Life

Concerned about his child's college admission, a man in his 40s sits anxiously when a monk sits near him and asks why he's worried. The man tells the monk that he is worried about whether his child will get admission to the college. The monk smiles and asks him whether that college admission will make him happy. The adult says emphatically, "Yes". The monk asks, "Will your child also be happy if he gets admission to the desired college?" The man says, "Of course, yes. " The monk asks again, "But you too got admission to the college you wished for; then why are you worried?"  Probably none of us has an answer to this question. But, at the same time, we will simply say that the monk will not understand because he does not have a family. He does not know what responsibility means. Somebody will say that the monk does not understand fear and insecurity because he lives in a monastery, and he will not understand that the child will be fearful ...

A broken relationship that was very close to our heart, the loss of a near and dear, a severe financial crisis, a divorce proceeding, prolonged litigation, a long spell of disease with many rounds of painful treatment in a depressing hospital, or loss of social reputation- all these things and many more make us feel that life is worthless. We want to leave the world. It appears as if we have attained Vairagya from Samsara. We don't mind calling a spade a spade. An unusual energy, out-of-the-world courage and rebellion become an integral part of our personality. And then we meet somebody who feels like a breath of fresh air and sweet music in our ears, and then we set another target; we again want to become somebody; we again want to possess something, and life becomes full of meaning. Till we realise the inner hollowness of the same. That's why the feeling of Vairagya in a state of low is generally very deceptive. Generally, it lasts only until we get the next target. There are...

While talking to relatives, we often feel that the love and affection in the relations are quite superficial, but we decide to continue. While going to offices, we often feel that the performance appraisal is not fair and that honest and competent people are not being given their due share, but we decide to continue. While living in society, we feel that many beliefs and dos and don'ts do not have their genesis in scientific thought, but we decide to continue. Why? Any intelligent person will be able to notice. Then we do so; many intelligent people continue to live with the systems that lack integrity. Why would we not say "no" to the relationships that lack integrity? Because we are insecure and feel that some of these relationships may be helpful in moments of crisis. We just want to keep them to be safe and, in the process, keep getting irritated due to a vulgar demonstration of love while there is none beneath the surface. Why would we not say "no" to offic...

I was listening to the famous song often known as "500 Miles" or the "Railroaders' Lament," the classic folk song written by Hedy West in 1961 (and famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary). It is a melancholic reflection on loneliness, deep homesickness, and the pride or shame of a traveller who left home and failed to strike it rich. The "hundred miles" in the recurring line emphasises the vast, echoing emotional and physical distance separating the singer from everything they know and love. https://youtu.be/7oGwOiQsjso?si=j40rPl85jqbZAG3I I really don't know which home we're talking about. The home from which all of us have come to this Earth. Which we don't even remember. The more miles we move away from that home, the more we are full of deep homesickness, and at the same time filled with pride or shame. Pride of being an "individual" who has his own unique existence, an identity, which we are proud of. I am a CA, an officer...

It's strange to see how different human beings make so many different meanings of life, and how everybody is so convinced of their own. As children, we try to fathom the depth of reality and find ourselves grossly incapable. We find none around us who can answer the most fundamental questions: "Where have we come from?", "What is the meaning of death?", "What happens after death?", "What is happiness?", "Why is there so much inequality in this world?", "Why are there so many fights among nations?", "Why am I born in this family?" The young minds have so many questions. I believe that each one of us would have had all these questions. But where did they disappear? Why are we so convinced about our own understanding of the meaning of life? Probably, that's a defence mechanism of the human mind. Each one of us has two options. First, to keep seeking the meaning of reality, which is a difficult and uncertain opti...

हम अपने देश के फाइनल मैच जीतने, अपने बच्चे के विवाह समारोह, लंबे संघर्ष के बाद फिल्म के नायक द्वारा अपनी प्रेमिका से शादी करने, या पसलियां टूटने के बाद भी सुल्तान द्वारा वह आखिरी मैच जीतने की खबर से वास्तव में भावनात्मक रूप से अत्यधिक ओतप्रोत हो जाते हैं। हमारा दिल खुशी से भर जाता है। वहीं, किसी बहुत करीबी की मृत्यु की खबर, या परीक्षा में हमारे बच्चे की असफलता, फिल्म में बाहुबली की बेरहमी से हत्या, किसी महत्वपूर्ण मैच में मिल्खा सिंह की हार, यह सब हमें रुला देते हैं। क्यों? क्योंकि हम अपने लोगों के लिए "खुशी" चाहते हैं, और जब वे एक लंबे संघर्ष के बाद जीतते हैं, विशेष रूप से तब जब हमें इसकी उम्मीद नहीं थी, तो हम सकारात्मक भावनाओं के एक शक्तिशाली विस्फोट को महसूस करते हैं। क्या हम वैसी ही भावनाएं महसूस करते हैं जब कोई अमेरिकी खिलाड़ी वर्षों की कड़ी मेहनत के बाद ओलंपिक में स्वर्ण पदक जीतता है? क्या हमें वैसा ही महसूस होता है जब पड़ोस के बच्चे को बहुत कड़ी मेहनत के बाद विश्वविद्यालय में स्वर्ण पदक मिलता है? क्या हमें वैसी ही अनुभूति होती है जब किसी दूर के रिश्तेदार के बेटे की मृत...

We get really emotionally overcharged by news of our country winning a match in the finals, our child's wedding ceremony, the hero in the movie marrying his girlfriend after a long struggle, or Sultan winning that final match even after breaking ribs. Our hearts fill with joy. The news about the death of somebody very close to us, or the failure of our child in the examination, the brutal killing of Bahubali in the movie, the loss of Milkha Singh in a crucial match, all make us cry. Why? Because we want "happiness" for our own people, and when they win after a long struggle, especially when we were not expecting that to happen, we feel a powerful burst of positive emotions. Do we feel the same emotions when some American player wins a gold medal in the Olympics after years of hard work? Do we feel the same when a neighbour's child gets a gold medal at the university after a lot of hard work? Do we get the same emotion when there is the death of a distant relative'...

I watched the Netflix web series Cafe Musafir. First of all, let me congratulate the entire team on making a meaningful series that resonates with contemporary reality. Until the last decade, the social narrative was that the purpose of our lives was to study well, marry a person, and then settle down. For the first time in this decade, especially after COVID-19, people have started taking their passion seriously. I think the web series seeks to examine certain contemporary issues in depth. First, what is the meaning of love? Is love about seeking something? If a boy feels that he loves a girl and he would be happy having a home and kids with that girl, is that love? What if the girl has ambition to grow in her career? Will this sort of love not be restrictive to the girl's ambitions? Just because society has approved of this sort of relationship, can we call it love? I feel that it is difficult to love till we are complete within and we are not seeking in the outer world. Then onl...

Coming down the hill is always easier than climbing up the mountain. It's always easy to fall into the temptation of things that appear to be very pleasant. That's why the world is full of people who are running after temptations. Some claim to have got rid of temptations, but actually, they fall silently into bigger temptations. Some give up the temptation of comfort to lead a socially approved life full of ambitions, while some of us get more tempted towards the self-image of being a good man or having some blissful experience.  The ground is very slippery, and a single careless step may make us fall into the valley. But why would the almighty make the world like that? Doesn't He want all of us to live a life full of possibilities where everybody is free of these temptations and can explore to the fullest? But why would God be so cruel as to make the ground so slippery so that one careless step may lead us to endless suffering? Maybe nothing like that. Krishna always want...

Nobody wants painful experiences. Pain in the body, or any part of the body. A headache makes our existence painful, and we take a painkiller quickly to get rid of the pain. The same is the situation with psychological pain. Being ditched by a girlfriend or boyfriend, insulted at a social gathering, anxious about the future, concerned about self-image, apprehensive about a loss, and so many more things make us quite upset in this world. The more we try to get out of these feelings, the more we get trapped. We find ourselves helpless to get out of the psychological pain. It's not possible to get out of the psychological pain, unlike the physical pain, because the root of this pain lies somewhere else. We have enjoyed hours and hours of pleasure from the opposite. When we had a good relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend, we took pleasure in each of those moments, and now our brain is afraid that it will be deprived of that pleasure forever. When people praised us during social ...

We pack our bags for a meeting in a different city. We book the tickets and reach the airport. After boarding the flight, we read the papers for the meeting, prepare ourselves mentally, and reach the destination. Nothing extraordinary about this. But do we ever realise that we have been part of one of the biggest miracles on Earth? We were aboard an aircraft that weighed 70-80 tons. That means an object of 70-80 tons flying in the air. But we are lost in our preparation for the meeting and miss the magic. Isn't it true for almost the whole of our lives? Every moment is full of magic, but somehow, we are so obsessed with our thoughts that we miss the magic. In the morning, we get up when there is little light outside, and soon there is light all around us. If we just stay with it, isn't it amazing that the Earth, which is hanging in space like a ball, keeps rotating on its axis, and every 24 hours we are facing the Sun for a few hours and on the other side of the Earth for a few...

 Krishna would have met so many people in his lifetime on this Earth; in fact, almost all the kings of that time and many great sages. But why did he decide to be the charioteer of Arjuna? Because all the others were busy with their own belief systems and pursuits, and it was only Arjuna who dared to stay confused before Krishna. Bhishma is very sure that he has to honour his vow to protect the kingdom of Hastinapur, Duryodhana was very sure that he has to become the king the Hastinapur at any cost, Karna was sure that he has to prove himself to be a greater warrior than Arjuna, Bhima was sure that he has to take revenge, Yudhistira was sure that he has to follow the path of Dharma, as he understood Dharma to be, Dhritrastra was blind in his attachment to son, Gandhari decided to blindly stay by the side of her husband and sons. Krishna could not find any person other than Arjuna who was ready to listen to the truth and set truth as the sole guiding force of his life. When we sit i...

 कृष्ण किसी भी चीज से आसक्त न होकर भी इतने दृढ़ निश्चयी कैसे हैं? द्रौपदी के चिरहरण, लक्षगृह की घटना या अभिमन्यु की मृत्यु से वे विचलित नहीं होते। ऐसा नहीं है कि वे अप्रभावित रहते हैं, बल्कि वे अपनी समता बनाए रखते हैं ताकि उचित समय पर कार्रवाई कर सकें। ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि उनका ध्यान हमेशा व्यापक दृष्टि पर केंद्रित रहता है। कृष्ण सर्वज्ञ हैं, वे अतीत और भविष्य दोनों को जानते हैं और इसलिए वे सभी बातों को समझ पाते हैं। वे देख सकते हैं कि कुरुक्षेत्र के बाद धर्म का शासन स्थापित होगा। साधारण मनुष्य, जो इतने जागरूक नहीं हैं, उनका क्या? वे कठिन परिस्थितियों में शांत कैसे रह सकते हैं? वे विचलित क्यों नहीं होते? द्रौपदी के अपमान से भीम इतना व्याकुल क्यों नहीं हुआ कि उसने दुशासन को मारने और उसके सीने का रक्त पीने की प्रतिज्ञा कर ली? लेकिन क्या भीम इतना ही व्याकुल होगा जब दुर्योधन किसी अन्य स्त्री के साथ ऐसा ही करेगा? जब अर्जुन भीष्म और द्रोण को दूसरी तरफ से लड़ते देख युद्धक्षेत्र से भागने की सोच रहा था, तो क्या वह उसी संघर्ष से गुज़रता अगर उसके बड़े-बुजुर्ग दूसरी तरफ से न लड़ रहे होते? नहीं...

How is Krishna not attached to anything and yet so decisive? He will not be shaken by the Chirharan of Draupadi or the Lakshagraha episode or by the death of Abhimanyu. Not so that he will not be affected, but he will be able to maintain his equanimity so that he may take action at an appropriate time. It is because his focus is always on the larger. Krishna is omniscient, and he knows the past as well as the future and is therefore able to connect the dots. He can see that post-Kurukshetra, the rule of Dharma will be established. What about the ordinary human beings, who are not that aware? How can they stay calm in tough situations? How can they not get fixated? How can Bhima not get so agitated with the insult to Draupadi as to take a vow to kill Dushasana and drink the blood from his chest? But will Bhima be so agitated when Duryodhana does the same thing with any other woman? When Arjuna is thinking of running away from the battlefield after looking at Bhishma and Drona fighting f...

Everybody wants to be sure. It looks very nice to win the debates and to prove our points. It looks very attractive to be sure of what we do in life. To be confident of our viewpoints. Firm belief helps us move fast. While driving on the road, it helps if we are sure of the destination. We set the map in Google Maps and keep following the directions. There is no confusion. What if we are confused about the destination? We will reach nowhere. That's why the whole of the world tries to give certainty to the traveller. I recall the following few lines from Madhushala, written by Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan: मदिरालय जाने को घर से चलता है पीनेवाला,  'किस पथ से जाऊँ?' असमंजस में है वह भोलाभाला अलग अलग पथ बतलाते सब पर मैं यह बतलाता हूँ -  'राह पकड़ तू एक चला चल, पा जाएगा मधुशाला। This is another way of seeking certainty that whatever path you take, you will reach the destination. But what if we are sure about the destination and reach there fast, but after reaching the destina...

 पृथ्वी, जल, अग्नि, वायु और आकाश ये पाँच तत्व संपूर्ण सृष्टि के मूलभूत घटक हैं। हम इनकी रचना को अनेक रूपों में देखते हैं। कुछ रूप हमें भयभीत करते हैं, जबकि कुछ रूपों से हमें प्रेम हो जाता है। हम समुद्र तट पर शाम का आनंद लेते हैं, धीमी हवा के बीच समुद्र के पानी को निहारते हैं। लेकिन अगर हवा तेज हो जाए और तूफान या सुनामी का रूप ले ले, तो वही पानी और हवा बेहद खतरनाक हो जाते हैं, और हम उस जगह से भागना चाहते हैं। हम इसे आपदा की श्रेणी में रखते हैं। सतह के नीचे थोड़ी सी अधिक ऊर्जा सभी इमारतों को हिला देती है, और हम इसे भूकंप कहते हैं। हल्की बारिश देखने में बहुत सुखद लगती है, लेकिन जब भारी बारिश होती है, तो वह बाढ़ में बदल जाती है। जो देखने में बहुत आकर्षक लगता है, वह इन तत्वों में से किसी एक की थोड़ी सी "शरारत" से आपदा में बदल सकता है। लेकिन साथ ही, अगर हम ब्रह्मांड का अध्ययन करें, तो नए तारे और ग्रह हमेशा उसी "शरारत" का परिणाम होते हैं। जो हमें आपदा प्रतीत होता है, वह वास्तव में नई सृष्टि के लिए प्रकृति का तंत्र है। हमारे भीतर भी वही पाँच तत्व काम करते हैं। हमारे आकाश मे...

The five elements Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu, and Aakash are the fundamental components of the whole of creation. We encounter their creation in so many different forms. Some of the forms frighten us, while we fall in love with some of those forms. We enjoy an evening on the beach, looking at the ocean's water as the wind blows slowly. But if the wind blows fast and takes the form of a hurricane or tsunami, the same water and wind become quite dangerous, and we want to get out of the place. We categorise it as a disaster. A little excess of energy below the surface shakes all the buildings, and we call that an earthquake. Drizzling looks very pleasant, but when it rains heavily, it turns into a flood. What looks very attractive can turn into disaster with a slight "mischief" from one of these elements. But, at the same time, if we examine the cosmos, new stars and planets are always the result of that "mischief". What appears to be a disaster to us is actually nat...

So many battles were fought in India and other parts of the world. What was so different about the Battle of Kurukshetra? Battle of Kurukshetra was a Dharamyuddha. Why? Because the Pandavas fought the battle under the guidance of Krishna himself to establish Dharma. Unlike other battles, it was not a battle fought for greed or dominance. It was a battle for the larger interest. When the battle started, Arjuna wanted to run away from the battlefield because he did not want to fight his own cousins and teachers. Arjuna felt that it would be better not to fight the battle rather than take the blame for killing his own grandfather Bhishma and teacher Drona. Then Krishna told him about the real form of Dharma. He told the entire Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. He said that all living beings and also non-living things have taken birth from Krishna and will merge back into Krishna. That's why truth and only truth shall be the guiding force behind the decision to fight or not to fight the battle....

According to Hindu mythology, there are 4 Yugas: Satyuga, Tretayuga, Dwaparyuga, and Kaliyuga. We are currently living in the Kaliyuga. Mahabharata took place in Dwaparyuga, and the Ramayana in Tretayuga. There are many stories of Satya Yuga, not with a specific hero, but with so many heroes.  In Satya Yuga, the centre of our life was the truth. Actions were guided by purity, and therefore, when we listen to the stories of Satya Yuga, even the slightest impurity of thoughts is not tolerated. People would perform tough penance whenever their purity was disturbed. Even if greed enters a corner of their heart in disguise, they will feel very bad about it. Since truth prevailed everywhere, the relationships were very fulfilling, and people lived their lives based on their passion. People lived meaningful lives since there were no manipulations and pretensions, and therefore their energy was not wasted on frivolous things. Then came Treta Yuga. Treta means the third, and it also represe...

There may be two different approaches to life. First, we know, and we try to achieve the best based on the information available to us. Second, we acknowledge that we know very little and try to explore the unknown. While following the first approach, we may set different targets in this world. Someone may feel that more money brings more happiness because they can buy a good home, luxurious cars, branded clothes, and travel in luxury to different parts of the world. Somebody may target powerful positions and feel that once they reach these positions, they will get respect from society and VVIP treatment from everybody around. Somebody may set a target around knowledge because he feels that, with knowledge, he will be able to get both money and power. Somebody may keep the target around some spiritual experience because he may feel that spiritual experience is above all these worldly experiences. Whatever the target, we feel that we will be happy after achieving that target. We have t...

How will we rate a home that is very dirty inside, while the gate and outer walls are spic and span? We would be quite impressed at first, but as we enter the house, we will immediately realise the reality. A fruit looks very tempting at first, but as we cut it, we find that it is rotten. We meet many people in our lives who look impressive at first sight, but as we interact with them, we get to notice the fears and insecurities inside them. Some of them may have a very strong external support system in the form of powerful positions, networking, and wealth, but from inside, they are very hollow and weak. I wonder why we concentrate so much on our outer appearance while ignoring the inner strength? Is it laziness? That's difficult to believe because many people work quite hard to improve their outer appearance. Then what? I think that the answer lies in the Ramayana. Lord Hanuma had all the strength and energy to do miracles. However, in his childhood, he did not meet Rama, and the...