Some Feelings..Some Words...From The Heart...

We get so engrossed and obsessive about the realities of our own life that we have no time nor inclination to perceive the million times harsher realities of others. So many people need desperate help to medicate their dear ones, to give basic education to their child but we turn a blind eye and are somehow convinced that our responsibilities start and end with our own family’s “extravagant” well-being. A friend (bless her soul) keeps aside a fixed amount every month for helping people with their medical bills. Recently I suggested to one other friend if it was a good idea to raise a small corpus by requesting our friends to contribute an annual amount for this purpose, the amount being so small that it would not pinch at all the donor’s budget. My friend liked the idea and agreed to share this thought with his large group of friends all of whom were extremely blessed financially. The figure of Rs.10,000 p.a. that he suggested was like petty cash to all of them. They were very ok w...

All of us go through good and not so good times. There are times when we stand rejected on all fronts – personal, professional, social. Our most trusted and loved people also leave us for no fault we committed. These are difficult times. We try to extend ourselves far more than we ever did but still all doors shut on us. We have no clue of what’s happening and why. Sometimes people call me up and ask if a particular accounts tutor is good for their child. It is like asking a doctor to recommend another doctor. We just need to understand that it is difficult times. One does feel lost and under-employed. One tries hard to mend things, but end up messing them even more. So what do we do? Well, the only saviour in such days is our spiritual understanding. The only antidote to depression at such times is a clear understanding about the laws which govern life. The only medicine is unwavering faith and devotion that whatever happens is accurate and for my ultimate growth. It is impossib...

In our varied interactions with the world, we find at times that we have been misunderstood or that we have made a mistake and the world is not responding the way it did, or for no reason some people are being cold to us or not returning our call or message. We have an option to let them be or react adversely or behave cold or talk it out with them from our nobler state of being. Last week, I had a similar situation and I chose (as I always recommend) the option of “talking it out.” There was a group which was not responding to my calls since 2-3 weeks. Initially, I thought they must be busy, but gradually I had a vibrational feeling that something was amiss. So I used a third party contact and finally got on call with the one in the group who had been in contact last till a few months back. I spoke heart-to-heart with him and asked him if there was anything I had done to trigger this lack of response from the whole group. I asked, “Did I offend you or others in any way. Did I cros...

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad [Verse 2-4-5] says, “atmanastu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati” meaning it is only for sake of the self alone that all is loved. The verse says verbatim that no husband, wife, father, mother, son, loves the other for the sake of that persons happiness. All love for their own happiness only. Only a Self-Realised or God-Realised person can love selflessly for the sake of the other’s happiness. Thus, we love the other only since we get some happiness from them – physically, emotionally, and materially. Our self-interest is getting fulfilled at some level. Ofcourse, we may not want to agree with this position as we feel that our love is unselfish and that we have done so much for our loved ones without expecting any return. If that be so, why do we feel let down or suffer when our loved ones betray us or forget what we have done for them? Because our selfless love did have an ounce of selfishness and self-interest. The above spiritual revelation is not for us ...

(Gist of my introductory talk on May 1 program for those who couldn’t make it) In Shreemad Bhagwat (a text equal in importance to the Gita) Uddhav, a close friend and devotee of Lord Krishna, once asked Him, “Bhagwan, who is the greatest fool in the universe?” the Lord replied, “One who considers himself to be just his body, senses, mind, thoughts is a colossal fool.” By this definition, we all (atleast me first) are PhDs in foolishness. Nowhere in any school, college, university, Stanford, Harvard, CA Institute, IIMs, etc. is the education given about “Who I Am.” This self – knowledge is given only and only in a spiritual discourse. Imagine we spend our whole life not knowing who we really are. We cannot be what we can see, feel, think. Since, we can know our thoughts (what we are thinking), we cannot be those thoughts/mind. My yoga teacher Ms. Sanjana beautifully says, “We are the space of awareness like the sky in which thoughts (like clouds) arise.” And imagine the highest ...

I hope you read the message sent last week reminding you all about the annual program held in the memory of my mom at Prempuri Ashram, opposite Westside Store, Babulnath on May 1 every year. Please do come on this Tuesday to the 3 rd  floor hall at 5 pm sharp. Earlier, in February, we had fixed somebody else to sing the devotional songs. But in early April, that singer expressed his inability to perform leaving us in a total dismay as it is very difficult to get a good singer at such a short notice. I immediately contacted another singer who worked at Matheran and was musically blessed inspite of being on a wheelchair. But unfortunately she too couldn’t get the consent from her employer to come to Mumbai just for an evening. We lost one more crucial week in this deliberation. Time was running out for me and I could see the possibility of cancelling the first hour of the program. Even the pamphlets for the program were awaiting their print. In that desperate state, I made an S...

This month’s article has come in slightly late, since our Dhwani (who sends the article every month) got married on March 6 to Kewal (also my past student). And I must say that this marriage was the gift they got for their relentless faith, patience, and love. They faced many trials and tribulations over the last 3 years, and the world left no stone unturned to dissuade them in this respect. Social norms and customs warned them against it, but they stood their ground on Gandhian principle – no rudeness, no violence, no ultimatums, no running away. Hats off to both of them and also to their parents for allowing their love to prevail. In my letter of congratulations, I told them to respect this grace, and work towards making this relationship stronger and stronger in time. The real test starts after marriage and honeymoon – so say the married. I have no personal experience about this In this connection, I am reminded of a Sanskrit verse which gives 7 criteria to be checked by a gir...

A common question often asked is what is the Lord’s role in our life. This query becomes more acute when we are faced with adversities or at the times of natural  calamities. We arrogantly ask “What is God doing?, Why so much injustice?, Why me?, etc.” My guru Haribhai Kothari often said that the Lord Himself has given out explicitly his role in our life in the Geeta verse 22 of chapter 13. It is extremely interesting and can bring clarity to our understanding. The Lord begins by saying that He is just a “upadrasta”(witness) in the lives of people whose only pursuit is eat, drink, be merry. They don’t really need the Lord and yet the Lord does not disown them. He remains a witness/watcher. The majority live this life, completely satisfied with their material acquisition and enjoyments. Next come the people who live a moral life. They too purse their worldly goals but do not transgress the moral code of conduct. They live an honest life and do not cheat others to attain their ...

I was a Sydenhamite and rejoined the college as a lecturer after completing C.A. Those were the golden years of the college. Being interested in music/singing, I also took active interest in Sydenham’s Performing Arts Society. The very first song I sang for a Sydenham fest then was “Mere sapno ki Rani kab aayegi tu.” During the same period I also got introduced to spirituality. I heard many spiritual masters and met my Guru Haribhai Kothari. And through them, I learnt my first lesson in Love. Till then I was under a delusion that I knew what it is, and anyways how many of us ever think that we need to learn what love is. I learnt that ‘Love’ is different from ‘Like’.  We always feel that we can love only what we like. But love includes adepting/identifying with what we dislike in others. I learnt that we (as eternal souls) have 3 bodies - a. Gross physical body, b. Subtle body (mind, thoughts, emotions, feelings), c. Causal body (our basic nature, samskars, deep – rooted condit...

After completing my C.A. Course, I joined my college (Sydenham) again as a part-time lecturer of Accounting and also joined our family CA firm in practice. Soon enough, I realised by my Guru’s grace that I wanted to be only a teacher and that’s what I became full – time. My Guru, Haribhai Kothari said to me that it is a great responsibility to be a teacher as one becomes (or should become) a contributory in the character – development (not just personality development) of the students. I should be their friend, philosopher, and guide. I never stuck to just teaching the syllabus, but also shared with them the insights I had received from Haribhai and other philosophers. I spoke to them about life, living, loving, caring, relating, adopting and often joked “I charge for the philosophy, accounts is free.” Many loved it since most youth have no or little exposure to this sort of learning. Sadly, no educational institution (here or abroad) finds it necessary to include this learning i...

You want to what “STRESS” really means, then make a visit to Tata Memorial Hospital (Annex Bldg., Ground Floor) where one can see a poor father who has come from his far-off village for the treatment of his child. He has no money, no home to stay in this city, no food (except some biscuits), no high-care hygiene his baby needs from the dust, no shelter from the rains on the street he has to stay at outside the hospital. He cannot afford to go back to his village and come back every 15 days for the half-day treatment scheduled over the next 6 months or even more. Some benevolent donor needs to deposit the needed amount in their account for the treatment/medicine in the free-ward, otherwise financed by the Hospital Trust. I shudder and shiver to think about what happens to them in the Torrential rains we saw last week with virtually no cover over their head through the night except some plastic sheets. My Dear friends, this is Stress, not what we experience in the luxury of our AC-ro...

There was a man who was felicitated on his completing 100 years age. Everyone was keen to know the secret of his longevity and resounding health. The man said that the secret was in something that happened while he was a young lad. He witnessed his old maid once in pensive mood while she was working. When he enquired, she reluctantly spoke about her only son’s ill-health and how his medical bills were going beyond her means. There was both desperation and helplessness on her wrinkled face. The young man promised to undertake the entire cost of her son’s medical expense and allowed her to proceed on a long leave to be by her son. After some weeks, she returned straight to her young master. Her son had fully recovered after a surgery. There were tears in her eyes as she spoke, “My son, I have nothing worth enough to give to express my gratitude. MAY YOU LIVE A HUNDRED YEARS.” The man could experience strong vibrations of true feelings and blessings pour out of her whole being. He fel...

My inspiration comes from the Lord and may be my receptacle got fogged. And it is not necessary that a flower must blossom within at all times. If it does not, it is ok. No Forced inspiration. Whatever is forced is never forceful. But this does not (and should not) deprive us from enjoying and savouring the flowers blossoming outside and around us. And so, let me share with you some of my most favourite one liners. There is a huge compilation – with a hope you enjoy a few delicacies. 1)You haven’t lived unless you found someone worth dying for. 2)The world is a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed. 3)I’ve learned that we don’t need to change friends if we understand that friends change. 4)I don’t suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it. 5)I have given up waiting for someone to get me flowers. I have instead decided to plant my own garden. 6)When I die, I wish to be reborn as one of her tears since that tear was: -Conceived in her heart. ...