28 August 2012

My Kahna

kahna
Master says: To reach Krishna one has to use stairs made of tears.

A Laghu katha:

I’m a girl, who has been crying for kahna, for his darshan, for his glance. He comes in my dream, he plays in my thoughts, and he resides in my heart.

With God’s grace, I go to Nathdwara, where my kahna, my Krishna lives. I’m on top of the world. I know my prayers have been heard and granted.

Finally, I reach his abode. There he is, in all his fineries. Decked up, magnificently.

I make my way in, quietly, and manage to go right in front.

I look at him, his beautiful face and get lost in his deep eyes. He smiles at me. His eyes speak to me.

The moment seems like eternity.

Suddenly I become aware of my surroundings. The crowd is pushing and pulling to get closer to my kahna.

My kahna?

Is he mine, only mine?

No!

Reality strikes.

Kahna is looking at everyone, smiling at all around him. His beautiful face is welcoming the whole Universe. He has no preferences, no differences. 

His arms are open to gather all in grace.

No, he does not belong to me alone. I can’t put that claim on him.

Nevertheless, I can proclaim my truth.

I belong to Him and Him alone. 

25 August 2012

SadGuru


सत्य की राह दिखा रहा है
प्रेम की सुधा पिला रहा है
करुणा का पाठ पढ़ा रहा है
जीवन का मतलब समझा रहा है

जल की तरह सब को भरता है
आश्रितों का जीवन सफ़ल करता है
सुनहार की तरह तराशता है
हौले हौले हमको निखारता है

ना ईर्शा ना द्वेष ना निंदा ना मत्सर
हरसू  यही अभ्यान चलाता यहाँ पर
हर रोग की नवज पकड़ता है
धीरे धीरे इलाज वो करता है

कोई डॉक्टर भी नहीं कर पायेगा
कड़वी से कड़वी दवा वो प्यार से पिलायेगा
अपने जैसा हमको बना छोड़ेगा
बिन किये ये वो मूह ना मोड़ेगा

लगता है फ़ना कर रहा है
मुझसे नया व्यक्त्तित्व उभर रहा है
झीगे को मरना ही होता है
तितली का प्रकटन य़ू ही होता है

सदगुरु की करुणा क़हा तक ग़ाऊ
शब्द कम पड़ेगे सच बतलाऊ
सहजो का मत दिल को भाने लगा है
गुरु का चुनाव समझ आने लगा है
गुरु का चुनाव समझ आने लगा  है

                                            : नीना 

18 August 2012

It's their love, their life, their religion

Have you ever come across Soccer fans, the die hard ones?
I happened to stay in one of the lodges frequented by such fans during the World Cup, in S. Africa.

Soccer is their religion, their love, their life, their passion. 

They live the love of their life. They follow it insistently. Then and there. Most can't afford hotels and prefer hostels and lodges. Nevertheless, they follow all the matches live and do not postponed doing so for some later time or day in life. Everything else becomes secondary- like accommodation, luxury, conveyance, comfort and any thing else that requires money- which of course is in short supply.

But they have bags full of:
> force of their love
> backing of strong conviction
> power of their soul to follow its chosen path

Staying in this Lodge- Rosebank Bag packers,  i had few revelations. I share them below-

When your heart wants to follow something, let money not be the deterrent.

Have a goal in life- a desire, a passion, a religion and stick to it.

Tulsi chose Ram, Meera chose Krishna, Paramahansa chose kali. 
For Gandhi it was freedom, for Morari Bapu it is Ram katha, for Micheal Jordan it is basketball. The list goes on and on. Look around , there are plenty who took up one dream, one desire, one path.
     
They stuck to their chosen path no matter what. Through thick and thin; joy and sorrows; trials and tribulation.

 Master says: Nothing can be an obstacle for the real seeker. Nothing and Nobody. All the barriers are within oneself- the wavering mind, logic asking intellect and our inner tendencies which keep changing.   

15 August 2012

RAMAYANA

Celebrating Independence day of our beloved country.
On this special day, remembering one which is synonymous not only with Indian religion but also its culture.

When one thinks of India, one automatically thinks of its great  Shastras and Epics - Ramayana, Mahabarata, RamCharit Manas  -Valkmiki, VedVayas, Tulsidas. These names are interwoven with Indian life, religion and culture as light is with Sun, fragrance is with flower and fiber is with cloth. 


National Conference on Ramayana
People listen with apt attention, at the Conference 
The three day conference held at Mahuva was an amazing experience. Scholars and intellectuals from all over the country gathered together to put forward their views and understanding on Ramayana written by Rishi Valmiki in Sanskrit.

Despite the fact that after him, over 300 Ramayana have been authored by others, the importance and significance of Valmiki's Ramayana has neither diminished nor forgothen. If anything it has only increased. He is anonymously held as the first poet – Adi Kavi.

Of significance was the fact that all view points were heard and given chance. Even the views which were apprehensive and doubtful about Shri Ram were heard.

It reminded me of our Vedic times, when, during the spiritual discussions, everyone was welcomed. Even atheist were heard. This is the greatness of Sanatan Dharma- it welcomes all. It does not force one viewpoint , nor annihilates others with different thoughts and views.

Overall, it was an amazing experience just sitting and listening to all the learned men and women of our country, speaking of my favorite hero- RAM.    

Master says: Always remember 3 M's : Mother, Mother tongue, Mother land.

66th Independence Day

As we celebrate our freedom , i'm instantly reminded of beautiful lines of a Hindi song which goes something like this...
हम लाए है तूफान से कश्ती निकाल के इस देश को रखना मेरे बच्चों सम्भाल के ...

14 August 2012

RAM


साधन सिद्धि राम पग नेहू I मोहि लखि परत भरत मत एहू II 
                                                                                    (Ayodhya-kand;289)
   Love and Devotion in Shri Rama feet is both the means and end for Bharat. Love was his sadhana as well as sadhya.

                                  He is my Ram,
                       He is my Krishna,
                       He is Allah for me.

                                  He is my Deva,
                       He is my Ishta,
                       He is Shiva for me.

                                   He is the fruit of my penances.
                       He is the source of my existence.

                                   He is the way, He is the goal
                       He is the answer to my soul.  
                         
   

12 August 2012

Sunrise



As I sit on my terrace, holding a hot cup of sweet tea in my hands, early one morning, I’m mesmerized by the beauty of the sun, just peeping out in the horizon. 

Wanted to pen down a poem, a couplet, that very moment. Instead I just jot down my feelings; in my limited vocabulary and try to capture the beauty of the moment in prose.

Sunrise; Beautiful, Serene, Breath taking, New day, New hope, Vast potential, God’s blessings, Nature’s delight- all these and much more. A giant ball of pure energy ; making its way to a new beginning,  still so unpretentious, so calm and so very quiet. If I was one of those late risers I would not even notice it making its way in and showering its rays equally on everything.  Equality for all seems to be its motto! From the east to west, that’s been its route since millenniums, no detour or shortcuts. 

Master says: Take the good from anywhere and everywhere.

Diligent and sincere, a Janani; one on the Gyan marg would thus describe the Sun. A bhakti margi would say, because of its love, it burns itself but gives light to all. A karm yogi would easily learn the art of nishkam karma; work without thinking about its fruit. Is  it a surprise that in Sanatana Dharma we offer our pranam to the Surya every morning. 

A sunrise symbolizes ‘Life’, a new beginning! It’s a call to the whole wide world to begin once again, to rejoice, and celebrate being alive.

I wish to be all that a sunrise denotes and stands for, in this very wish lies the seed of my metamorphoses. ‘What you think, so you become’, goes the saying!

08 August 2012

Gratitude

               शुक्रिया

आप माने न माने काम है यह आप का 
मुझे नीद से उठाने वाले, होश में फिर लाने वाले 
पानी का छीटा ड़ाल ड़ाल, ताज़ा तरोज़ा बनाने वाले 
यह इंतजाम है आप का 

मै तो भटकी हुई थी जिंदगी की अँधेरी राहों में 
जो अपना न था, उसे ही समा बैठी थी अपनी बाहों में  
सुबह की ताज़ी किरणों की, रोशनी अब नज़र जो आई   
यह कमाल है आप का  

अपने अस्तित्व पर फक्र करने लगी हू  
पश्चिम के बदले पूर्व पर नज़र धरने लगी हू 
मूल का महत्व बतला, मुझे राह दिखलाने वाले 
बस, शुक्रिया है आप का 
                    
                             
                                                                  : नीना 

04 August 2012

hey..watch those words

Earlier this year I saw this advertisement on the T.V, featuring one of our leading cricketers. It was for an insurance company. Here he was talking about his uncertain future as a sportsman. The whole ad. was him worrying about how he was not sure, until when his bat would work for him. 
Just a couple of months later, I read in the national daily, this same batsman, undergoing treatment for cancer in the U.S.A. For a minute, I went numb. While saying a little prayer for him and wishing a speedy recovery, what stuck me was the power of our spoken words.

The power of Speech:

There is a story about the man sitting under a kalpatru (wish fulfilling tree). He happened to say to himself “wish I could get a nice hot lunch” and lo, a thali filled with delicious and hot food appeared before him. He was flabbergasted but ate the food. Next, he said, “How nice it would be, if a car was here to drive me back home.” He had just uttered those words and a big car stood right in front.

As he was driving, he said in his mind “instead of my small house, if I had a big palatial bungalow with servants and all the luxuries”. As he thought he got. When he was lying on his bed at night, fear gripped him into thinking, “what if robbers come at night, break open and kill me.” Swoosh…as he expected, thieves did break open that night, looted the house and killed him before leaving.

Often our negative thinking is our worst enemy. Moreover, when we put it in words, we give it power to materialize, sooner or later.

Master says, “Goddess Saraswati comes and sits on the tip of our tongue, once during the day. At that time, the words, which we utter, come to pass. So watch those words and the thoughts behind them.Speaking without thinking is a defect of the speech.” 

Thoughts are creative:                             

My thoughts today will be my future tomorrow. My yester thoughts make my present. 
As you think so you become. 
Everything, before materializing takes shape in the subtle or thought world. 

That's one reason pregnant women are advised to have good positive thoughts. Not only them, the unborn baby is also affected by the mother's thinking!




We often say: Dream for dreams come true.
Its time to change it a bit - Dream positive for it will come true.


Way to positive thinking:


So the question arises, how to gain positive understanding and thinking? 
The way we think is under the faculty of understanding and discretion, in our own language we call it - विवेक 


Our thoughts follow our power of discretion. Hence in the root is this Vivek, and it goes something like -


         विवेक - विचार - वचन - वर्तन 


:its sort of spiral process, one leading into another. Right understanding- provides right thoughts- gives positive speech- visible in right actions. 
The method of gaining vivek; power of discretion / understanding is through Satsang. 
RamCharit Manas put lots of emphasis on this-
 बिनु सत्संग विवेक न होई I राम कृपा बिनु सुलभ न सोई II   
                                                                         (Balkand-3)

Hence, the importance of Satsang - the company of Truth 
Master advises: the way we take out time for family, friends and work, same way we must take out specific time for Satsang. 


02 August 2012

love

Love , a complex emotion
               or is it a state of being
does one fall in love 
                or soar up the sky

true, love makes the world go round...   
still truer, love makes its own little world.

i love coz' he is the best
               or he is the best coz' of my love

true, love slowly transforms a person...
still truer, love transmutes man to messiah.

my love, a burning fire of desire
               or a fire that consumes all desires.

true, God is love...
still truer, Love is God !

                                   -neena