Atmashatkam

Mano Buddhi-ahankaara Chithaani Naaham Na Cha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghraana Netre Na Cha Vyoma Bhoomir Na Tejo Na Vaayuhu Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham Na Cha Praana Samjno Na Vai Pancha Vaayuhu Na Va Sapta Dhaatur Na Va Pancha Koshah Na Vaak Paani Paadau Na Chopastha Paayuh Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham Na Me Dvesha Raagau Na Me Lobha Mohau Mado Naiva Me Naiva Maatsarya Bhaavah Na Dharmo Na Chaartho Na Kaamo Na Mokshah Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham Na Punyam Na Paapam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhoktaa Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham Na Me Mrityu Shankaa Na Me Jaati Bhedah Pita Naiva Me Naiva Maataa Na Janma Na Bandhur Na Mitram Gurur Naiva Shishyah Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham Aham Nirvikalpo Niraakaara Roopaha Vibhur Vyaapya Sarvatra Sarvendriyaanaam Sadaa Me Samatvam Na Muktir Na Bandhah Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham

I am not the mind, intellect, ego, or memory. (the 4 aspects of Antah Karanaas) Nor am I the ears, tongue, nose, eyes (and skin) (the 5 organs of perception) I am not the space, earth, fire, air (and water)- (the 5 great elements) I am pure Knowledge and Bliss. I am the self spiritual joy of pure Consciousness Shiva, Shivoham, Shivoham. I am not the Praana, I am not the 5 vital airs. I am not indeed the 7 materials, Surely not the 5 sheaths, Not the organ of speech, nor hand, nor leg, And not the genital organ, nor the anus. I am of the nature of pure Knowledge and Bliss. I am Shiva, the most Auspicious, I am Shiva. I have neither hatred nor liking, I have neither greed nor delusion, I have indeed neither pride nor jealousy, I have no duty (to perform), nor any wealth (to acquire), I have no craving (for pleasure), I am not being bound (for liberation), I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness and Bliss, I am all Auspiciousness, I am Shiva. I have neither virtue nor vice, nor pleasure, nor pain, nor the sacred chant of mantras nor pilgrimage, nor the scriptures, nor the sacrificial rituals, I am neither the act of enjoying, nor the enjoyable object, nor the enjoyer, I am pure Knowledge and Bliss, I am shiva, the Auspiciousness itself. I have no fear of death, nor have I any distinction of Caste, I have neither father, nor mother, nor even birth, nor relation, nor friend, no teacher, no disciple, I am pure Knowledge and Bliss, I am all Auspiciousness, I am Shiva. I am devoid of dualities, and I am formless, I exist everywhere, pervading all the senses, always I am the same, I have neither freedom nor bondage, I am pure Knowledge and Bliss, I am Auspiciousness, I am Shiva.

This is my favourite, love to sing it and feel its best sung by Chitra Roy (Art of Living fame)

Aisee Vani Boliye

Aisee Vani Boliye,
Mun Ka Aapa Khoye
Apna Tan Sheetal Kare,
Auran Ko Sukh Hoye

Translation
Speak such words, sans ego's ploy
Body remains composed, giving the listener joy

Understanding
This doha is a gem. It deals with human psychology, metaphysics and a basic tenet of the Indian philosophy. The ancients of the Vedic literature have laid tremendous emphasis on speech. They have mentioned in innumerable shlokas that our speech has a direct connection with our bodily humors. They proclaimed that sound and sight are the underlying source of all vibrations. This has been scientifically proven over and over again.
We know that all sounds create vibrations. And these vibrations affect both the speaker and the listener. Soothing, compassionate and loving words breed togetherness, while harsh speech breeds hatred. And, we also know that human speech is one of the main ingredient that differentiates mankind from the rest of the animal kingdom.
Thus, Kabir, in this doha crystallizes the power of the spoken word. He teaches us to speak in such a manner that keeps us harmonious and composed thereby making the listener feel a sense of joy in the communication.
Experiment yourself and rediscover the power of the spoken word.
– Rajender Krishan


For more Kabir Dohas, check the link below:

http://www.boloji.com/kabir/dohas/

हर एक बात पे कहते हो

हर एक बात पे कहते हो तुम कि तू क्या है?
तुम ही कहो कि ये अंदाज़-ए-ग़ुफ़्तगू क्या है?
रगों में दौड़ते फिरने के हम नहीं क़ायल
जब आँख ही से न टपका तो फिर लहू क्या है?
चिपक रहा है बदन पर लहू से पैराहन
हमारी जेब को अब हाजत-ए-रफ़ू क्या है?
जला है जिस्म जहाँ दिल भी जल गया होगा,
कुरेदते हो जो अब राख जुस्तजू क्या है?
रही ना ताक़त-ए-गुफ़्तार और हो भी
तो किस उम्मीद पे कहिए कि आरज़ू क्या है?
–
ग़ुफ़्तगू = Conversation
अंदाज़-ए-ग़ुफ़्तगू = Style of Conversation
पैराहन = Shirt, Robe, Clothe
हाजत-ए-रफ़ू = Need of mending (हाजत = Need)
गुफ़्तार = Conversation
ताक़त-ए-गुफ़्तार = Strength for Conversation

Ranjish hi Sahi (Another dose of Ghazal)

ranjish hii sahii dil hii dukhaane ke liye aa
aa phir se mujhe chho.D ke jaane ke liye aa

pahale se maraasim na sahii phir bhii kabhii to
rasm-o-rahe duniyaa hii niibhaane ke liye aa

kis kis ko bataaye.nge judaa_ii kaa sabab ham
tuu mujh se Khafaa hai to zamaane ke liye aa

kuchh to mere pindaar-e-muhabbat ka bharam rakh
tuu bhii to kabhii mujh ko manaane ke liye aa

ek umr se huu.N lazzat-e-giriyaa se bhii maharuum
ai raahat-e-jaa.N mujh ko rulaane ke liye aa

ab tak dil-e-Khush_faham ko tujh se hai.n ummiide.n ye aa
Khirii shamme.n bhii bujhaane ke liye aa

maanaa ki muhabbat kaa chhipaanaa hai muhabbat
chupake se kisii roz jataane ke liye aa

jaise tujhe aate hai.n na aane ke bahaane
aise hii kisii roz na jaane ke liye aa

Remembering Mr. Prabhu

Refer my earlier post "First Visit to the Old Age Home" http://satyakadarshan.blogspot.com/2006/05/first-visit-to-old-age-home.html

Post this visit we had formed a team of 5: Deepak, Sridhar (husband), Siddharth, Saumar & I. We had a first party at the old age home and all of us enjoyed. Siddharth took some pics too (I havent seen it as yet). Later we took some of the people at the old age home to the ISCKON temple. So there seemed to be some progress in our activities.

I got busy in a new job, travels (personal/official), moving to new office. Others in the group also got busy. Deepak and Siddharth also got a new job. Saumar was busy with his GMAT studies and well Sridhar also was traveling to US, Delhi and London for different work assignments. Our visits the old Age home stopped all together.

When I got back from Sydney I wanted to drop by at the Old Age Home. Last Sunday I took Nidhi along and dropped by their office. From a distance I kept looking at the window near which Mr Prabhu (Manager) sat and saw the empty chair. Thought it was a Sunday so he wouldnt be around as he is on leave on Sundays. I spoke to a person who is the Trustee. I told him about my reasons why I couldnt come. He told it was fine. I asked him about Mr Prabhu. I told maybe he hasnt come as its a Sunday. He told he wont be coming any more. I thought probably he left his job and then he told me that Mr Prabhu died 3 months back due to an heart attack. It was a real shock to me. Well I dont remember the Trustee's name as he didnt interact with me much earlier and wasnt too welcoming during our earlier visits. But he suddenly was softer and nice to me. He told that its all fate. I agreed saying its going to happen to all of us. Then I told him if it was ok if I could meet the people at the old age home. He told that they would be sleeping now post lunch and it wouldnt be wise to disturb then. I told what about the future he told me there is a new manager who has come and I can meet him and work out the details.

I will truly miss Mr. Prabhu and remember him for all the interactions we had. Now I need to get back to action and serve the people in the Ashram. Its better late than never!

Purpose of Life

Sometimes I wonder why we humans were created. There is Birth & Death and it keeps suprising or shocking us as new even though this is the natural way. There is so much happiness during birth, we are so awed by the creation. We forget that we ourselves are an outcome of the creation process :-)
And Death always shocks us, like it never happened before.

When I see my life and people around me, I sometimes feel the purpose of life is to just forget ourselves, our identity and live our lives for a bigger purpose beyond us. God provides us with situations every day, every moment so that we can achieve this but we cant see it, we have our small victories to achieve.

Happy situations excite us and sad situations depress us. Is it wrong to be human and react so? Certainly not but an awareness of our behaviour helps us closer to our purpose!! :-)

Visit to the Butterfly park!

Sunday was not a smart idea to goto the Banerghatta National park which is 30 mins drive from our home but for Nidhi we decided to do so. The drive was smooth and we reached there quickly but when we entered the place it was crowed like the whole nation was there. The first thought was to get away from there :-) The line to get the entry tickets to Zoo was never ending, it would take more than an hour. So we decided to just park the car and hang around outside near the food stalls and go back. We saw an Elephant ride happening near the Parking area but we decided against that because of the crowd.

Sridhar had a roasted bhutta (corn) and I had some raw mangoes with the masala salt..ooh..it was fun! :-) Nidhi had little of the raw mango even though it was sour. I went in search of boiled corn and finally got it....Nidhi liked this compared to the roasted one..! I also had some bhelpuri which I shared with a beggar girl.

So now with the 'pet pooja' done we decided to head back home ;-) As we were nearing the car at the parking area we saw directions to a 'Butterfly Park'. We were quite excited about it and took entry tickets. There was not much of crowd here as it opened a week back and not many knew about it.

It was a beautiful place with all kind of butterflies in a huge enclosed garden. Also there was an exhibition area with posters, information and a video session. I remember one quote from the video session:
"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne"

Appreciation of Cooking

I got back from Sydney and was enjoying food cooked by our Cook. It was lunch time and we need to re-heat the food. When was done Sridhar and I sat to enjoy the food. Sridhar was upset that the 'Dal' was not heated properly. I got even more upset and commented "I took some effort to microwave all the food and you cant appreciate it"
We broke into a laugh after that because this reminded us of my earlier comments years back when I used to take the trouble of cooking :-)

THE TAME BIRD WAS IN A CAGE

THE TAME BIRD WAS IN A CAGE
by: Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

THE tame bird was in a cage, the free bird was in the forest.
They met when the time came, it was a decree of fate.
The free bird cries, "O my love, let us fly to the wood."
The cage bird whispers, "Come hither, let us both live in the cage."
Says the free bird, "Among bars, where is there room to spread one's wings?"
"Alas," cries the caged bird, "I should not know where to sit perched in the sky."

The free bird cries, "My darling, sing the songs of the woodlands."
The cage bird sings, "Sit by my side, I'll teach you the speech of the learned."
The forest bird cries, "No, ah no! songs can never be taught."
The cage bird says, "Alas for me, I know not the songs of the woodlands."

There love is intense with longing, but they never can fly wing to wing.
Through the bars of the cage they look, and vain is their wish to know each other.
They flutter their wings in yearning, and sing, "Come closer, my love!"
The free bird cries, "It cannot be, I fear the closed doors of the cage."
The cage bird whispers, "Alas, my wings are powerless and dead."

Lyrics of Chal Chale

chal chale apane ghar ai mere hamsafar
band darwaze kar sabse ho bekhabar
pyar dono kare raat bhar tootkar
chal chale apane ghar hamsafar - 2
na jahaan bheed ho na jahaan bhar ke log
na shehar mein base laakhon logon ka shor
chand lamhen tu inse mujhe durr kar
chal chale apane ghar hamsafar - 2
duriyaan dene ka jo bhi hai darmiyaan
aaj kuchh aise mil ek ho jaaye jaan
bhar mujhe baahon mein le duba chaah mein
pyar kar tu bepanaha khatam raaton ke ho silsilay
yun laga le mujhe aaj apane gale
durr har bandishen aaj mujhmein utar
chal chale apane ghar hamsafar - 2

Joy & Sorrow

Joy and Sorrow Then a woman said, 'Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.'
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, 'Joy is greater than sorrow,' and others say, 'Nay, sorrow is the greater.'
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.
Kahlil Gibran

THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH

The following an excerpt from THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH By Mahatma Gandhi, PART 2-CHAPTER VIII


...The train reached Maritzburg, the capital of Natal, at about 9 p.m. Beddings used to be provided at this station. A railway servant came and asked me if I wanted one. "No," said I, "I have one with me." He went away. But a passenger came next, and looked me up and down. He saw that I was a "coloured" man. This disturbed him.

Out he went and came in again with one or two officials. They all kept quiet, when another official came to me and said, "Come along, you must go to the van compartment." "But I have a first-class ticket," said I.

"That doesn"t matter," rejoined the other. "I tell you, you must go to the van compartment." "I tell you, I was permitted to travel in this compartment at Durban, and I insist on going on in it." "No, you won"t," said the official. "You must leave this compa rtment, or else I shall have to call a police constable to push you out." "Yes, you may. I refuse to get out voluntarily." The constable came. He took me by the hand and pushed me out. My luggage was also taken out. I refused to go to the other compartment and the train steamed away. I went and sat in the waiting room, keeping my hand-bag with me, and leaving the other luggage where it was. The railway authorities had taken charge of it.

It was winter, and winter in the higher regions of South Africa is severely cold. Maritzburg being at a high altitude, the cold was extremely bitter. My over-coat was in my luggage, but I did not dare to ask for it lest I should be insulted again, so I sat and shivered. There was no light in the room. A passenger came in at about midnight and possibly wanted to talk to me. But I was in no mood to talk.

I began to think of my duty. Should I fight for my rights or go back to India, or should I go on to Pretoria without minding the insults, and return to India after finishing the case ? It would be cowardice to run back to India without fulfilling my obligation. The hardship to which I was subjected was superficial-only a symptom of the deep disease of colour prejudice. I should try, if possible, to root out the disease and suffer hardships in the process. Redress for wrongs I should seek only to the extent that would be necessary for the removal of the colour prejudice.

So I decided to take the next available train to Pretoria...

To read more go to this link:
http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/Biography/gandhi/

Reason and Passion

And the priestess spoke again and said: 'Speak to us of Reason and Passion.'

And he answered saying:

Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against passion and your appetite.

Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.

But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.

If either your sails or our rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.

For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.

Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion; that it may sing;

And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you would two loved guests in your house.

Surely you would not honour one guest above the other; for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both.

Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows - then let your heart say in silence, 'God rests in reason.'

And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky, - then let your heart say in awe, 'God moves in passion.'

And since you are a breath In God's sphere, and a leaf in God's forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.

Kahlil Gibran

What is Love?

"Love is like the sunshine; no matter how tightly you shut down your heart, the sunlight will find a way to shine into it. Love’s process is unstoppable. "

-Nurmuhemmet Yasin

Read this article, interesting one:

http://www.rfa.org/english/uyghur/2006/05/23/uyghur_yasin/

Meditation, or When Time Stands Still

"THE SPEAKING TREE: Meditation, or When Time Stands Still

Meditation is the opposite of doing. It is non-doing. We spend most of our lives in doing, striving, planning, and reacting. We tend to have little awareness of the constant and relentless activity of our own mind and how much we are driven by it. That's no surprise as we hardly ever stop and observe the mind directly to see what it is up to. It takes a while for us to start looking at our mind; to get comfortable with the richness of allowing ourselves to just be with our own mind. It's a little like meeting an old friend in years. There may be some awkwardness at first. It may take some time to re-establish the bond. "

Read complete article on:

http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/968134.cms

Aaj Jaane Ki Zid

Aaj Jaane Ki Zid
By Faiyyaz Hashmi
Translated by Ayesha Kaljuvee

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo Tonight,
[don’t insist on leaving]

Yunhi pehlu mein bethey raho
[Sit here close to me]

Haaye mar jaayein ge
[I will die]

Hum to lutt jaayein ge
[I will be lost]

Aisi baatein kiya na karo
[Don't say such things]

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
[Tonight, don’t insist on leaving]

Tumhi socho zara
[Just ponder for a second]

kyu'n na rokein tumhey
[Why shouldn't I stop you?]

jaan jaati hai jab uth ke jaatey ho tum
[When my life leaves every time you go]

tum ko apni qasam jaan-e-jaa'n
[I swear to you, my love]

baat itni meri maan lo
[Listen to my one request]

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
[Tonight, don’t insist on leaving]

Waqt ki qaed mein zindagi hai magar
[Life is trapped in time's prison but]

chand gharriya'n yahi hain jo aazaad hain
[These are the few moments that are free]

inko khho kar kaheen jaan-e-jaa\'n
[By losing them, my love]

umr bhar na tarastey raho
[Don't start a life of regret]

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
[Tonight, don’t insist on leaving]

Kitna masoom aur rangeen hai yeh sama
[How innocent and colorful is the weather]

husn aur ishq ki aaj me\'raj hai
[It is the reign of beauty and love]

kal ki kis ko khabar jaan-e-jaa\'n
[Who knows what tomorrow will bring]

rok lo aaj ki raat ko
[Let's stop this night right here]

Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
[Tonight, don’t insist on leaving]

Good ghazals site

Liked this site on Ghaazal:

http://ghazallyrics.wordpress.com/

Love

Love only yourself, and you are alone.

Love only one other, and the two of you are alone.

Love only your family, and your family is alone.

Love only your nation, and your nation is alone.

There can be no communion, not even with yourself, except through love of God

Nothing is permanent

Refer to my earlier post"", there is a mention on similar lines on the uncertainities of life, I have something more from my fav site "Paul's Tips"

Check this exctract:

"Deep inside us all is a deep need to feel certainty about the world and our place in it. We like to think there are some things we can really rely on. Without certainty, life seems desperate and frightening.

In fact, it’s often when what we thought was true turns out to be wrong that we become most angry and depressed.

A man who finds his wife has been unfaithful, when previously he believed he had a wonderful marriage, finds the betrayal unbearable. Not only because he's lost something precious, but also because things were not as they seemed. A businessperson who thought they were indispensable to the company can be furious when they find themselves made redundant. A professor whose pet theory is shown false by new discoveries can feel as if she is threatened from all sides.

Having our certainties shattered can be a devastating blow.

But what really is certain in this life? The honest answer is – absolutely nothing."

For the entire article, check this link:

http://www.paulstips.com/brainbox/pt/home.nsf/link/26052006-Nothing-is-certain