Weird...

You know what's weird… 

Two people can get married in few hours, be it at a Mandir or a Gurudwara, get it registered, and voila they are married. Yet when it comes to one or both in an unhappy marriage deciding to go separate ways, such are the intricacies of law that it will make them run from pillar to post, subjecting them to numerous conditions, forcing them to remain in an unhealthy relationship over a period of time, which could stretch to several years given the number of cases pending in Indian courts, until the court finally allows to bury by issuing a death certificate to that, what had perished eons ago.

Whereas any parent may wash their hands off an adult child simply by giving notification in two national newspapers whereby they may choose to disown their child severing all ties with him or her.

Huh?

To be blessed into becoming a parent is truly a gift of The God Almighty. Biology plays its part yet it is least of it or else there wouldn't have been so many childless couples whose tests otherwise are normal. Even by taking biology into account, a child needs almost ten months from conception to arrive in this world, then another eighteen years to become an adult, yet at any given time, any aggrieving parents who don't get along with their adult child for whatever reason, may renounce them.

So basically law believes marriages, good or bad, are made in heaven and are sacrosanct, whereas a child is produced merely in the spur of an earthly passion.

Rocking!

Mahabharata... Within and Without...

Before the start of Mahabharata and as the preparations for the war were being made, Arjun went to seek Krishna as an ally whom the Pandavas valued above all.

 

Hearing from his spies about Arjun's visit, Shakuni advised Duryodhan to forestall Arjun in his bid to seek support of Krishna. Duryodhan rushed to Dwarka and reached just before Arjun.

 

Krishna was sleeping when they both arrived. Duryodhan, who was first to enter, sat on a seat at the head of the bed on which Krishna was asleep, and Arjun went to the foot of the bed and stood there with his hands folded.

 

On waking up, Krishna's eyes first rested on Arjun and then he saw Duryodhan. On being asked the reason of their presence by Krishna, Duryodhan said that the war with the Pandavas was inevitable and thus he had come to seek Krishna's help, and that because he was first to reach, it was only fair that Krishna joined Kauravas side as Krishna was related to both the Kauravas and to the Pandavas.

 

Krishna smiled and said, "Due to your pride you sat beside my head so I saw Arjun first. But you are both dear to me so I will help you both. On one hand my famous Narayani army comprising of one akshauhini of warriors, and on the other I shall be alone, I shall not wield any weapon, I will not fight in the war. To one of you I will give my Narayani Sena and to the other I will give my moral support. Arjun being younger to you shall have first choice."

 

Arjun fell at the feet of Krishna with tears in his eyes and without wasting a second, chose Krishna's moral support. He knew that with his support and guidance, the Pandavas would certainly win the war.

 

Duryodhan thought Arjun was foolish to choose Krishna who wouldn't even fight in the war, over Krishna's huge army which would certainly be of immense help to Kauravas. Thus he returned satisfied with the army.

____________________________________________________

 

 

At some point or other in our lives, we all face the Mahabharata, the war within. The battle between the brain and the heart, where brain has been conditioned and heart has been withered by the world, yet both given by The Almighty, The Universe, and not by the world. A fight between dreams and reality. A conflict between hopes and despairs. A rage between the body and the soul. 

 

Only one thing determines the result. Our choices. 

 

Just as Krishna offered a choice to Duryodhan and Arjun, we too have choices to make, whether we choose the Narayani Sena or The Narayan Himself, is an option granted by God to our Freewill. 

 

Krishna, the Saarthi, the Charioteer, the Inner Voice, will take us wherever we want to go, yet the Freewill to choose where we want to go always rests with us.

 

We are what we are today because of the choices we made yesterday, and we will be who will be tomorrow because of the choices we make in the present. Our choices make us as much as we make them. We have a choice, to accept conditions as they exist in life, or to accept the responsibility for changing them. We can choose to allow the world to describe us or we can be the author of our own stories which will eventually define us. It is our choices that will lead us to our highest good, far more than our abilities. Life is the sum total of our choices we have made and of those that we shall make. 

 

The choices we face may not always be between good and bad, or between complete and deplete, or between discouragement and encouragement, or between feasting and fasting, or between being miserable and happy, or between materialistic and spiritual. Sometimes the choices are between what's good and what's best, or between what's right and what's easy. Often what is true is forgotten by what is convenient. Often the voice within gets lost in the noises without. These choices are as easy or as difficult as we believe them to be. We can choose to hide with fear and think that our choices at the fork in the road will lead us to a mistake, or we can choose to side with optimism and see the fork in the road as an opportunity to recreate and rewrite our destiny.

 

Sometimes faced with choosing between two equally good but tough choices, one may decide not to choose, which again is a choice. Whether we believe that we have been blessed by God with freewill to choose or whether we believe that we don't have any freewill to choose is again an individual's freewill, a choice he or she chooses.

 

The crux however is that we cannot arrive at a different destination by continuing on the same path we chose yesterday. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. We can always choose to ignore the inner voice but by ignoring it, we imbalance our center, we move further away from our true path. Listening to the inner voice, the spirit, the universe is all about trust… trusting that what we are being told or lead to do is what is best for our highest good. 

 

Happy Journey.

____________________________________________________

 

Since the self-proclaimed opinionated worldly wise around me trust that I am sans any brain, thus effectively the heart has always been and will be the only choice for me. I listen to my heart, which is where The God speaks to me. God gave me this life and The Universe gave me the freewill. I owe it to God that I make choices that are healthy for my body, mind and soul. I choose what I love and I love my choices. I choose feeling alive over anything and everything. I honour the privilege, the right to choose my path. The path I deem fit to keep me emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually fit.

 

It doesn't matters if the world thinks I am a saint or that I am a sinner. The only thing what matters to me is what I believe, what I feel, what I think, what my inner voice guides me. Neither can I control what others think nor do I wish to. It doesn't matters to me if people will choose to look down upon me for my choices in life, absolutely no worries et all, that is their choice. I can't do anything about that. The only thing I can do is decide how to live my life.

 

Neither do I hinder anyone's freewill, nor do I allow anyone to obstruct mine. Not out of fear or money, and not even out of love or obligation, no human has the right to take away from me the Freewill given by God. The worldly wise, May God bless them all with a long and prosperous life, can't meddle with my freewill simply because I won't let them. 

So help me God. Amen. 

____________________________________________________

 

 

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

 

~Eleanor Roosevelt~

 

I won't tell you that the world matters nothing, or the world's voice, or the voice of society. They matter a good deal. They matter far too much. But there are moments when one has to choose between living one's own life, fully, entirely, completely—or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands. You have that moment now. Choose!

 

~ Oscar Wilde~

 

There are times in my life when I have been medicine for some while poison for others. I used to think I was a victim of my story until I realized the truth that I am the creator of my story. I choose what type of person I will be and what type of impact I will leave on others. I will never choose the destructive path of self and outward victimization again.

 

~Steve Maraboli~

 

~The Thousandth Man - Rudyard Kipling~

One man in a thousand, Solomon says,
Will stick more close than a brother.
And it's worth while seeking him half your days
If you find him before the other.

Nine nundred and ninety-nine depend
On what the world sees in you,
But the Thousandth man will stand your friend
With the whole round world agin you.

'Tis neither promise nor prayer nor show
Will settle the finding for 'ee.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em go
By your looks, or your acts, or your glory.

But if he finds you and you find him.
The rest of the world don't matter;
For the Thousandth Man will sink or swim
With you in any water.

You can use his purse with no more talk
Than he uses yours for his spendings,
And laugh and meet in your daily walk
As though there had been no lendings.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em call
For silver and gold in their dealings;
But the Thousandth Man h's worth 'em all,
Because you can show him your feelings.

His wrong's your wrong, and his right's your right,
In season or out of season.
Stand up and back it in all men's sight --
With that for your only reason!

Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bide
The shame or mocking or laughter,
But the Thousandth Man will stand by your side
To the gallows-foot -- and after! 

~The Thousandth Man - Rudyard Kipling~

Fatal Rubble / Rare Fable

murshid mere, rooh meri ko teri parhaaye aayaten... 
bey daam khareed mujhe, bass itni hai munaajaaten...

मुर्शिद मेरे, रूह मेरी को तेरी पढ़ाए आयतें... 
बेदाम खरीद मुझे, बस इतनी है मुनाजातें...

Be my core 
Be my mentor 
Be my soul 
Be my center 
Buy for free 
All that's there 
An eternal tale 
An honest prayer

~Excerpts from “Only Love Is Real; The Story of Soulmates Reunited” by Dr Brian Weiss~

You will not always marry your most strongly bonded soulmate. There may be more than one for you, because soul families travel together. You might choose to marry a less bonded soul companion, one who has something specific to teach you or to learn from you. Your recognition of a soulmate may occur later in life, after both of you are already committed to your present life families. Or your strongest soulmate connection maybe to your parent, or to your child, or to your sibling. Or your strongest connection maybe to a soulmate who has not incarnated during your lifetime and who is watching over you from the other side, like a guardian angel.

Sometimes your soulmate is willing and available. He or she might recognize the passion and the chemistry between you, the intimate and subtle bonds that imply connections over many life times. Yet he or she may be toxic for you. It is a matter of soul development.

If one soul is less developed and more ignorant than the other, trait of violence, greed, jealousy, hatred, and fear might be brought into the relationship. These tendencies are toxic to the more evolved soul, even if from a soulmate. Frequently rescue fantasies arise with the thought, I can change him; I can help her grow. If he does not allow your help, if in her free will she chooses not to learn, not to grow, the relationship is doomed. Perhaps there will be another chance in another lifetime, unless he awakens later in this one. Late awakenings do happen.

Sometimes soulmates decide not to get marries while incarnated. They arrange to meet, to stay together until the agreed task is completed, and then to move on. Their agendas, their lesson plans for the entirety of this life, are different, and they do not want to or need to spend the entire lifetime together. This is not a tragedy, only a matter of learning. You have eternal life together, but sometimes you may need to take separate classes.

A soulmate who is available but unawakened is a tragic figure and can cause you great anguish. Unawakened means that he or she does not sees life clearly, is not aware of the many levels of existence. Unawakened means not knowing of about the souls. Usually it is the everyday mind that prevents awakening.

We hear the excuses of the mind all the time: I am too young; I need more experience; I am not ready to settle down yet; you are of a different religion (or race, region, social status, intellectual level, cultural background, and so on). They are all excuses, for soul possess none of these attributes.

The person may recognise the chemistry. The attraction is definitely there, but the source of chemistry is not understood. It is delusional to believe that this passion, this soul recognition and attraction, will be easily found again in another person. You do not run into such a soulmate every day, perhaps only one or two more in a lifetime.

Divine grace may reward a good heart, a loving soul.

Never worry about meeting soulmates. Such meetings are a matter of destiny. They will occur. After the meeting, the freewill of both partners reigns. What decisions are made or not made are a matter of freewill, of choice. The less awakened will make the decisions based on the mind and all of it fears and prejudices. Unfortunately this often leads to heartache. The more awakened the couple is, the more the likelihood of a decision based on love. When both partners are awakened, ecstasy is within their grasp.


~Excerpts from "Only Love Is Real; The Story of Soulmates Reunited" by Dr Brian Weiss~

Ain't it funny that there's no honey in money...

The other evening I was in an elevator with my cousin and he remarked, "Bhai, if Papa was alive today, he would have been mightily pleased with the humongous amount of money I have made."

And I thought is it really what his father would have wanted, or for that matter is it really what any parent would desire for their child?

In my prayers to God when I seek blessings for my 4 year young daughter, all I pray is for God to bless Kaynaat with confidence and courage, happiness and health, that she should feel alive as long as she lives.

But money, now what's that?

I mean, sure she should have just about enough of money so as to live with dignity and pride, and not be dependent on anyone except God, but beyond that money is pretty much useless. Money cannot buy good health, love, time, and sanity, so pray, what good is money?

Money cannot even buy me common sense or I surely would have bought one.

My cousin's father, may he forever rest in peace, left for his heavenly abode two decades ago at the age of 55 due to cardiac arrest when my cousin was 17, so I believe if et all his Papa was seeing him from heavens, he would rather be seeking a long life with good health for his son more than any amount of money.

But that's just my two cents, no one has to agree or disagree with it. I sing a song because I have the urge to sing one, not because I have an audience or that I am looking to be appreciated.

Reflecting upon my childhood every now and then, I realized long ago that although I had learned the importance of being responsible for myself in the absence of my parents (my dad had health issues, was in
and out of hospitals for most part of any given year, and my mother was busy taking care of him), but because I had missed the physical presence of a father figure, I never actually grew full in the self-confidence until much later in life.

So although I pamper Kaynaat as much as my Dad pampered me (sometimes even more since daughters deserve all the pampering they can get), yet I am honest in my endeavour to maintain good health so that she has more of me whenever she needs me. To be emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually fit is a conscious effort so that I can avoid passing my vacuum to her. I don't see her life as an extension to my life, she doesn't needs to live my dreams, but if possible, she should avoid the potholes I encountered.

Kaynaat tells me that she wants to grow up soon, so that like me she can read books and watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S (which according to her are the two things I do the most), to which I laugh off and tell her that she will find her own calling and interests as she grows up, which may not be the same as mine, so that she knows that it is alright for her to be different than me, than anyone else.

I trust my sole job as a parent is not to take decisions for her but only to be there for her as a safety net. Instead of following me, or the crowd, she should be able to celebrate her uniqueness. That is why I encourage her to make her own decisions, good or bad, so that she's able to trust herself and grows in self-confidence.

Life is a great teacher. Kaynaat will learn on her own just as I did. She will. Inshallah!

Lokibaba Aur 40 Chor

Considering that we had no VCR in 1980, the high end of entertainment
for me was watching movies at cinema halls and the low end was
watching Krishi Darshan on Doordarshan. I say it a low not because of
the content, it may or may not have been good since I don't remember
any of it, but because neither did I have any interest in the
khaad/fasal etc., nor did it made any sense to me, yet I unfailingly
stayed glued to it every evening, except for the times when all the
kids rushed out to play "I Spy" on the evenings whenever there was a
power outage in our locality.

Maybe it was God's way of developing my patience for the times when
the happenings around me go beyond the capacity of understanding for
my tiny little brain.

Thank you God Ji.

And Cinema, the high point of Life-e-Loki @ 7, is behind penning this post.

Sometime during my summer vacations, Dad got tickets for Alibaba and
40 Chor, playing at a cinema hall in the vicinity.

The chase, the horses, the magic, and the treasure, all caught my
imagination. I was fascinated by this Dharmendra, Hema Malini and
Zeenat Aman starrer. I thought it was truly awesome to have a cave
full of treasure, which opened itself to the magical words "Khulja
Simsim" and closed itself on hearing "Band Hoja Simsim."

Over next several weeks, Alibaba and 40 Chor consistently figured in
my chit chats with friends. Later as the summer holidays ended, each
of us found new things to discuss and gradually the topic of Alibaba
and 40 Chor faded away.

End of the story.

Not really.

A few months later I saw a dream. In it, instead of going in to
retrieve the treasure, as soon as I reach in front of the cave, I
forget the magic words which will open it. Substituting for Alibaba's
soul, my dream-dream had been infested by the soul of Qassim, who in
the movie forgets the password, gets stuck inside the cave, and
eventually gets killed.

Go Qassim; Go away.

But neither did Qassim nor did the dream leave. Both of them become
persistent. I would wake up in cold sweat every instance that I had
this broken dream. I reasoned that it is merely a nightmare yet it
started to get on my nerves that that even before I could enter the
cave and get the treasure, the dream would end every single time. I
knew the magic words, yet sleepily I faltered when it mattered most.
And as much as I hoped that my dream would have a different ending
next time, yet it always ended at the entrance of the cave. The
nightmare continued on and off for few years, I wanted the end to
change, it didn't, eventually I made peace with it.

Then sometime in 1985, when I bought a special issue of "People", the
dreams featuring those who featured in the Australian magazine of
topless models replaced the nightmare. Voila!

The soul of Qassim had lost to the hot bodies of Australian females.

Victory for a 12 year young boy knocking at the gates of puberty.

Not really.

The soul of Qassim had somehow affected my psyche even without me
being aware of it. The worry of forgetting the magical password after
I am inside the cave, made me fearful of attempting to say it at all.
The fear of falling to nadir stopped me from attempting the zenith and
yet I was falling. I would live on the edge, yet not quite on the edge
of the edge. I would dare, yet somehow in the end, inexplicably I
would give in. I became an escapist.

Not any longer. Not anymore.

I realized that the soul of Alibaba was all along inside me, and had
masqueraded as the soul of Qassim only because I feared it was Qassim.
The moment I found the courage within, it transformed back. Like the
musk-deer, I was searching for fragrance which was always within and
never without.

Dear God, Dear Universe, I seek your divine guidance. Please bless me
with courage for this journey to overcome my Achilles Heel. Please
bless me with the conviction that I must first climb the hill in order
to find the cave. Please bless me with the competence to remember
everything that I must never forget, and forget everything that I must
never remember. Please bless me the clarity of wisdom that the
solitary way of finding if therein lays the treasure or another life
lesson is only after I enter the cave, and therefore I must. Amen.

Feel the rain...

Surprisingly it rained in the afternoon. Thank you God Ji.

As it started to drizzle, Kaynaat and I went up on the terrace… to get
drenched, to have fun, to try and make the most of it.

Some 10 minutes into our impromptu rain dance, Kayu suggested that it
made more sense to walk in the rains, than to be at the terrace.

Indeed it did.

We walked merrily in the bylanes of our colony, and then on to the
main road, childishly kicking into the poodles of water every time we
saw one on the road, splashing it over each other, yelling "Yayyyyyy"
to no-one in particular but to anyone who cared to "Yayyyyyy" back.

And just as unexpectedly as the rains had come, it stopped all of a sudden too.

Just like that.

Lokesh: Baby, it has stopped raining. Chalo, let's head back.

Kayu: No, wait, maybe it will start again.

Lokesh: Hmm, ok, but not for too long, let's just walk for 10 more
minutes and if it begins to rain again, good, if not, then you and I
go back home and take shower.

Kayu: No, not 10… we will walk for 12 minutes.

Lokesh: Ha… ok, 12…

Kayu: But why is it not raining?

Lokesh: Jaan, I don't know. Do you feel the strong gush of wind
blowing across your face; the same wind has probably blown away the
clouds to some other place.

Kayu: But Papa, where?

Lokesh: Only God knows, only God controls it. I don't know if it is
raining anywhere now; maybe the clouds have gone towards your school.

Kayu: Then let's drive towards the school!

Lokesh: Ha Ha… Good idea… But what if by the time we reach your
school, God Ji chooses to send back the clouds over here.

Kayu: Yeh Bhagwan bhi kitna ghumaata hai na…

Lokesh: Ha Ha Ha… More than you know baby… More than you know…

Godly Offering...

I was heading into the kitchen to prepare Karah Parshad when my 4 year young daughter Kaynaat said she wanted to learn the way it is made. So I took her along and made her sit on the kitchen counter whilst I started to set things up. Alongside explaining recipe, I added the requisite amount of Desi Ghee in the pan. And as it started to melt, the following conversation ensued: 

Kaynaat: Uh Oh! Papa, why is this Ghee looking different from the Ghee you showed me in the jar? 

Lokesh: Nah, it is the same Ghee. See, earlier it was thick whitish, on heating it has become yellowish in colour and has become more fluid. Gullo, everything changes its properties on heating. Some change mass, some change colour; some others have a change in their quantity. 

Kaynaat: Everything?

Lokesh: Well, yeah. For example, this Dairy Milk Chocolate you bought last evening, if we are to heat this chocolate now, it will change shape and mass. On melting, this chocolate will become fluid rather than the solid it is now, and maybe there will be a slight change in the colour as well. 

Kaynaat: Does water changes colour too on heating?

Lokesh: No, it doesn’t. But it evaporates.

Kaynaat: Evaporates? What’s that?

Lokesh: Baby, you will understand the evaporation phenomenon once you grow up but for now let me explain it to you in a converse way. Have you seen ice cubes in the freezer? It is water too, but solidified. If we heat it, the ice will melt and become water again. On freezing, the water will expand again. We can refreeze it, again melt it, this can go on and on. Like a game… 

Kaynaat: Ha Ha Ha… Kool… :-)

Lokesh: Got it?

Kaynaat: Haan Ji, Yes…

Lokesh: Good job… Muaaaah… 

___________________________________________

Human relationships, much alike the water, are imperative for healthy living. At times every relationship will have its heated arguments which in turn will lead us into the freeze mode, but this process is reversible. Alike water, the relationships too change their density and reflection every time this now warm, now cold process is repeated but the volume remains the same. As long as it is a constructive natural process, no-one loses. But just as the water will evaporate on boiling point and even on cooling will not retain the same volume, similar is the fate of our relationships too. And repeated boiling simply evaporates all that was once there. Then it is not reversible for humans, only nature decides when, where and why the evaporated vapours will drop in the form of rain. 

___________________________________________

P.S. Evaporation is an essential part of the water cycle. The sun or the solar energy drives evaporation of water from oceans, lakes, moisture in the soil, and other sources of water, allowing molecules to escape and form water vapour; these vapour then rise up and form clouds which in turn bring bliss to the parched lands in the form of rains. Kapish! 

And since nothing in The Universe happens without reason, the evaporation process in relationships happens for a reason too.  It is an essential part of our learning cycle and is much needed for our soul to travel until it finally reaches out to its parched soul twin. 

Happy journey…  

Your soul job and sole job is to find approval of God, not from people...

Understand that what you do is your karma, how others respond is their karma. Don't seek approval from without but only from within. A king doesn't becomes pauper just because someone says so and a pauper doesn't becomes a king merely by others saying so. Only God decides it. Don't surrender to the opinions of people but only surrender to God's will. The only thing that you need to pay heed is God's voice, the conscience, the inner voice. Always look at the bigger picture. Always aspire to do what takes you closer to God, not what people approve of. Your soul job and sole job is to find approval of God, not from people. Everyone responds to their own inner voice, so do your karma, that is the dharma, and then let go and let God.

__________________________________

The Lord's humble servant sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord's Name. Even if someone slanders the Lord's humble servant, he does not give up his own goodness. Whatever the Lord and Master does, He does by Himself; the Lord Himself does the deeds. The Lord and Master Himself imparts understanding; the Lord Himself inspires us to speak. The Lord Himself directs the evolution of the world of the five elements; He Himself infuses the five senses into it. O servant Nanak, the Lord Himself unites us with the True Guru; He Himself resolves the conflicts.

Har jan rām nām gun gāvai.
Je ko▫ī ninḏ kare har jan kī apunā gun na gavāvai.
Jo kicẖẖ kare so āpe su▫āmī har āpe kār kamāvai.
Har āpe hī maṯ ḏevai su▫āmī har āpe bol bulāvai.
Har āpe pancẖ ṯaṯ bisthārā vicẖ ḏẖāṯū pancẖ āp pāvai.
Jan Nānak saṯgur mele āpe har āpe jẖagar cẖukẖāvai.

हरि जनु राम नाम गुन गावै
जे कोई निंद करे हरि जन की अपुना गुनु न गवावै
जो किछु करे सु आपे सुआमी हरि आपे कार कमावै
हरि आपे ही मति देवै सुआमी हरि आपे बोलि बुलावै
हरि आपे पंच ततु बिसथारा विचि धातू पंच आपि पावै
जन नानक सतिगुरु मेले आपे हरि आपे झगरु चुकावै

ਹਰਿ ਜਨੁ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਗੁਨ ਗਾਵੈ
ਜੇ ਕੋਈ ਨਿੰਦ ਕਰੇ ਹਰਿ ਜਨ ਕੀ ਅਪੁਨਾ ਗੁਨੁ ਨ ਗਵਾਵੈ
ਜੋ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਰੇ ਸੁ ਆਪੇ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਕਾਰ ਕਮਾਵੈ
ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਮਤਿ ਦੇਵੈ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਬੋਲਿ ਬੁਲਾਵੈ
ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਪੰਚ ਤਤੁ ਬਿਸਥਾਰਾ ਵਿਚਿ ਧਾਤੂ ਪੰਚ ਆਪਿ ਪਾਵੈ
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮੇਲੇ ਆਪੇ ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਝਗਰੁ ਚੁਕਾਵੈ

~Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji~

The idea is to live and let live, not die and make die…

Is being in a bad marriage and spending a lifetime on working things out better than a divorce? Or is divorce better than bad marriage?

Isn’t is too obvious that bad marriages creates even worse family environment for children as compared to the family environment created by divorced parents. Isn’t it better for the kids to see happy parents rather than fighting parents. Besides, world needs happy individuals and happy marriages, not marriages for the sake of marriages. 

Kids are way much smarter than the adults give them credit. They learn more from what they see than what they are told. Unfortunately the only thing kids unconsciously learn seeing their parents sticking in a pretentious relationship is pretentiousness. 

Is it really a dream of any parent, to see a child be anything but real, to self and to world?

Even for the couple, isn’t is pointless living a life sans any understanding, sans any passion. The idea is to live and let live, not die and make die. The purpose of life is to feel alive as long as you live, not to be dead until you die. Understand that sacrifice isn’t necessarily a virtue and happiness isn’t a sin.

Dear God, Dear Universe, Bless one and all, that everyone lives their life fully, passionately, and with an intensity of purpose. Amen.

And in the end...

Jaise uthta hai juaari haar ke sab kuch leke jebein khaali...
Vaise hi milne jaayenge Khuda se hum bann ke sawaali...

Alike a gambler who leaves the casino empty handed on losing everything, we will depart from this world with nothing except the name of God.

Ŧū ṯẖākur ṯum pėh arḏās.

You are our Lord and Master; to You, I offer this prayer.
This body and soul are all Your property.
You are our mother and father; we are Your children.
In Your Grace, there are so many joys!
No one knows Your limits.
O Highest of the High, Most Generous God,
the whole creation is strung on Your thread.
That which has come from You is under Your Command.
You alone know Your state and extent.
Nanak, Your slave, is forever a sacrifice. ||8||4||
__________________________

Ŧū ṯẖākur ṯum pėh arḏās.
Jī▫o pind sabẖ ṯerī rās.
Ŧum māṯ piṯā ham bārik ṯere.
Ŧumrī kirpā mėh sūkẖ gẖanere.
Ko▫e na jānai ṯumrā anṯ.
Ūcẖe ṯe ūcẖā bẖagvanṯ.
Sagal samagrī ṯumrai suṯir ḏẖārī.
Ŧum ṯe ho▫e so āgi▫ākārī.
Ŧumrī gaṯ miṯ ṯum hī jānī.
Nānak ḏās saḏā kurbānī. ||8||4||
__________________________

ਤੂ ਠਾਕੁਰੁ ਤੁਮ ਪਹਿ ਅਰਦਾਸਿ ॥
ਜੀਉ ਪਿੰਡੁ ਸਭੁ ਤੇਰੀ ਰਾਸਿ ॥
ਤੁਮ ਮਾਤ ਪਿਤਾ ਹਮ ਬਾਰਿਕ ਤੇਰੇ ॥
ਤੁਮਰੀ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਮਹਿ ਸੂਖ ਘਨੇਰੇ ॥
ਕੋਇ ਨ ਜਾਨੈ ਤੁਮਰਾ ਅੰਤੁ ॥
ਊਚੇ ਤੇ ਊਚਾ ਭਗਵੰਤ ॥
ਸਗਲ ਸਮਗ੍ਰੀ ਤੁਮਰੈ ਸੂਤ੍ਰਿ ਧਾਰੀ ॥
ਤੁਮ ਤੇ ਹੋਇ ਸੁ ਆਗਿਆਕਾਰੀ ॥
ਤੁਮਰੀ ਗਤਿ ਮਿਤਿ ਤੁਮ ਹੀ ਜਾਨੀ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਦਾਸ ਸਦਾ ਕੁਰਬਾਨੀ ॥੮॥੪॥
__________________________

तू ठाकुरु तुम पहि अरदासि ॥
जीउ पिंडु सभु तेरी रासि ॥
तुम मात पिता हम बारिक तेरे ॥
तुमरी क्रिपा महि सूख घनेरे ॥
कोइ न जानै तुमरा अंतु ॥
ऊचे ते ऊचा भगवंत ॥
सगल समग्री तुमरै सूत्रि धारी ॥
तुम ते होइ सु आगिआकारी ॥
तुमरी गति मिति तुम ही जानी ॥
नानक दास सदा कुरबानी ॥८॥४॥
__________________________

This sacred prayer is a part of Sukhmani Sahib and appears on the page
number 268 of Guru Granth Sahib Ji
The complete Sukhmani Sahib spans 35 pages from page 262 to page 296
of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji
http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?S=y

The Loophole...

Lokesh: Boss, there's got to be a loophole...


God: Huh! Where?


Lokesh: In the Karmic Guidebook of the Final Accounting. 


God: Sure the popular opinion on you is that you are obnoxious, yet you don't have to prove it right by constantly being silliness personified. Tell me, how in The Universe can anyone ever outmanoeuvre ME?


Lokesh: I don't know how, I really don’t. But all around me I see several, in fact most of the self-proclaimed wise, incessantly seeking and ceaselessly procuring assets, fame, money, property. So believe you me, maybe there is a sly route functioning without your knowledge that from where all which has been accumulated in the earthen sphere is getting smuggled out of this world...


God: Are you on dope?


Lokesh: Nah, you know I don't do drugs, and the high is only because of your grace. But I am giving you an insider dope, I comprehend that you are omnipresent yet believe you me, maybe without your explicit consent there is an escape route which has escaped your scrutiny. I mean if not all of the billions amassed, certainly a percentage of wealth from this mass, say 1%, must be getting transferred with the accumulator in the final journey...


God: Don't be nonsensical. Not even an iota goes along with you when you die. Humans have misconstrued wealth as paper money, or silver, or gold, but it is an absolute false notion. The actual riches are those that I sent along with your soul to this earth. Were you able to lay bare your soul and make those riches grow? Forget about flaunting your materialistic possessions; were you able to illuminate someone’s darkness with your light? Health is the real wealth, were you able to stay fit, be it emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually? The only riches you take along is the amount of good you did for others, not the amount of balance you left in your domestic and overseas bank accounts. All that The Universe is interested in is your intent and deeds, not how much money you made. We settle the Karmic balance-sheet and not the Karmic balance-shit.


Lokesh: OK, so you say no to banks, and I get it, but what about the land-banks? Surely you are bound to offer me a better accommodation up in the Cosmos if I die with more properties in my name. 


God: Ha Ha... Whoa… I am bound to offer... Hahahaha... So apparently you have forgotten that I am boundless...


Lokesh: Oops, sincerest apologies my Lord. Please forgive me for all those times that knowingly or unknowingly I erroneously have undermined your authority. One last question though, what is your frame on fame? I mean is there a VIP or a VVIP treatment reserved for those who are popular than someone like me who's merely a signpost without a PR?


God: LMUO (for the uninitiated, LMUO is an acronym for Laughing My Universe Off). Son, this isn’t a TV channel and I didn’t design you to play a trivial part in some retrograding regressive afternoon soap opera. The Universe is not bothered by your popularity or the lack of it. Only your honesty or lack of it is a bother for the Cosmos. If you have the balls to be and stay real without falling into the traps of sycophancy, Universe will accept it as highest score on popularity. 


Lokesh: Alright!


God: Now wake up, will you? It’s morning already.


Lokesh: I am absolutely awake, thanks for the awakening.

~Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild~

I'd like to repeat the advice that I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt.

So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.

The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did.

But I fear that you will ignore my advice.

You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover.

Don't settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.

You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.

My point is that you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light in your life. It is simply waiting out there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it.

The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circumstances.

~Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild~

Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain... Allama Iqbal...

Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain 

Abhi ishq ke imtehan aur bhi hain 

Tahi zindagi se nahin ye fizayen

Yahan siakdon karwaan aur bhi hain

Khana’at na kar aalam-e-rang-o-bu par

Chaman aur bhi aashiyaan aur bhi hain

Agar kho gaya ek nasheman to kya ghum

Maqmat-e-aah-o-fughaan aur bhi hain

Tu shaheen hai parvwaaz hai kaam tera 

Tere saamne aasmaan aur bhi hain 

Isi roz-o-shab main ulajh kar na rah ja 

Ke tere zameen par makaan aur bhi hain 

Gaye din ke tanha tha main anjuman mein 

Yahaan ab mere raazdaan aur bhi hain  

~Allama Iqbal~

________________________________________

Translation:

Beyond the stars there are worlds more

Our quest yet has more tests to pass

This existence alone does not matter

There are boundless journeys more

Do not rest on what you have

There are paradises more to explore

Why worry if you have lost one abode

There are a million addresses to claim

You are the falcon, your passion is flight

And you have skies more to transcend

Lose not yourself in the cycle of days and nights

Within your reach are feats even more

Gone is the day when I was lonesome in the crowd

Today those who resonate my thoughts are more

Bothersome... Bother some...

☐ Your account has been compromised.

☐ Your life has been compromised.

Which of the two is more bothersome?

When someone hacks into an email account, we immediately rush to run an anti-virus, change the password, and make every possible effort to get back the control of the account. Yet we go in stupor when someone hacks into the happiness, in life per se? Why?

Don't let the inertia get the better of you, take control of your life. Do whatever is needed, no matter how hard, how disagreeable it may appear, in order to gain, or re-gain equilibrium in life.

Good luck... Rabb rakha...

I, Me, Myself... No apology offered...

deewane ke nakab yahan sayaane libaaso se kuch kam hai...
na taareef ka ghulam hoon, na mujhe gaali ka gham hai...

I insanely sport infinite masks yet only too few...
Masquerading the sanity, some sane here are too...
Success doesn't rules me 'n failure doesn't deter...
Neither do I seek the praise, nor the abuses can hurt...

___________________________________

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.

~John Wooden~

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to your courage. ~Anais Nin~

My 4 year young angel Kaynaat's first day in her new class 'n several of her classmates, including Kayu, seemed trifle overwhelmed and tearful. This despite continuing with the same circle of friends but in a new classroom and with new teachers.

Truly, new atmosphere appears intimidating not just for kids but even for adults and that's the single biggest reason why most people prefer to stick in familiarity however mundane it may be and not aspire for the undiscovered treasure.

And this is where these kids inspire the biggest lesson for all adults, that although it may take a day, two or even more but surely one finds their own groove, because in order to grow, you must outgrow the fears and be willing to move to the next level.

God bless 'em.
Lokesh Grover
Pin: 21E6AD5B
+919910192828
+919810192828
facebook.com/lokesh.grover
(Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel)

Chinese Bamboo... ~Aleph, Paulo Coelho~

I start by telling her a story.

"A man stumbles and falls into a deep hole. He asks a passing priest to help him out. The priest blesses him and walks on. Hours later, a doctor comes by. The man asks for help, but the doctor merely studies his injuries from afar, writes him a prescription and tells him to buy the medicine from the nearest pharmacy. Finally, a complete stranger appears. Again the man asks for help, and the stranger jumps in the hole. "Now what are we going to do?" says the man. "Now both of us are trapped down here." To which the stranger replies: " No we're not. I am from around here and I know how to get out.""

"Meaning", asks Monica.

"That I need strangers like that," I explain. "My roots are ready, but I will only manage to grow with the help of others. Not just you or J or my wife, but people I have never met. I am sure of that."

~Aleph; Paulo Coelho explaining the Chinese Bamboo to Monica, his agent. Apparently the Chinese Bamboo spends five years as a little shoot, using that time to develop its root system. And, then from one moment to the next, it puts on a spurt and grows up to twenty five meters high.~
Lokesh Grover
Pin: 21E6AD5B
+919910192828
+919810192828
facebook.com/lokesh.grover
(Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel)

50 Ways To Make Yourself Miserable

50 Ways To Make Yourself Miserable

What Not To Do/be

Most of the articles in HealthMoneySuccess.com are how to articles that teaches you how to set things right but today I will be writing on things that you should avoid instead of doing.

http://www.healthmoneysuccess.com/892/50-ways-to-make-yourself-miserable/

So here goes the 50 ways to make yourself miserable.

1. Compare yourself frequently with others.
2. Belittle yourself.
3. Don’t believe in dreams.  You believe dreams will only happen when you are sleeping.
4. Say yes to everybody and everything.
5. Work in a job you hate.
6. Complain about everything.
7. Complain about everything to your friends.
8. Suspicious of everything.
9. Counting your troubles.
10. Harbor negative thoughts.
11. Trying to please everyone and let everyone walk all over you.
12. Constantly thinking about the past.
13. Constantly thinking about the future.
14. Focusing on what you lack.
15. Focusing on what you don’t want.
16. Need others to validate you constantly.
17. Think of everything that can possibly go wrong in your life. 
18. Get jealous easily.
19. Envious of others and is never grateful of what you have instead.
20. Imitating others due to lack of self confidence.
21. Lacking self esteem and cause others to dislike you.
22. Think the world revolves around you.
23. Judging others.
24. Absorbing all the bad news in the papers daily.
25. Eating junk food.
26. Exercising is your worst nightmare.
27. Believe that things can only go your way.
28. Do not accept others opinion.
29. Lack of sleep.
30. Lack of goals.
31. Worry consistently about the sky is falling.
32. Plan but never take action.
33. Fail to plan.
34. Feel that people around you are all jerks.
35. Thinking there is no purpose in living.
36. Being the “If Man”. If my father is  the president, then I will be successful. If ____ then I will be _____. (fill in the blanks)
37. Lottery is the only way to success.
38. Trying to control everything that you can’t control.
39. Expect to be appreciated.
40. Expect others to be grateful to you.
41. Never forget about criticism.
42. Hate people around you to be successful.
43. Shirk responsibilities.
44. Receive and never give.
45. Do things that are easy.
46. Overworking.
47. Never forgive.
48. Never give your best effort in things you do.
49. Perfectionism.
50. Choosing to be miserable.

Parting Words

These are 50 ways that can definitely make ourselves miserable and are you committing any mistakes in the list above?

Vincent

Personal Development Blogger

http://www.healthmoneysuccess.com/892/50-ways-to-make-yourself-miserable/