I wanted to watch this for long. And I ordered it when I was traveling to america. It's a short thirty minute video. I liked it. The music is very nice! I have already watched it thrice!

#gratitude #spiritual

The day after her first visit to Sri Ramakrishna with Balaram Babu, Gauri Ma took an early morning bath in the Ganges and once again went to Dakshineswar, this time by herself.

Standing by the front door. Sri Ramakrishna was very happy to see her. "I was just thinking about you," he said.

Falteringly, Gauri Ma described her life of the preceding fifteen years to Sri Ramakrishna. She recounted her mysterious experience when she had seen his holy feet on the throne of Damodar. She then asked him, "That you are hiding here, at Dakshineswar, so close to Calcutta – could I not have known this earlier, Father?"

But Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna only gave a little knowing smile and replied, "Then how would you have done so much sadhana?"

#spiritual

I watched this show in Hyderabad on 22 August. It was a captivating small play. If you haven’t watched a good play before you should go sometime and see one; it is not something you can compare with  movies.

The play showed the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan and a mathematician fascinated by his work in the present day and her struggle in today world. The play can be interpreted in several ways and it gives something to think over for everyone. For me it was the simplicity and brilliance of Ramanujan; his courage and dedication towards his work.

“Numbers are continuous and so is time and space… and If time and space are continuous we are connected to the absolute.”

#spiritual

I had been writing reasonable consistently these days (not online though) and so when I looked at the date when I last posted here I was surprised- has it been it really these many days since I last logged in to post here? Yes, it has!

Time actually flies by at times. It is so vital to just live in the present and be aware and mindful about the moment. The present moment is the result of all our past actions put together and together with the present it determines our future! So how vital it is to to be present in the moment! Probably that is why it is called a 'present'.

#spiritual

How emotional is the boy! Each day he can watch the same video... read the same book and cry the same way? Has he gone mad? He cannot decide anymore. He does not know if he hasn't matured or what? He does not enjoy movies nor places nor delicacies. They are all the same to him. At times he only feels oppressed by all the talk that surrounds him and how it is expected of him to talk in the same vein! He enjoys being absolutely free, not worrying about money -- emptying his purse, being left alone -- absolutely alone, he does not feel bored or tired. And there is only one thing that keeps him from making a bold decision and do what he has felt like being from ever since... it is the sense that he is not worthy of that, he is not convinced that he has the strength to make the move. He does not have greediness, It is attachment and desire for feminine company that causes everything else to spring up for him. When he first came across pornography he was deeply disgusted with himself but could not tear himself away from it. The mind was not developed enough to resist temptation by that time, it could not discriminate and hold its ground. And the social inhibition never let him take help from anyone. Although he tried, his efforts proved futile, he was no longer in control of his emotions. He spent nights awake and crying. It gives me a shudder even to remember those nights! He was desperate to change. The thing he devised was to start treating every women with great respect and faith. But porn never left him. He never tried with all his heart. He ensured that he would never think bad thoughts about any women, not even as much as try to touch them. They were sacred to him. But the time that was invested in having these traits robbed him of other normal experiences. He never learned to talk casual, to take things in perspective. He could neither express himself nor accept others.

Is he waiting for something to happen? No, he does not want to relish in past memories nor plan about the future -- now is the only life. What can he learn from outside till he hasn't started to respect and trust the Guru within? Nothing needs to be given up like he feels all the time -- if one clings to the One all that has to be relinquished will fall by itself. Anandmayi Ma says, “as if by compulsion the mind runs towards the gratification of desires that bring suffering... and again... No effort ever goes to waste -- then why all the practice, the concentration comes to no effect? That is because when there is a hole in a pitcher full of water, no matter how small it is all the water leaks away!” And she tells, “The fact that you are aware of your incapacity to concentrate on God's name is also His grace; even though not interested take the name as medicine -- This also will have good result.” Like Raman Maharshi's mantra "naan yaar" (Who am I?) She used to preach "ja hoye jay"(Everything is God's will).

#spiritual

Ordinary people can get away from the powers of Maya only by the grace of an enlightened soul. Very few chosen souls have the strength to merely desire and Maya will become powerless over them -- only those who can identify their oneness in all! For Maya must also have come from the same source which gives rise to ecstasy and bliss. There can be nothing other than the one absolute. Once Ma Sarda said, "I am the Mother of the rich, the poor, the saint and the murderer alike!". Ramakrishna Paramhansa once asked her to keep some people away from herself as their nature is not pure yet. But she would not, She said, "How can I turn away my children, who come to me in distress?" By constant practice and devotion the grace of the God can be had. When you can see that everything is the manifestation of the same Absolute you will neither be tempted nor repelled by anything.

#spiritual

There are many ways to reach the same goal. How beautifully this was taught by all great teachers! Even after noting this for a thousand times it is not as easy to follow it. Every time I judge someone isn't it the same as accepting them with conditions? With spiritual growth acceptance of all comes by itself. There is a beautiful poem that says, "If you can accept everyone as your own you will find God!".

#spiritual

How often do we realize how very privileged we are? That we are all unique and there is little sense in comparing with  others.. not knowing that we do not necessarily need anything external to be happy? If we merely tell ourselves that we need only little for ourselves we will be filled with satisfaction. We are most happy when we make someone else happy. Never mind anything. Never get angry. Never loose heart. Always be cheerful. Always be hopeful. Always be thankful for what you have got and live in the present, live in this moment.

#heart #moment #satisfaction #spiritual

Waking up early is good habit. We have been told this very often. Why? What doe it matter if we sleep till eight or nine in the morning instead of waking up at six or seven? To exactly answer that question to ourselves we must try it out. Arguments and counter-arguments do not go a long way. For me the answer is that I feel happier, I get more time to do things like reading, exercising, meditating, cooking and eating. If i do not wake up early I feel less enthusiastic at work. The morning rays of the sun are very good stimulator. They awake us gently and make us ready for the day ahead.

Does that mean that people who are forced to wake up early like our newspaper man or the milkman are happier? I doubt that supposition! Yes, the sun would not discriminate, we still get the benefits but not in its full measure. It is a joy to wake up naturally at daybreak. It is the same difference when we study because we are forced to sit with our book and when we study something out of our own interest. And where does that interest come from? It comes when we appreciate the purpose behind the act ourselves, without being prompted each time. It is a rare privilege to be in a position to wake up early out of our own interest.

There are a few simple things to make it happen. The single most important thing is to get a good sleep. Waking up early and refreshed is a direct consequence of it. How to make it happen? How to have a good night’s sleep? There are a number of factors and the correct answer will differ for each one of us. There is no one-fits-all solution. We need to observe our sleep pattern and what affects it for a few days to get the most appropriate solution. However we can make certain common observations. We will discuss some them here.

Preparing to go to sleep. It is best to be calm and do some light activity immediately before you go to sleep. The point is that you should not be agitated or your mind preoccupied when you lie down to sleep. It is certainly a helpful habit to do prayer. The more regular you are in your habits the more effective they become. One important remark that I have here is that music does not necessarily help us have a good sleep. We should be able to fall asleep naturally without the music still on.

The body has its own clock. The body clock tries to keep a routine for us. It becomes easier to wake up early each time you do it. Another very important scientific fact to understand is about the body temperature. When the sleep is complete and we are about to wake up the body temperature rises a little. It is difficult to wake up if you are cold. Sleeping without bright lights around us and a quite environment helps us have a good sleep. It might seem revolting to some who are habituated to sleeping on their belly but we can get a more relaxing sleep if we sleep on our back or side. When we sleep on our belly our natural breathing is obstructed.

When we wake up it is best to be exposed to the warmth and light of the sun. It is the best stimulant to feel awake and alert. Artificial light is not as effective. The point is that we cannot awake comfortable in a dark and cold room. The sunlight also sets our body clock and helps us follow a healthy routine.

Immediately after waking up it is most helpful if we do a little exercise which will help the body temperature rise. Light breathing exercises are very effective in doing so. If we sit down to read some book or browsing the internet or watching the TV we still remain sleepy. Simple breathing exercises are good to energise us. It is important to keep the back straight. We can immediately see the difference when we sit erect and we slump. When we sit erect we feel more confident and alert. The point here is that we should engage in some physically stimulating activity in the morning to keep us fit and active. Sitting down to some mental work immediately after waking up is not advisable. Taking a light shower is perhaps one of the simplest physical activity to do in the morning that will immediately remove the sleepiness.

Thank you for reading this, if you have a comment you are welcome to write it. Your views are most welcome.

#clock #daybreak #environment #habit #lights #music #prayer #spiritual #stimulant #temperature

I had a nice dream today. I am writing about it. Unlike normally I remember my dreams and am mostly conscious that I am dreaming. I can choose to wake myself up from that dream. I hear the sounds around me even in my sleep and am aware that certain sounds are not the creation of my dream. Most of us would not have noticed that dreams that occur in a peaceful place with no sounds around us! Characters in such dreams do not speak. My dreams are mostly mute. Characters happen to communicate through thoughts but that is occasional, often they are not in sync. Today I saw divine Mother Sarda in my dream. And the first thought was that I want to serve her in some way, to please her in some way, and I sat near her feet. It was this thought that made me peaceful. I did not desire anything. I was happy to wait there. A sense of completeness and being at peace, accepting all.. was there. And I was aware that it is a dream. The emotions were very strong, I had to wake up.  Now I was thinking how I may continue to stay in that peaceful state? Answers were coming to me.

First visual was about serving my parents. Next I saw some friends. I thought about an orphanage we had visited sometime back. I tried going back to sleep and fall into that state again. I could not. It was about four o’clock and my sleep was over. I still tried - it was greed in my mind. As I tried falling asleep some random thought would start a new dream but I would wake up myself every ten minutes and try to fall asleep thinking about the joyful dream. I did not have success and finally I woke up at five o’clock.

There is something related to this topic that I may write here. I have the demerit of getting jealous. I still find difficulty in controlling this emotion. I had devised a remedy for it. When I felt jealous of a person I would deliberately force myself to do a good act to the person. It did not change things completely but it did prevent me from brooding over that person. Another observation I made is that i would get jealous of someone when I resent some action of theirs. Presently I have a different perspective. I understand that the permanent solution for me is to accept people around me as they are. All paths lead to the the same goal. Everyone wants to be happy and to give happiness to others. It is foolish to judge people. We cannot help anyone. We may only serve and in doing so we are helping only ourselves. We all have demerits but teachers say we are all essentially divine. Sometimes due to ignorance and limited knowledge we overlook this beautiful understanding. We can always choose to help each other progress on our individual journey.

Thank you for reading this, if you have a comment you are welcome to write it. Your views are most welcome.

#dreams #emotion #emotions #friends #ignorance #knowledge #mother #paths #peace #perspective #sarda #spiritual #teachers