God

Thou Art Priceless!!!

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It indeed was a very overwhelming weekend and the Monday that started this week . Meet this nice person, let us call “X” whom I met recently and was saddled (according to this person) with irretrievable marital relationship. “X” felt so worthless when even someone who just met (yeah, myself) refused to see “X”‘s side of the story.

I went on an overdrive trying to convince this person to give the relationship another shot, because the decision that had just been taken seemed so final and very critical considering the society that we live in. While trying to salvage the marriage, I also told that nothing should be at the cost of one’s own happiness (first time someone thought for me is what “X” said – not even my parents or elders in the family thought about my needs) and I also added in our society, happiness is also hinged on being HAPPILY married.

“X” kept on reiterating “Personally, I am a failure, I am nothing, worthless, useless” whatever superlatives that could be used to run oneself down. I somehow sensed that “X” was upto something very stupid and told in so many words, that come what may, I dont expect “X” to resort to something violent and to make it abundantly clear told “taking out one’s life does not solve the problems and that doesn’t get the happiness to you anyway”

As a parting words, I also added that whatever the decision, me and my wife would stand by “X”- whatever be the cost to us, socially or financially. I forwarded a story to “X” once I got back home.

The story…..

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a Rs. 1000/- Note. In the room of 200, he asked, ‘Who would like this Rs. 1000/- Note?’ Hands started going up.

He said, ‘I am going to give this Rs. 1000/- to one of you but first, let me do this. ‘He proceeded to crumple the note up. He then asked, ‘Who still wants it?’ Still the hands were up in the air.

‘Well,’ he replied, ‘What if I do this?’ And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe crumpled and dirty.

‘Now who still wants it?’ Still the hands went into the air.

‘My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth Rs. 1000/- .

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you should never lose your value in your own eyes. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless.

The message of this story was driven home and last night I got a email from this person “X” which said,

Dear Sureshji

“I had decided to end my life, more than for my happiness, “to ensure troubles” for my spouse. Don’t know what made you say it, but I realized that my contemplated action doesn’t bring me happiness which is the basic purpose of the whole exercise. As you rightly said, decided not to miss my Sadhana since it gave me succour in such a short time of practice.

I am so glad to say that you opened my eyes to realize my own worth (not that I did not know it, I was blinded like many others in this world – so a close friend like you is required just to sprinkle a bit of water and wake us up). Yeah! When I don’t realize my worth, I can’t expect it from anyone else (spouse, parents, friends, children or anyone for that matter). I would never run down myself even in my mind henceforth. Please quote this story or mine in your blogs, there are many who are on the verge just like I was on Sunday – who nevertheless deserve to live and fight on! If any life is saved by reading my experience, I consider a favour returned back to you.

I am sorry to state that my decision to walk out of the marriage stays – it is gone beyond repairs and at this time even sadhana is not helping me to come to terms with this reality (sure you are not pleased to hear this decision of mine ). Am shifting out next month. Will be in touch and will seek out when in need, I am sure there are a couple of strong shoulders  in you and your wife and Guruji (She means – Sri Sri Ravishankarji here – Follow HIM  here – @SriSri), that I can rely on. My love to kids and pray for me”

Love

X

Sharing it here, because “X” wanted this posted all over the world. Another thing, please dont stay with the negative part of this blog. I would like everyone to stay focussed on the “Note” story and the positives that this story effected.

Good Deed Bad Turn – To serve or not to serve

Ensures1 Comment

My resolve to start putting my thoughts from the beginning of 2012 takes shape with a nice story that I happened to receive. An old one but a lot of lessons for us. Credit for the story goes to the author and the picture used to the rights holder (in case the owner feels it is in violation, I am only glad to take it off this blog)

A couple of incidents recently prompts me to reproduce a beautiful story that I happen to know. One of them is the blog entry by a fellow esatsangi (another blog spot of mine) titled Hurdles. I was also in conversation with a fellow esatsangi regarding some problems in that person’s life and in trying to help that person, I was warned by my wife and sister that I am actually crippling and not really helping this person in overcoming the situation. I sincerely hope this person or anyone who feels that help is not forthcoming reads this story which I also hope would act as a gentle reminder that struggles are not always bad in life. Smooth sailing may be crippler.

Read on…

There was this person – very gentle, kind-hearted soul. He was a nature lover and appreciated all good things that the Divine bestowed for us humans to enjoy. He cultivated a nice garden around his home, which also served as home to a lot of flowers, plants and all other such things that were a feast for a nature lover cum connoisseur’s eyes. Naturally it also served as a feeding and breeding ground for another of nature’s gift to mankind – the butterflies.

One day, he found a cocoon in his garden. And the keen enthusiast in him eagerly observed the developments. He saw a tiny opening on the cocoon and watched the butterfly wriggling and struggling to get out through it. Hours went by and this butterfly never seem to give up its seemingly futile struggle to emerge out of the cocoon. It went out as much as it could and suddenly it appeared to this person that it has gotten as far as it could and could not emerge out any further. It pained this person no ends, to see a fellow living being struggling and unable to take wings and add to the nature’s splendour. He then decided to help this butterfly.
He took a scissor, cut open the rest of the cocoon. The butterfly emerged out easily. Wow…a good deed done by this kind-hearted soul.

He then tracked the progress of this being whom he had delivered to the world. Something however looked amiss. The body of the butterfly was swollen and wings shrivelled. He eagerly continued his vigil waiting for the wings to develop strong enough for it to support the body weight and take flight. But alas! it was not to be. He found that this butterfly crawled rest of it life with the large swollen body and under-developed wings. It never could fly 🙁

Nature designs every system in this world with a purpose, what this person in haste did not realize was that the tiny apperture on the cocoon is the nature’s way for forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly (pupa stage) into its wings so that it is ready for fly once it emerges out of the cocoon.

Struggles are divine’s design for us for our own growth. If everything life were made smooth that would cripple us. We would not be as strong and not only that, WE MAY NEVER FLY!!!

What is in a name?

EnsuresLeave a comment

So great to be back to what I do the worst…. Blogging. There was no particular reason for not jotting down my silly thoughts but attribute it to plain laziness. Lest blogsite kick me out of the place for extended inactivity, decided to put down something. I have inserted a deliberate grammatical error through this blog for obvious reasons. My English teacher may not approve it but america has ceased to be a “Proper” noun for me.

It has been such a “happening” time across the world. Lehmann brothers started it all and everything was a big roller coaster ride, the only difference we only hit the troughs and crests never seem to come at all. World is in a financial mess…american economy has taken an almost “point of no return” beating, the stage managed wars notwithstanding. This just proves that relying on war to boost your financials make bad economic sense atleast in the long term. Then the americans thought they found their messaiah, a panacea for all the ills facing their society in the form of their president elect, barrack obama. But then there were some right wing members of a church who were not convinced that he is christian enough because he did not surrender himself a. la Cassius Clay – Check this out!!!(http://hubpages.com/hub/Barack-What-is-in-a-Name). I am no big fan of anything american much less of obama. Did someone say, he used his perceived disadvantage to its hilt – I am Black, but then where else but in america can these things happen – on his first visit I am waiting for the time he gets introduced to our own Laloo, the sole moral guardian of the country. He, who was worried about Biharis in Mumbai while more Biharis were being raped, murdered and women paraded naked in Bihar itself. Since Railways was his inherited property, he had the temerity to threaten cancellation of trains to protect the Non-resident Biharis. By the way, he had a NAME makeover from Lalu to Laloo to bring him even better luck.

But then the bane of the modern world is the “NAME” – calling that people indulge in. NAME of Philosophy, NAME of people, NAME of civilization, NAME of religion, NAME of God – any NAME is enough to cause the next “yet to be NAMEd” world war. In the part of the world that I live in “Secularism” is another NAME used to divide the great Nation called India (Great despite the recession in the world – hey! we lost the least number of jobs, never saw any person shooting themselves or others due to depression). And this despite the doomsday predictions of hackneyed Media (proves who are their real masters, they just extrapolate their news theory from their western masters to India which proved everyone wrong).

Isn’t NAME important? I cannot imagine myself being known by another NAME – I am sure I would become less lovable or adorable to myself. Like the learned Bard said, “Rose by any other NAME would just smell as sweet” – Pardon him, the “NAMERS” of thw world for he had not seen the genetically modified roses. The real trigger was a mail from my friend call him “X” for want of easy to remember NAME, in the Gulf who recently was being troubled by his friend, let us NAME him, “Y” who embraced another religion (yeah, another NAME, little realizing that NAME of the religion does not matter, every religion says the same stuff). But then!!! this friend retained his original NAME despite the conversion. NAME is important…eh (heights of possessiveness, just like me ) Out of desperation, “X” sought advise on another forum asking the members to help him counter “Y”. Here was my reply (of course, cannot be attributed as original work to my NAME – but then NAME does not matter and the stuff matters, isnt it? especially when it comes to me). Copyright: No one dare copy this without my express permission Signed under my NAME (though it is not my original)

On a serious note, I love and thank my friend NAME: Charles Gibson from Spain for this post: thanks Charlie (sorry for changing the NAME)

Three men, one English, one Arab and one Indian were walking together and came to a pool of water. The Englishman said ‘lets drink some water’. Then the Arab said ‘That is not water, it is الماء. Lets drink some الماء.’ Then the Indian said ‘Nonsense, its jala. Lets drink some jala.’ So the argument began and all went thirsty.

We are fools to argue over NAMES while we go thirsty. The important thing is to drink the water. What it is called or the path we take to reach the spring are irrelevant. What is important is the essence of the meaning of each NAME, the objective of each path. In human life the essence of all paths is eventually to arrive at the Truth, to realise the Self. Even if this search for God is unconscious in some and conscious in others, it is going on in all none the less.

We argue over and place one term or philosophy over another, because we are still attached to NAMES and forms. The essence is beyond this, so each NAME, each form, each philosophy, each religion has its rightful place. For one man, who approaches with rational knowledge, some philosophies might be considered as a higher truth and others as a lower truth. To another, who measures by love or feeling, this might be reversed. This is useful for each man to find his best way to prepare to realise the Self. However if this relative distinction of higher and lower truth for each man is mistaken for an absolute truth, again we are plunged into ignorance.

One man might read nondual philosophy and have no understanding of it, then he might go to the temple and realise the Self, after devoting himself to a deity. Another man might feel nothing in the temple and through sheer depth of knowledge prepare himself to realise the Self. Each man, if he has realized the Self, will not then turn to the other and argue. He will rather have sated his thirst for God.

So, we can recognize in this way, that any apparent conflict of philosophy or opinion is only our own ignorance. A man who knows the Self sees no conflict. Go to that place, don’t tarry on the path and throw stones at your fellow travelers. We are that which is infinite, perfect and completely one.

Lovely, wasn’t it?
Well until I find time and mood (and a NAME) for my next blog… Ciao