What can I do for you Today!

The Long tailed Black Monkey

2011-01-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

Narrator: so there was a king who was balding
Listening child: ahan
Narrator: and was loosing his locks fast
Listening child: ahan
Narrator: Stop that ! um.. where was i... yeah ..
and was terrified about the prospect of waking up one day and finding it like the gol gumbaz
Listening child: heh heh
Narrator: so he calls all the medics in the kingdom and says.. find me a cure to this balding.. if u succeed half the kingdom and my daughter's hand in marriage.. otherwise, some thing less dangeous.. like having ur head chopped off
all the medics are terrified.. but they try anyways since they have no choice
and soon month on month, the overal medic population in the kingdom plummets conspicuously
Listening child: ohmygawd chopped off?
no wonder the docs ran away
Narrator: yes..
and no
some of them ran
and others were captured in the borders and chopped off there and then
Listening child: eeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy
that's bad
Narrator: yeeesss..
and mulla was a very clever man in the kingdom who couldnt stand the bloodbath

Narrator: so he decided to teach the king a lesson
Listening child: mulla is?
Narrator: Mulla nasseeruddin
Listening child: okay
Narrator: Sheesh poori.. u have the GK of an earthworm
Listening child: earthworm
Narrator: so he powders rock salt and taints it with eosin [ some thing red in color. use to remove hair in the olden ages]
Listening child: oh crap.. so the hair is gone
maan that mulla must be really brave
Narrator: and takes it to the king and says u have to apply the
ointment twice everyday
and the hair will grow in flowing tresses in one month
but u have to apply 2 times every day
and there is just one condition..
u should not think of the black faced long tailed monkey when u are applying
the king says.. "why woul i think of the abomination of the fellow!.. gimme that.. and u will be under probabation for a month
so Mulla relaxes in the royal palace.. doing gujaals with the court ladies.. and finally 3 days before the due date the king roars from his chambers..
Listening child: black faced long tailed monkey
Narrator: he had woken up that morning and his head was indeed looking like the gol gumbaaazz.. the king calls back Mulla and asks him to explain the meaning of "this" pointing to an exceptionally shiny perecranium
Mulla had to fight down a fiery need to laugh..

Narrator: so he mentally closed his eyes.. as if delving in the depths of dhivya dhrishti...
and opened his eyes.. and asked the king.. did u think of the monkey..
and so it had turned out that every morning, and night, the king would remind himself not to think of the black faced long tailed monkey
Listening child: mmmm and then?

Narrator: and so.. the story goes on to end in favor of Mulla.. he sorts of escapes the meager danger of the guillotine and passes on higher hazards of harmonious matrimony...er ..so to say
Listening child: oh man
how did that happen
just to let him live was a big thing
Narrator: and ambles away dreamily with half the kingdom leaving behind a round faced raja with a long face..
the learning.. which is more important
is that, the more we ordain our minds to abstain from doing some thing.. the more it interests itself in indulging in the very same thing...
Listening Child: zzzzzzzzzz
Narrator: darn! she always does that to me in the end.. when i am telling the moral!
"nighty night sweetheart!

THIS CHRISTMAS...

2010-12-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

I was drenched through and through

Mist in the air, Mistletoes on doors...

The Christmas spirit had begun to move

Fierce rain beating against my shoulders

Breath cold and smoking...

Deserted streets, eyes blinded by the incessance,

Desperate and lonely in essence.

My hands held their only hope, only possession

From the slandering torrents outside...

protectively, concealed and unravaged...

Holding it against my coat on the inside,

holding it dear, holding it with care.

Teeth chattering, Feet gone numb, chest convulsing

'Twas as though I needed the hidden rose

and your prevailing pervading thoughts, akin

To survive the cold Christmas,

from your warmth alone that balms up from within

The science of enjoyment

2010-12-01T06:48:00.000-08:00

The science of enjoyment,

A paradox in construction

For the Aesthetic,

Demanding the attention of feeling,

How can there be the measure by thinking?

A realm of the brain, for the language of the heart?

Read on, it’s true.

Waves beating on the rocks ashore,

Silence in the very music of the scene,

Dry and musty smell of the mosses,

Delicious orange horizon,

And the puffy evening clouds,

A weary returning boat,

Joy at sight, bliss at experience.

Joy, in solitude, Joy in absence.

Joy? Like a smile and Candlelight,

Joy is strange, Joy has a measure, Joy is a science…

If Unshareable, then UNUSABLE.

The Last Drop

2010-12-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

The last drop is the sweetest,
I opened my mouth to the sky
Huge expansive weeping sky...
The final drops telling me stories
telling me that she was going to stop
Stop crying - Solace is a wonderful medicine
It feels lovely to be there, isn't it?
Standing there getting wet in the downpour?
I love being there for you, dear sky...
listening to your worries-
Solace is not in words
But in the pleasure of being there
to see your last tears,
to drink that last drop...

The earth instead

2010-12-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

Hey garden, give me not your flowers,
For your every thought reminds me
Of every hue, of those ephemeral beauties...

Give me a handful of the moist earth instead-
It engenders, for centuries, teeming thoughts…
Every type of stately short-lived floral feelings.

Like the flowers from the earth,
Your memories emanate from my timeless love for you.
Though beautiful, memories can perish and perpetuate.

The more forgotten earth wins
every time a passerby admires a flower...
My love too, with every memory

Jaya Jaya Aarati rama Tumhari

2010-05-12T04:37:00.001-07:00

It is the song where hanuman is completely in the dark.. no light, no clue and no hope as to where ravana's pushpaka vanam is ...
sorrowfully prayerful.. he prays to his lord and God, Rama.. and even before the prayer completes.. the light from vibheeshana;s kuteer welcomes him..
Vibheeshana is putting his beloved Rama to sleep.. and singing the aaraty song.. and the humble diya light from his hut brilliantly shines as a beacon light.....
As soon as he hears the rama aaraty, hanuman comes rushing to the hut's top and prayerfully listens to the lines.. dripping with devotion.
He then with a full and satisfied mind blesses vibheeshana that harm not comes to him.. and then proceeds to the pushpaka vana
And so, even as the vinashakaale vipareetha budhi stroke comes in and the whole lanka is burning to the ground.. agni is unable to even near visbheeshana's hay hut.. that is the easiest to burn...
Valmiki describes scene as tall rock pillars and golden domes melting in the heat.. and agni;s sheer inability to even touch vibheeshana's hut.. as it stood untouched by the flames.. guarded invisibly by hanuman's blessings..

There are two things that are demonstrated..

The presence of the guru that is beyond physical presence.. and how the help comes even before the problem presents itself.
...and Secondly the prayer that comes in completeness is the best prayer.. we do things in order to get happiness.. but if we do the same things , while already happy and contented, then that is the highest yoga it seems

listen to it when you get the opportunity, not every one gets one...

Horizons are mirages

2010-05-02T07:28:00.001-07:00

we walked.. truddled along together to that point
where the winds hold their breath
and skies bend down to your shoulders
The moon peers closely... and the trees caress your hair

The sands are wet from the careless waves..
the long journey draws to a close..
happiness is a breath away!
bated breaths and we are there!!!

much like all desires..the elements demonstrate
how goals are journeys ...actually..
and tears are actually detergents!

Flesh and bones

2010-04-14T02:04:00.000-07:00

Fiery winds.. they blow without remorse..
ripple after after ripple...dune after dune..
mounds and mounds move from pillar to post..
liquid sands, puppets to Her tune..

Letter after letter..ode after ode
She erases ballads and epics...every writ of pride
all on sand, only to denude..
every drop and wave from oceans come..

Lofty mountains..reduced to grains
like wild horses torn from refrains
She gallops on from event to event..
She'll prove your frugality only by dissent;

For every challenge and every frown..
she reduced me to helplessness in verb and noun
I tried and tried....And then I smiled..
Smiled on.. and on and on....
until my eyes can see no more..
She howled and wailed on..
until she could feel my very skull..
even then till eternity come.. My smile remains..
in Flesh and bones..she can prove no more!

[P.S: She refers to lady time.. and the destructability of things]

Noon and leige

2010-04-13T03:54:00.001-07:00

We watched in awe as the proud tower loomed in the horizon.
we drove in an unsaid frenzy to the promised land...
untold serenity and indescribable ecstasies close at hand

the trees seemed to welcome us...
new colors for the toddler...every stone amazed us...

Most of the places already well-worn by memories
But the how magnificently nascent they seemed in our company

we walked from glade to glade..
Euphoric at every cracking twig and rustling leaf blade
we listened to the divine together.
Silence filling our ears..

Ticking minutes tear us away from completion
We shall return one day..again..
It would be more beautiful..
Hued lusciously with anticipation...
The trees waving their best smiles for another day.

My little girl and I

2010-04-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Me: "did anyone tell u that u have really beautiful eyes?
silent and deep and usually have so much to say"....

I wasnt making a pass... her eyes always make me say millions...

She said gleefully..."hehehe
They said i have big eyes, expressive...thats all"

Me: "They missed so much...
These eyes have the silence of the mountains
and the rustle of the winds all at once...
They have the shine of the sun and the jilt of the stars,
the glisten of the rains and the tenacity of the dew drops..
..Seem to have the depth of the seas and frivolry of the waves..

its a beautiful landscape in itself my lady..
and like the scapes.. it has always been there..
one just has to stand and stare", said I triumphantly...

She wouldn't give up.. her quizzing askew glances peered on..
"...but how did u think of my eyes suddenly??

me: "I dont know...like i said.. there are so many images in the mind
flipping like a movie.." I continued patting her head..

She smiled: "hmm..?" ...and yawned..her lips going into a big pink O...filling her small face up beautifully..

me: (Smiling) "Yes.. You just have to pause a moving picture and watch it closely... there is beauty in every pixel..."
I looked down.. she was already fast asleep, grabbing the teddy with one hand and sucking her thumbs with another.. I separated the thumb and the lip with a peck on her forehead.. and left.. gently closing the door behind me..

Questions Galore

2009-08-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Questions galore
Questions for relief
Questions for belief
Questions for critique
Questions that bring the ego ashore.

immaterial some times what the answer
questions only to inject confusion,
To evict helplessness..prove our acumen
Or questions for libra,leo and cancer...

Who says life doesnt stop?
Time will any how relentlessly gallop
Questions freeze the moment...
tipping us into colorful chaos and sheer torment

Some times even we dont want the answer
Some times we're too sure and mostly wrong..
We forget to see the truth, and truddle along
Looking here and there..the questions they remain
Like rhythmic music with the dancer!

Some times we're too scared to hear it..
Some times we're to engrossed to notice it..
Some times there are too many!

A great soul once said..turn your questions to wonder...
become engrossed in the repose..
Smile at the stillness below the ocean;
while all the ripples remain atop
For, its only when the questions stop
that the answers come from yonder!

My Little girl

2009-08-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Roses or lilies? orchids bloom'd anew ..
candies and lollies all for you..
silver petals or soft fluffy flower-tops
what shall i give? the list never stops..

The sun, He has just one little earth..
although his presence lights up all..
His glances only for his little girl
He keeps her in view, so he mayn't ever feel the dearth

i'm not telling u're the earth..
i'm not telling i'm the sun...
but whats the fun in taking..
when giving u all my love is so much more fun

The Dough and the sand

2009-08-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sand...yielding and soft to touch;
burned to golden brown
and fragrant with the evening sun..
Pure and lustruous; They are so beautiful from afar...
try to take them in your hands...
and they will slip out of every gap possible...
and what remains on hand, needs to be washed away
Mostly by the salty tears of the sea
..the Illusion of control and, the bane of possession

Dough...White, pure and soft
They easily stick on.. get covered and involved
With the love of water.. and the warmth when caress'd
The attention, and discipline..
It becomes soft, consumable...
And then however much the touch and the caress,
It yields and bends.. and doesnt stick..
quite the spiritual evolution we desire.

A true to God event

2009-07-28T04:15:00.001-07:00

This is about my very very very close childhood friend, some one who has played with me, danced with me [while i was twiddling my thumbs], roamed the streets of chennai with me, ate with me, probably from the same tiffin box [his of course!].. thats about it.. since we both are of the tendency to completely become oblivious of where we are when we sleep, i refuse to comment further.. so as i was saying, we were THISSSSSS thick..
Ladies and gentlemen, Meet whats-his-name [of course i wasnt gonna reveal his name... security reasons you know!]

so whats-his-name has this insuffrable tendency to end up in the wrong function with the wrong kinda attire. And after this once, he had regretted it so much that till date i have seen him wearing tie and polished leather shoes to office.

This one day we find the apple of our eye in a bus with the most uproariously bright yellow and orange Mediterranean shirt with fluouorescent green leaf marks... and the most funny looking baggy cargoes with 8 pockets! I travelled on a very crowded chennai bus with this specimen...Without commenting aloud, i kept gazing at the ostentacious trousers...Made excuisitely with threads hanging from every conceibable place on the trouser. People would be able to remeber and place my good friend within a 100 metres, after seeing the trousers or the shirt once... just once!

And then the fiasco happened. Becasue of the extreme crowd, i had hopped on to the bus from the rear end and my buddy, from the front. Since our stops were a few hundred metres away, we didnt bother to weave into the crowd to reach the centre of the bus. It seemed unnecessary. In the mean time, the conductor asked me to pay up. I said, there is my friend at the other end and therefore he will purchase 2 tickets. He gave me the proverbial "saavu graaki" look [another one of 'those' kind of people]. He went inside and when my amigo at the other end said the same thing i had said, he growled menacingly at him like Eduthaathu maama's german shepherd.
[eduthaathu means the house thats in front of ours, maama is a general connotation for a man whose name we either dont know, dont care about, cant really say or is too old to be addressed by name even if we did know.. this particular maama lived opposite door to us and in all the 10 years, i never knew his name! no one did.. nor bothered to find out.. so his name became, as i had alluded, 'the opposite house guy'.. and as i had prudently mentioned, he had a dog the size of a calf..er.. the animal, not the body part]
Coming back to the point.. the conductor growled and our hero had to reach out into his trousers for his wallet.

Conductor seemed pacified, and waited with the ticket torn out from his lot. A comical scene in itself... ball point pen sticking out of his left ear, half balding forehead, and fully balding centre head, a moushtache that should have served better had it been on his head.His eyes were round and brows furrowed..if his tongue was hanging out, he would have definitely be mistaken for the afore mentioned doggy. and our hero was slowly climbing up his tree of patience, swaying it hither and thither. "I had a coin here some where.." he began giggling nervously. He patted his chest, slapped his tushy, felt his way to his hip pocket.. and then he realized with horror that he was wearing the wrong trouser for the occasion. but a man of infinite cool, he patiently went from pocket to pocket, letting out the nervous hyena laugh every now and then. He was so engrossed looking for the coin, that he had missed noticing that his wallet was in fact with me. And as luck would have it, an unfortunate pick pocket had chosen the wrong pockets to pick that day. Our juvenile delinquent was an arduous worker who had learnt not to give up ealry in his career. With his scissors, he had gone through all 8 pockets of our friend's trousers.. and obviously had expasperatedly given up, thanks to not finding anything worthwhile. [this is days of yore gentlemen, no mobile fones..]

As our hound..er..[did i say hound...i probably meant round!] conductor had lost his fuse, and had started barking, baying and almost began to start scratching at our flustered friend. In our days, as our moms would hand us the exact change for the bus to and from the place we would want to go; our darling grandmoms would hastily stuff treasure troves in our hands just as we left the house, ten rupee notes, 5 rupee coins and so on, which we would judiciously save up, and in the right moment, the surplus of our granny's love poured out of his shirt's inner pocket [didnt we say judiciously?] as he was groping clumsily at the last lower most pocket [and didnt i say 8 pockets] bending down. With a cry of relief, that sounded like a tarzan cry muffled by a pack of gorillas, He dived at the rolling coin. I watched a group of people moving hurriedly away...A well bred iyer maama with thick white stripes on his forehead and very well plaited pony tail, "tched tched" at our spectacle of a man. Completely indifferent to the glances he was getting, our hero, rolled with the lurching bus, and finally managed to grab the rolling coin. Did they say certain vague things that rolled dont gather fungus or algae or some thing green and slimy? our man's bright hues were marked with lines of footprints and shoemarks! But he exultantly gave the coin to the horror struck condcutor, who was quite a small tread away from declaring insanity on my friend.

Sigh!!! its been 12 long years since then...when i see him in his marriage suit today with cufflinks and silk handkerchief, and give him a naughty grin, i sure hope you see the fear-riddled eyes he sports.. no one knows how that shirt got foot prints on them even today!!!

2009-07-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

A trot down imagination lane..

Well, it all started when i was contentedly champing my lunch [which incidentally was quite a treat of coriander rice and raita with some really deliciously made curd vada.]. Our luncheon lobby is a yawning hall, brightly ambienced with ceiling to floor glass walls. we can see what happens outside while we..[coming back to my point] champ out food.. er.. contentedly.

I saw this guard carrying rifles on his shoulders.. yes you heard me right.. there were 2 rifles, probably his colleague's as well.. while the latter was contentedly elsewhere doing some thing else.. less laborious. While i was wondering how he would react to an imaginary situation [very probable at that!], of say wounding a fleeing perpetrator. And then it occurred to me of the ludicrisy of the entire situation. Single load neo-musket rifles,.. meaning he would uncradle one of the rifles, unlock, open, load the singular bullet, lock it back, aim and fire.

The Rifles have a menial firing range, thanks to the short ammunition chamber of our ancient rifles. I could clearly picturize myself in the gurard's shoes. "Oh darn, he is out of range. Hello team Bravo...team Bravo...come in team Bravo..not u team Charlie, team bravo... what??? Manjunatha has gone for thindi[lunch]???[there goes the secret teaming convention!] we have a situation here people.. hello?? what?? the signal is not clear here....team Charlie, kindly come out of the #$%^ing Loo, i can only hear the tap..."

By this time, our perpetrator would have travelled out of Bravo's range as well...

Ours is a well-staffed amply allocated security team.. I thought i will continue fantacising. I could think of no better situation than our very own cricket team, where 2 fielders inside the inner circle, beckon the poor guy in the outer circle to take the ball while it crosses within inches of their legs!
Hello.. hello .. ya.. hello manjunatha.. there is a perpetrator on the run. Bring him down...he has.. what??? what dress? I dunno, he is outside my visual range..well..no..for godsssakkkeee!! i am not a fashion designer... what?? no i dont want to speak to your manager... uh huh .. nope.. i am not in a mood for escalation.. ya.. ok.. process you say.. i understand.. wait, let me get the sniper.."... "sebastian? oh.. sorry.. team eagle?? ya, we have a perpetrator on the... no i do not know how to spell that.. what?? what it means?? oh for chrisssaaakee.. some man is running.. yes amuck on the campus.. when he is not supposed to be..what? you see him?? no, dont bring him down... team bravo is on it. its their call.. i have raised a request with them.."

Meanwhile, i envisaged the expression on poor eagle's face.. being a rookie in the team, he obediently places the sniper down.. and rummages through his equipment bag...patiently discarding what he doesnt want..which is quite a lot..ranging from night vision to spirit levels...and finally he discards a telescope.. telling to himself, "its not up to date!"

After a brief cackle that seemed to last for about 4 full minutes, our hero with 2 guns hears team eagle's voice come up over the communicator with a sigh.. "Found it.. but i cant seem to find him...Oh wait a minute.. no, thats a dog.. There you go.. in the far end of the quadrangle..there he is!!"

A loud explosive KABOOOOOOOMMMMM rocks our hero's back ground.. without an iota of peturbation, he moves slightly forward and says, "What? what was that?? i cant hear u, the signals arent clear..." !!!!!

I thought of one more angle to emphsize what is already in bold and italics.. Our hero walks away from the emergency to the tolgate and continues..
"Just tell me what he is wearing..Uh huh.. you do? Listen, i dont CARE if it fits him well.....what the hell is mauve??? is it green? no? yellow? Red? Blue? what??? ok.. i guess u are right, team bravo might be a triffle less color blind than i am.. i 'll note it down.. "

Miles away the perpetrator, having eased into a very casual amble..calls his high command, "Yeah..the chick is in the pen.. and u wont believe what happened today..."

THE Three Lunar Eclipses

2009-07-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

A month of eclispses!
Three lunar eclispses in the same month..
Some in awe wait for the phenomena
Some say its for the struggle..

The moon coming out in resplendence,
after being consumed by darkness
again and again..there is enough of her left
even after her struggles..
in fact she is her corruscating best!

A friend of mine.. i heard him pine..
again and again for a moon
once every now.. and once too soon!
and for as many moons as octaves in a tune!

Kept thinking, I did, many like my leige
are wondering if is it really a dream,
freedom from this cyclic seige?
..winged ants drawn to the light
Are their ephmeral lives just to realize their futility?

Out through the window, in the emerald woods..
i watched saw her rid herself of the cocoon
as she shook herself tall and poised
The sole protective aim of the cocoon..
ending abruptly when she decides to fly..
so many relationships break to set a soul free!

But however delicate her legs..
its got enough kick to break out!
however pitious the eclipse..
the moving laws of the cosmos
set the moon free again and again..
No battle in the universe, i wondered,
harms any party..

it just sets each one free in a different way!

Sure Shores, Unsure Horizons

2009-05-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

Waves systematically lashing the shores..
A gushing crescendo, and a few galloping moments of poignant silence

The salt in the wind making heads turn away from it..
The moist and warm sand, crisp golden brown sunset
All inviting us to stay

Foot prints walking into the sunset..
Two children walking in the sun caressing haze

one little girl with flowing tresses; her long red gown fluttering...
as though incited into a dance with the teasing wind

And the tall man, carefully holding the little girl's hands
and showing the vast ocean to her

a grass land of intuitions and a meadow of innumerable possiblities...
urging the little girl into incrementing wonder..

And in all the lovely stories he eagerly waits for his favorite part
when the girl opens her infant lips in awe...
How important are events without listeners?

Incomplete and infinite

2009-04-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

I Saw the wild geese; anchored into orderliness
by some unknown force..
an invisible string holding them together
Through gushy winds and torrential rain…
Guiding them home…a kite to its flyer!

A disciplined mind i yearn to see
devout and strung to every moment
guided through vileness and cravings

I saw her beak open lightly…wide enough
to gently pry the wriggling worm
from inside the spluttering tender mouth..

She had deftly sliced the worm in half
big enough for that rudiment of a throat
I wonder if the nestling realized even..

Realization of those few seconds
never happens in time.. and Never culminates!
Incomplete but infininte…like the touch of the Master…
Seconds did it take Him to show infiintie love
and I wonder why I am still writing!

The Spoon and the Candle

2009-01-12T01:53:00.000-08:00

Life moves quickly..without remorse...nor care
People confuse need with simplicity
and Greed with ambition
pursuit of happiness and mere Gratification..
Is it enough if the use is justified or
should something else happen?
Something that might not be-worth anything for anyone..
Yet would be the perfect union for the tool itself..

Like Candles in the Sun's company!
His warm rays melting the wax.. so that the union happens easily!
Its Soul burning to give others light all its Life,
The candle will itself never see light
Yet, do we always have to be the spoon,
That feeds a million mouths and experiences no satisfaction?

Rewarding is thy concern!

2008-12-02T00:48:00.000-08:00

Ever thougnt about how we easily loose hope on ppl?
especially those whom we go out to serve or help!
To love and care for!
We lose out on the purpose in how we react...
when they dont listen to us? or to reason..?
or they dont behave as we want them to?
and its such a shame everytime we do that!

you see, its not enough if we just identiufy with the cosmos...
call ourselves to be made up of the 5 elements
its needed for us to emulate their inherent ways..
Like the sun and the rain
that shower their love on rock and rose with the same intensity..
whether or not these are alive or dead to your emotions..

Beyond action being thine duty,
Its rewarding to show concern for even those who dont!

Patience is Now!

2008-11-22T05:59:00.001-08:00

Patience is a lovely thing..
the golden haze filtering through the trees...
His graceful gaze upon us all!
Through the thickest of canopies and darkest of nights...
His light will surely give it a fight.

He knows I know no light, now
The kindness that quenches a million thirst
showering in on the most arid of deserts,
On His tender care I trust..

And so in contentment... I wait..
That, the same hands that sprinkle my aisle
beautifully with dead leaves in autumn,
Will wash it indulgently with Rain.

2008-09-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

What I read today....

2008-08-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

Its a whole new world...
Wonderful how when you plan well to spend a lot of time for yourself, you end up doing the exact opposite of that or dont ever do anything gainful for yourself..
AS opposed to...when you are having very little time too...and want to do something for others...then I have seen nature coopreating with you...to help that help happen...its a small world and I am not sure how many are reading this..or even thinking about reading this...it wont make a difference...but when someone actually pens something similar and then happens to come across this one...and says..."Yeah...thats what I thought too...!" then i wish that some one comes to the conclusion of including more stuff in his "Helps and good deeds to do for the day" LIst...

Jus felt like waking up from the sleepy thingy and saying a hi to real world
Ram

A Matter of words!

2008-08-01T01:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

Back with a bang!!!

Ok there were many instances during my 33 day Ashtavakra Gita sessions that are more than mural paintings on my huge wall of animated AOL experiences..carricatures too! [not exactly the calvin and hobbes types...but in general they manage to appear real funny...impartially from all angles!]

Are you asking me what happened this time? Read on!

Well...as usual Seva was happening...

Boys will be boys...There are so many instances when they want to appear tall and broad shouldered [Hey! dont look at me..I am still in that category!]

...and they want to look older, more erudite, more categorically systematic...truth being they aren't. No offense, they seem very very funny when they bloat themselves to their full size and draw on a serious and tired expression..you know? the sort that says "yeah, i have heard all about things like this..impress me, peasant!"

I take special privilege to act a little unsure at such times...not to mention appearing relieved that i am actuallly getting to speak to this guy! Its fun, when at first he listens to me and then I purposely include 10 letter words and then it sort of knocks out the calm in his face!

And then i sort of border like make fun of his temperament, that knocks out the erudite look on his face! Finally i bring him on terms with his actual nature by telling how the Art of living can actually help him fight illusions about being some one else and bring happiness in being himself!

Its a nice war of ego! but I cant seem to find a bit of sadistic pleasure in letting misguided little ones, esp in their colleges, take time to enjoy their college life to their fullest...

Well, about that little part where i am showing off??? ...its seva and i think Guruji Manages to even out and iron out wrinkles in it by sending those dog experiences when you least expect them to be coming! So i have no regrets see??? either ways!

Reaching out to people is one thing guys...but off late, i have seriously found a lot of pleasure in noting that I have changed a bit..a lot in fact...from being this guy who first gave excuses to doing seva...like.."I dont seem to find the time.." or "Morning I need to catch up on some work...perhaps in the evening.." and then in the evening I am too tired for anything types...

But again it has changed..I realize that seva neednt be this bit of time you take away from work..but thing that you can realize and do while working..its a part of you and its your nature..

I realized that you are not being yourself [..like really big, pure and happy...] if you are not doing seva..

You not only become limited, small, rigid, cold, self centred, hankering and complaining...but also you quickly are irritated that your whims and fancies dont get fulfilled..and what are these whims about? your own benefits again..Seva sort of moves your attention to a bigger you and immediately magnifies itself so much in your perspective, that your small self and its greedy desires become small...POint NOT being that "desires are wrong" but that "Desires on a larger section of you, will help you come out of depression and frustration"

Frustration is again a thing that happens because we want to try and force nature to follow our whims..there is no end to all your desires, I say!

Like the white moving clouds...that keep moving around trying to cover the blue skies..they can never cover them all. they have to keep moving and one day get evaporated by the scorching heat of the sun...Beauty, Love, fragrance, taste, music, lust are all like the blue skies...they are all infinite in nature and when we try to experience all of it through our limited organs of perception, we only feel spent and tired in the end...

The still rosy curved cumulus clouds of the evening! Ah! what beauty! When they realize that stillness and repose is their nature, the sky turns crimson, and if not for their form, you cant really differentiate the skies from the clouds...you are one with the infinite if your love is without clauses..and asterisks that point to miniaturized "Conditions Apply"

Give! Express! Thank! Be grateful...and plentitude will follow..You can literally hear nature following you around in meek amazement..you can hear Her heart beat in the gushing streams..Hear her loving call in the wind whispering to the trees!!! You must experience this I...give..and empty yourself, your hands need to be absolutely empty to experience the infinite..intend to get and your palms are closed...Need I say more?

JGD

Ram

DSN Experience!

2008-07-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys…
Some time in April 08, I had presented myself with a DSN course from Anand Ji. [For the uninitiated, DSN is an ART of LIVING course called Divya Samaj ka nirman]
Until the time I set foot on the floors of NIMHANS gymkhana in Bangalore, I was so confident, that, as I had always done, I simply thought I needed a break and I had given myself a DSN this time. As we heard the sonorous voice of AnandjI bringing our Aum Namah shivaya meditation to a close, the course commenced. The truth that I was destined to be there became more and more clear. There were clear scathing cuts deep into my most secretive inhibitions within the first few hours of the course. It became more and more obvious that the course was a bout of cool grace of the divine raining on me. Throughout the course very crucial shackles of inhibitions like running, dancing, over contemplation and most importantly overconfidence were shattered like pinced porcelain. I was able to feel that I had become life ready. I was a new man. I was a lion in every meaning of the term and I was witnessing myself playing reckless Rambo at my work place. I was happy and I was getting comfortable being able to be daring.
It was not until recently that I came to realize a very important thing. I was still only interested in the importance that DSN had made to me. I remembered that the seva sessions were torturous and ego scathing. I had not been able to break free fro that shackle. A person saying no to me was still a fear. Thoughts like "My karmas, I have to hear no from such people whom I haven’t even heard of!" was still a whine-whine whine in my head. I suddenly felt very weak...I needed my Dr. Chingpong again!
Although Seva was an important part of the course, I had not taken in the full comprehension with me. I soon started feeling wasteful and useless. Doubts about the kriya [which in fact, I was doing more regularly than before] and the master soon followed. I felt like a dried piece of bread soon. Guruji has this way of making me experience what a cloud with a silver lining means. I had subscribed to eSatsang messages and had off late, begun to neglect all mails from eSatsang. That particular day I had just one mail...and over the weekend no mails coming up was indeed a surprise to me...You can guess what the eSatsang mail contained....A familiar call to all the chickens in Bangalore. My heart leapt right to the ceiling when I saw the words [Anand rajendran] and [Bangalore]. My heart beating like a war drum, I read on to the end of the mail hurriedly where the contact info was mentioned. I simply registered. One of those hateful Thursdays evenings when guruji decides to test your patience, work piling at the Nth hour, pouring in, and stuff to complete becoming more critical suddenly. I nimbly postponed all the "critical" deliverables to Wednesday next week and relentlessly shot mails to all stakeholders that I am heading home because of a severely aching back!![sorry about the fabrication Guruji!]
I was twenty minutes behind schedule and I reached the venue puffing and panting with hastily packed intimates and track pants. Resolutely, I walked into the hall nodding to familiar faces. Have you ever experienced a second DSN? Both of which are from Anand ji [You have? then you know what I am talking about...You haven’t? then read on!] the same Namah shivaya meditation and I heard the familiar command "relax...". This command brought out waves and waves of anticipation.. We were then told "whenever you feel complete, you may very slooooooowly open our eyes". I had to use every ounce of will power to prevent my eyes from popping out open. I never closed them again!
This time something new happened. Another of guruji's exquisite miracles. I was almost verbatim with the course contents..and I was listening with all my heart. That made me realize that I was interested with what I can take back from DSN, when I did it the last time. I had not only listened only with my intellect, I was also interested in my own personal benefit. No wonder my seva experience was so pathetic!!! Without any effort from me...none whatsoever..I was actually being overhauled from inside. The DSN course intends not only to make a warrior out of you, but a seva warrior! Every Sutra felt like mallet blows into my heart as I felt chains clank inside my heart. Intent seva thirst spurted out. It was a beautiful poetic experience, people are still who they are..Some of them do the art of living course when it happens...and the others do it later. I was enjoying the different caustic reactions that people give AOL volunteers...Like slamming doors, jutting into your conversation and also into your best smile, letting dogs loose on us, lecturing us on how art of living is not essential for feeding yourself, scolding us for wasting our time in following fake fakirs...you name it, I have heard it all. And guess what? I have smiled through every one of them...smiled so perpetually that I wonder at times why I have to frown at all :-)

THIS IS THE BEST PART

Hey you guys...listen to this one..We participated in the door to door seva for Anand ji's basic course that’s happening from today..And we had the most rocking time ever. Well there are dog stories, and then there is this one! What is the general idea when u have a dog in the house? A sign that says beware of them? or a symbol of a dark and ferocious looking canine? A small board on the gate with squiggly letters in the vernacular? An ostentatiously located kennel with a tell tale chain sticking out? I found nothing here. With the DSN lion thumping energy into my heart, I walked up the doorway..Taking 3 feet long confident strides..I am a 6'1" guy so 2 of these strides took me to the door bell. The owner of the house was apparently a person whose allegiance to sadism is proverbial. He had untied his dog and carefully made it stand behind his car..I have no idea how it managed to stay exactly there...without a yip out of it..And it was actually waiting for me to come abreast of the car. I don’t remember how the attack started. There was a series of baying and howling. About the same time I could feel the canine's bare talons through my terry wool trousers, amidst parallely operating fervourent autosuggestions, prayers, and Sutra recollections. It was funny actually, all I could see visibly was the Owners head partially peeping in from the doorway...I don’t know why the owner owns the 4 feet tall brute, if he is scared of dogs in generals...baying ones in specific! And he was like, "what is it? We don’t want any shampoos" Fighting to keep the smile on my face and my attention on the pamphlet, I was like "there is this amazing course happening in Jayanagar, at a stones throw from your pound...I mean house.." well it is all like a dream now. I was a little sad with guruji that day...my present moment dragged on to 12 consecutive Dog infested houses...they were all cousins[the owners], I think...Why? All untied and untidy dogs...not to mention that the dogs were also distant cousins...but funnily all the 12 different breeds seemed to view me with the same temperament..Which one? The trouser scratching one of course! And whats more, I walked on guruji's side and delivered the introduction to the course in all the 12 kennels...er.I mean houses. We had a rocking time, and I believe we owe it all to where the DSN had clicked into our circuitry, our hearts! We have experienced the difference that seva has brought into our lives...taste the nectar I say, and you will know what I mean
Jai gurudev
Ram