slightly and nobody was there. All of them looked down and saw a dog. He had stuck his head into the room and was staring at everybody with his tongue out. It was a Labrador. A dog with a golden sheen. The dog made his way into the room and lay down and went to sleep. On numerous visits to the hospital Mr. Burke had seen this dog and wondered who the owner was. He overheard other patients in the Chemo room say that the dog was here searching for his master as he had passed away. Some said that it was the dog of the owner of the hospital, some said it was of a top doctor. Whatever it was he didn't care. He loved the dog. There was innocence all over his face. The best part was that he never barked, not even a peep when he was in the hospital.

The members of the family of Mr. Burke felt uncomfortable when the dog walked in and stayed in his room. They called up to the nursing station and raised their concern. The nurse said not to worry he will leave by the time you place the receiver back on the hook. And it happened, as soon as they placed the receiver back on hook the dog got up and walked away. Before leaving he turned around and looked at everyone. Strange they thought of this incident.

When Mr. Burke woke up from his pain killer he was feeling much relieved. He felt a new sense of energy, he had hope in him., he was positive, he was feeling upbeat, he felt strange, he felt HAPPY from the inside. His family members narrated the strange incident that happened. He smiled. his friend had come to see him he thought.

As fate would have, the dog walked in again and this time he sat right in front of Mr. Burke on the bed. He looked directly into the eyes of Mr. Burke. He got up with great difficulty and wished the dog Good morning. The dog just looked at him with his tongue out and then slowly turned his head around and looked at the rest of the people in the room. They just stared for a long time and then Mr. Burke slowly got out of the bed. The dog leaped out of the bed and waited for him at the door. He slowly made it to the main door with great difficulty. He stumbled but moved on. His family members tried to help him but the dog politely cut them off. Mr. Burke finally reached the door. He looked at the dog and said "Thats interesting!" The dog scratched on the door and looked at him. He opened the door and both of them looked out. It looked like a whole new world to Mr. Burke. The dog led him on and they walked through the corridors. Finally he reached a door and the dog jumped on it with a whimpering sound. The door opened after a minute to see an elderly gentleman. The dog jumped onto him and started licking his face and fussing around him with varied displays of love. He looked at Mr. Burke and said Thank You and winked at him. Mr. Burke looked on to them and he traced his way back to his room.

That one moment made him a different man.

He made peace with his condition.

He smiled, the smile of a man who realised the truth. He was ready.

When he reached his room his family members were concerned about his whereabouts, but looking at him everyone was stunned. There was renewed energy in him. He was glowing. He had an aura around him. His connection with the one had been renewed. He was smiling. The smile of a man who understood the purpose of his existence.

This current situation of Mr. Burkes brought peace in the room. Everyone basked in the warmth of his radiance. He spoke to all of them, nobody asked him on the change of his current situation but everyone enjoyed it.

After a long time he had his belly full of food. 

Nurses and the doctors who came to see him was really pleased to see the positive development.

Mr. Burke laid down on his bed and closed his eyes to move onto to his new assignment. Just like the way the dog understood that on the other side of the door his master is waiting for him.

There is nothing to fear about Death.

Death is just a new beginning.

Dehydration...

Dehydration is not necessarily to be always obvious and by the time you get thirsty, you are already dehydrated. A chronic form of dehydration which does not have the intense and sudden nature of the acute form is widespread in the present day and affects people who are not drinking enough liquid. This list of main symptoms will inspire you to go and down a glass of water and then another until you body is rehydrated.

Reduced urination  

When you are sufficiently hydrated your urine seems to be a lighter yellow color, or straw, and you should urinate at least 5 times daily. If you do not drink enough water, your urine becomes dark yellow. You may go several hours, seven or more, without urinating. The lack of urine is a main sign of having no excess fluids to expel.

Urinary tract infections

If toxins contained in urine are insufficiently diluted, they damage your urinary mucous membranes causing cystitis and other urinary tract inflammation. Common symptoms such as burning pain while urinating, a strong and persistent urge to urinate often with little portions may occur.

Constipation

Infrequent bowel movements are another sign of dehydration. In the very moment chewed food enters the colon, it contains too much liquid and allows stools to form properly, and the wall of the colon reduces it. Water lubricates your digestive tract to keep things moving smoothly. In chronic dehydration, the colon takes too much water to give to other parts of the body. The lack of fluids dries fecal masses, causing it to stick to the sides of your colon and become difficult to pass.

Dry mouth

If you do not drink water, the fluids that lubricate the mucus membrane do not replenish well. As a result you feel your mouth sticky and dry with little saliva production. When your body is properly hydrated, your mouth seems to be comfortably wet and saliva production should be adequate while eating.

Lack of Tears

One more symptom of not drinking proper amounts of water is no tears when you cry. If not drinking water, the liquids in your tear ducts won’t replenish as they should do. Staying hydrated allows tears to flow plentifully.

Dry Skin

There are women who spend hundreds on to-shelf skincare but ironically do not drink enough water, the first line defense for healthy and glowing skin. Because skin is the body’s largest organ, it is also the largest detoxification machine. In early stages of dehydration, your skin will become dry from lack of fluids to keep it moisturized. Evaporation and perspiration continually cleanse your skin by removing waste. Without adequate water, this waste builds up leading to acne, breakouts, and other skin problems. Poor hydration also means your body can produce less new collagen at the same time the existing collagen becomes brittle.

Joint pain

Cartilage protecting and cushioning your joints is composed of 79 percent water. Cartilage dehydration can cause it to deteriorate and result in arthritis and joint pain. This can also cause spinal pain since spinal discs, because you do not drink water, cannot support your vertebrae since they are composed primarily of water for shock absorption.

Lethargy

Adequate hydration keeps your body energized by providing it with what it needs for proper functioning. Without drinking enough water, you will become sleepy more often in the early stages of dehydration. In moderate cases, you might become lethargic and won’t feel the energy to move throughout the day. In severe cases, dehydration might result in coma and lethargy.

Extreme thirst and headaches

If you do not drink water, your body will become extremely thirsty in attempt to acquire hydration. If dehydration becomes severe, you may feel headaches ranging from minor to severe. The headaches can be accompanied by dizziness and lightheadedness.

You eat more during your meals

One study found eight ounces of water before each low-calorie meal led to greater fat loss compared to those who did not drink water before meal. Another study showed two glasses of water before each meal helped people lose an average of 15 pounds over three months. It was five pounds more than the non-water drinkers. Here is the deal. You should not drink too much water during meals, because it can dilute your stomach enzymes which break down protein. Drink up before your eat.

Difficulties in muscle maintenance and recovery

Muscle tissue is about 70% water. It explains why even 4% dehydration can reduce muscle strength up to 12%. Dehydration also leads to protein breakdown and shrinks muscle cells. Optimal hydration replenishes electrolytes and reduces inflammation related to workouts.

You are not detoxifying

Even if you are eating healthy diet and following a rigorous cleanse plan, dehydration means your body can’t fully detoxify. Water flushes waste from your cells, but when you are dehydrated your cells draw water from your blood, limiting your kidneys from purifying blood and stressing your heart. Liver and other organs are also under the pressure. Toxic buildup leads to above mentioned constipation and forces your body to hold on the waste it needs to eliminate.

Dehydration can raise stress hormones

Some experts believe dehydration is the number one cause of stress. Even mild dehydration of 2 – 4% can
raise levels of cortisol- your stress hormone. Among its well known jobs, cortisol stores fat around the midsection and breaks down muscle.

Dehydration can create fatigue

Too little water can crash your metabolism, decrease blood pressure and disrupt fluid balance. Your heart struggles to deliver oxygen and nutrients to different tissues. Mental fog, headaches, and lethargy are among the inevitable results.

You are constantly craving

Thirst can come disguised as hunger, leading you to the afternoon donuts your coworker brought in. Do you experience before bed cravings? Try this water trick: according to one study drinking eight ounces of water at bedtime can shut down your evening hunger pangs.

Premature aging

Newborn child’s body is composed of 85 percent liquid, but this percentage declines to no more than 69 percent in an adult and continues to decline with age.

Women

Indic scriptures state that feminine energy is distinctive, because it is powerful, yet tempered with virtue. The feminine is the embodiment of Shakti and the primal source of all manifestation. She is also full of wisdom, compassion and sacrifice. As `mother', the feminine principle supremely embodies nurturing and caring instincts.

Men use their discriminative ability only to do their jobs, but women can discriminate and deal with any work according to the situation. People call women weak. Do not believe it. Women are not just homemakers; they make the nation and the world. They have a crucial role in individual and social uplift. There is nothing in this world that women cannot achieve.“ However, women do need to protect themselves from abuse and exploitation. With access to education and good opportunities, women can get equipped for greater responsibilities and create a safer environment for all.

The Bhagwad Gita states that women are equipped with seven strengths, whereas men are equipped with only three. However, these qualities are rarely known because most women are homemakers and they labour without any material compensation that they would have received if they had put in the same effort and time in a job outside the home as an employee. If men and women are equal in essence and equal to all modern day challenges, in society and home, what is the edge that women have, in today's context? The edge that women have is their basic qualities of compassion, of mutual cooperation, tolerance and sacrifice. These virtues are abundant in the feminine psyche and not so evident in the male. This is where `macho' comes in the male machismo which is mistakenly believed to be synonymous with manhood. Battles and wars in history have been waged on grounds of ego, dressed up in another garb. What the world needs to survive is not more male machismo, but feminine energy , that is intelligent and balanced and therefore has greater chances of restoring order and harmony in a fractured world.

Another area of women's strength is in their spirituality. Their spiritual aspect makes women more reverent, humble, serene and accommodating. Their innate wisdom comes from evolving over time in terms of handling and balancing multiple relationships, as daughter, daughter-in-law, wife and mother. Their impulse is towards making, not breaking since they are geared to nurture and not to destroy. Their natural tendency is towards rapprochement, not conflict.

Feminine energy that inclines toward preservation, restoration and healing, is the very basis of creation. It is high time society understood the importance of allowing for expansion of the base of this energy for a better, more peaceful and balanced world for the benefit of all beings.

Solitude...

For all the bonds that we forge in this lifetime, nothing we carry forward into our afterlife. For people who believe in life after death, it's a different proposition altogether. There have been recorded cases of professional hypnotherapist tapping into the dark realms of the human psyche and unravelling the mysteries of it. There have been cases in which the therapist have managed to reveal the past life identities up to 11 lives. Keeping this in mind, we need to understand and fathom the reality of past experience or do we move on. The choice is truly ours. The basic instinct (not the Sharon Stone one) of us human beings is to shut out to stuff that messes up our concept of reality. Yes, everyone has a different concept of reality. Each and every fragment of an individual's existence is like a fingerprint, if tapped then that can change the fabric of everything we know or even don't know. The neural network of sub-conscious and unconscious realms are connected in a vast array of minds that form the bond. This is something that we have not understood. When your loved ones fall into peril, one gets that uneasy feeling. That's the network coming into play.

From the time of conception to the time we kick the bucket if we look closely, we are alone. There are things that make us ponder as to what is it that we are looking for? I sure don't know what I am here for. I have dissected my life and gone through the fabric but never understood it. The clues may be staring right at my face but unable to see through the tears of peril. I think once the mind settles down, I will be able to go past the mechanical way of life to the ethereal. The possibilities are unending; but for now, I am veiled under the torrents of tears of the so-called reality. 

Suicide may be the next option but is that really an option? People say that only cowards commit suicide. How do we know that they have not given their best shot? Is it our selfish/jealous side that makes us think that they are cowards? All of us have ammo under our belt. If that ammo runs out, then we pick up from what's left on the war field and fight. That's a ditch attempt for the preservation of the self-knowing very well that there is no return. When the last shot cuts through the defence and races through to your temple, we come to terms with it and accept it wholeheartedly. There are people who have ammo with them but is unaware of using them because the first shot itself was so blinding

that all knowledge goes out of the window. Curse of Karna, the legendary warrior, the warrior so great that the sages sidelined him. He was cursed to forget his knowledge when he required it the most. The tear cloud always bears in when one never should, but as it is, so it is. So, is suicide really a bad thing? Personally, I don't think so. When there is nothing left to fight then what does one fight for? It is the inherent nature of humans to not give up, but when one does, we need to understand the situation that drove the person to it. Maybe a kind word, a pat on the back saying all is well; anything positive to help the person to divert his mind from the point of no return. The ripples that one create will resonate through aeons of time. 

Next time when you hear about someone committing suicide bear in mind what to look around for subtle clues left behind for all to know that he gave his best. And he was left with no more ammo or even a hint of positivity to continue the journey.

The stop had come, and he had to disembark.

Let your journey be filled with wonders and your performance be there for all to retrospect. Once they do; the ovation will remain for all to hear and see. For once the curtains fall, and the lights fade out, the people who really look can see the stars shine.

Food for thought...

What does Islam propagate?

I had to share this, great insight to Islam.

It won’t come as a surprise to hear a section of Muslims worldwide rejoice at the dastardly terror attack on the Paris office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. They will claim the killing of journalists, whose weapon of offense was their humor, is a just retribution against those who mocked and blasphemed the Prophet Muhammad, little realising that it violates the very spirit of the Quran.

What precisely is the spirit of the Quran is open to interpretations and contestations. However, since Chapter 2, Verse 256 says that “there is no compulsion in religion”, it is only natural to assume a person has the right to accept or reject Islam and pursue other alternatives, including not adhering to any faith.

It is this Quranic verse cultural critic Ziauddin Sardar cites in his book, Reading the Quran, to say, “If there is no compulsion in religion then all opinions can be expressed freely, including those which cause offence to religious people. The believers will show respect and use respectful language towards God and His Prophet simply because they are believers. Non-believers, by definition, take a rejectionist attitude to both.”

It is possible the rejectionist could use language the believers might find profane. This isn't difficult to imagine – an atheist, for instance, is not likely to share the devout’s sense of sacredness, his or her respect of it. So then, is an insult to God or the Prophet to be avenged?

Chapter 7, Verse 180 of the Quran says, “The Most Excellent Names belong to God: use them to call on Him, and keep away from those who abuse them – they will be requited for what they do.” From these lines it is obvious the onus for punishing the person insulting Allah lies not on the Muslim, but on Allah Himself. Thus, through their attacks on the Charlie Hebdo office the terrorists were playing God, usurping his role, an act both reprehensible and sacrilegious.

Since there is no compulsion in religion, the Quran inherently advocates choice. And choice can’t be exercised unless there are multiple options available, a situation in which votaries of different faiths are bound preach and propagate, even establish the superiority of their belief systems. Debates and rebuttals are bound to follow, perhaps assaulting the sensibilities of participants.

Instead of engaging in an interminable religious debate, Chapter 109, Verse 1-6 of the Quran tells Muslims: “Say ‘O unbelievers! I do not worship what you worship,\Nor do you worship what I worship;\ Nor will I ever worship what you worship,\Nor will you ever worship what I worship.\You have your religion\And I have mine.’”

During the time he preached, particularly before migrating to Media from Mecca, the Prophet was often abused and blasphemed. Sardar writes, “He took no action against those who ridiculed him. If the Prophet himself did not penalize those who uttered profanities against him, who are we to act on his behalf?” His question will never be answered, for terrorists subscribing to any ideology, religious or secular, have a disdain for debate.

This doesn't mean the Quran advocates inaction against abuse or blasphemy. It gives the Muslim the right to retort in equal measure, writes Sardar. He cites the example of the Prophet, who instructed his followers: “When the Jews greet you with the phrase ‘death be upon you’, then you should simply say ‘and upon you.’”

This example demonstrates that words should be used against words and cartoons against cartoons, not bullets and bombs.

The Quran asks Muslims to ignore those who insult their religion or provoke them or make them doubt. Chapter 6, Verse 116 of the Quran, for instance, advises Muslims, “Now if you paid attention to the majority on earth, they would lead you away from the path of God. They follow nothing but speculation; they themselves do nothing but guess.” In other words, a Muslim is required to concentrate on following his religion, not get distracted by the utterances of others.

Yet, it is also true that this spirit of the Quran is violated too frequently. This is because there are few places in the Muslim world which allow for the freedom of expression. In such a milieu, it becomes impossible to have in the public domain multiple interpretations of the Quran, which, as any text, sacred or secular, can be read, and understood, in diverse ways by different readers.

As much of the Muslim world festers under totalitarian regimes, despotic rulers invariably seek to impose their own reading of the Quran on the subjects. They prefer an interpretation of the Quran conducive to perpetuating their power, popularly perceived to be illegitimate. Secular ideologies are proscribed, the space for civil society activism circumscribed. Dissent and opposition are minimal and brutally crushed.

Religious arena is the only public space where even the most autocratic ruler hesitates to encroach upon. The mosque consequently becomes the site of contest, and the Quran an argument for the rivals to justify their positions and actions. The opponents of authoritarian regimes tend to read and interpret the Quran in a way it justifies their militant opposition to them.

This has not only politicized Islam, but also sparked off the struggle to define what true Islam is. Since the socio-political context in which the contest for defining Islam isn’t democratic, the actors in the drama have sought to violently impose their version of ‘true Islam’ on people, demanding their adherence under duress. They portray themselves as the guardians of Islam, its indefatigable protectors.

It is this erroneous belief of theirs which has led them to attack the office of Charlie Hebdo, whose cartoonists lampooned the Prophet. It is for this reason they attack girls in Pakistan who dare to defy dictat to attend school. It is for this reason why Saudi Arabia, quite incredibly, continues to debate whether or not it is Islamic for a woman to drive alone in the city.

Islam needs to be rescued from authoritarian regimes and their obscurantist opponents.

Ajaz Ashraf’s book, The Hour Before Dawn, published by HarperCollins, tackles the theme of religious-political violence fictionally.

Courtesy - Firstpost

Onam...

Happy Onam to one and all...

Has anyone thought about the REAL SIGNIFICANCE of ONAM?

The festival ONAM has such deep connotation.

Lets retrospect on this by beginning on the Avatar of Mahavishnu who plays a small role in the grand scale of things. The Avatar of Lord Mahavishnu this time is called "VAMANA" the first avatar in the treta yuga or second age. Please be aware that this is the first time Lord Mahavishnu is bearing a human form as an avatar.

Coming to the story ...

King Mahabali was known for his just rule, he was pious, always concerned about his people and was in everyones prayers. His rule over the kingdom was superfluous that the people stopped praying to the gods and started praying to him. King Mahabali, without knowing was elevated from a mere mortal to a god. His divinisation had started and the gods in heaven started to feel the threat. They all went to Lord Mahavishnu for help and they begged him. The lord said he will take care and went to earth as VAMANA, a brahmin who was no more than 3 feet in height. The lord visited him during a yaga, King Mahabali went all out to take care of the brahmin. The Brahmin was extremely impressed with the way he was being treated and blessed him to live forever. The King was so happy that he requested the brahmin to be presented with anything. The brahmin asked for just three paces of land. Before the king said OK, his guru stopped him and warned him of a foul play by the gods. He didnot heed to his advice and agreed to the request. The three foot brahmin grew into a huge person and with one measure of his feet he covered all of heaven and with the second he covered  earth and hell and was looking for place to keep the third but there was nowhere to go, so the great King Mahabali bowed in front of the Lord and said please place your feet on my head. The Lord was so mighty pleased with his humility that he blessed him with a boon, The requested that he come back to his land once a year to check upon his subjects welfare. The lord being even more pleased blessed the King and placed his feet on the Kings head and completed his third stride thus completing the promise by the king to the Lord.

My look at this story -

King Mahabali was an Asura. Asura is a person who has more of negativity in him than the others. They indulge in worldly pleasures and take to violence to solve problems. This story is about an Asura who became a Deva. The story has the message staring right at you that anybody can attain brahman / nirvana and the lord does not show partiality. When King Mahabali realised that he was on the verge of attaining Nirvana a tinge of ego had cropped up. He tried his level best to overcome it and he was loosing the battle. So he asked for help from his lord, Lord Mahavishnu. The lord had promised to all living things that you pray to me and I will take care of you. That's what he did. The king prayed and the lord answered. In the grand scheme of things, the lord wanted the devas to cull their ego, especially Indra. He wanted the devas to realise that anyone can attain divinity and the lord is impartial. He is just to all. He does not differentiate.

When the King prayed to the lord, the role had started. The dice had been rolled, if you remember when the devas had gone to meet Lord Mahavishnu he greeted them with a smile. The significance of the smile is that he already knew why they had come to meet him and what the end is going to be. When the placed their prayers at his feet the lord agreed and thus the role of VAMANA had come into being. When Vamana had come to meet King Mahabali, the king knew that his time for salvation had come. Deep in his heart, he knew that the brahmin standing in front of him will help him attain brahman. The penultimate test that the lord put him through was when his guru reminded him of the foul play by devas. The king had already decided to surrender to the almighty and there was noting stopping him. When the lord covered the the entirety in two steps and queried to place the third the King was more than happy to bow before the Lord and surrender to him. Contrary to popular belief, the king was not pushed down to hell but he attained brahman. He joined the lord in his entirety.

I remember a scene in which King Mahabali is looking at the lord, when the entire world was seeing the brahmin the King was looking at Lord Mahavishnu who had taken his normal form. The king hugged the lord and cried tears of joy, the end of his journey was at the last pace. This was when the soul of the king was to merge with the lord.

The rest is history.  

Help...

Give assistance or be of service.

If one cannot be of assistance one should never put off people who wants to do it. I have seen numerous occasions in my life when a person who wants to help has been shot down on petty ego. Frankly speaking, I am yet to fathom the reasons why people scuttle out others who wants to help. 

What is the pleasure that they derive from it?

Our scriptures irrespective of religion have always said that the primary responsibility of a human being is to love and help others. The worst of the lot are the manipulative ones who puts in thought of negation in our head to ensure that the help does not go through. Such people never change their thought process even if the truth is staring at them right on their face. 

Anyone who is reading this always remember

IN THE END, ONLY KINDNESS MATTERS

Off and On...

What is it that makes us human? I have wondered, is it the way we are taught or is it the way we are born. Male or female, does it make a difference, to the way we portray our thoughts. Hmmmm. 

There are days when incidents have made me think, How fragile a human being is! Moments ago I read an e-mail from my friend that had a small video clip from which a full grown maggot is taken out from the skull of a lady. DAMN! How did it reach there? Was delivered by a mosquito. Like Amithab Bachan said in a movie... "ek machar aadmi ko hijara bana detha hain!" (One mosquito can make a man into a eunuch. Google Hijra and you will see that killing a mosquito and the dance of a eunuch are the same.) Damn straight, I would say at least in this case. 
I sit in my room looking out through the window with the vehicles plying by incessantly and the clouds have moved over for some sunshine (at last) heavy winds though, is making it chilly today. 

Planning to go home on the 17th of Aug. To the land where all is green KERALA-GODS OWN COUNTRY. It is indeed , you need to see it to believe it. I am going home for ONAM. The only festival that unites all cast and creed under one umbrella, The place where it burns the delicate infringements of caste and creed ONAM is always the sliver lining to the dark clouds. This has made me wonder and ponder quite deeply, Lord MAHAVISHNU foresaw the fact that his own country before it turns out to be his backyard; He created a point in time, On that point (day) all the mind will be free of all evils and will rejoice together for the fact the UNITY and the ONENESS, The supremity will always be there for us. So that we may not decimate ourselves.

Food...

Now... where do we begin from? Me being a foodie myself (90 kgs I weigh) it becomes a very difficult task for me to commence my post. So, let's begin with the obvious. Do we eat to live or live to eat? Some people do the latter. Now why is it such a crime to say, "I live to eat." The problem is the mindset of the people. It takes a long time for people to accept new things. So in this case too, it will take time.

"Food, is an essential part of our existence." We need it as it fuels us. The word food also features in the motto for existence. Food, as we know it has evolved on great deals. I remember when the teacher in my college told us about the romans and their banquets. It seems it used to go on for days together. It was so extreme that when full, they used to empty their stomach (throw up) so that they may continue with their eating. They used to practice at home to pick up real hot food from the gravy so that they may pick the best pieces when they go for a banquet.

"Annum illengill beejum Illa, beejum illengill nee Illa" which is translated as "if no food then no seed, if no seed then no life." Such  a strong statement. Which is why we pray before we eat.

The need to feed is basic of all needs of man. The need to feed is the need to survive. 

FOOD for thought...

Silence...

People were floating around. 

Some huddled in deep but inaudible conversations.

The ladies were seated on the floor.

Verses from the Ramayana were resonating in the hall.

Death had caught up.

The only truth in the universe.

Why do we fear death? The answer is very simple. We do not understand it. What we humans don't understand, we fear and we retaliate. We do not know what is on the other side of the door. Is it heaven or hell, nobody knows. Those who know cannot communicate it to us. So we are stuck with our imagination.

I remember reading a story of a dying man who realised what's on the other side of the door by observing a dog!

I will try and recollect it as much as I can for you.

"Mr. Burke is terminally ill. He has been diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma of the intestine. It means he has been diagnosed with malignant cancer in the intestine. He innings was coming to a lose and by the looks of it an abrupt finish was in the cards."

He started his radiation therapy and Chemo to begin with. As his condition progressed the amount of medicine that he consumed was more than the amount of food he ate. He suffered bouts of pain in his stomach. He had loose stools mixed with blood. 

He was weak, physically and metaphysically.

On one particular day his pain was unbearable. He was writhing and twisting in his bed. He thought that god had forsaken him. For all the abuse his body had tolerated through his younger years it was paying back with interest. An intense pain shot through his body and he convulsed. He convulsed in pain badly. In that moment a prayer slipped out of his soul without his knowledge.

The door open slightly and nobody was there. All of them looked down and saw a dog. He had stuck his head into the room and was staring at everybody with his tongue out. It was a Labrador. The dog made his way into the room and lay down in one part of the room and went to sleep. On numerous visits to the hospital Mr. Burke had seen this dog and wondered who the owner was. He overheard other patients in the Chemo room say that the dog was here searching for his master as he had passed away. Some said that it was the dog of the owner of the hospital, some said it was of a top doctor. Whatever it was he didn't care. He loved the dog. There was innocence all over his face. The best part was that he never barked, not even a peep when he was in the hospital.

The members of the family of Mr. Burke felt uncomfortable when the dog walked in and stayed in his room. They called up to the nursing station and raised their concern. The nurse said not to worry he will leave by the time you place the receiver back on the hook. And it happened, as soon as they placed the receiver back on hook the dog got up and walked away. before leaving he turned around and looked at everybody and walked away. Strange they thought of this incident.

When Mr. Burke woke up from his pain killer he was feeling much relieved. He felt a new sense of energy, he had hope in him., he was positive, he was feeling upbeat, he felt strange, he felt HAPPY from the inside. His family members narrated the strange incident that happened. He smiled. his friend had come to see him he thought.

As fate would have, the dog walked in again and this time he sat right in front of Mr. Burke on the bed. He looked directly into the eyes of Mr. Burke. He got up with great difficulty and wished the dog Good morning. The dog just looked at him with his tongue out and then slowly turned his head around and looked at the rest of the people in the room. They just stared for a long time and then Mr. Burke slowly got out of the bed. The dog leaped out of the bed and waited for him at the door. He slowly made it to the main door with great difficulty. He stumbled but moved on. his family members tried to help him but the dog politely cut them off. Mr. Burke finally reached the door. He looked at the dog and said "Thats interesting!" The dog scratched on the door and looked at him. He opened the door and both of them looked out. It looked like a whole new world to Mr. Burke. The dog led him on and they walked through the corridors. Finally he reached a door and the dog jumped on it with a whimpering sound. The door opened after a minute to see an elderly gentleman. The dog jumped onto him and started licking his face and fussing around him with varied displays of love. He looked at Mr. Burke and said Thank You and winked at him. Mr. Burke looked on to them and he traced his way back to his room.

That one moment made him a different man.

He made peace with his condition.

He realised that his current assignment was over and was reassigned to another place.

He smiled, the smile of a man who realised the truth.

When he reached his room his family members were concerned about his whereabouts, but looking at him everyone was stunned. There was renewed energy in him. He was glowing. He had an aura around him. His connection with the one had been renewed. He was smiling. The smile of a man who understood the purpose of his existence.

This current situation of Mr. Burkes brought peace in the room. Everyone basked in the warmth of his radiance. He spoke to all of them, nobody asked him on the change of his current situation but everyone enjoyed it.

After a long time he had his belly full of food. 

Nurses and the doctors who came to see him was really pleased to see the positive development.

Mr. Burke laid down on his bed and closed his eyes to move onto to his new assignment. Just like the way the dog understood that on the other side of the door his master is waiting for him.

There is nothing to fear about Death.

Death is just a new beginning.

2013 - Intro ...

Here we are again... another year has commenced its journey and its sunset. For the very first time I saw all the newspapers carrying a positive message on their front page. I do not think its because they read my blog. If that was the case the world would have been a netter place. hehehe...

So, what is happening with your new year resolutions. Mine is to bring myself to do work out and shed those flabs. It is a gargantuan task, but I will do it. Another thought that I had in my mind was... what is the new year resolution of the world in whole? Our planet is a living - breathing entity. Maybe some earthquakes, couple of Tsunamis, Drought...

Food for thought...

Closing remarks...

And another year comes to a close. 

Lots of fun and excitement ahead of us as we leave the past and look forward to the future.

Retrospection of 2012 leaves us with a mixed bag of emotions. Lots of bad and some good in the kitty. Looking at the picture on a larger scale - it is still the same. I had a tough year. My friend did warn me about the same and it did come true. He is a numerologist.  We celebrated a lot of good things and our head did hang in shame for all the misdemeanour's that we went through. The world has changed as we know it from bad to worse. It makes me wonder, why has the Avatar that comes once in 1000 years not come? Is he yet to arrive? I think the arrival has been delayed as there are still good people left in the world. Looks like the gods still have faith in the goodness of humanity. There is a problem of negativity in the world altogether. People feed on negativity. The media highlights negativity more as the circulation / viewer ship increases on sympathy and tears. Yes, there has been movement against negativity on the whole. The younger generation has started to stand up and fight against it as a single unit. Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal & Kiran Bedi have stood up for truth, justice and for change that is required so badly to the country right now. The people who are in power are not interested in making a change. It is time that the overhauling is badly required from the top to the bottom. Glad to know that the wind of change has started to swing against negativity.

• Why do people take things for granted?
• Why do people fade away? 
• What makes one think that the other person will accept whatever we dish out?
• Why are we so judgemental?
• Why can’t we take things as they are, accepting it and move on?
• Why are we not optimistic?
• Why can’t the newspapers print something positive on their front page, so that the world wakes up into positivity?
• Why can’t people take religion as it is meant to be?
• Why are people so greedy?
• Why are people so dumb?

Hope is the quintessential part of our existence. The knowledge of tomorrow being a better place makes us want to move on instead of putting a full stop in our track. It is this thought that makes good people put up a brave fight knowing very well that eventually good will come out supreme. 

Thank you for all the people who took out time to read my blog(s). Please donot hesitate to comment [good/bad] Its the comments that make blogger like me improve. Nobody can keep the sun from shinning.

Trust you will have a better new-year and hope it will be prosperous and peaceful.

Argument...

A boy once asked his father, "Dad, how do wars begin?”

 "Well, take the First World War," said his father. "That got started when Germany invaded Belgium."

Immediately his wife interrupted him, "Tell the boy the truth! It began because somebody was assassinated

The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and snapped back, "Are you answering the question or am I?" Turning her back upon him in a huff, the wife stormed out the room and slammed the door as hard as she could! When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the boy: 

"Daddy, you don't have to tell me how wars begin; I KNOW now!"

We all do it sometimes! We all know what it is to walk away from an argument with the mouth dry, tummy in a knot, head hot and spinning, and heart sick--wishing that it had never happened, deeply regretting the unkind words that were said!

Believe it or not, more homes are destroyed by arguments than by fires or funerals.

We all know that arguing for the sake of arguing is a pointless waste of time.We have absolutely NOTHING to gain instead  we loose our time, energy and friendship is  LOST! It is said that the only people who really LISTEN to an argument are the neighbours. So darn true. Some people love to argue, and will do anything to prove their point! They'd rather lose a friend than an argument. For others, arguing has become a HABIT, an automatic reaction of saying something contradictory to whatever is being said.

One compulsive arguer was the early American statesman, philosopher and author, Benjamin Franklin. As a youth he loved nothing more than a good argument until a close friend took him aside and said, 

"Ben, you are impossible! Your opinions have a slap in them for everyone who differs with you! Your friends enjoy themselves better when you are not around! You think you KNOW so much that no one can TELL you anything. Indeed, no one is going to try, for the effort would only lead to discomfort and hard work! So you are not likely ever to know any more than you do now which is actually very LITTLE!" Ben Franklin was BIG enough and WISE enough to accept these stinging truths, and to realize that he was headed for failure and social disaster! So he immediately began to change his bigoted, argumentative ways! He became one of the best loved, wisest and most diplomatic men in American history, and was actually remembered for saying:

"If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes. But it will be an empty victory, because you will never get your opponent's good will!"

NO ONE ever really wins an argument! You can shout and scream and argue until you're blue in the face, but people are not going to believe that you are right unless they WANT to believe it! And even if they would LIKE to agree with you, your tone may have put them so much on the defensive that it would be like an utter humiliation, a defeat on the battlefield, for them to confess you're right or even partly right! And remember, no amount of logic or argument will make anyone change his mind if he doesn't want to! 

Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each side more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right. You can't win an argument because if you lose it, you lose it! And if you WIN it, you still LOSE it! Well, suppose you triumph over the other person and shoot his argument full of holes and prove that he's an absolute idiot. You'll feel fine, smug and satisfied. Ever thought about the fallen person? You'll have made him feel inferior. You've hurt his pride. He will resent your triumph, Always remember, “A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still!"

Haven't you ever thought on why fights or argument starts?“Don't they come from your lusts and desires that battle within you? You want something, but don't get it...so you quarrel and fight.So greediness and selfishness can be one of the root causes of arguing, trying to get the things you selfishly want. Other arguments are caused by PRIDE. Only by PRIDE come quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Also, as we've clearly seen, many arguments are caused by SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS. Pushing your point, thinking that you're so right, putting yourself up and the other person down by contradicting them. And what it all boils down to is a lack of LOVE! Arguing isn't the real problem, that's just a SYMPTOM! A LACK OF LOVE is the REAL problem! 

That's one of the major lessons that God wants us to learn how to LOVE people, how to work with them, how to treat them, how to give the other person the advantage and the benefit of the doubt, how to build them up unselfishly, instead of selfishly tearing them down through contention and argument! All this is a part of LEARNING TO LOVE, to put ourselves in other people's shoes. 

So do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT...

Madambi...

Strange title given to a write up on a song. I will share the link at the end of the write up. I heard this song yesterday at night and wanted to pen upon it immediately. Unfortunately the sandman had sprinkled a wee bit extra sleep dust in my eyes, so the priority changed. So here I am, completing what was supposed to have been my midnight creativity, now being performed in broad day light. 

The title is MADAMBI is defined as Feudal lord. The song that I am trying to put some light [my 2 cents] is Amma Mazha... I am sure there are many reviews that you have read from various places. Maybe mine will be part of the flow or may stand out. That is for you to decide. Why am I writing on this song? I was moved by it. There are very few songs that has literally brought me to tears. And this is one of it. The first time I ever saw a person cry hearing a song was the hero of this movie in his first home production called His highness Abdulla. In that movie he is drawn into a musical duel by the kings court musician and all the three run into tears because they sang the song with such dedication and purity. Why do people move into tears when they hear good song? The reason is simple. At that one moment they are one with god. There is nothing between the listener and the singer. They become one. That moment is what language feebly tries to encompass in a word called BLISS/NIRVANA. How does one come to understand which song can move us to bliss? Simple, the ones that can connect us to the song on a different plane. Not tapping feet or stuff like that. You stand/sit spell bound. That's the song you are looking out for. The one that connects your soul to the almighty. 

In this particular song, the lyrics are not upto the mark. Its like Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri style... devoid of any meaning. However M. Jayachandran the music director, Dr. K.J Yesudas the singer, the photography and the people who acted in it made the song a memorable one. The song is mellifluous and melancholic blended to perfection on the same plane. Rain in the background is a cliche, but a necessary one is what I would say. It gives the song the subtle layers required to portray  his sorrow and it depicts Mohanlal emptying his heart out to his mother KPAC Lalitha, that her husband is dead and has been, for a very long time. He has been bearing on his shoulders the hope and salvation for his mother and the entire family. The other frames depict his mothers transition from a wife to a widow and the lady who used to hate Mohanlal to the one who realises the extent of the burden and sacrifice he has done for the existence of the family. The subtle emotions [for which Mohanlal is lauded for] depicted by the hero has no comparison. He reminds me of Sidney Poitier, the African American actor who could display a spectrum of emotions with his eyes. Its people like them who reminds us that, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." The other frames shows him as a loner who has been fighting all that life has thrown at him, all by himself. All in all... PERFECT!!!

Skyfall...

Watched the much awaited movie. It was refreshing, bold, crisp and not the usual cliche. The threat displayed is very real and one can correlate to the current scenario. The fact that the previous 007 "ROGER MOORE" has acclaimed it to be the best bond movie till date. 

007 celebrates 50 years in service to the crown. And what a way to celebrate it. I was wondering why such a name was given to the movie. On seeing it I came to understand that it was 007s home. The place where he was made orphan. This movie also shows that 007 fails in his mission by winning it. The villain, Silva, played by Javier Bardem is a man who has nothing to loose and is all out to dish out his vengeance even though it means loosing his life in the game. Did 007 actually win? It makes us ponder. Sam Mendes, known for the movie "The Road to Peridition" has taken bond to a new height. To put it straight, the next dude who comes in has a formidable task of beating Skyfall. Now all bond movies will be bench marked against this. 

The title song is marvelous too, Skyfall by Adele composed by Thomas newman.

Verdict :- MUST WATCH, If you have IMAX near you, watch it there.

Happy birthday Voyager 1...

Think about the different pieces of consumer technology you own: probably a cell phone, a computer, maybe a watch, an e-reader, a few other things here and there. How old are they? For my gadgets the average age is, I'd say, about three years. Perhaps the figure ticks up a bit if you take into account your car, your microwave and toaster over, and a trusty stand-mixer (those things, people like to say, can last "forever").

But these things are all babies -- babies -- when compared with our two Voyager spacecraft, the first of which celebrates its 35th birthday today. (Confusingly, that Voyager, the first one, is Voyager 2. Voyager 1 lifted off 16 days later.) Last Monday Voyager 2 became NASA's longest-operating spacecraft of all time. Voyager 1, which has traveled a more direct route, is on the verge of becoming the first man-made object to ever leave the heliosphere, the bubble of solar winds coming from our sun.

What's so incredible is that in the intervening 35 years, the Voyager spacecraft have journeyed billions -- literally billions -- of miles (Voyager 1 is now 11 billion miles away from the sun and Voyager 2 trails about two billion miles behind), borne the extreme cold of outer space (mission managers recently turned off a heater on Voyager 1 in order to conserve energy, bringing its temperature below minus 110 degrees Farenheit), and still, miraculously (in a strictly scientific sense, of course), the little Voyagers continue to send data back to Earth every single day, updating us on the very outer edge of the heliosphere known as the heliosheath.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to speak with Edward Stone, featured above, who has been working on the Voyager mission since the 1970s. I asked Stone what we could expect as Voyager 1 leaves the heliosphere, and what it felt like to see this mission reach that historic achievement.

It would be nice, fulfilling even, if at the edge of the heliosphere there were, well, an actual edge, a boundary between our bubble and the cosmos. But, it's probably not going to be so cut and dried. "The boundary," Stone postulates, "will not be an instantaneous thing. [Voyager] won't suddenly be outside." Rather, the exit will be turbulent, "a mix of inside and outside," and the work of Stone and the other Voyager scientists is trying to square the different data -- the particles and the magnetic field -- to try to understand what that transition from inside to outside looks like. That turbulent region may take several months to get through.

But even without a clean break in the offing, it's hard not to sit on the edge of your seat to wait for this moment -- this months-long moment -- to pass. "We're looking at our data every day -- we listen to these spacecraft every day, for a few hours every day -- to keep track of what's going on. ... It's very exciting from a scientific point of view, when you're seeing something that nobody's seen before."

So perhaps Voyager won't make its mark with a sudden, defining event that echoes across generations as a sort of before-and-after dividing line through human history, like the line separating the time when a human's voice had never traveled across a wire to an ear miles away -- and when it had -- or before a human foot had left its imprint on the moon, and when that print was there. But Stone is okay with that: "Well you know actually Voyager has had a lot of those moments as we flew by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. One after the other, we found something that we hadn't realized was there to be discovered."

With that, we wish a very happy birthday to both the Voyagers, and many, many more.

COURTESY :- http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/08/nasas-voyager-35-years-later/261346/

Essence of being an Indian...

I met a Swedish national in Berlin while I was taking rest in the Press Centre during IFA 2007 trade show. He said he is a part-time technology journalist and part-time pastor. He did his higher studies in UK. “So…you are from India…are you a Hindi?” he asked, while having coffee with me.

“Hindi is our national language. You mean to ask am I a Hindu?”

“Yes – I mean religion…”

“Yes. I am a Hindu by birth”

“Do you have Christianity there?”

“Yes, of course. Christianity came to India, centuries before it reached
you in Europe” I said.

“Oh, really? Still you are a Hindu?” he asked again.

“Yes – why?” I was curious.

“Don’t tell me you worship monkeys and rats…” he said with a smile.

“As a matter of fact, yes, we do”

“You can’t be serious. You look like an educated person…”

“I am very serious and I worship monkey-god and an elephant-god…what’s that
to do with education?” I said.

“You must be joking….People were worshipping animals and trees during
pre-historic times…but todays educated people, no way!”

“In fact, we have a pantheon of many gods and we can worship god in any
forms…”

“Hey, come on….there is only one GOD” he said.

“Really? I am not sure about it…”

“There is only one GOD…a singular GOD…”

“Better say, you have the concept of a single god…that’s your belief…”

“Concept? Belief…I am telling you the truth…”

“Who said so…?”

“All religious scriptures and sacred books say so… Christianity and Judaism say there is only one God. Islam also says so…”

“Those are great religions…what they say must be true. I don’t know about it… I am not a scholar in Semitic religions or in Hinduism. So let’s don’t talk about the Holy books and religions…I am not capable to discuss it….But about GOD, I have a question.”

“Yes – of course…”

“Ok… you shouldn’t feel angry…I didn’t feel angry when you ridiculed my gods…My question is based on your opinion of single god concept…” I reminded him.

“Shoot”

“You say that there is only one god – single god, right?

“That’s right”

“Your single God claims that he is the only God, who demands you to should worship him failing which he would roast you in hell fire…”

“It is not fully correct…but continue…I am listening…”

“That means. You are following Monotheism – that is the belief in a single god. Monotheism insists that only a single God exists. Other gods are “false” or even demonic…”

“Yes- you can say that…”

“For me, it is difficult to accept…”

“Why?” “If a God says: “You will worship none but me, that you will associate none with me, and that none of you shall set up mortals as deities besides me. If you commit the foulest sin by worshiping any other Gods (other than me) or associating partner with me, I shall throw you in hell fire as a punishment for this sin.” – That’s what, in a nutshell, your GOD says right?”

“What’s wrong in saying that? You need to have faith in Him”

“Friend, isn’t this self-contradictory and dangerous?” “How come?”

“First, explain to me about the contradictions…Had there been really only one God, it would not have been possible for man to find another God to worship, right?”

“Hmm…”

“Had the God been confident that there is no other God except him, he should not have been jealous of another God, right?”

“Yes – but who is jealous here?”

“Think…If the GOD knew that there is no other God, he would have been confident that people will not find any another God to worship, right?”

“These are all mis-interpretations….that’s not just right…” his voice became bit feeble.

“Think without biased, without conditionings…think with clarity….”

- The behavioral pattern of any single GOD in such concepts suggests that he is not confident that he is the only God. He seems always to be suspicious that there may be other Gods and people may worship those Gods instead of him.

- So the insecure GOD warns man not to worship another God. It, of course, is not a real god’s message. Can’t you clearly see the insecurity and whims and fancy of a narrow-minded human being behind this message?

- Can any GOD be always feel threatened that a member of his followers’gang may slip out of his grip and start to worship another God (probably the real creator of the universe)? So he had to enforce strict law that if any one of his gang tries to desert Him, he should immediately be put to death for apostasy.

- How can any GOD be so insecure? The single insecure god theory converts the basic instinct to insecurity right from the childhood. The follower’s behaviour may be fostered by GOD’s violent teachings for establishing Himself as the sole proprietary God of the world.

- And one more thing – you say, your singular god does everything. If there is only one powerful god who controls everything, doesn’t that also mean he creates bad things and causes bad things to happen?

“Do these reflections make any sense? Should I believe such a story or such a GOD?”

“You are talking non-sense, ridiculous…” his face turned red.

“Sir, I told you – why do you feel angry and insecure when I talk about your concept of god? We are having a dialogue here…”

“Shouldn’t I defend my beliefs?” he asked angrily.

“Now you are saying those are just your beliefs…”

“Sorry…Truths…”

“You may. But why should a human try to protect GOD? Why should you feel so insecure if somebody criticizes your concept of God? Isn’t it insecurity?”

“You won’t feel hurt when somebody criticizes your beliefs? You people worship cows…even dogs…are you not ashamed of it…”

“Do I look hurt? But fanatic followers – even in Hinduism – will get angry and violent. I am not fanatic or fundamentalist…I am a humanist…”

“Ok…ok…so you say defending the GOD shows insecurity?”

“One may feel insecure when somebody questions his beliefs. If somebody questions truth, why should you feel insecure? Its truth after all…Should you defend the existence of sun? Your defending won’t change anything with sun…Don’t you think that fanatic god theory is the very root is insecurity
– that is why we see a lot of followers have aggression and blind faith. We can find the seed of the real insecurity when a GOD is not confident that he is the only God in the world (and not in the universe)….”

“Your god doesn’t ask you to fear Him”

“No…Never…There are two things. One -The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as divine messengers’ time-to-time, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make any sense to me.”

“What’s the second thing?”

“Is God as silly autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him? Can God stoop to such a low level of narrow-minded like a jealous human being? Or is it those human beings created such God?”

“So you don’t fear GOD…”

“I am afraid, I don’t…”

- The Monotheistic God is jealous and wrathful. There is one God, and one correct method of worship. Those who deviate are heretics and may be punished, tortured or killed. In its exclusive devotion to the worship of one God, monotheism has inspired much ferocity and fanaticism….that’s how fear comes in.

- At the heart of monotheism is the sure conviction that only a single god
exists, a tendency to regard one’s own rituals and practices as the only
proper way to worship the one true god.

- When one starts with the presumption that one is absolutely and utterly
“right” and anyone thinking otherwise is just as completely “wrong”, it
does not promote the flexible thinking required to keep pace with the
rapidly fluctuating pace of modern civilized society.

-Monotheism “demands” a right/wrong, heaven/hell, black/white worldview.

-On the contrary, Polytheism is an open-ended and easy going approach to
religious beliefs and practices, a willingness to entertain the idea that
there are many gods and many ways to worship them. Many roads lead to the
mountain top. A person may choose any path.

- Polytheism accepts that there can be more than “one true way”. This
allows for more rational thinking when discussing things like belief system.

Hence, polytheism is more compatible with a naturalistic view of the
universe than monotheism.

“Ok…I understand your view points, though I don’t agree with you… But you
didn’t answer my question. What does your gods say about worshipping them
and fearing them?”

“Very simple. An Indian saint, Adi Shankara said: “Aakashat patitam toyam,
Yadha gachhati saagaram, Sarva deva namaskara: Keshavam prati gachhati!!”

“What- what’s that? Come again?”

“It is in Sanskrit. It means: Just as every rain drop that falls from the
sky flows into the Ocean, in the same way every prayer offered to any Deity
flows to the divine cosmic power (Kesava).”

“Oh…”

- “In short, you may worship or believe in any God. No problem…Even if you
don’t worship or don’t believe, still it is no problem….This message from
the GOD is so confident, so secure, secular and broad-minded. Because it
can only come from the true creator of the universe, if at all there is a
creator. And you are not asked to protect this GOD and resort to violence.”

“Ah..That’s why you don’t get angry?”

“Yes – You don’t have to spread the message of this God. You don’t have to
defend the God. If somebody says badly about this God, I don’t have to get
angry or fight for this God. A true Hindu believes that God protects us; we
don’t have to protect God. So a true Hindu cannot get hurt in the name of
God or religion….”

“So your religion is against single and personal god”

“Not like that… You can worship personal god or impersonal god…everything
is manifestation of the same cosmic divinity…so no problem…you have freedom
there too…You don’t have to market this God and convert others into his
fold and increase market share. That’s why I remain as Hindu. How can you
believe in concepts of any other insecure Gods?”

“OK, you made your point clear. But why do you worship monkeys, cows and
elephants?”

“An ancient scripture says: “Isavasyam idam sarvam” (Isopanisad)
…Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is Divine.
This entire manifest Universe is enveloped by the Divine, the cosmic
power….Hence you can see God in everything – the monkey, donkey, rat, and
elephant or even in protozoa….”

“That means you can worship anything in this universe?”

“Yes – Be it Sun or Moon, Be it Hanuman or Ganapathi – whoever you worship,
you are worshipping the cosmic power. My favourite God is Hanuman
(Monkey-God). My traditional village God is Narasimha (Lion-God)….”

“Don’t you feel awkward? Shameful?”

“Why should I? I am not ashamed or apologetic to admit it….Nobody forced me
to worship or believe in them. I had a choice there. I am in a democratic
country. Nobody told me that this God would roast me in the hell, if I
don’t worship it. I just love the stories of Hanuman and Narasimha. And I
am free to criticize or make fun of those stories….”

“But, the animal gods are not scientific… So ancient tribes considered
everything as GOD…There is no science in it…”

“On the contrary, there was scientific advancement among our
ancestors…While my ancestors were learning and teaching the secrets of life
and universe, the homo sapience of the West were still crawling in all
fours and living in the caves….”

- While my ancestors were calculating the exact distance to the minutest
details, between the earth and sun or teaching Vedic mathematics and
astronomy, the West was believing the earth is flat till a couple of
hundreds of years ago.

- Should I challenge my ancestors and convert my belief to the extent that
Coco Cola is better than natural honey?

No – I don’t need a certificate or empirical scientific proof approved by
any international scientific body to understand the presence of God in
monkeys and lions. At least monkeys are our ancestors and lions are the
kings in the forest. It is anyways better than worshiping an insecure GOD.
And I don’t expect monkey or lion to show any magic and miracle to prove
that they represent divine energy…

Every God -everything in the universe- is manifestation of the divine power.

And the Hindu scripture neither demands you to worship the GOD nor will a
Hindu be roasted in hell. Even if you don’t worship GOD, nothing can change
– because your karma decides your destiny- the God has little or no role in
it – The Gita too assures this.

- “I hope this answer to your question – why do I continue to be a Hindu? I
follow “THIS” Hinduism; hence I cannot be a fundamentalist or fanatic….”

“Hmm…Somewhat…but don’t say that you are right and I am wrong…”

- “I don’t. What’s more, let me admit – the entry level Hinduism has some
mal-practices and superstitions without any scientific base. (Read
up-to-date science. tomorrow this can change). Most of the people blindly
follow lot of tradition without understanding its true meanings or
relevance. Some of those practices are either unessential or irrelevant in
today’s life….”

“That’s true in all religions…”

- “In all other religions you can see the follower has learned everything
about his/her religion and can beautifully explain all aspects his/her
religion. An ordinary Hindu doesn’t know or learn about his religion. The
Gita is read by less than one percent of Hindu population. That’s the
problem with a Hindu….”

“You told me about worshipping trees…And why do Hindus worship trees?”

“Hinduism has always been an environmentally sensitive philosophy. It is a
totally green religion. Our ancestors were not very much interested in
automobiles, petroleum products and plastics. What pollutes the earth? What
causes cancer? A cow or an automobile?”

- God exists in everything. The trees are held in a special esteem in
Hinduism as they provide food, oxygen, shelter, etc. By associating
religion with plant kingdom, our ancient Indians tried to instil in us a
reverence for them, so that we may protect, preserve and cultivate these
beneficial plants in the future.

- Plant kingdom gives me everything I that I need – so what’s wrong in
worshiping it? Worshiping a tree is better than worshiping an imaginary
God, isn’t it?

“OK – but I have a genuine question now…If you don’t have a personal God,
how will you pray? What will you pray? What will you ask for?”

“Should we pray? What should I pray?” When we know that isavasyam idam
sarvam, what’s there to pray? I am part of GOD and the GOD is part of me. I
cannot exist without GOD and GOD cannot exist without me.

* Aham Brahmasmi (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad) = “I am Brahman” I am integral
part of cosmic energy.

* Tat Tvam Asi (Chandogya Upanishad) = “Thou art That” The identity of
individual self as a part of the whole which is ‘tat’, Brahman.

* Ayam Atma Brahma (Mandukya Upanishad) = “This Self (Atman) is Brahman”

* prajñānam brahma – “Consciousness is Brahman” (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of
the Rig Veda).

“As everything in the universe belong to me, what else I need? What would
anybody gain by a prayer? God has provided me everything I need (not what I
WANT)”

“That means you don’t need anything?”

“If I answer philosophically, I need something, only if it is lacking in
me. Nothing lacks in me. I don’t feel I am imperfect or anyways inferior to
anybody. Because, I am created by a perfect divinity. It just can’t go
wrong.”

- There is a divine assurance for this:”Om Poorna Madah Poorna Midam
Poornaat Poorna Mudachayate Poornasya Poorna Maadaaya Poorna Mevaa
Vashishyate” (That is perfect; this is perfect. What comes from such
Perfection truly is perfect. What remains after Perfection from Perfection
is yet again perfect)

- The cosmic created me just as it created you. So nobody can be imperfect.
At least accept this truth: “I am perfect with all my imperfections”

– I don’t have to pray for anything as the force behind creation has seen
to it so perfectly that everything is perfectly managed for me. For
instance, before I was born, the cosmic has in-stored my food as my
mother’s milk – who can take care of better than this? Everything is being
taken care, so meticulously – so what should I pray.

- Whatever I need will be given to me by the divine. Am I a fool to think
that even a grass can move without the cosmic knowledge? No, I don’t have
to remind the cosmic what I need. It knows better what I need. Any
situation in life appears with cosmic wisdom – who am I to question it or
challenge it or pray against such a situation?

“You mean to say you don’t have prayers?”

- “We do have…. my ancestors taught me three most important and
non-personalized prayers”

1.       “Asatoma Ma Sadgamaya tamaso ma jyotirgamaya mrtyorma amrtam gamaya Om
santhi, santhi santhihi” (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad).

Take us from darkness to light’; from ignorance to awareness; from incompleteness to totality.
Let there be peace everywhere. This is not a personal prayer.

2.       ”Loka samastha sukhino bhavanthu.”

May happiness be unto the entire
world. Not just me. I should not pray for any selfish gain, my ancestors
taught me. If your neighbor is starving and I am binging, where is the
happiness? The entire world should be happy.

3.       “Om Bhur Buvaha Suvaha Thath Savithur VarenyamBhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayath” (Gayatri).

We contemplate the glory of Light illuminating the three worlds: gross, subtle, and causal. I am that vivifying power, love, radiant illumination, and divine grace of universal intelligence. We pray for the divine light to illumine our minds.