My puchka on Janmashtami

The Trinity

This post is a part of my continuous quest towards understanding God, Life and my position in the scheme of things. Readers may/may not find it too valid but for religion, I believe in the mantra "To each one, It's own". So, should you.

I have always believed in God inside oneself. It’s not in any idols, it’s not in any one above us, it’s within us. In each one of us. Despite that, I’ve always respected all the idols, all the mythical Gods that Hindu scriptures have detailed. I believe that they all once existed, if you talk of Lord Rama or Lord Krishna and they are all true. I believe in these myths. Yet, I believe in one God, one energy, one common thing that binds us all.

As per the Hindu mythology, there are 3 major Gods we have – The Brahma, the creator of this earth. Lord Vishnu, the balance keeper, the one who maintains everything on this earth, and Lord Shiva, the destroyer.

I think this all started with the Big Bang Theory, just as Science claims the earth started. One common ball of energy divided itself into small pieces to give us life as is. Now, consider the ball of energy to be God – one, united, single God. That energy went and placed itself into all the things we call ‘living’.

Now, how do you differentiate between living and non-living? Anything that can grow, maintain and reproduce is called living. Pre-dominantly. Or, I can fairly say that anything that has the 3 types of God vesting in itself is living. Every living thing has god in it and has the 3 features/attributes of god in it – the Brahma, the Vishnu and the Shiva.

Now, if I have Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in me then how is it coming into effect?

The world I have around me is formed by my thoughts and by my actions. Whether it is the emotional world around me, or the physical world around me… whether it’s the materialistic part of my world or the non-materialistic things. They all are part of my world because I’ve intended them to be a part of my world. If society is part of my world then I’ve consciously made it a part. If family is a part of my world, then that is also my decision. The home I live in, the people I interact with, every bit is created and put together by me. And, this is the same reason why every individual has a different world. A different world, a different set of circumstances. That’s why everyone has unique challenges in life, and unique solutions to get past those challenges. Two people may share their worlds together due to common links but at the bottom of it all, everyone has a different world, which has been created by them, for themselves. This was the Brahma part of them.

Since each one of us has a different world, each one of us maintains it differently. Working in that world is the Vishnu part of us.

And the things we banish from our worlds, in terms of people, or beliefs or values is the Shiva part of us working.

So, effectively God has given us the powers of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. We can create the world in which we live, as we wish. We can run it the way we want and we can destroy the things we don’t want.

Why should one work for the nation?

Nowadays, Anna Hazare is the latest trend. He’s working on getting a bill passed so that corruption can be removed from the Indian society. There are lot of people following his cause and doing their bit in promoting it.

In all this hue and cry, I wondered, where does this fit in God’s scheme of things? When all of this is a myth and nothing of this matter at the end of my life, then why should I work for it?

The answer that comes to me is “For the good of people coming next in this life”.

When we’re working for the country, we’re working to give a better future to the next coming generations. We’re trying to make their lives better when they come into this world. If you look at everyone as a part of the same soul that all of us started from, then the success of each one of us to reach Him ultimately is important. More the people reach/work on the same path to reach God, stronger and happier the world will be. If all of us think in the same line, the same happens to the earth.

In satyug, everyone thought of peace, happiness and communal harmony. Everyone worked for everyone’s good and not just owns. That’s why everyone was happy. People worked and lived happily together.

Today, in Kalyug, everyone thinks of their own self. More so, they are jealous of others being happy. Hence, there is a general sense of tension and hatred and mistrust all over. No one wants to help anyone. When even after a bomb blast, people get back to work it’s not their resilience playing its role. It’s actually their indifference and selfishness which is working there. It’s nothing more than their curiosity to see what’s happening that makes them stop and look for the dead/injured people. They ultimately just feel sad and move on.

It’s important for everyone to be like-minded and working for the general good. I don’t care if that happens through Communism or Democracy or Secularism, but that’s what will lead to a better life for everyone.

Mera Desh

Hum azaad hue 1947 mein...

Lekin hum aaj phir ghulaam hain....

Bhook ke,.... Bhrastachaar ke, .... aur Aatankwaad ke.

Ab zaroorat hai Bapu banne ki, Bhagat Singh banne ki..

Desh ko aazaad karane ki, khud aazaad hone ki

Humein phir azaad hona hai...

Humein phir azaad hona hai!

Kids know it all!

My son is a petty 4-month old child. He's caught cold and cough. Yesterday, when we were trying to give him medicine, this funny incident happened.

He usually cries if you take him in godi and then put him down. He accepts it only if he's sleepy. So, when we put him down to give medicine, he started to cry a bit. His father wanted him to cry because that way he takes the medicine properly, else he spills it around but won't take it in. Now, when the smart chap saw that we have medicines in our hands. he stopped crying and closed his mouth tightly. We waited for a few minutes that he'll cry, but he didn't. He kept looking straight into his Dad's eyes and waited for him to retrieve. :) :)

It was such an amusing incidence, to see such a small baby to understand what's happening around and react so aptly. It was fun!

Live it before it ends!

I started reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom, after reading a friend's post about it. While reading the book, I remembered how it was so similar to the book "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. I had read the former a long time ago, perhaps an year or so, ago. Both the books are written by people who know they're about to die in a few months/years time, and wish to make the most of their lives in this departing time.

I always feel very encouraged and charged up after reading these books.

But, in some time, the charge fades away.

I was thinking, what should I do to keep it alive always?

The answer came: Ask yourself every night "Is there anything you wish to do in case you die tomorrow? Is there anything you MUST do right now?"

This way I think I'll always have my priorities right and keep doing things I always wish to do. This may also help me in not worrying too much about the petty issues of life like Work, Relations, House Rent etc.

Hope to remember it!

The 'J' factor

I was seeing a friend's HM pics. Most of the HM pics are always steaming and love seems to be in the air, but this one had real good pictures. The pics were really well taken.

But, after seeing them, I felt sad. I felt like "How happy these guys are. I wish I were".

Then I realized even I was! Damn it! Still, I was sad. I kept looking at the pics over n over through the day and kept feeling bad. I thought n thought.

Then I understood.

I was simply jealous. It didn't matter what I have. It's just that seeing someone else happy or with something special makes me jealous. I think this is the 'girl factor'. Can't help it. Shallow me!

But then, who said I was God. :P

The other day I saw a friend in a beautiful Khadi Saree and remembered how I wanted to create my own wardrobe of such sarees. And, started feeling J again. :) :P

And everyone knows what follows such a feeling.

I pinged Tarun right there saying that we'll go shopping this very weekend. :D

Girls will remain girls!

PS: Despite the fact that girls have a J factor in them, it's not something that defines them. It's a quick emotion which comes and passes by. Just that, there are some intermittent actions that follow such emotions, like shopping (or crying in extreme/maniacal cases). But, at the end, it's all human. :)

Loser or a Phoenix..?

Sometimes it all looks like futile attempts. It seems like whatever reasons I give to myself, they are mere excuses...excuses that I use to escape from the truth. It seems like I know the truth but am struck in a vicious circle where I have to keep giving myself hopes that things will improve and keep trying. Every time I fail I've to get up again because I've no other choice. I've to accept that I failed and try again. There's no running away from circumstances. There's no quitting.

I HAVE TO do it.

I HAVE TO try again.

I HAVE TO keep working at it, no matter I succeed or fail.

No matter how many times my ego is hurt. No matter how many times I've to take the shame and gulp it in and forget it. I have to keep trying to improve.

All sounds like a winner in the making.

Don't know if it's a winner in the making or a loser pleasing herself.

What women want

People often wonder what is it dat women want!? I don't know the answer either. But I think my Mr. Aggarwal knows it for sure. :)

Love ya!

Inequality equalled

After delivering a baby in a normal delivery, by natural course, a sad thought came to my mind...

"All the pains in the process of recreation our borne by the woman...puberty, intercourse or delivery. Is it really true that God has made man the better gender, the purer gender, as mentioned in Ramayana? Is it true that God has created man for the better jobs and women for the dirty ones? If it is so, then no matter how much women fight for equality with men, they can never win the inequality already done by God."

The thought was really sad but somewhere in my heart, I never could believe it.

As time passed and I spent some time with my baby, I realized how wrong I was. God has not made women the lesser ones, rather they are the 'chosen' ones.

Motherhood is the payback for all the pain you have taken.

The kind of bonding that comes in between the baby and the mother, right after birth, is so out-worldly an experience, that no other feeling in this world can compete it. No other relation or emotion is so strong as this.

If someone asked me what is motherhood, I will like to quote Stephanie Meyer's words from her famous novella 'Twilight' about a concept she has penned as 'imprinting'. It's something like this (rewritten in my words)..

"It feels like the whole universe has adjusted itself around that point. It's as if nothing else, no one else exists but that object. It feels like the object is your personal sun. "

I think it is a similar feeling for your baby. This is something only the woman can feel and no one else.

I am repaid. :)

Understanding relations

A sudden thought came to my mind. We understand blood relations because they are pre-defined. We follow them or respect them because we’re accustomed to following them in a certain way. But, as we grow old in age, and we meet new people, and we make new relations, we get confused. We get confused as to why these relations are there, what I should name this new relation, or why, at all, I need to name this relation!

I think it’s because naming a relation attaches certain rules, certain codes of conduct, certain expectations, and certain limits, to the relationship.

These limits, why are they needed? Why do we need to differentiate between a real brother and a foster brother? It should make no difference practically. But, it does. It does because that’s how the balance of civilization is maintained. It is the basis of human civilization.

Imagine for a minute where we don’t follow these rules. What if we stop following them!? You’re friends with a person. You grow fond of the person. You like talking, sharing ideas, laughing over nothing. You grow so close that whenever you’re upset, you go to this person. You cannot think of anyone else for solving your problems, unraveling your mind, or getting de-stressed. It’s like your tonic for the day, for life. Life’s going great, no problems!

But, there is ONE problem. You were already in a relationship with someone else. This new person was just supposed to be a friend, or a foster brother/ sister. Can any husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend accept that you’re so close to someone else than himself? If it’s a true relationship, then can anyone accept that for emotional support, you depend on someone else than himself/herself? Or, is it really now a question of “As long as you’re not sleeping with him/her, I’m fine!”

I think in today’s real world, it has come down to this one basic question only. A husband-wife relation is different only because they sleep together. They are not dependent on each other financially, not emotionally. The physical need is the only need. So, once that need is fulfilled from somewhere else, the reason of marriage or the relationship fails. This is the reason why we have so many failed marriages and such short lives of marriage. And, what was the basic flaw? “Love ended, we were too apart people, we had stopped understanding each other”. NO! The basic flaw was that we didn’t maintain the sanctity of our relations. We never maintained the basic rule that for all emotional and physical needs, I’ll look unto you and no one else.

Moral of the story: Society people may be orthodox, but society rules aren’t. These rules are the basis of humans living harmoniously else everything will be a chaos. Civilization means inter-dependence of human beings. No dependence, no civilization can exist.

First ever presentation

I had my first ever formal presentation today. I never noticed that I had actually never made a presentation myself, in so many years of my service. Presentations are so common, but perhaps mostly that I gave were white-board ones. Never on Microsoft PowerPoint.

The ppt went great! :) I had low number of audience (thanks to the topic I was covering) but the ones who were there, really found it quite useful. My manager was happy, and commented "Good presentation". My Team Lead was happy and said a job well done :P

Hehehe!

AND I AM VERY HAPPY! :)

@Tarun:

I love you my sweetheart! It couldn't have been possible without your help and support, and powerpoint skills ;) It's great to know that 'you' are my soulmate.