Adopt Sannyasa , what are you waiting for ?

Many great beings walked the face of earth. Many substantial contributions live on till this day. The aim of every passionate soul is to make a change for the better. In their efforts the fire of passion that burns within them is subdued by the external environment that continues moving only at its own pace. We cannot change the world. The world does not need you. Loosing you the world would not halt, it will continue to spin. Hunger, war, injustice, pain, terror, suffering will continue to happen. You cannot change anything. This is not a comment of frustration rather it is a comment of realization. Change yourself; the focus should be on you. There is no such thing as selflessness rather it is a sin to practice it. Neglecting yourself for the benefit of others. Failing to do what is required to be done for yourself. You fail to realize yourself but proudly say that you are engaged in selfless service. Having changed nothing you also fail to change yourself and fail spiritually. Forget it all …
Focus. You, You and You. The world will unfold itself the way it should. The things you need to do for the world will come by your path. Don’t go out of the way to do something. Do things within your means that is the true spiritual practice. Change yourself because you cannot change the world. You are not supposed to change the world anyway . Seek peace within . Do your duty as required and be happy. Renounce the world
om na karmana na prajaya dhanena tyagenaike amrtatvam anasuh parena nakam nihitam guhayam vibhrajate yad yatayo visanti vedanta-vijnana suniscatartha sannyasa yogad-yataya-suddha-sattvah ' Krishna yajur veda
not by work ,not by progeny, not by wealth they attain immortality / realization, only through sannyasa , renunciation it is attained by hermits which lies beyond heaven yet shines brilliantly in the purified heart .

Regret

It is funny how life has its way of breezing through leaving you to wonder where did time go? We are often drenched with tears of regret because we take for granted the small things in life. For example how many of us would tell our moms how much we love her or how many would thank her for the small things she does? We tend to neglect the people close to us with a false reassurance that they will always be there. We seldom appreciate the things that we have because we are so preoccupied chasings things that we don’t. life imprints a deep and painful scar on our hearts when we lose the things that we have and hardly appreciated. It is then when we think of the thousands of words to appreciate, we weep in regret and remorse the fact that we don’t have it any more. It is a painful feeling trust me I know.

So why then do we continue to behave is such manner? Man social animals. They strive to make a name and a life for themselves and go to great extends to do this. This long journey unfolds new opportunities, new relationships and new challenges to face. Everyone you meet in life play some importance in life of course their importance will vary depending on how much that person is involved in your life. There is a famous saying that behind every man’s life there is a woman. I can emphasize how through this is. In fact behind everyone life there is a woman, Your Mother. We often oversee the moments we have with our mother but tend to long for her once separated. I personally lost my mum to cancer, and till today there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. Working in the hospital I see history repeat itself. I can’t tell you how often children are faced with the dilemma of guilt when slap with the news that their parent is critically ill. Most people regret that they did not spend enough time with them our think they did not do much for them. I is sad but bitterly true, this happens and will continue to be so.

We should change our attitudes. We should appreciate the people close to us. Their constant presence today does not mean indefinite presence. Everything has its lifespan, once outlived it must go. So appreciate it while it’s there don’t regret later. Small things are all that is needed. No one is telling you to build a monument for the person, or garland him with invaluable jewels. Just don’t forget to say thank you. Don’t forget to hug the person and tell them how much you love them and appreciate their sacrifice. Don’t be afraid to express your love and gratitude because you will definitely regret it later if you don’t. I never did appreciate and realize the sacrifices my mother did for me until she fell ill. However I tried to make the best of the little time we had afterwards before she passed on. Appreciate the ones you love. Tell them daily that you love them because life has its way of changing things in a blink of an eye. This post is dedicated to my late mother who I know till today is constantly watching over my needs. Thank you mom, I love you.

Past present or future, take your pick.

In today’s busy world, people are so preoccupied chasing their dreams. Sadly this road ends for most people having not achieved what they set out to do in the beginning. We are all human beings, we all make mistakes, we are all uncertain, that is what makes life interesting. Wouldn’t it be boring to wake up in the morning having planned a certain activity to the last detail, and it happened just exactly as planned. It truth if you sit back and think , I am sure that even the smallest activity you have planned had never happen as per initial plan. I am not going to say, then why bother planning? Because as much as planning is important keeping an open mind towards the future is too. The key word here is balance, balance and balance! I can’t stop emphasizing this because it is the fine line between happiness and eternal misery. Not knowing what the future holds, but still having a plan for life, this is the beauty of life; this is what keeps us alive.

Why do we go wrong and why so? The answer is simple. We are either dwelling in the past that is history or living in the future that is a mystery. We totally ignore the most valuable part of our lives, the PERSENT. As said before we all make mistakes. The consequence is guilt and regret. If you are stuck at this phase of coping then you will continue living in the past. No crime at whatever cost is worth throwing away your life for. You make mistakes, some small and some gigantic. I always stand by the principle that men are divine in nature. It is the situation that he is put in, that makes all the difference. For every, mistake done or ever crime done there is a reason for it, no matter how ridiculous it may be. The situation causes the dilemma. How you deal with it will be a complex interaction between you character and resources. We are made to survive, this is the basic instinct. How we do that, is what that makes us different. If we say that education will solve this problem, I will still say it is only partially true. Big named academicians also make mistakes and commit felony. There is no exception to the rule. It is the situation and how you decide to deal with it. The interaction, it is multi factorial and complex and rather difficult to explain. Each crime has a story behind it if you care enough to listen. The truth is that we can never be exactly in the same state of mind of another, though we try to fit his shoe when judging. So whatever sin, crime or mistake you have made, no need to throw your life away for it. The message is simple deal with your past and move on.

There is another caution here. When I say deal with it, I mean work it out and not ignore it and brush it away. It is very important because this guilt will haunt you in the future, if it is not emotionally and psychologically worked out at present. As you progress in the mundane world your higher purpose also unfolds. When we get older we tend to be more spiritually inclined. This is an interesting observation. Maybe because we tend to realize the complexity of life, enabling us to understand that not all coincidents are coincidents. I know that there is something greater that we don’t understand and we use religion as a front for this purpose. If we don’t work out our problem or guilt at its roots you will suffer its sting one day and have an emotional breakdown. So work it out. Share your problem with someone close or someone trained. You need to discuss with a person who will not judge you and will keep an open mind. Ultimately the answer and solution will only come from you. Your guide will just facilitate you in reaching the conclusion. It is a great felling having dealt properly with a burden. You can finally move on. You can finally live.

The next issue is the future. We all have dreams and expectations in our life. I want to be a millionaire; I want to life a luxurious life. I want this, I want that and in truth, I will never we satisfied with wanting. What makes us want things? Comparison! We see what other have and we strive to have it too. We think that having these things will make us happy. I hate to burst your bubble but even the rich have their own problems, sometimes worst then what we have to face. Life will never turn out the way you planned it. So why throw away half you life planning something that may never happen. I am not saying, forget the future. Again I emphasize balance. Have aims and goals in life and work along it but don’t be obsessed with it. Keep an open mind.

If working out you guilt is the way to move from the past satisfaction is the key of dealing with the future. Learn to be satisfied, that is the true happiness. Don’t think of what you did not get, enjoy what you have. Don’t be greedy because a greedy man never enjoys what he has accumulated, he will be so preoccupied with getting some more. He will finally will die thinking of getting some more. So why go down this pity and sorry road. Learn to be satisfied. Chasing wealth will not bring you happiness; it will just further fuel your frustration. To really be happy, a change of attitude is to be in order. Change how you look at things. How? The method lies in a great Sanskrit word called viveka (analytic discrimination). Sit down in a quiet place and think. What do you want in life, then go forwards and analyze further. You will get the real answer to your question. I give an example. Say you want to be happy. How to do that? Get a million dollars. Then what? Buy a house, get a family? Then what? If you keep on this road of analytic discrimination, analyzing each step and the fruits as well as the new problems that will arise with each step, you will conclude that is a never ending road and you will abandon the will.

Again please don’t take this as a blanket rule. Balance! I can’t stop emphasizing this enough. Don’t give up future planning. Plan! But be open minded. Be grateful for what you get. Enjoy the little that you have because it is far better that having lived life not enjoying anything at all being preoccupied with having more. Live life my friends because it is worth living. You only get one shot at it. People talk about after life but no single soul can guarantee you this. So live Life! Happiness is a state of mind not a dream to pursue. The past is history the future is a mystery but the present is worth living. Live today and the future will fall nicely in place. Shiva

How can man change the world ?

This is an interesting question to all motivated adults who feel that they should give back to society. There were a lot of great people who so called shaped societies or at least a part of our world as we know it to be today. They made great leaders and quoted fantastic and inspiring words that kept their followers united and motivated towards a specific cause. Leaders people like Mahatma Gandhi, Napoleone Buonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and hundreds more will go down in our history books as people who changed the word and will continue to inspire the generations to come. Reality check now, can any one of us be the next mahatma? I think the more appropriate question to ask is do you need to be the next mahatma ? If yes why ? The unifying answer from most will be because I would like to do something for the world. The next question you need to ask yourself is do I need to be a mahatma to do that? It is interesting to note that these great world leaders had one common factor amongst them, that they adopted a selfless attitude towards their cause. None of them started of thinking that they will be famous one day. They genuinely had good intentions for the welfare of their cause.

I always believed that the world revolves around you. Do you know how true this is? The world is an object that is perceived by interaction between nature and our senses. The perceived world of a blind, deaf or dumb man will vastly defer from a normal adult like you and me. The bigger message here is that the world will be how you perceive it to be. To a blind man this world is nothing but sounds and objects that he feels with his skin. He will never be able to appreciate the beauty of a painting as oppose to a deaf man who will never enjoy wonderful music. The nature that you interact with will matter to you. The people you meet and have relationships with will be significant to you. Ultimately it is all you. Although you may influence people and nature by your presence but what matters to you is how the world affects you. A good example will be a peaceful self-sustaining urban family in America is not prompted to think of the people suffering of poverty and hunger in Africa, likewise having a luxurious life is the last thing on the mind of a young lad in Afghanistan whose immediate worry is staying alive. In short what matters to you will only be something that has fancied your senses. Ignorance is bliss so they say. So your world revolves around you.

To make a change you need to change yourself. You need to understand yourself and how you interact with your surroundings. The focus should be you and not the world. It all boils down to attitude. We need to cultivate a positive and balanced attitude. Without a good attitude life’s progress will be guarded. As the saying goes charity starts at home. Change yourself then think of changing the world. I bet there will be no need of much changing because when you change; your world will change with you. No need to be a great leader of the world, first try to be a good leader to yourself. This will then further translate to improved families and subsequently happier communities. The world talks about these great leaders up to today but there were many unstring heroes in every family, neighborhood and community that though failed to make it to the history books but nevertheless touched the hearts of many through their selflessness. The true happiness lies in selflessness and sacrifice. Mans true happiness lies in the happiness of the people around him. So change the world. Start today and start with yourself . This is my opinion.

Shiva