Skip to content

Month: April 2022

Yearning pool

Yearning pool

Published April 10, 2022

The intense yearning for liberation or moksha is called mumukshatwam in Sanskrit.

What does this intense yearning look like?

There’s a story about the great Swami Vivekananda with his Guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. Apparently the former had this very same question too. So his Guru asked him to take a dip in the Hooghly river in Calcutta (or Kolkata). And then pushed his head down in the water (like the villain would do to a hero in a Hollywood movie, and vice versa in a Bollywood movie!) not allowing Vivekananda to come up for air.

Needless to say, the only intense yearning at that point was for oxygen. Not any money or or material objects.

That was how much intense yearning was required for moksha as well.

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Showerma – part 1 of 2

Showerma – part 1 of 2

Published April 9, 2022

When my house was being renovated recently, I had to move out to another temporary accommodation.

The shower at my home was good. The nice, warm and powerful type, rather than just a cold trickle.

In this new temp place, the shower didn’t work. So back to old style bucket and mug it was. So be it.

A few days later, I had to travel up north. The temperature was -5. The hotel I was staying at, didn’t just have a shower, but their water heater was also broken. Brrrrr. That was a terrible experience.

And then a few days later, I was back to my temp accommodation. I couldn’t care less about the shower, as long as there was some hot water.

What a quick change in perspective!

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Job interfeud

Job interfeud

Published April 8, 2022

In a recent interview, a candidate was just perfect, on paper.

We could not have hoped for better experience or credentials.

But when we gave her a follow-on request via HR to provide some written answers to a few technical answers, she replied that she had already discussed some of these answers in the interview itself and hence didn’t want to repeat herself ?

A couple of times during the interview too, she said some things that made it seem like attitude was an issue.

We discussed this later, and every person who interacted with her over the course of a few days felt the same way – that her attitude was a challenge.

The decision was unanimous. We can take someone who is not as good technically, but can surely be trained. But it would be disastrous to take someone who does not have EQ or DQ (remember?), because this mostly cannot be taught, and not at this age anyway.

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Slippery guidance

Slippery guidance

Published April 7, 2022

On a recent snow trek, we decided to engage a guide. Neither were we good trekkers, nor were we accustomed to the snow. Surely having a guide would be paramount?

The first thing he told us was to change into rubber boots, which he helpfully provided. And then we proceeded to climb.

En route, we saw a group of fellows creating quite the racket. They neither seemed interested in the abounding natural beauty, nor were they dressed for it. They wore slippers or sneakers (on a snow trek!), and our guide mentioned to us that these guys were going to face problems especially on their descent. We watched as the tumbled many a time, not just hurting themselves, but also endangering others.

The path itself was narrow, and given heaps of snow, losing direction was a real risk. No problem with a guide, but a few who were attempting to save a few bucks also found themselves lost.

Krishna says in the Gita that spirituality and the material world is like a forest. One needs a guide (aka Guru) to deliver them to the destination. Great advice.

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Elevator pitch

Elevator pitch

Published April 6, 2022

We all know the electricity analogy for Barhman or Arman right? We might not be able to see the Atman in us, but that’s the divine force driving everything. Just like we can’t see electricity, but that’s what powers all our appliances.

Here’s a short story. A villager came to visit his city cousin. They both got into an elevator, and they started moving up at a great speed. The villager was mighty impressed, “Wow at the touch of a button you are able to make us go so high!”

A few seconds later, there was a power cut and the elevator stopped midway. “Can’t you press the button again and do anything?”, the villager asked his city cousin. To which the latter remarked, “No sorry, it’s all ultimately driven by electricity only.”

This is no different from the Divine within us which is solely responsible for all our achievements and successes. So then, why this much ego?

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
TTSP

TTSP

Published April 5, 2022

This Too Shall Pass

We’ve all heard this hundreds of times, if not more. If something does not go as planned, if it appears that we may have failed in something, and we are really dejected about it, then TTSP comes up immediately.

And it’s truly a great phrase. Everything is indeed transitory.

But this phrase is usually used only for bad times. However, even the good times are equally transitory. The promotion doesn’t last, the bonus doesn’t last, the new car doesn’t stay new for more than a few months.

TTSP is the common thread across all our life experiences. All except one. The true SatChitAnanda.

As Lord Krishna says in the Gita Chp 9 verse 33, “Having come to this transient and joyless human life, constantly worship Me.”

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Spiritual desires

Spiritual desires

Published April 4, 2022

A recent visit to the mountains provided me the opportunity to bump into a Tarot card reader.

We were discussing a few things, generally.

And then I asked her a question. “When will I evolve spiritually? When can I have some spiritual experiences?”

Pat came her answer.

“If you are living in the moment, if you are enjoying your work, if you are happily supporting your family, then that is no different from a spiritually evolved soul. You only need to answer to yourself, if you are living this way.”

Simple, yet profound, no?

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Dozer reality

Dozer reality

Published April 3, 2022

One ex-colleague in a previous workplace used to sometimes nod off during meetings.

This obviously became a well known joke.

People being people, no matter their age, would even create a meme video or two.

Not that he dozed off every day during every meeting, but there were a few occassions.

While its easy to conclude many things including his lack of interest and what not, the reality was different (which we can rarely see on the surface).

His kid needed a special school, which was 2 hours away from his work. He sacrificed proximity to his workplace for the sake of his child. Which meant he had to use public transport to commute 4 hours a day, also necessitating waking up 2 hours earlier than most. Given he was very good at his work, a 5 minute snooze means nothing no?

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Chanakya Neeti – part 3 of 3

Chanakya Neeti – part 3 of 3

Published April 2, 2022

Some more awesome words from Chanakya to close out this 3 part series:

  1. A moneyless man is not poor if he has the knowledge. There is no doubt that brain power is the mightiest power.
  2. Separation from one another should not be turned into a life long sorrow. Give due respect to the law of nature.
  3. Kith and kin get pleased with good food, while the learned ones only require a few good words to be satisfied.
  4. People who are polite and gentle to their near and dear ones, who are compassionate to the deserving, who show no mercy to bad people, who are respectful to scholars, who bravely face the powerful, who display reverence to gurus, parents and spiritual teachers, control the new development.
  5. Mercy and compassion are the mothers of all religions, hence a person having such feelings becomes religious.
  6. A teacher who introduces his pupil to God, leaves an unpayable debt on his disciple.

So amazing isn’t it?

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment
Chanakya Neeti – part 2 of 3

Chanakya Neeti – part 2 of 3

Published April 1, 2022

Some more superb takeaways from Chanakya:

  1. In this universe, everyone wants something because no one is satisfied with his present position.
  2. All faiths are supposed to lead us to our Creator. This undying wish to reach God will survive everything. The only thing that is permanent in this world is faith.
  3. Money buys almost everything, hence it is the real power. The friends and family of a rich person neglect all his shortcomings because of his money. Time is the mightiest of all.
  4. Contentment is the purest form of happiness. Greed is the driving force of sin.
  5. The student, the servant, the traveler, the starving person and the guard should be woken up immediately if found sleeping at the time of work.

What clarity no? Concluded tomorrow!

Like it? Please share it!
Leave a Comment