Poojyaya Raghavendraaya

Sathya Dharma Rathayacha

Bhajathaam ,Kalpavrikshaya

Namathaam Kamadhenave

There is a Kannada TV Serial "Shri Guru Raghavendra Vaibhava" aired in Suvarna Channel every night from 10PM to 10:30PM. This is the best serial I have seen since very very long. All in our family enjoy the episodes.

As the name suggests , the serial is the life history of Shri Guru Raghavendra Swamy. He is a great saint of south india. He is an avatara-purusha , originally by name of Shankukarna who was cursed ( which was a boon in disguise ) by Brahma to take birth on the earth. He was then born as Prahlada , son of Hiranya Kashyapu. Prahlada as a young boy was a great devotee of Shri Hari , whereas his father was a demon king. Prahlada used to say Shri Hari is omni present, which his father was not accepting.Prahalada emerged from many death sentences by Hiranya Kashyapu just by his complete and unwavering devotion to Shri Hari. Later on , Shri Vishnu took the form of Lord Narasimha and emerged from a pillar to protect Prahlada and slay Hiranya Kashyapu.

Shankukarna was later born as Bahlika during the period of Mahabharatha and he was a great devotee of Shri Vishnu. In his next birth , Shankukarna was born as Vyasaraja , one of the great devotees of Shri Madhwacharya. In his next birth, he was born as Venkatanatha who was later on named Raghavendra.

Coming back to the serial,from past few days , the episodes are narrating the incidents from Vyasarayaru, Kanakadasa and Purandaradasa. There were two episodes when all three great saints sing a song each in devotion of Shri Krishna. That was very well picturised , the actors are just excellent in their roles , the dance with bhakti bhava and the songs sung by famous Carnatic singers were heart-capturing.
Its been a blissful 30 mins each night.
Thanks and Well Done , Ba La Suresh and team !

Pati , patni aur woh

Pati , patni aur woh
Went to watch a movie show
Pati sat in between
That upset patni, but not Woh

Pati , patni aur woh
Went to watch a music show
Pati enjoyed each and every song
Woh was just singing along

Pati , patni aur woh
Went to a circus show
Patni was afraid to see the tiger
But Pati and Woh were not sober

After watching some more show
Patni created a row
The Pati lost his Woh
As she left him , not to return tomorrow.

Pati , Patni minus woh

Lived happily, without sorrow



:) :) :) :)

All I want is for you to smile

All I want is for you to smile
A smile visible on your beautiful face
A smile which comes from your heart

A smile which shows that you care


All I want is for you to smile
A smile visible to all who care

When you smile, the world smiles with you

And you look good, as it increases your face-value


You know , its easy to smile in good times

But the real art is to keep smiling even in not-so-good times.
A smile , so child-like

Its easy , if you make yourself light

Its cheap and costs nothing

Its priceless and is everything


So, All I want is for you to smile

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Your action becomes a divine prayer

Taste the water , Breathe the air



Realize that HE is everywhere






See the sunrise , See the sunset


HE has made it so perfect






Smell the flower , taste the fruit


They are HIS creations for you to suit






Dive in the ocean , Fly in the air


HE is deeper than ocean and higher than sky.






Whatever you do , realize HE has made you able to do


Then all you do becomes a divine prayer for you

Why are super heroes not married ?

Why are super heroes not married ?




Just imagine what wlll happen if they marry. Below are some imaginary predicaments. This is just for sake of humour and an effort to bring out some smiles :). No hard feelings intended to anybody, living or dead, super or not.



Spiderman : Mrs Spiderman always complains of the cobwebs in her home, She would want hubby to clean up all the mess he makes weaving webs across the town. Their Vaccum cleaner gets real messy and needs to be replaced very often. Mrs Spidey is not able to accompany husband on walks , as he prefers to swing atop buildings.



Superman : Mrs Superman objects to hubby wearing his underwear upon his pants. Not to blame her. Which lady would tolerate such an attire ? She wants Superman to make a list of all his super powers and track the usage. She thinks she can get discounts and good bargains at all 'Super'markets. She refuses to accompany Superman to any party just because of his style of dressing ( or rather the lack of style )



Batman : Mrs Batman cannot tolerate hubby on duty every night. She asks him why he doesnt work during day time like others ? She wants batman to do the night shift to protect the Gotham city. Poor batman looses his night life.



Phantom : This guy is married and still wears his underwear on top of his pants. Guess he got a lucky break as he lives in a jungle with his animals, his wife must be okay with his attire, as long as he doesnt enter civilization.



James Bond : Now , who says he cannot marry ? Its better he gets married and settles at the earliest. :)

A half full glass of water. We all know that an optimist would look at the half full water while a pessimist would complain about the half empty glass. That is a classic example for differentiating between an optimist and a pessimist. Lets take this a little further if it can teach us anything more ..



Now, is the glass actually half empty ? No, the glass contains water and Air (in other half). So , its not half empty. It is full. The empty part is actually air or space , which is also one of the five elements. Further, we know that water is H2O ( i.e. hydrogen and oxygen). It is just liquid form of air , Or air is the gaseous form of water. Either way , the glass which was seemingly half empty , is full. Its only that we have looked at it from a different perspective. This is a spiritualist.

So, is the pessimist wrong ? No , he is not , as his perspective was that a glass's purpose is to hold water and it has only half filled. He will crib and complain that its not serving its full purpose. In his mental setup , he becomes upset and though he can see the water in it , he is not happy , because his focus is only on "what he thinks is not there".

A so-called optimist is content with the half filled water and doesnot see the empty space. In fact , while doing so , he does not realize that a glass purpose is served only when it has some space. Else , if it is always full , there is no space for new things or fresh water. Nobody will take a full glass towards a tap to fill water. Right ?


Similarly , a person who thinks he is fully educated and learned rarely goes towards filling his glass of knowledge. Only if he can empty some of his so-called knowledge and make space , will there be a chance to re-learn or learn new and fresh apects. That is a spritualist. He knows that there is air or space inside , which can give way to more fresh thoughts. He also knows when to empty the ones he no longer needs. So , he is always full while even being half empty.



Any other meanings which you can share ? Please do so , while I will take a break and drink that water in the glass.

Adventures of TinTin - What a film !

Thundering Typhoons and Blisterning Barnacles ! Indeed , it is both and not to forget "Great Snakes !" Yesterday , my son and myself had gone to watch the much awaited 3D film "Adventures of TinTin". Its easily one of the best films by Spielberg. The picturization and filming is excellent. The characters are real book like and it comes very very close to reading the comic. Its based on "Secret of the Unicorn , but with delightful additions. Captain Haddock steals the show with his yearning for his whisky and staying away from it , although for a small time. Bianca is at her shrillest best in a small but powerful appearance. Watch out for adventures of Snowy and the mesmerising , fumbling Thomson and Thompson (with a "P" as in psychology )

For Tin Tin lovers , it is a must see film. Go for the 3D version , the final chase on the motorbike is breath taking.The only thing missing is ofcourse Prof Calculus.

Go on Spielbeg , Awaiting the sequel for Red Rackhams Treasure ! As Haddock says at the end "Unquenchable, Tin Tin ! "

Today will be History Tomorrow.

My 8 year young son told me that there is something special about today and after a while revealed that the today's date is 11.11.11. "Notice the hatrick , appa ? " he asked with a glitter in his eyes. I exclaimed , pretending , that it was a wonderful discovery he had made and thanked him for letting me know. I further asked him "What happens at 11:11 AM ?", He thought for some time and told me "That would be five 11's and i would be in school". He went back to his play , happily.

 

Five elevens. No big deal. It is just a minute in Time, an hour in a day , a day in a month and a month in a year. But is that all ? We all know that minutes roll into hours , hours in days and so on till ages. 

A small moment. A sweet moment. Life is made up of these small moments. These are what makes life wonderful and memorable. We may make extensive plans for the future, but sometimes forget that Today will become History tomorrow. This moment will be replaced very soon by the next one.
How soon time flies ? That also is not correct. Time flies at the same pace it has been since ages. We feel its fast or slow based on how we live our life. If we are brooding over past events or sorrows , time seems to go so slow. Also if we are waiting for something, then also we feel time is going very slowly. On the other hand, if we are enjoying ourselves, we find that time went in a jiffy and we hardly notice.


We are all allotted specific amount of time each day. Make the best of that ! Time is indeed a non-renewable resource !

Reminds me of a poem I had written earlier:

Where do you find time , she asked me

I searched behind and in front

I searched to my left and right

I searched up and also down

I also searched inside and outside

I didn't find 'time', but then realized,

That in my searching , I had lost some of it.

So, I stopped the search , and made the best of what was left !

You will never come out of it alive

"Don't take life too seriously. You will never come out of it alive"

The above is one of my favorite quotes. I first saw this hung in a wall of one of my senior directors office in Chicago. That was in 2006. It was simple , handwritten ,maybe done by his children.

I felt it had such a deep meaning. Even though I didn't ask the person on why he chose to hang it in his work place, i soon realized that it is quite an effective stress-buster.

We all take our life very seriously. For many of us , the term "our life" means our job , career , money , comforts , family , growth , fame and maybe status. For achieving these , we put in long hours of stressful work daily , sometimes even on weekends. In this process , taking care of our health is quite neglected. We forget that half of our life we spend earning money only to spend that on medical bills due to ill health. Isn't that an irony ?

When we are young and able to go and climb mountains , we come up with an excuse that we have so much of work and no time to go on vacation. Later on , as age catches up , even though we have time and money , we wouldn't be able to do the things we can do now.

Am not advocating that we should neglect our work always. I believe in the saying that "Work is worship" , but I also realize that "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".

So , is there a way out ? Yes, "Balance" is the key word. Draw a balance between the time spent in "work for a living" and "actually living". Make your own rules. Learn to say "No" whenever required. That is the simplest word to throw many monkeys off our shoulder.( In a management seminar,. I learn that extra , unnecessary works dumped on you is called as monkey on shoulder )

  Realizingthis is the first step. Second step is to make plans on what you want to do in this life. A note of caution - too much planning sometimes takes the fun away. Act on the spur of the moment. I have enjoyed many vacations where there was bare minimal planning and I took off on the journey. I try to enjoy the journey and not just focus on arriving at my destination.

Live each moment completely. Act on your dreams and not procrastinate life. As the slogan says "JUST DO IT "

Remember the day you are born , the countdown has started. Lets make the most of that !

Happy Living ! Celebrate Life !

Combating Mild Depression

What is depression ? It is a feeling of helplessness. A feeling of being let down, A feeling of disappointment , self-pity. It maybe due to a feeling of failure or an actual (real) failure in any event. What is common here - its the word "feeling". So , its just a feeling. As with any other feeling , it will stay for some time and vanish. It is NOT the real you. It is just an outer cover of thoughts which when peeled off , makes you the true you.

It is nothing but temporary or passing feeling. But many of us give it so much importance that it finally affects our health.How do we combat or fight these feelings of depression ?

Some suggestions which might help :

• Accept it is temporary. It will also pass.
• Do not brood over past events or failures. Its best to leave it behind. What has happened was destined to happen. Instead look at your present and future where you can still succeed.
• Look at the brighter side of things. Every cloud has a silver lining. Every failure is a lesson learnt.
• Look at the big picture of events. You are a wonderful creation of HIM. HE is taking care of all his creation and you are no exception.
• Do not associate with people who demotivate you or let you down.
• Be active - exercise regularly. Exercising or brisk walking creates harmones which makes you feel good.
• Get involved in interesting and creative activities of your choice
• Help someone. By helping even a small bit , you can get out of depression.
• Play any sport , preferably physical - Just 10 minutes of playing your favourite game will cheer you up
• Make laughter a habit - see comedy films, TV shows , read comics , watch Cartoons with your child.
• Get involved enthusiastically with your childs school activities , project work or play.
• Do not get into self-pity or blaming yourself.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Make the most of what is left !

A Learning From The Tree

There is a book called "Oak" written by William Bryant Logan. In his book , Logan writes "Oak tress of compatible species graft their roots and become "one flesh" . Through their shared root system, the stronger dominant tress may provide the weaker trees with nutrients. In this way , even the roots of stumps continue to live and contribute to the forest". I read about this in Readers Digest.

I was very much impressed on reading the above. Man is supposed to be the most intelligent creation. But majority of human race need to learn from the intelligence of this tree. Nature has made these trees so intelligent. They support each other by becoming one in the roots. The stonger ones support the weaker trees. When the older tree becomes weaker the younger ones support them by providing the nutrients. Thats a learning for us to look after the elderly people ( parents , grandparents ,etc ) or anyone who needs help with utmost support and love. If only , man realises the learnings , nature has provided.

This also got me thinking about the "Speaking Tree". Isn't that what we seekers do ? Contribute interesting and self improving articles and support each other in their path of growth. Reading the posts of some people give such a deep meaning and understanding. Providing uplifting , motivating and inspiring comments helps the writers to write more. On the other hand , if there has been a mistake in understanding , there would be somebody to show the correct path. That should be done in a manner which doesnt hurt anyone , but the message should be conveyed. I think it is an art to provide feedback in a way that it is effective. The writer also should be grateful that there is someone who cares to provide him/her the correct understanding. That is how, I would improve. By accepting , correcting , incorporating and moving on with new learning.

After all , we are all enjoying in the shades of the Speaking Tree. Happy Reading !

The Case of the Lonely Man

A young man was sittling in a park. He looked sad, depressed and badly in need of some help. An elderly man stopped and started to talk with him.

Elderly Man (EM) : Do you need any help ?
Lonely Man (LM) : Yes, can you help me ?

EM: Yes, tell me what is your problem
LM : I am lonely. Thats my problem.

EM : Dont you have a family ?
LM : Yes, I do . But still am lonely. Do you really beleive that family will relive you of your loneliness ?

EM : Yes, you can spend time with them.
LM : I have been doing that. I spend time with all my family.But i cannot overcome this problem.

EM : Are you not getting invovled in any hobby or any activitivity ?
LM : Am working 5 days in a week. I get two days off which i spend with family. My hobbies is travelling. But due to family pressures , am not able to travel.

EM : What about any other hobbies which you can develop to overcome your loneliness ?
LM : Yes, i registered to Facebook , but i feel all my friends comments as boring and it cannot replace the companionship of a physical friend.

EM : Yes, thats correct. So , tell me where are your friends ?
LM : All of them are abroad, thanks to the oppurtunities in the Information Technology. They all are doing well.

EM : I have one idea. Do you want to know it ?
LM : Yes, please do tell me.

EM : Not today. Meet me next week at this same place and I will tell you.
LM : Sure,Will do that.

One week later ...

LM : Sir , please tell me the idea. I am very curious.
EM : Sure, young man , But first , tell me how was your week ?

LM : As usual , It was routine. Checking emails , attending meetings , some family time , Nothing changed.
EM : Oh okay. Do you want to know how was my week ?

LM: Well , i guess so. But am more interested in the idea.
EM : Have patience , young fella. I will tell you what i did last week.

On Monday , I went to visit my grand children. We had a lovely time playing and chatting.
On Tuesday , I went to see a river flowing. I thought - So gently the river flows. Where to ? Whats it purpose ? Is it going to meet its mother ?
On Wednesday , I had to visit someone at a hospital. He had met with an accident and I spent few hours with him.
On Thursday , I spent some time in a temple which i go every thursday. I know some people there only by face. No body talks with me , but i just smile back at them and thats how i know them.
On Friday , I saw the sun rising. I spent 15 minutes thinking : Isnt the Sun lonely ? Who can give company to Him ?Anyone who comes near will surely be burned. But, does the Sun fail to rise each day ?
On Saturuday, ie yesterday, I made some sweets. While cooking, I thought of you. I have some of that stuff with me. Will you take some of it ?

LM : Wow , thanks a lot. It surely looks yummy.Will take it.
But please tell me about your idea,
EM : For that my dear friend ,you have to wait for another week.

One more week later ....
EM : Good morning , young man , how are you doing ?
LM : Good, that sweet you shared was very good.Also i have been thinking about what all you told me. How was your week ?

EM : Let me ask that question to you first. How was your week ?
LM : Same as usual. But i have been thinking more about your activities and what you told. You seemed to enjoy your days. Tell me , dont you feel lonely.

EM : Well , Yes, I do
LM : Then you also have the same problem as me

EM : No, I dont have any problem. I feel lonely , true , but thats not a problem
LM : Am confused. Please explain.

EM : Look ,I am lonely. I dont have any of my family members living with me. I have to cook myself and my neighbours these days dont even care if I am alive or not. But thats not a problem.
LM : How do you say that ?

EM : Because Life is to be Lived By You and For You.
LM: Well , is that the idea ?

EM : Thats just one of the ideas. But good to start with.
LM : Hmm .. guess i will give it a try. What should i do ?

EM : Observe Life. Dont just see it. Really observe Life.
LM : Really . is that so simple ?

EM: Yes , it is. See you next week.
LM : Yes , Will meet you next week.Thanks sir.
 


To be continued ( next week ) ....


PART II

Well , time flew and another week was due. So, the Lonely Man (LM) and Elderly Man (EM) meet again in the same park. Here goes their discussion :

LM: Good morning sir, I was looking forward to meeting you.
EM : Good morning. So tell me , how was your last week ?

LM : In our last meeting , you left me with these two lessons "Life is to be Lived By You and For You." and "Observe Life. Dont just see it. Really observe Life."

EM : Yes, yes, I remember. Did these help you ?

LM: I am not sure. Look , I am living the life by myself and for myself. I am in control of my life and who else can be ?
EM : Are you sure about that ? Think some more. You think that you are living your life because you think you have control over it. But is that true ?

LM : Can you explain what do you mean ?
EM : Yeah , surely. Most of us think that we are leading our life and we control all that happens in that. Some people also think they control other people's lives. Then , they fall into either depression or some other problem because they cannot accept their closed ones not listening to their words or obeying orders. You need to start accepting that you don't control anything.

LM : Eh ? Am more confused sir. Kindly explain.
EM : It is simple. You expect others to react and respond to you in the way You want them to. For example , you may want your children to always obey you , or you may want your spouse to always agree to what you say , or you may want your friends to be always like you and be with you.. In effect , you want to control them.

LM : That is correct. But don't we loose them if we don't control ?
EM : Its infact the other way round. The more your control , the more the chances that you may loose them. Come to think of it , You are actually NOT able to control your life , how can you control others ?

LM: Well , I think I can control my life. Why do say that ?
EM : Okay , Tell me : Do you have control over your heart rate ? Do you have control over your thoughts ? Do you have control on your digestive system or respiratory systems ? Do you say to your brain - Look , you should obey me all times and get a first rank in all exams ? You can influence some of these by taking care of your health , diet and exercises. But what happens internally, is not under your control. What happens in sleep ? There are lots of research on that topic.

LM : Hmm..in that case , what is the meaning of "Life is to be lived by you and for you" ?
EM : It means just that. You live the life given to you. Accept that you are just another living organism who is lucky to get a human life. It was a life given for you. Just as you cannot control others life , do not also be controlled by other people.

LM : Good thought sir. I think its very positive. What should be my next step ?
EM : Ponder over these thoughts and practice by implementing what you have learnt. Take little steps , Start experimenting within yourself. You will surely have many questions. That is okay. You may feel out of control many times. That too is okay. You may feel that by saying NO to others , you are hurting their feelings. That too is okay , if you learn the art of refusing politely.

LM : Will do sir. What about the next lesson ?
EM : Next lesson , next week :-)

To be continued ...

 PART III

Time flew and another week was due. So, the Lonely Man (LM) and Elderly Man (EM) meet again in the same park. Here goes their discussion:

EM: Hey there , Good to see you again.
LM : Good morning sir. Its really good to meet you.

EM: You look quite pleased with yourself.
LM : Yes, sir , I had a very eventful week.


EM : Really ? Thats good, Tell me about it.
LM: Last week , you told me "Just as you cannot control others life , do not also be controlled by other people. "


EM : Yes, did that help ?
LM : Absolutely. The more i think about it , the more i felt that my problem was not being Lonely. I think that was not my problem at all. That feeling of loneliness was in fact a by-product of another issue underneath. I realized that i was trying to control others and in return they were controlling me. Last week , I let it go. I told myself "So , what is it you are trying to control. Let it go. What is going to happen , let it happen" Within few hours , I felt at peace.


EM: Hmm. Good introspection. I think you really have pondered over what we discussed.
LM : Yes, and also i spent some time with myself. I mean actually with myself. In silence. Thinking more. Observing life around me. Contemplating what you had told me over the last month. All this made me realize that I did have the company of so many people and i was not lonely from a physical perspective atleast. Then a bit further , i delved and found that it actually did not matter if other people accompanied me or not. It was not what made me lonely. I then felt that it is nothing but the way i have been thinking. I crossed the physical aspect and looked into more subtler aspects.

As i went about my usual activities last week , i also noticed a sort of lightness. Like, i went to the usual weekly meeting and there were so many issues to be resolved. But i observed each of them . i found a solution to them. Some of these solutions were so obvious and i wondered why I was bogged down by them earlier.


EM : Thats good progress.
LM : Yeah , Then I began to note down my thoughts. Writing them down , made me focus more on them. The thoughts began to flow. I didn’t stop writing. It was as if someone dictated to me from within. I wrote and wrote. Many aspects of my life became much clear. I made a plan to follow up on many issues which were long due.

EM : So, You have Observed Life and really observed yourself. Looks like it helped.
LM : Yes , it surely did. Once i started writing, I realized that I can no longer be lonely. I have a book , a pen and my thoughts always with me. That’s why i said that loneliness was not my problem. But thanks to you , I have realized it.

EM : Good going , young man. Now , I want to ask you a favour. Share with others what you have realized. The more you share your happiness , the more happier you become. Thats all I ask of you.
LM ( A changed man ) : Yes. I will. Thank you.