A Lifelong Study

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Life, quotes, sathya sai, spiritual

- Inspirational Writing of Seema M. Dewan

You become weak the moment you think you are.

You are always filled with Divine strength………..There is no weakness that comes to you…………It is you that becomes forgetful of your Divine strength and chooses to walk into the world of weaknesses.

A man in a state of weakness asked the sage,”For how long will I bear this agony of my own weaknesses? “The sage smiled and replied,”As long as you shall make them your own, until then they shall rule …………….the moment you do not associate your Self with them , from that moment on you shall receive the inner strength to chase them away.” “And what if they return again O Wise One?”, the weak one asked. The sage held his hand and answered, “My child, you are holding on to the hand of weaknesses……………it is only your head you are turning away……………..How will they leave you if you have held on to them…………You have only wished not see them for a moment………….And even when you do not see them you are grasping on to their words of threat as your security…………and then again you turn toward them defending them and securing yourself under their protection………..You have failed for your each attempt

was made only for you to return to their misery…………….You are not bearing the agony of the weaknesses …….you, O child are bearing the agony of your attempts in which you are more sincere to your weaknesses and less sincere to your very own Self………….It is your Self that is your very own……………all else comes to you only because you have left your Self and walked

toward them………….Return to your Self …………Be sincere to it alone………….Be steadfast and devoted to its guidance…………Give your every breath…….every moment to knowing who you are…………………..You are too busy in fearing your weaknesses……………Instead study your Self………..The more you study your truth the more you shall be able to observe the weakness…………The more you observe the weakness the more distant they shall become………….The further away they shall become, no more you shall call them your own…………and at that moment your agony shall end………….from then on there will be nothing to bear………..”

What you fear most is not the changes that surround you…………..but it is how much you change and stray from your own Self.

Weaknesses are like an addiction………..One holds on to them…..for one fears to make………..the immediate change.

The weak ones first cry to be saved……………and when you try to save them they cry to be left alone.

Know that you are stronger than you think………….and then think that you are stronger than you can ever know!

Love – The true source of Peace

Tags

experience, Life, peace, quotes, sathya sai, spiritual

I recently had a wonderful lesson taught to me by the Lord Himself. I have been at my grandparents place with lot of relatives and folk staying together. Being the only person to be able to drive the car, I was being constantly, pushed around to go to places for buying stuff. Also at times going up and down the house to get something or when called for some work. After doing this for the last three days, yesterday, I wanted to spend time in the morning by myself and hid myself in one of the rooms and was relaxing. My dad, who has been also with us, insisted on visiting a temple. Since he is not allowed to drive, and knowing my state of mind, he made plans to go by himself. Upon knowing of his plans, my grandmother, called me aside and asked me to take him, since, he was unwell and it better if someone accompanied him. Reluctantly and with a little anguish, I got ready, pulled the car out of the driveway and headed out. Incidentally, this time of the year, due to a certain astrological conditions, the temples in India are closed earlier than usual, so I made haste to reach the temple my dad wanted to visit. It is a Lord Venkateshwara temple, maintained in the most traditional ways. As soon as we reached there, we saw the doors being closed. My dad hurried out of the car shouting, forgetting even to close the car door, asking the gatekeeper to hold on and pushed the door open and went in. His aunt followed him to make sure he was well. As they went in, stretched out and closed the other door and I headed toward the parking space to park the car. I saw a group of toddlers entering the temple, so I ran toward the gate. Just as I reached there, the keeper bolted the gate and after much effort and hitting he opened the door and said “Apologies sir! You cannot enter now the temple is closed.” I requested him telling my dad was inside. But he would not budge. Reluctantly I walked back toward the car and sat in silence just absorbing the day’s events thus far. The inner voice spoke asking me, “You did not even want to go, then why are you unhappy at your current situation?”

The truth is that I am still coming to terms with my dad’s certain untimely, at times stubborn and sometimes  idiosyncratic desires. Having said that, his desires are more often than not very simple and almost child-like and so is his strong will to have them. The scriptures spell out,

Matrudevobhava = respect your mother because she is verily God
Pitrudevobhava = respect your father because he is verily God
Aacharyadevobhava = respect your teacher because he/she is verily God
Atithidevobhava =  respect the guest because he/she is  verily God.

That day the Lord Himself, showed that my defiance toward my dad was infact a defiance against Him. When my desire to fulfill bodily comforts were rendered fruitless, the anger that appeared made the mind unreceptive. As this wisdom dawned on me, through the Grace of this experience, I noticed how the desires play in the field of the mind. When needed, they create a fiery passion, causing extreme aggression with the mind jostling to receive the (temporary) satisfaction of their completion. When left unfulfilled they revert back as either anger or disappointment (or depression). The sudden and unexpected shutout by the Lord opened the mind to the intellect to understand this play. I feel indeed blessed that I was able to listen to the Lord for those few seconds and now able to share with everyone. SAIRAM!

The Grace of the Almighty!

Tags

Hindu, quotes, sathya sai, spiritual

Hindu philosophy defines the concept of Karma. Which is one of the most important basis of cycle of life on the earth. Part of it is, that it is believed in that one has to suffer or enjoy the results of one’s actions in the current or future births. Here Baba, unequivocally states that by being in the Grace of the Lord, this cycle of Karma is rendered asunder. Have a blessed holiday season! SAIRAM.

My Flickr Photostream

avemuri’s photostream on Flickr.

Just wanted to share some pics which have been lying around on flickr.

Strike I Out – The message of Christ

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christianity, christmas, quotes, sathya sai, spiritual

Perhaps the greatest living symbol in religion so clear and concise is the message from Christ, when He picked up the cross to carry the sins of man on his shoulders. The sin is not the possession, the passion, for they are the side-effects of a greater disease. Christ carried on His back the EGO – the ‘I’ consciousness of man. He carried the burden of man EGO on His shoulders. The birth of Christ is a message to world to drop the ‘I’ consciousness and merge into the universal Divine consciousness. Service is a greatest tool at the disposal of a seeker, to abandon this ‘I’ consciousness and feel oneness with the Divine consciousness. Christ propounded the beauty and power of service all through His life. Let us share the spirit of Service and universal Divinity this Christmas.

source: Bhagavaan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The power of Pranava – AUM

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Life, quotes, sathya sai, spiritual

Old TOI Cartoons

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cartoons, india, news, satire

I was sifting through my sister’s old files and found these TOI cartoons…

Depicting the nature of politics in India and the boot licking that other officials do the politicians

One the ever increasing fuel prices. A parody of middle class man's apathy for the situation

Constant adjournment of Parliament in New Delhi. This is as prevalent a decade ago as it is now. The cartoon shows a humorous suggestion of locking them up to let them resolve their differences.

The scorching summers of India

Another satire at increasing fuel prices

On the jam packed stands for the ODI cricket match between india and pakistan.

Eve teasing a nuisance in cities

On perennial water shortages in the country

Black money in India

Haha..

The state of roads in India during monsoons and on spitting after Gutka chewing. Gutka safely takes No. 1 for worst inventions of mankind.

A satire on lack of civic sense among Indians. Can see people pissing on the road side.

Haha, Just come to mumbai, you will see what it means.

A Tall Feat..

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heels, pics, shoes

A doctor friend of mine shared this picture on his facebook profile. I am curious why women are so obsessed with height, that they are ready to torture their feet so much. imagine standing or even walking on your heels. Well, I am not against fashion and I do want my woman to be beautiful. But I hope she does not have to put herself through the agony that I feel when looking at this picture for the sake of that beauty.

The Yoga of Desireless Action

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bhagavad gita, quotes, sathya sai, spiritual

In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, in the world where one cannot live without activity, you must act as  ”Work alone is thy concern, not its fruit threre of“. This is the most powerful message of the Bhagavad Gita especially in the present day world scenario where it is impossible for spiritual seekers to disappear in the forests or the mountains and spend their time in solitude in seeking the higher purposes of life. In fact, Baba mentions that, such reclusive living does not teach us much, since only while living in the desires of the world can one grow out of it unattached as a lotus flower remain unaffected in beauty by the surrounding muddy water.

Baba explains below why Nishkaama Karma or Desireless action is important.

The Niradhaar of Adhaar – India’s Unique ID Program

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adhaar, india, news, uid, uidai

For the last month i have been trying to find the location of the office that can register me for the Unique ID card system that Indian government released in the last year. The first impressions I had about it have been of pride. I am happy that after 65 years of independence there will be a more structured identification document within the system.

For those who don’t know what it is all about: The Government of India established an agency called, The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), that is responsible for implementing the AADHAAR scheme. AADHAAR is a unique identification project. It was established in February 2009, and will own and operate the Unique Identification Number database. The authority aims to provide a unique id number to all Indians, but not smart cards. The authority will maintain a database of residents containing biometric and other data. The biometric data includes electronically recorded fingerprints and iris scans (scan of the eye ball using a camera), which have internationally been accepted as unique identifiers for individuals.

The scheme has enormous benefits especially in centralizing the infrastructure and policy implementations within the country. If implemented properly it can provide a great support for internal security in the country. Check out the wiki page for more information on it.

But I must say, the recent reports and experiences of people who have undergone the procedure have marred its positives. Last couple of days I have been reading up on opinions and news articles related to the UID system. It has as usual been surrounded by a corruption and confusion. There have been reports of

• False registration centers
• False verification of documents
• No standards for the data collection
• Indefinite delays in processing
• Support systems lacking proper information about the various centers and procedures
• Outdated websites.
• The lack of set standards, with each state following its own rules and procedures
• The people initially involved in the program leaving for more lucrative opportunities, having garnered the UIDAI experience stamp on their profiles.

Those who left had come with a purpose. They pumped up their resumes with the UIDAI experience of working on a complex data management system, and then left when an opportunity came their way. We have recruited others,” the government official said. “They discovered they couldn’t have everything their way and there was a system in place they had to follow, and they left.

• The flawed nature of the system, using volunteers as the main tool for information gathering.
• Loss of support within the government ranks for the project.
• Divided views between ruling and opposition parties about the project. With opposition controlled states facing stagnation on the rolling out of the project.
• Confusion within the implementation teams

One official said travel bills started mounting. The UIDAI, which apparently hadn’t made it clear that only Air India flights’ fares would be reimbursed, refused to pay outstanding fares on other airlines.

• Flawed model

“The model was flawed as nobody will work for too long without being paid,” a UIDAI official said. “Goodwill and the temptation of having UIDAI on their resumes brought in a lot of private sector people but they didn’t understand the system. They saw it as a means to enter the government laterally.”

• The greatest threat in this chaos is the leak of sensitive information pertaining innocent citizens to radical factions of the society.
• And finally, no one knows why this card is useful, especially when it is not accepted anywhere.

My own experience has been honestly neutral. I was able to secure the UIDAI office phone number after a litter search on google, found the website and address in my city. Finally, when I reached there I was told by locals that it has now been closed and everything is moved to the headquarters in another location. They mentioned further that I should go there very early in the morning (before 7 or 8 am) collect a token and return back based on the time slot allocated to me when I collected the token. This is preposterous!! How can a working person be expected to take a day off just for making a UID card?

Although I am hopeful, for it is a move to a modern era from an outdated system. But the lack of proper governance and management skills of  the government officials is finally showing up here as well. It is but with a heavy heart I am finally abandoning the quest to secure this ID. Until it reaches a state of better flow or it becomes mandatory (as many things unofficially become in India), I am deferring any more work on it. I would also not recommend anyone going for it, as I feel that this system or atleast the management team has not shown adequately the grasp on this humongous project. Unless they get their heads around this it will soon completely spiral out of control.

source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Term-over–experience-gained–bulk-of-private-sector-team-quits-Aadhar/881625/