THE POWER OF APPRECIATION

THE POWER OF APPRECIATION

I may be wrong but my observation is that we Indians are very miserly in appreciating others. We are quick to criticise but we don’t readily appreciate the good things of people.

We take things for granted especially our spouses, parents, children and others. We take for granted the love of our spouses, parents and children as though it is our right.

Generally it is observed that the spouse i.e. the husband or wife is the least appreciated of the person. We never seem to appreciate the small things that our spouses do for us such as cooking, arranging the house, earning for the family so on and so forth. We rarely appreciate the hard work that the wife does at home, the good cooking that she does. Similarly the efforts of the husband are also seldom appreciated. But if something small goes wrong then we blow our tops.

We never appreciate what our parents have done for us. By appreciation I mean we are not vocal about it. Silent appreciation has no meaning unless we convey it either with words or with body language. Similarly we never appreciate what others do for us. How many of us thank the auto driver or the taxi driver? How many of us thank the waiter who serves us at the restaurant? How many of us appreciate the hard work our parents have put in to bring us up and to educate us? Do we ever give a thought to the hurdles and difficulties our parents must have faced in nurturing us? The anxiety they must have felt during our illness or the tough financial situations they may have faced to educate us. No! We always take these things for granted.

We must realise that appreciation is a power. Appreciation shows our love and gratitude not only to our near and dear ones but to the society at large. When you appreciate the good things in your spouse see the love with which he or she treats you. When you appreciate your parents see the shine in their eyes. When you appreciate your children see the joy on their faces. When you appreciate your servants see the willingness and eagerness with which they serve you.

Let us develop the habit of appreciation in order to make this world a better place filled with love and joy.

RESTLESSNESS

RESTLESSNESS

The current age of technological innovation, materialism and fast pace has really possessed mankind. Today mankind has become very restless, agitated and anxious. Everyday every moment is spent with restlessness unprecedented in the history of mankind.

Today it is observed that a person is not able to relax. Restlessness has caught hold of him. Everywhere you see that people are always in a mighty hurry to reach somewhere.

Friends cannot sit peacefully any more over a cup of coffee. It is usually observed that friends sitting in a restaurant are talking but not to each other. Each of them is busy talking with someone else on the mobile phone, with the result that you don’t enjoy the cup of coffee with the friends with whom you are having it.

It is very rare to see a person just sitting, without doing anything and taking in the beauty and peace of the surroundings. Either people want to read newspapers or listen to music on their ipods or chat on mobiles. No one wants to just sit and contemplate and enjoy one’s own company and solitude.

TV is another medium that has made mankind restless. Very few people watch a program completely. Watching TV means flicking from one channel to another like a monkey jumping from one branch to the other.

Many times I wonder why there is so much urge to communicate. There has been an explosion in communication. People spend hours over the mobile talking to friends, relatives etc. If not talking then they are smsing, if neither of this then they are on the PC or laptop on facebook or on one of the many networking sites. Facebook has become a medium for communicating with friends whom you never meet face to face. People have this urge to be in touch on mediums like facebook, sms, etc., but very few like to meet friends face to face and enjoy each other’s company.

I think that man should make a conscious effort to come out of this restlessness. First and foremost the use of mobiles and telephones should be curtailed and restricted only for important communications. Watching TV should be totally eliminated or restricted to some good programs.

Reading books is a hobby which should be cultivated. Reading not only relaxes a person but it also improves concentration, imagination power and knowledge.

Just relaxing and sitting peacefully and avoiding the urge to always be busy will relax the mind and help in being centered within and balanced. This will lead to peace and happiness and needles to say improved health.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNT FROM NATURE

LESSONS TO BE LEARNT FROM NATURE

Our house at Mahesh Society, Pune is a very cozy and small 1 BHK flat located in a by lane of the society. Very little traffic passes by. The area surrounding our building is very peaceful with a lot of trees. Our society is a typical middle class locality where no Mercedes cars are seen. But what we see is Nature at it’s very best. It is here that we learn very good lessons from GOD himself.

We are very lucky to have an open balcony, where my wife and I spend most of our time especially during the morning and afternoon tea. In the evening when I am alone I love to sit in the balcony and observe people passing by.

Just outside our balcony is a big tree of “Umra” (a Marathi name). The tree has many branches and it is a treat to watch the fruits growing everyday from small green ones to red fleshy ones. It is pleasure to watch GOD at work. We watch the old leaves falling and new ones growing. One day the tree has become barren with all old leaves fallen off and within a week new dense leaves have grown. making the tree lush green. We witness GOD’s miracle right at our doorstep. It is as though GOD is giving us a message that “everything dies and is reborn afresh”. The cycle of birth and death goes on till eternity. All that is born has to die.

Similarly we human beings have to accept death as a gift of GOD and not as a curse. We the old must give way to the new. Unless the old dies the new cannot thrive. Death is a resurrection. Death is the finale which all must accept. Let us remember that we are not going to last forever. If death is the reality then why this unrest, unhappiness, fighting, arguing, running after material things, wars and terrorism? Accepting death as a gift of GOD will lead to mental peace and the remaining part of our life will be truly joyful and without any stress.

Manache Shloka No. 4

MANACHE SHLOKA
Shloka no 4

mana vaasna dusht kama na ye re
mana sarvatha paap buddhii nako re
mana sarvatha niiti sodu nako ho
mana antarii saar veechaar raaho

The following is my translation and interpretation of this shloka:

Oh! Mind don’t have bad desires,
Don’t have sinful thoughts in your mind’
Don’t leave the path of good character,
Always have good and positive thoughts.

One should purge all the bad desires and habits. Bad desires harm a person in such a way that he is willing to do any thing even wrong deeds in order to fulfill his bad desires. Thus he may indulge in illegal or even criminal activity in order to satisfy his bad desires.

One should also take care that no bad thoughts enter the mind. Bad or negative thoughts make a person’s approach and attitude negative thus resulting into frustration and eventually depression.

Always have good character and must do one’s duty towards parents, work and society at large.

By following the teachings of this shloka a person always develops positive thoughts and positive approach and attitude. Such a person excels in his work and thus achieves success and happiness.

Manache Shlok No 3

MANACHE SHLOKA
Shloka no 3

prabhate manii ram chintiit jaava
pudhe vaikharii raam aadhii vadava
sadachaar haa thor saandu naye to
janii tochi to manavii dhanya hoto – 3

The following is my translation and interpretation of this shloka:

Get up early in the morning and think of Ram
The first thougths in the morning must be of Ram
Don’t leave this practice of thinking about Ram
One who follows this becomes successful.

One should get up early in the morning and should meditate and think about Lord Ram. Lord Ram was the Hindu King of Ayodhya who attained Godhood and is worshiped in India as God. Ram may thus mean the good tendencies in a person.

One should not stop this good practice of meditating or praying to Lord Ram early in the morning. The early morning period between 4 to 6 is known as the Brahma Muhurta and is very good for meditation and prayers.

One who practices this attains to peace of mind. A peaceful mind can focus well at it’s workplace and also in the world at large. Such a focused person does his work efficiently and effectively and thus achieves success.

A peaceful person also spreads the positive waves and vibes and thus other persons who come in his contact become peaceful and positive. These results in peace and harmony not only at the work place but in the society at large thus bringing its upliftment.

Manache Shlok No 2

Shloka no 2

Mana sajana bhakti panthechi jave
Tari shrihari pavijeto swabhave
Jani nindya te sarve soduni dyave
Jani vandya te sarve bhave karave

Translated into English it means

Oh! Mind go on the path of devotion
So that you will reach GOD
Give up all that is bad
Do all things that are good.

The following is my interpretation of this shloka.

Go on the path of devotion means having faith. Faith not necessarily on GOD but faith on our ability, faith on the good things in life. Ramdas Swami says that if you are devoted to your work, or devoted to GOD you will ultimately reach GOD.
GOD does not mean someone ancient sitting on some throne in the cosmos. GOD means the ultimate reality. It could be love, it could be faith.

Ramdas Swami says give up all that is bad and do all things that are good. It means give up all the bad tendencies, bad habits, negative thoughts, etc. Do all things that are good, such as love all living beings, be honest, be truthful.

If we are able to live life as per the advise given in this Shloka, we will be able to achieve peace of mind, a positive mental attitude which results in achieving success in all things that we wish to do in life. Success may mean achieving material wealth, achieving good health and so on and so forth.

SHREE MANACHE SHLOKA

SHREE MANACHE SHLOKA

This is a small book titled “SHREE MANACHE SHLOKA”. It is written by Shri Ramdas Swami the Maratha Saint in the early Sixteenth century. He was the Guru of the Maratha King Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The book “SHREE MANACHE SHLOKA” comprises of 205 shlokas or verses. Each shloka or verse comprises of 4 lines each line having about 4 to 5 words. The word Manache means “For the Mind”. The 205 shlokas or verses give advice or guidelines for the mind. They advise the mind how to be quiet, peaceful and how to behave in the society. These shlokas or verses are pregnant with lot of philosophy and are recited widely in large number of Marathi speaking households. The book “SHREE MANACHE SHLOKA” is one of the most beautiful and effective books on Self Development. Some of the contents translated into English are as follow: Oh mind! Don’t have negative thoughts; Oh mind! Don’t have cruel thoughts; Oh mind! Don’t leave the path of your duty; Oh mind! Always be truthful; Oh mind! Don’t get angry; Oh mind! Don’t hanker after negative desires; Oh mind! Always be brave; Oh mind! Always speak politely; Oh mind! Don’t hanker for the wealth of others; Oh mind! Always fix your mind on GOD. There are very many more in the book. It will be a pleasure reading this book.

CRUISE ON SUPER STAR VIRGO

The interior of Star Virgo

CRUISE ON SUPER STAR VIRGO

My wife and I had gone on a six days cruise on Super Star Virgo. The cruise started from Singapore at 4.00 pm on Day 1.

On Day 2 the ship reached Penang at Malaysia.

On Day 3 the ship was anchored at Phuket Thailand.

On Day 4 the ship was back at Singapore.

On Day 5 the ship docket at Klang port near Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

On Day 6 the ship returned to Singapore at 2.00 pm.

The ship Super Star Virgo is 268 m long and 32 m wide. It has 980 cabins and a crew of 1100. The experience was a once in a life time one.

The Super Star Virgo is like a 7 star hotel on sea. Absolutely luxurious with an excellent décor and ambience.

The cabins are spacious. We had an ocean view state room on the 8th deck. The ship in all has 13 decks.

The main lobby on 7th deck is very grand.

There are bars, restaurants, discos, casinos, theatres and a health club with swimming pools and Jacuzzi. People of all ages can find something interesting to do on board and there is not a moment of boredom. If none of the above interests you, then you can just sit on the deck chairs and view the blue sea and take naps in between.

A separate section for children has various games with a small swimming pool.

We had a wonderful time. We did not visit the ports but just spent our time on the ship.

Super Star Virgo was a great experience which we would like to enjoy again and again.

Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China

My wife and I had undertaken a tour of China and Japan. It was a group tour arranged by Kesri Tours Pvt. Ltd. We were 14 in the group. The travel arrangements made by Kesri were excellent and we were served Indian food through out, even in mainland China.

One of the most memorable parts of the tour was a visit to the Great Wall of China. It was about one and a half hours drive from Beijing. The weather was quite chilly and we were required to wear warm clothes. As we approached the Great Wall of China it had stated to rain and snow.

The moment we set our eyes on the Great Wall, we were all very thrilled as the sight was amazing. The wall was really so great that it was beyond what we had imagined. As our bus approached the Great Wall it loomed above us. The Great Wall of China passes through many mountains and valleys and it goes up and down.
Since the part of the Great Wall of China we were visiting was on a mountain we had to take a cable car to reach the top. We were reminded of the cable car ride to the Raigad fort in Maharashtra, India.

DEATH

DEATH

Death has always been a subject of Taboo. People don't want to discuss or talk on death. Death is considered to be an inauspicious subject. A subject which is considered to be negative.

But in reality it is not so. Death is the ultimate climax of life. If you have enjoyed life then you will also enjoy the moment of death. Imagine a world without death. What a boring place it would be with billions and billions of people falling over each other. If there is no death then there cannot be any new life also, as there would be no place to live on this planet earth. The whole cosmos will also not be sufficient to keep all the living beings including trees, animals and humans alive. What a chaotic world it would be.

Because death is there, we are able to enjoy the life, because we know that our journey will come to an end at some point we can enjoy life. It is necessary that we enjoy every moment of our life.

I feel that Osho's thoughts on death are the best. Osho says death is the climax of life. Without death one cannot fully enjoy life. There are number of philosophers and saints who have commented on death.

Swami Ramdas the saint from Maharashtra has written a few shlokas on death in his immortal "Manache Shlok". Manache Shlok is advise given to the mind. In these Manache shlok, Ramdas swami writes:

"When someone dies we are filled with grief and pain, little realizing that we are all in the same queue of death and we are also moving towards death. In another shlok he says everyone feels that he is immortal little knowing that one day suddenly death will come and take him away. Still in another shlok Shri Ramdas swami says that we take great care of our bodies but death takes it away. All the big and powerful people of this world ultimately succumb to death." Countless people who achieved great heights were born and died. Whether Alexander, Napoleon, Ram, Krishna, Dhirubhai Ambani, Tata or Birla all pass away from this world."

If this is so then why do we fight over small issues, why is our ego so big, why do we get nervous, why do we lose sleep over small issues. Why do we criticize, get jealous, envy, hate, lose our peace of mind. Why not enjoy life to the fullest and always be happy and make all others around us happy. Some may say that what difference can one person make, But I say that if each of us decides to be happy, then the whole, family, the whole society, the whole world becomes happy. And a happy world will be a peaceful world, there will be no hatred and no war.

Death and life are the two sides of the same coin. With one you get the other. If you have lived life to the fullest then death should not be a problem. If you are afraid to live life then death will also be a burden. But if you have lived a full life death will be welcome. Death will be like a long rest, a rest without getting disturbed, a rest without having to get up in the morning, a rest to the body where there is no physical pain and absolutely no mental agonies and pain.

If one wants to experience what death will be like, just observe and be aware of the moments just when you are going to fall asleep, observe the deep relaxation that you feel, observe the total state of "let go".That is how we may will feel moments before we die.

O death I welcome you with open arms, as I have lived my life, fulfilled my duties, take me in your arms and let me get the pleasure of again being embraced by my mother without a care in the world. O death I wait for thee to free me from this world which I have enjoyed to the fullest and now I would also like to savor the moment of death, the finale, the climax, the orgasm to a fulfilled life. Death will be orgasmic.

Let us not be afraid to die and instead enjoy the life that GOD has given us.

ACCEPTENCE

ACCEPTENCE

As far as my memory takes me in the past, I remember that I have always been a very aggressive and a very reactive person. The slightest of provocation brought out my most aggressive behavior/reaction to the forefront.

I was always ready to fight and give back. In today's environment especially in our country it is very difficult not to react in organizations such as the nationalized banks, post offices or any government offices. The bureaucratic approach of such organizations always got the better of me making me aggressive and reactive. This used to lead to lots of tensions and mental disturbance.

Over the last couple of years things are changing. I have mellowed down. Perhaps age (now I am 58 years old) is one of the major factors. I have realized that making issues or fighting or reacting just does not help. What happens is that we lose our temper, get angry which affects the health and peace of mind leading to unnecessary turmoil within. Our reacting has no effect on the person at the other end. I have now accepted that I cannot change how these guys behave or act. Now whenever I visit the bank to say update the passbook, the person across invariably says "come tomorrow". I meekly accept give a big smile and go away. This way I avoid all arguments and tensions. This attitude of acceptance has helped me to be non reactive thus leading to internal peace.

What is true in dealing with external organizations is even truer in dealing with near and dear ones. Arguments and ego clashes have no meaning. Each person feels that he or she is right and no one is willing to back off. Thus it is almost impossible to convince the other of your point of view. Best is to leave such issues and arguments alone. Since arguments lead to unnecessary stresses and strains in the relationships. I now accept things as they are and have decided not to react and argue over things on which I may differ. This attitude has definitely helped me to remain peaceful and happy. Needless to say the family members are also very happy.

Let Go

"Let Go" are two very small and simple words having a very simple meaning, but are perhaps the most difficult to practice and implement in real life.

We hold on to so many things in life. Some of them are:

A very big ego which makes us arrogant and inflexible;

A very sensitive nature which results in hurting us over small issues;

Attachments to material things;

All types of desires and wants;

Attachments to loved ones and relatives and friends;

Holding out on our views and opinions and being adamant.

As human beings if we want to achieve a state of mental peace we must learn to "Let Go". Unless we let go we will not be happy and will not attain bliss and peace of mind.

We must "let go" of our big ego, which is the reason for all the turmoil in our lives. We feel as though the whole world is revolving around us, little realizing that the earth will not tilt over its axis on our death and it will go on as before. Hence let go of the ego, let the ego tend to zero and happiness will tend to infinity. Because no ego means no hurt, no insult and hence no mental turmoil.

Try to de sensitize yourself and accept things as they are. Sensitivity is because of expecting too much from others. Let go of your sensitivity and experience the peace of mind that results from the same. Too much sensitivity means too much hurt and too much pain due to non fulfillment of expectations.

Remove your attachments of material things. Too much attachment to material things results in pain in case of loss of those things. It also results in piling up of things which are never used and thus resulting a clutter of things which are rarely used or never used. Clutter creates lot of stress due to blockage of energies. As per the principle of Feng shui learn to throw away things not in use. Experience the peace of mind which results after you clear your desk of unwanted papers, your room of unwanted furniture, articles, your store rooms of all the unwanted and unused item. Let go of all the clutter and experience peace of mind.

Remove all desires and experience the feeling that you are the emperor of the world. As per Vivekananda "beware of the person with no desires for he shall rule the world". It is true because a person without desires does not have any hankering for material things, and like an emperor, all his wants of life (which are limited) are fulfilled and thus he lives like an emperor. Let go of all desires and experience the joy of life. Simple things give so much pleasure, because there are no desires for expensive things and items and hence there is no need to be in the rat race.

Being too attached to our loved ones. Attachment generally brings in a desire to control the others. Thus if expectations are not fulfilled then we get disturbed and upset. Our happiness depends on how the other behaves or how the other reacts to us or what the other feels about us. Thus let go and be free from all attachments. Does it mean we should not be attached to our loved means? No let go means don't expect anything out of the relationship and practice unconditional love. Unconditional loves is achieved when we let go of attachments.

Holding on to our views and opinions and being inflexible in life. Holding on to our views and opinions is like living life with a straight jacket. Just trying to force our opinions on others may give us momentary satisfaction but in the long run it creates lot of ill feelings between our relatives and friends. Let go of this urge to prove your point. Don't force your ideas and thoughts on others. This will lead to lot of peace amongst relatives and friends.

So the mantra for happiness and peace of mind is "LET GO, LET GO, LET GO".