Month: November 2024

Now, suddenly, he was in pain, with cramps, couldn’t walk, and the rest of the group had gone way ahead.

To add to the confusion, there was some issue up ahead which led to the police barricading the road. So those who’d already gone ahead, could no way come back.

Night was falling, and my uncle didn’t have a change of clothes, or even a blanket, since he’d given off his luggage. And blankets are really important – everyone carries one – because the nights on the hill get really cold and windy.

There were a couple of shops nearby, but none of them had blankets. And my uncle couldn’t move much anyway due to the pain.

How did the Lord come to my uncle’s rescue? Concluded tomorrow!

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My uncle was relating his Sabarimala story to me recently. Fantastic, is an understatement!

He recently undertook the entire 7-8 hour journey, which meant going on foot, to climb the hill, and eventually reach the temple of Lord Ayyappan.

He was going with a group of people. A few hours later, my uncle’s legs started cramping. So much so that he was struggling to even take a few steps. So he signaled to his group to go ahead, so that he could rest a bit, and join them shortly.

A few mins before, as the cramping was setting in, he’d already given his bag and belongings to someone else in his group to transport by rickshaw, so that he could focus on the walk.

What happened next? Continued tomorrow!

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Everyone fears something or the other.

Either a superior, or the future, or the law, or competition, or something else.

Fear comes from attachment. And more attachment breeds more fear… that the object of attachment may slip away!

Fear can vanish not from lesser fear. But through more courage.

Fear can vanish only from looking fear in the eye.

The mind will always play the victim card. And fear will jump to the fore.

The foolproof alternative is to submit to the feet of the Guru and the Lord. Fear will vanish forever.

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Ignoring our connection with others often breeds isolation, pride, and discontent.

Universal love isn’t a command but a realization—our unity with all.

As the Upanishads suggest, when we see our oneness, kindness becomes natural, not imposed.

Acts of compassion are then effortless, authentic, and reflective of our true selves.

This realization awakens us, offering lasting joy and a profound inner peace.

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We strive to protect ourselves without anger. Like when the teeth bite the tongue—there’s pain, but no resentment. We adjust, not resent.

In extending care and respect, we nurture ourselves and others, creating a ripple of harmony.

Acts of compassion and non-judgment bring joy, filling us with an inner satisfaction.

Through small, mindful acts, we experience universal love as a powerful reality, not a forced duty.

But does this lead to “love all”? Or is there another way to think about it?

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What is true freedom?

Freedom from birth and death.

Freedom from irkings of the mind.

Freedom from fear.

Freedom from the bonds of karma.

Freedom from desires and attachments.

Freedom from ego.

True freedom, according to the wise ones, is attaining Brahman.

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Perhaps most importantly, ahimsa includes all sorts of pain-causing activities. Including hurting people by the tongue. A cut to the skin may heal in weeks but the mental trauma of being abused may last a lifetime.

Ahimsa is not just physical non-violence. As one of the best spiritual tools, not causing any discomfort to any other being, either through thought, word or deed, is truly the mark of divinity.

And ahimsa cannot come from a place of weakness. It requires tremendous strength and courage to control one’s emotions, especially if one is at the receiving end of himsa (verbal or otherwise)!

Verbal control is quite easy too, once we’ve understood how lack of it makes us look. As they say, swearing is simply a sign of poverty of vocabulary!

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Was reading an article about how some guys euthanized a pet squirrel that seemed to be fine otherwise, and how a huge hue and cry followed. I don’t know the details or the politics behind it (if any), but it did get me thinking about ahimsa or non-violence.

Lord Krishna talks of it in the Gita as one of the best qualities to have.

Is it simply non-violence against animals, the way staunch vegans and vegetarians cry hoarse about?

Surely it includes people as well – because no one practising ahimsa should be violent towards other humans.

What else? Continued tomorrow!

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A friend of mine constantly taunts me for believing in spirituality and religion. On how this is destroying our chances for development. And why we should focus on “Western Enlightenment” instead.

Here’s a relevant excerpt from a book by Swami Sivananda:

Life has become very artificial. There is physical, mental and moral degeneration. You do not find robust, sinewy, stalwart, healthy people. Longevity is unknown. People are short-lived. You see puny, stunted creatures with poor physique, dilapidated frame and sickly appearance. They cannot walk even a furlong. They want a rickshaw. Children beget children. People die like moths. They have become weaklings. They have become effeminate and impotent. How strong and healthy our forefathers were! They had a very long life. They could walk forty miles a day. They could swim across a big river during floods at the age of seventy. They could split fuel. They could carry heavy weights. They were strong and sinewy. They were living on simple fare. Even now, look at the Gurkha and Maharashtra labourers. They live on ordinary bread, salt and two chillies. Look at the tremendous work turned out by them! Look at their health and marvellous strength! Now, every one of you want Ovaltine, vitamin extracts, Allenbury Rusks, and oatmeal. The wife wants an exclusive servant and a cook. You want a servant to put on your shoes. The child wants an Ayah.

Now mind you, this book was first published in 1964 – exactly 60 years ago. And still every line above would ring true today. Perhaps Sivananda ji would be aghast at how much worse things have become since then.

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Detachment? Love that lets others grow freely.

Humility? Love that elevates others by stepping back.

Forgiveness? Love that heals by letting go of pain.

Gratitude? Love that honors every gift received.

Honesty? Love that builds trust through truth.

Tolerance? Love that embraces all as they are.

Kindness? Love’s gentleness in every act.

Perseverance? Love’s enduring strength in action.

Love is truly the substratum for all virtues!

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Love is at the heart of every virtue.

Ahimsa? Love that refrains from harming anyone.

Charity? Love, shown by lifting up those in need.

Austerity? Love that chooses less so others have more.

Sacrifice? Love that puts others’ joy above our own.

Desirelessness? Love that seeks fulfillment in giving, not getting.

Concluded tomorrow!

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In deep sleep, thoughts vanish—and with them, fear.

Awake, our minds turn shadows into monsters, exaggerating harmless things into threats.

Perception creates our fear.

Even real dangers can transform into exhilaration when framed differently.

By understanding fear, we diminish its hold.

But no matter how much we prepare, uncertainty remains—and that’s part of life’s rhythm.

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Those flashes of the right answers, or the right way forward.

They come sometimes unasked, unknowingly.

But it’s not like the problems themselves come unsolicited.

Where are the solutions then really? In the air around us?

Or deep within, waiting to be unveiled?

The Brahman within knows All. How difficult would it be for Him to surmount our silly worries?

Intuition is not just our problem solver, but also the only way to realizing the Brahman.

And the intellect? Can it help? Nope, because it is part of the problem itself.

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This is a question everyone has at some point.

The question isn’t particularly a comfortable one, and the answer sure isn’t.

Swami Sivananda makes it very clear:

As long as there is the least deha-adhyasa (identification with the body), so long you cannot expect self-realization. Exhibit undaunted spirit, intrepididty and manliness. Make a strong resolve," I will die or realize."

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You know who does the most charity in the world, nay the whole universe?

No it’s some billionaire giving off the money raised from auctioning a part of his art collection.

The biggest donor in the world is none other than the Guru.

Why?

Because the Guru alone imparts something that is priceless and invaluable.

Give someone food, and that person will be hungry for the very next meal. Give him some money, and it’ll last him a week, maybe less.

But when the Guru imparts Atma-gyaan… Phew, now if that isn’t the greatest charitable act ever, then what is?!

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Is death painful? Would certainly seem so for one who is undergoing a terrible ailment or was involved in a major accident.

But here’s a very interesting take from a book called Bliss Divine that my Guruji has been urging everyone to read. It is by Swami Sivananda.

There is no pain at the time of death. Ignorant people have created much horror and terror regarding death. In the Garuda Purana and the Atma Purana, it is described that the pangs of death are tantamount to the pain caused by the stings of 72,000 scorpions. This is mentioned only to induce fear in the hearers and readers, and force them to work for Moksha. In spiritualism, there is the unanimous report from the enlightened spirits that there is not even a bit of pain during death. They clearly describe their experiences at death and state that they are relieved of a great burden by the dropping of this physical body, and that they enjoy perfect composure at the time of separation from the Physical body. Maya creates vain fear in the onlookers by inducing convulsive twitchings in the body That is her nature and habit. Do not be afraid of death pangs. You are immortal, Amara.

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Why does one get promoted at the workplace?

Is it because they are expected to take on higher responsibilities after said promotion? Not in the least!

Promotions are usually given only post-facto, ie, the person should have already demonstrated capabilities worthy of the promotion title.

Is it different from spirituality?

It shouldn’t be!

We are waiting for moksha, so that we may love a yogic life.

But shouldn’t the work come first?

Such as if we live like yogis, controlling our minds, and reducing desires and attachments.

The most important promotion ever will then come automatically perhaps.

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Now the world is a crazy place. Multiple wars, plenty of border conflicts, plenty of regional bouts… heck, there’s enough fights within every household too!

A very interesting podcast by William Ury, known as one of the best conflict negotiators in the world, threw up some super ideas.

Firstly, that conflict will never end.

Why?

Because conflicts are borne of change. And the world is constantly changing. AI, technology etc. etc. Plenty of changes, and hence conflicts will arise, large or small.

Importantly, peace is a process, not an outcome. It takes effort and time. And requires us to engage – both creatively and collaboratively, so that both parties feel they are moving forward.

Super advice, even if for resolving our day to day smaller conflicts no?

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We’ve seen levellers here before on FHN – way back in April 2020 in fact!

Bhakti, aka sincere devotion, too is an outstanding leveller. Because the Lord doesn’t care who you or I are, as long as all we focus on is the Lord. Pure unadulterated Bhakti is all He needs. Take these few examples for reference:

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Andal, a village girl; Kanakadasa and Sabari from humble castes; Kabir, a weaver; and Dhruva, an uneducated boy—all found divine love through bhakti. Valmiki, once a robber, and Vishwamitra, a king, reached God through repentance. Young Prahlada showed unwavering faith. Hanuman, a monkey, and Gajendra, an elephant, proved species and form are no barriers. True devotion transcends all.

We should be better off surely. Extraordinary, isn’t it?

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People often ask how we can worship a God we have never seen or met.

The counter question would be, how do we worship so many TV and movie stars that we have never seen or met?

Sure we may have seen them playing certain roles in movies and shows, but that isn’t who they truly are!

And yet, in the company of other fans, especially the crazy ones, we too may get swept by the awe of the stars.

It’s not too different for the Lord either. If we surround ourselves with divine people, people on the spiritual path, and we listen to the glories of the Lord from realized Gurus and Saints, we too will find it very easy to worship the Lord, even if we haven’t seen Him so far. The best part? The more we glorify Him, the more we will see His presence around us all the time.

The Ultimate Celebrity will come with the Ultimate Celebration!

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Everyone’s rushing to hoard more and more wealth. Multimillionaires are also unhappy because they haven’t reached billionaire status yet.

Billionaires have plenty of competition too. And then there’s their own safety to take care of.

Them billionaires have money, but they still don’t know everything, and need to constantly watch over their shoulders.

But one who is established in the Self, a stithapragyna? He worries about nothing.

He’s not bothered by the wealth around him. Nor does he care for bookish knowledge and seeming intelligent.

His knowledge of the Self far outweighs any other wealth or knowledge out there. And it can never be taken away from him either. It is imperishable. It can never reduce. It is permanent, and leads to the most amazing peace as well.

But is this the form of wealth we are all running after? Or do we want to become millionaires and billionaires first…

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Loneliness is a mess. The struggle to be with others. The struggle to fit in. The struggle to be seen to fit in.

Loneliness may even feel like a disease. A permanent weakness. A handicap.

But maybe it is simply an illusion—a veil over truth, maya.

Beneath the layers, we are interconnected, one with all existence.

Aloneness, if embraced, can perhaps guide us closer to the Divine. Because in silence, beyond distraction, all realized souls say, is where we glimpse our truest nature.

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Came across a guy Andrew who sold all his possessions, keeping only 15 things. Everything he owns now fits into a single backpack.

He says he’s never felt freer. The simplicity, it turns out, was his path to peace.

We’d all wish we could be like him. But why’s that?

Maybe because it’s not about what we acquire but about what we let go of, and what we give off.

In clearing space, we let go of clutter— both physical and mental.

And in that space, we find room to breathe, to live, to truly be.

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Life’s challenges can overwhelm, but we’re asked to rise above them.

The journey ahead is sharp, demanding courage and resilience.

Transformation demands risk—there are no easy paths anymore. In this day and age of abundance of everything detrimental, taking the easy path is a sure shot method to get waylaid.

We walk this difficult road toward something greater—a new world, a new way of being.

Our true guide?

The Divine, always within.

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All sorts of great astrologers predicted all sorts of things about today’s presidential elections.

Many of the great ones got it spectacularly wrong.

Does it mean astrology is a sham?

Not by a mile.

But astrologers? Some may indeed be genuine, with great skill at their craft. But the bottomline is that Divine Will and Grace matter more than one can imagine.

Also one’s own effort.

Nobody knows the future 100% accurately. Not even the best astrologers.

As Shri Krishna says in the Gita, your mind is your best friend, but can also be your worst enemy.

The choice is ours to put our best foot forward in everything. Free will does exist. Otherwise today’s blog post wouldn’t!

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What truly amazed the young man was that the teacher himself didn’t know. The teacher had also kept his eyes closed during the search. This act of compassion left a deep impact on the young man. He realized the power of correction without humiliation.

The teacher never mentioned the incident again. The young man resolved never to steal after that day. More than that, he decided he wanted to become a teacher just like him.

He was inspired by the kindness and integrity of his old teacher. The old man, now hearing this story, finally remembered the event. But he smiled and revealed that he still never knew who the thief was.

This story reflects the essence of true teaching: correcting without shaming, and inspiring change through silent compassion.

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“Correct me if I’m wrong”, is a common phrase used nowadays. But no one truly wants to be corrected. And for good reason, because most people don’t know how to speak without hurting others.

But I love this specific story about the teacher and the pen-thief:

A young man approached an old man and asked, “Do you remember me?” The old man said he didn’t. The young man then explained that he had once been his student. He shared how the old man’s actions had inspired him to become a teacher. Curious, the old man asked when that had happened.

The young man recalled an unforgettable incident from school. He had stolen a friend’s new watch. After the theft was discovered, the teacher handled it calmly. He asked everyone in the class to close their eyes and stand still.

The teacher then searched each student’s pockets one by one. When he found the watch in the young man’s pocket, he didn’t stop. He continued searching everyone else. No one, not even the other students, knew who the thief was.

Concluded tomorrow!

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In a world that constantly shifts, war feels inevitable—a brutal expression of unresolved conflicts.

Is war just another symptom of our inability to adapt, to rise above selfish interests?

A collective, united by compassion, can dismantle the roots of violence, but only if we reject the easy path of destruction.

War doesn’t truly end suffering; it deepens it. Who will dare to embrace peace instead?

Even with the ears around us today – we see many heads of terrorist organizations being neutralized. To what end? Just for another hydra head to pop up?

In this endless battle, the hope lies not in armies, but in individuals—choosing love over fear, even when the world demands war.

I know I know, how quixotic.

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We admire successful people, thinking they’re born gifted. But behind every win is relentless effort, countless failures.

Spiritual progress mirrors this – hidden treasures within, yet distractions keep us looking outward.

Meditation teaches focus, resilience. Each step takes us closer to our goal.

Success isn’t brilliance—it’s persistence. To keep going, even when progress seems invisible.

A spiritual guru once said, “Forget the result of your sadhana; even performing sadhana itself requires divine blessings.” If success needs grace, what role do we play? Our part is simply to try—relentlessly.

Effort is the offering, not the guarantee.

We attempt our best, but true progress unfolds only  when the divine wills it.

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One male celebrity apparently recently cheated on his wife. The wife was also a celebrity, and in fact among the most beautiful women in the world.

And yet, someone cheated on her.

So many other celebrities, Greek Gods and Goddesses in terms of beauty, have had terrible relationships.

We may think mistakenly that beauty matters.

For true happiness from family, only trust, love and integrity matter.

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