Happy Diwali !!

Happy Diwali !!

Kindly accept these flowers,

And You are invited to walk your way To:

Physics Fun Days!

&

Something out of Nothing

Rishi Homa bliss

Magical memories of Navaratri still linger on my mind. After Rishi Homa I was in so much bliss! I took part in the Homa with some donation and formalities... I got the prasadam and ...

A beautiful locket, as I had received last year after participating in Sudarshan Homa!
In the Rishi Homa, all the Rishis who have "Logged on to the cosmic consciousness and downloaded the knowledge of the self! - Sri Sri", are invited and given offerings. It was a wonderful atmosphere!

Care for your head...

B.D.A.

Bangalore Develeopment Authority can be called as Bangalore's Department of Archeology, for digging up the roads!

Double Dhamaka!

Hello Everybody!!

Can't hold this secret in my heart any longer...!

Girls, please take care of your hearts!

One of the most eligible bachelors, Sabariram has tied the knot with his friend Kavita, and the wedding is in November!! :)  

So Mahesh and I are catching up some last few dinners with him... Now a days he is available less and less, and he goes in some other world when a special phone call comes!! :)

Mahesh and I are looking forward to visit Madurai, and you are invited too!! Please inform me of your arrival in Advance. 

Adding to the Good news, Sabari will be going to Denmark in later part of November!! 

Which one!?!

Which Cap suits me most! Upper or lower collage, which row or column!

Being Non-Sticky!

The events in life leave an impression on mind, and that causes lack of clarity in observation, perception, expression. To have a clarity, one needs to have a mind that is like a non-stick pan!

After an event, espacially a negative one, one needs to clean up the mind so that it doesn't stick on to the event, and one can move ahead fresh in life!

Photographic mind

Mind is like a Camera:

Whatever is observed through the five senses, it captures an image and stores an impression in the memory somewhere.
Due to over-exposure of the world outside on the same memory disc inside, there is confusion:- Has it happened to you in a film camera, that a part of film is double-tripple exposed, and it carries no real picture! Such is the overexposure of events to the mind, that causes all the confusion. Like to write something fresh on a blackboard, you need to clean it first. So also the mind needs to be cleaned up!

21st km

This is an absolutely amazing gem of a work in devotional youthful music! Check out the copy in the Art of Living Divine shops nearby and tell me how you find the song "Just Breathe"!

I need more such!

Karnataka Rapid Chess Championship

It was in Mangalore, in last November I guess. Over the weekend. I missed my first of 10 rounds due to late reaching of bus... Then obviously won most of the rounds, till a draw. And then winning all the last rounds, I stood joint first! On progressive counts it was second rank. I was amazed at my own performance after a gap of some 8 years in Chess tournaments!

Caption This!

The safest place for ...

...my chappals in the ashram is ...

...below my vehicle!

Kidnap

Saw Kidnap... my rating 6/10. As Bhawana says, I am used to find some thing sensible from non-sensical movies too!
Anyways, this post is not about the movie... But the actual story in which a guy almost kidnapped me and Sabari for few minutes, here is how!

We were returning late from Ashram, almost 11pm... Somehow got lift till Konankunte cross, few km before Banashankari. Then there are these office vehicles which take passengers on way to their night duty, and make pocket money for themselves. Its not a bad idea, as its not easy to get conveyance at that time. So we asked for travel to Koramangala. He asked for 100,and I said no then drop us at Banashankari, for 30 Rs. He agreed and we sat in. Then I made the mistake. I asked him, will you come for 70Rs to Koramangala. He didn't agree, and kept mum. In Banashankari, he didn't have parking place, so he pushed off a bit... Sabari got down, me too, and I had no change, so gave a note of 100, and asked for change.. but he didn't have it too, and started moving! then I got in and Sabari got in too, and as we moved further, looking for change, he started demanding more,something like 50 or so. After some arguments, I wanted to just get out of vehicle, and asked him to stop... But he wouldn't stop, and started moving much faster!!
Now I threatened to jump out by opening the door slightly.. this put him off balance further and finally when he stopped at a place, midway between koramangala and Banashankari, he was asking same high money...
Arguments continued on footpath, and I looked at the jeep number intending to copy it... That's it.. he was shouting and threatening to give a blow! He stood so close to me, my feet started trembling... At this time Sabari's coolness helped... He somehow convinced him for 80-90 bucks and we got in..
The part that I was angry at was that he was demanding us to take ride with him, when we didn't agree to. and then he was not stopping also when we wanted.

But his final avatar changed me. He threatened that he would follow us to home and come back and hit us! After that I was all soft, and asked him why he was so aggressive. He wouldn't talk... Sabari's kannada/tamil came to help. He found out that the driver was angry on me noting the number, since if we tell that to police, their job is lost for few years.

Finally we reached Koramangala, paid him handsome amount, thanked him to drop all the way, and gave him a packet of biscuit too. He left and then we walked to our homes. That night I couldn't sleep well!
Discussing with Sabari I realised and still remember one point which came up: I was wondering why such an incidence wouldnt even happen to Swamijis or teachers in aol. First was that their travel would be planned and they would have the conveyance ready. Second more important thing Sabari pointed out is that these Swamijis are so centered that they first think of the welfare of other person. What I was doing in my bargain with the driver was to make most of my profit, leaving very little margin for him.
This is where Saints differ, they think of others first.
Since then i have stopped bargaining. I just quote the rent I would give, if they agree yes, else I just say no thank you, please carry on. No further discussions.
Its great Sabari was there then, else I would have lost temper much more!

My designs!

Save Water...

Tagged

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your first thought be?

I will go blanck for long time.


2. If you can have a dream coming true, what would it be?

Grandmaster in Chess


3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

Taste of Karela


4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

Keep one million with me, 9 million for my family and friends(so if you want to be a millionair sometime, you need to keep me in good terms!) and donate the rest to Guruji !


5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?

ya

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

2nd. When someone loves you, you also start loving that person sometime or other!

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?

until that person wishes

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?

wait and watch!

9. If you like to act with someone, who will it be? Your gf/bf or an actress/actor?

Jim Carry

10. What takes you down the fastest?

temptations.... don't ask me which ones!

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?

Check my post on "Life and afterlife of a research scholar"... Possibilities abound!

12. What's your fear?

that i might fall of some place or some road accident!

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

sweet and simple

14. Would you rather be single and rich, or married but poor?

Rich, married or not doesn't matter!

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Big Yawn

16. Would you give all in a relationship?

whatever is needed to be given

17. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?

one who loves me!

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

I will forgive, but not forget.

19. If you get to go back in time and fall in love all over again , would it still be with the same person?

Yes, very much.

20. List 6 people to tag.

Bawa n Dinesh
Rashmin

Kanasu

Akhilesh

Sabariram

Guys do it. Its fun!

Water and light

Thus they walked ...

...together for more years of life than I have lived myself! In the times of turbulence and happiness, leading and following, discovering and troubleshooting, caring and sharing... Parents are there unchanging factors in the changing world.

We are in denial :- Sri Sri

We are in denial :- Sri Sri Ravishankar
Negating identity causes inaction, sloth and lethargy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you come across a Communist, with a Hindu name, and ask him about his identity, he will deny being a Hindu. Yet, a Muslim Communist often claims his identity without hesitation. One wonders what causes this difference in attitude.

It is interesting to probe into the psyche of identity, which often is a source of security, insecurity, conflict and comfort. Perhaps the following reasons would answer the identity crises of the Hindus. The broadmindedness of Hinduism, its inherent inclusiveness and secularism, makes Hindus feel guilty about claiming their identity, as it is embedded in their philosophy that it is wrong to exclude others. Claiming a religious identity makes them feel they are excluding others and so they shy away from doing so.

Hindus have been traditionally groomed by the Vedanta to drop all identities. This has deeply influenced the Hindu psyche. Hindu philosophy is woven around egolessness. Let alone their religion, some sadhus don’t even say their name; they would say, “What’s in a name?” Sanyasis are even shy to talk about their parentage. A renowned ascetic in Rishikesh would meet with everybody, but not his own mother and family. When asked, he would say, “I am Vedanti; once I have taken sanyasa, I have dropped all my identities.”

This is an erroneous understanding of Vedanta. Why do we fear the identity so much? Seeing identity as stumbling blocks for one’s growth is ignorance. Sanyasa is transcending identity; it is being in that centredness from where you have equal love and compassion for all. It is the unshakable light and richness that one has found in one’s Being which is universal. Transcending identity is different from denying identity. When religious leaders themselves denounce their identity, the community follows suit. This is akin to the thought that secularism is anti-religion.

Caste identity is in some places much stronger than religious identity. The normal tendency is to go for one single identity than for a dual one. So, between caste and religion, many Hindus seem to go for caste. Hindus feel ashamed of the ills of Hinduism — its superstition, untouchability, and practices like sati are usually highlighted in the media, rather than its unparalleled philosophy and scientific temperament. Thus, for several centuries Hindu bashing has been a fashion.

The media seems to have given the prerogative of Hindu identity to the RSS and VHP and secular-minded Hindus would not like to associate with these two organisations. As a result they shy away from their own identity.

Within India itself, we witness a great deal of ignorance about the Hindu religion and its scriptures. Although Hindus form 80 per cent population of India, there is still only one university which teaches Hinduism — whereas there are five which teach Islam, five which teach Christianity, two which teach Sikhism and one that teaches Jainism. You would find every Muslim would know a couple of verses from the Quran; you can hardly find a Christian who has not read the Bible.

But Hindus who know Sanskrit or a few shlokas are rare. Most educated Hindus know the Bible; they know Christmas carols. When they know nothing about their religion, how can they take pride in it?

There are 1.25 billion Hindus in the world, a little over one-sixth of the world’s population, but you hardly find a single Hindu lobby at international forums. You will find a Christian lobby, a Muslim lobby or a Jewish lobby, but you can’t find a Hindu lobby. Just 12 million Jews in the world are such a powerful voice. Buddhists also have a voice and make their presence felt at world forums.

In countries of south and central America and in Europe, although they are secular democracies, they are not shy to proclaim their allegiance to Christianity. You will find the religious symbol of the Cross placed in their parliaments; chaplains offer prayer before every official dinner. While associations like YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) have gained wide acceptance. Why then is it that Hindu associations are viewed with scepticism?

A strong community is an asset to any nation. A weak community will always be in fear and because of insecurity will become aggressive. It is the pride in one’s identity which strengthens the community. Identity is in no way contradictory to universality.

People often ask, “Will not the concept of global family, Vasudhaiva Kutambakam, contradict patriotism? Similarly, will your religious identity not conflict with your universality?’’ The answer is “No”. Your duty as a family man is not a hindrance for your realisation that you are Brahman. You don’t need to run away to the forest to realise “All this is Brahman”. Your being spiritual in no way contradicts your being a socially responsible citizen. In fact, it enhances your ability to care and share.

The conflict in the world is because people are either stuck in their identity, and die for it, or shy away from their identity and lose their roots. One has to opt for a middle path. The ideal situation will be when every religion transcends its identity. Until that time, it is unwise for the Hindus to let go of their identity. We cannot, and should not, eliminate differences on this planet. We need to celebrate the differences. And this is the uniqueness of Bharat — from the atheism of Charvaka to Bhakthi Panth and Sufism, it’s one beautiful bouquet.

An identity is related to an action. Denial of identity will dump you in inaction, sloth and lethargy and hence Krishna reminds Arjuna of his Kshatriya identity even while giving “Brahma gyan” to remind him of his duties and responsibilities. Otherwise while giving this High knowledge of the Self, why would Krishna remind him again and again of his limited identity. The limited identity in no way contradicts the universal one. A policeman cannot perform his duties — steer the traffic — if he fails to acknowledge his identity. Similarly, if a businessman shies away from his identity, he cannot function. The same is the story of Hindu identity. India cannot make a distinct mark on the world if it ignores its religious and spiritual heritage.

~~~~~~~~~~~

This Article is written by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar in The Indian Express, on 27 Nov 2004.

Tom Carratee

For those who want a quick to munch dish, here is one:
Peeled and grated carrot
Sliced tomato
Cheese
Atta or Brown Bread
Haldiram's Bhujia sev
Chat Masala
Place the things as shown in above picture to make a simple sandwich and munch!
Its very tasty, quite filling, 2-3 pieces can be enough for a lunch.
Its also good for health as I will describe later... till then, enjoy the taste!

Few notes... if you don't have grater, you can make slanted thin cuts on carrot, just like you sharpen a pencil using a blade.

If you prefer the sandwich to be half cut, or diagonally cut, then cut the bread before itself, not after putting the things in.

Before cooking ...

1. Its good to have nails cut, hair tied and hands washed.
2. Washing vegetables, rice etc with drinking water is better than the tap water. If done with tap water, its good to rinse them again with drinking water.
3. Keep the gas on sim till you are an expert.
4. Use a Non-Stick utensil, the pan, the kadai and so on. Easy to cook and clean.
5. Add lesser quantity of salt, masala, or any ingrediant, where you are uncertain, because after testing you can always add an extra, but to balance something that is extra is tough.
6. Arrange ingredients before starting.
7. Keep the flames confined to the base of vessel to avoid heat loss.
8. Taste the things raw: you would know what you are dealing with, how much of this needs to go in for what you are heading to.
9. Taste the thing that you made, before serving!
10. Olive oil is recommended. No Maida(Use Aata), white sugar(use jaggery), onions(Use Chilli) please. 
11. Avoid refrigeration. Buy local, fresh veggies, cook just as much as needed and eat fresh.
12. Having done kriya and meditation, put on some nice music, be happy and cook! Remember what the Hermit BAWArchi's secret of cooking is:-
    “My secret,” said the hermit “Is really quite simple, I cook with love in my heart, And kindness in ample, To this I add a sprinkle, Of warmth and generosity, A dash of good humor, And childlike curiosity, I top it off sweetness, And extra helpings of fun, A pinch of awe and wonder, And you’re very nearly done,
    For the extra lucky ones, Who truly deserve, I garnish it with wisdom, Just before I serve!”

hum hai na!

Humor and laughter instantaneously happen in presence of Ramnik.

Once, somebody said, Oh My God! Ramnik said, "Yeah Tell Me!"

Other day, we were talking about the various animals in the Ashram. There are monkeys, few peacocks, squirreles, elephants, dogs, cats, snakes, serpents and even crocodiles and fish in the lake. The newcomer to the group asked, "So, do you have lions too!?" Ramnik said, "Haan hum hai na!" :)

He just can't stop laughing and making others laugh! One day, he and his friend were going hands on each others' backs, merrily laughing and joking. And here comes me from behind, and casually joined them on right side. I also put hands on his back and he on mine.

Suddenly what happened noone knows, but we were all three of us flat on the ground! dhoop! hahaha! we continued laughing, got up and started walking!!! The fall was quite too complicated to understand!

Skill in Action

In Gita Krishna says, Yoga Karmasu Kaushalam, meaning Yoga is skill in action. 

Where could I have seen it better than in Navaratri, when The Master displayed his skill in action by simply striking the strings of Veena and bringing out melodious music! He also played one more music instrument, I don't know its name.  Who will tell me!?

He once said, when you have rhythm inside, you can bring out the rhythm in any instrument or anything outside!

Its like this... He playfully, lovingly holds the Veena... He tunes it, playfully checks the sounds by pressing on different notes, and then his speed of striking those notes changes, it increases, he intermixes the notes and whoa! From nowhere a satsang song comes up! 

This process is very similar to the way the kid in Taare Jameen Par draws his final competition picture:- the colors re-arrange themselves to form a picture that is not planned beforehand.

Master displayed fantastic creativity, spontaneous impromptu performance!! HATs off!!

ps. pictures coming soon. may be tunes too! :)

pps. I attempted similar thing on my guitar, didn't work out so well! I think I need more training on it or more love for those notes!

Shiva Temple on old Airport road - II

The visit to the Shiva temple got me interested in the 12 Jyotirlinga Temples of Shiva in India.

I found ample interesting stories and information on net. http://www.vedarahasya.net/jyotir.htm describes the geographical location and brief history very well. Notice that the Varanasi Temple was brought down by Mughals and re-built by Jhansi ki Rani Ahilyabai Holkar. If Mughals could have their wish, they would have destroyed all of India's temples. Rani also re-built the Grishneshwar temple in Aurangabad. Thanks to her, Shivaji, Sikh Gurus and such brave leaders, India can still cherish her temples, which otherwise would have been brought down to mud by Mughals.

These temples are full of great pieces of architecture, and each one has its own speciality. Full details of all these 12 temples is beyond the purview of this article, and the reader is invited to visit the allied pages:- or go on a yatra to discover their glory on your own!

More about Shiva Lingam and representation of Shiva coming up soon...!

Modakam...

Today's Ganesh Homa in Ashram was absolutely ecstatic! 

Guruji is radiating sheer bliss and contentment... these words which are just heard otherwise, can be seen in His expression! 

I have decided that every year I will come here, no matter what part of the planet I am! 

Every year the Navaratri Experience deepens... You see the glory with wider eyes and much more open mind!

It would be astoundingly great if you can fly from any part of the globe right away and drink the nectar of this navaratri!

You can also see the webcast of Navaratri homas on internet:- Click here.

Modak is Ganesha's prasadam. I love this sweet. Its interesting. We offer it to the idol, and with blessings of the divine, we eat it! How nice.

Modak is based on Moda, meaning joy in Sanskrit. Just like Sadhak is derived from Sadhana, meaning one who does sadhana, Modak means one who gives joy. And Knowledge removes the ignorance and unveils the curtain over inner joy, so Modak symbolises the knowledge.

Interestingly, Sanskrit has a way of putting two words together, and Modak can also be broken as Ma- Udak, means don't throw water!! There is a story of King Shalivahan and his wife regarding this! Anyways, that story some other time...

Spare a thought

Have a great weekend!

Lots to come next week...

I am really looking forward for the Ganesh Homa this weekend in Ashram. 

Articles are in queue for next week, with some interesting food stuff, some news, and much more. Sabari is also about to introduce all of us to a great south Indian Heritage. I am just surprised as to how much there is to know about India! I don't think any one person in India, or even the Planet Earth, would know of India's culture, heritage and history totally- except for Sri Sri of course! :)

I have made some upgradation in recent articles.

Have a great time on the weekend! 

Stick To Your Ground

Shiva Temple on old Airport road - I

We were passing by the Kemp Fort area on old Airport road, and came across this small cave-like entrance for a temple inside. I was curious, as I had no clue of a temple in that part, so we went in. I was getting surprise after surprise as I saw the Huge idols of Ganesha and Shiva! It had 12 Jyotirlingas showcased in another cave-like exhibition. An absolute treat to see and feel. I even made a wish in the wish-pond! There was such a poise and serenity in the sculptures.

Many of my friends complained saying this temple has become commercial and so on, as there are some token charges for different sections, footwear, and so on. I would say, why not charge? If you go to a hotel, you don't get a tea for free. Why do you expect temples to be free of cost? Ever thought about maintenance of temple premises, the logistics involved. What about the families of Pujari s? You might say, ohh but don't we donate... How much? Few coins? How many of us set aside a percentage of salary to maintenance and development of temples, our places of worship?
Even from the donation earnings of temples, the Government has decided to take its take. More than 50,000 temples in South India alone have stopped functioning due to shortage of funds for maintenance. Pujaris have less interest to teach their children about traditional rituals.
In West, they preach that if you don't donate to Church, you will go to hell! Obviously then people donate. Here we don't do such eccentric thing, but then how will temples get funds?
You can visit the Shiva Mandir Website
They use the funds generated to run a hospital and such services, which you can see at Humanitarian Network website.

One more thing... Don't think that the white ball like objects in the photo are some camera errors...!! They are angels! If they were camera errors, they would be repetitive. :)

3 Men in Kitchen!

Inspired by my YES!+ friends KK(made nice sweet),Veena(made dosa, ...), Prabha(Pav Bhaji, ...), I have ventured in the kitchen with Sabari, a bit more experienced Chef, and Mahesh the cook on diet. What we cook, will come up soon...! 

Now this renewed title suits the post better! I have made it similar to one of my favorite books, "3 Men in a Boat(not to mention of the dog)" by Jerome K Jerome, an absolutely hilarious read!

We three suit our roles in Kitchen quite well... 

Abhay:- I am mostly Brahma energy:- how many different ways I can cook this, what new things can be done, how to cook it using minimum number of utensils that need to be washed later!

Sabari:- He maintains the things well, as he has lot of Vishnu energy:- he will follow a suit of instructions and previous cooking experiences, make sure that food is tasty and Ayurvedic!

Mahesh:- Of course the Shiva energy:- Changes the situation, has recently procured a fridge, will give great finishing touch, and find ways of how quickly I can do it!