Yard [009] : Misconceptions Galore

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

In our foregoing heart-to-hearts, we have discussed the story of an elephant where

“Six blind men feel an elephant

They quarrel and describe it different

It takes a man with normal sight

To swear that each one of them is right”

When it comes to Yoga, the story is no different. People have their own perception that may either be limited or – in the worst case – incorrect! Everyone thinks that he or she is right from his or her point of view. That may indeed be so in the world of Relative Reality. However, we cannot leave it at that. In order to resolve the conflicts among these differing points of view and garner full benefits from this logical (yet magical) science, we need to look at it objectively and, indeed, absolutely. (Remember the three levels of Reality we talked about earlier?)

We need to understand the whole elephant to know which of its parts is being described at a point in time. We need to see the entire jig-saw puzzle - properly constructed - to know which piece fits where and the pieces that do not belong!

To understand what Yoga is, it is imperative to understand what it is not. Because, we cannot fully comprehend ‘addition’ unless we understand ‘subtraction’ as well. We cannot judge a coin by looking at just one of its sides. Even in our profession, while defining the scope of a proposed project, do we not explicitly write down not only the inclusions but also the exclusions?

So here are some ‘popular beliefs’ (alas, myths) about Yoga:

·         Yoga is all about Pretzel Positions, Breathing and Meditation. Unless we can tie ourselves into knots (literally) or ‘bend it like an acrobat’ or hold our breath and meditate for hours, we cannot progress.
·         If we follow Yoga, it will hamper or even stop material progress. And there is no guarantee that there will be spiritual progress either. So we will end up being neither here, nor there!
·         To become a Yogi, we have to renounce everything including our possessions, responsibilities, family and the worldly pleasures. We have to grow a beard, wear orange robes and head for Himalayas.
·         Main objective of Yoga is to acquire supernatural powers using which we can perform stunts and Black Magic. So unless we are able to perform some ‘miracles’ not achievable by mere mortals, we cannot consider ourselves to have ‘arrived’.
·         Yoga is not for everyone but to be practiced only by a certain religion. Even among them, it is the privilege of only those people who belong to the upper castes. Even among people belonging to the upper castes, Yoga is limited only to the male folks.
·         Yoga may be a good pastime which should be taken up (only if we have nothing better to do) after retirement from active life. It is certainly not worth the trouble for ‘busy’ people like us.
·         Yoga is not flexible. It allows no compromises. It has very stringent practices which are very difficult to implement in our daily routine. Hence even if we wish, it is almost impossible to do Yoga!
·         We should do Yoga part of the time - for two to three times every week and for a few minutes in each session.
·         Yoga’s teachings are outdated and impractical. Modern life has no place for Yoga. It’s simply a waste of time and energy.
·         We must all be strictly vegetarians to be able to do Yoga.
·         Yoga dissociates us from the Real World. It drags us away from Life and its Excitement, Challenges and Enjoyments. It is all about escapism from taking bull by the horns and living life to the fullest! If you happen to walk on the Yoga path, you would miss the bus forever!!
·         Yoga is bunk! If you are healthy, you don’t need it. If you are sick, you shouldn’t do it!
·         Yoga needs Herculean effort! It is to be admired, not done.
·         Hence Yoga is not for “normal” people. It is only either for the superhuman type who can hang in the air and walk on water or for the eccentrics, ascetics, masochists and sadists!

Nothing under the sun can be farther from the truth!

In the next article, we will see the reality hidden under these misconceptions. This will set the right context for us to take the next steps in our journey.

And, as promised, those next steps will throw light on what Yoga truly is. The basic definitions. The fundamental concepts. Various limbs or components of this great science. Different Yoga types. The works!

Thanks for your patience and being with me so far.

Take good care of yourselves…

Yard [008] : Empty the Cup

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

One of the most important pre-requisites for starting off on the Treasure Hunt is to ‘empty our cup’. Sounds Greek? Pray read on…

Long long ago there lived on a high mountain a Zen master whose fame had spread like the fragrance of a fully blossomed flower! There also lived, in one of the villages at the foot of that mountain, a man named Mr. Know-all. He was so called because he thought he knew all that is there to know!

Now, we know that on the pyramid of Human Evolution, there exist four slabs. The bottom-most slab comprises people who do not know that they do not know. Then comes the slab that has people who know that they do not know. Above that is the slab of people who do not know that they know. The top most slab (top of the pyramid) is actually of the people who know that they know!

Our friend, Mr. Know-all, belonged – in spite of his cockiness and like majority of the people – to the bottom-most slab. Naturally, the wise and the elderly around him would urge him to at least pay a visit to the Zen master living at the top of the mountain and take his advice. Although he used to scoff at the mere suggestion, one day - may be out of curiosity - he decided to give it a try.

Wearily he trudged up the mountain and landed at the Zen master’s doorstep. The Zen master welcomed him and ushered him inside his hut.

“Look here, sir,” said Mr. Know-all to the master, “I know people think you are very wise and all that. And they told me you would have something valuable to tell me. However, I feel quite at a loss to comprehend what a sage living on a mountain away from humanity would have to tell to a man-of-the-world like ME. No disrespect, but you know what I mean?”

“I understand perfectly” said the Zen master. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while I get you some tea? It must have been a stiff climb.”

So the Zen master prepared tea while his guest tried to relax but could only wait impatiently. Soon the master came out with a tea cup and the kettle containing steaming tea.

“There” he placed the tea cup on the table in front of Mr. Know-all. Slowly he started pouring tea into the cup and at the same time started talking to him – looking straight into his eyes.

With in no time the cup got filled to the brim and the tea started spilling out. Seemingly oblivious of the fact, the master went on talking and pouring…

“Hello, sir,” cried Mr. Know-all, alarmed, “Stop pouring tea. It’s all spilling out. My cup is already full!”

The Zen master suddenly appeared to come to himself, looked at the cup and shook his head, “You are right my friend. Your cup is already full. Unless you empty your cup, I will not be able to pour any more tea into it!”

Of course, none of us will commit the mistake Mr. Know-all did when we are undertaking the Treasure Hunt. For, we understand that before taking the first baby steps on the Yoga path, it is vitally important that we empty our cup. We wipe our slate clean. We keep a very open mind. We leave behind all our ideas, concepts, assumptions, preconceived notions, experiences, feelings, ‘knowledge’ about Yoga. We know that unless our cup is empty, it will not be possible for the Supreme Knowledge to get into our system, get internalized and guide us during our journey so that we land up with the much coveted Treasure without fail!

We are going to give it our best shot because we are serious about getting what is our birth-right, what we fully deserve. We are serious about fulfilling our potential and about having fun in the process!!

On this premise, let’s get all set now to concentrate on step one - understanding the basic terms, conditions and rules of the game. What does the Yoga jargon really mean, what are the dos, what are the don’ts. What’s mandatory, what’s negotiable. What are the extremes and what’s the ‘middle way’. Once we understand the fundamentals, it will give us the right perspective, the right mindset, the right vision, the right priorities, the right approach to play this game and win. And let’s make ourselves one promise – WIN WE WILL!

Let’s start at the very beginning. Let’s understand what “Yoga” is – and more importantly, what it is not! For, misconceptions around this word – as we shall see next Tuesday - our galore.

But before that, let’s ask ourselves one hard question – “Is my cup empty?”

Wiedersehen…

Yard [007] : The Treasure Hunt

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

We said that our lives are similar to a game of “Treasure Hunt”. ‘Reservoir of Joy’ (or Happiness or Peace or Bliss or Well-being or Whatever-else-you-would-like-to-call-‘It’) is the ‘Treasure’ we are all continuously striving  for.

Let’s now explore how there is a perfect match between this game and Human Evolution not only in terms of the end-goal but also the intermediate steps.

                          

Step 0 – This step consists of the non-starters - people who are non-believers and hence not interested in playing the game. This non-belief can be either about the treasure itself in so far as they would still love to own the treasure but think no-one can ever get there. Or it can be about the steps. They think Life is an accident, a random occurrence of a series of events not necessarily interconnected. They think this game is a wild goose chase! If they have to get the treasure, they would as likely just bump upon it anyway.

Sadly, you can’t spend all your life watching TV munching popcorn and hope you will succeed Barrack Obama as the President of US! Hence it is only a matter of time before they get disillusioned.

This step is therefore known as “Yoga of Disillusionment (Vishaad Yoga)”.

Step 1 – In this step, people are willing to play ball. Either they are believers or skeptics (who want to prove their point by trying and failing) or simply have nothing to lose! So they roll up their sleeves, understand the rules of the game and get all set to give it a go.

They believe that their effort will lead to something. When they have started to play the game, they have accepted (sub)consciously that no progress is possible without some hypothesis – although it may well turn out to be ‘null hypothesis’.

By starting off on the foundation of this faith, these people are actually practising “Yoga of Faith (Bhakti Yoga)”.

Step 2 – This step is full of action. Once you have understood how to play the game, you perform a number of arduous tasks. As a reward for completing activities successfully, you get a “clue”. The clue may not make sense in isolation but you have learned that getting enough clues will enable you to put the jig-saw puzzle together. And what will enable you to get all the clues? Only the Right Action.

There is no short-cut! The rules are unrelenting, the hurdles seemingly insurmountable and the judges tough! You have to hack and plod your way through to get the next clue and the next.Your actions do not always yield intended results but you learn to take results in stride and keep doing what’s right.

In the process, you are following the “Yoga of Action (Karma Yoga)”.

Step 3 – Soon you discover you have enough clues. Just more and more action is not going to lead you any further! You need to now put the jig-saw puzzle together so that a map will emerge clearly indicating the route between the treasure and where you currently stand.

So you take a step back, go over all the pieces of jig-saw puzzle and patiently start constructing the map. Sometimes you need help – you take it and move on. At the end of the exercise, you not only have no doubts about the existence of the treasure but also have charted out an exact way to reach there.

Little do you know that, in executing this step, you have actually followed the “Yoga of Acquiring the Knowledge (Jnana Yoga)”.

Step 4 – All that remains now is for you to actually walk the route charted out in front of you and physically grab the treasure you have worked so hard to reach and so richly deserve. This may look like a deceptively simple step to take but there is always many a slip between the cup and the lip. In reality, this turns out to be the most difficult step in your journey. (Later on we will see why. Actually, all the steps narrated here have increasing level of difficulty.)

This step of ‘physically walking the route’ is also called “Yoga of Internalizing the Knowledge (Raja Yoga)”.

Step 5 – This is a pseudo-step where you have already acquired the treasure and won the game! All that remains now is continuous celebration. There is nothing further to achieve, nowhere else to go, no point to prove. You have become ONE with JOY.

This state is also popularly known as “Enlightenment (Nirvana)” and is also the pinnacle of Human Evolution where you have completed your transformation from a “Homo Sapien” to a “Homo Sapien Sapien (the Perfect Human Being)”!

So – how close are you to grabbing your treasure?? :)

Till next Tuesday…

Yard [006] : Don't Worry, Be Happy

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

Now that we are setting out on this journey together, you will naturally ask, “Where does it lead to? Does it end anywhere at all? Is there light at the end of this tunnel?”

Therefore it is important to establish our destination first. A clear-cut destination will give us direction. It will also motivate us to keep taking a step at a time and reach there – sooner rather than later. For,

“The highest level of motivation

Ensues from the clear realization

Who you are, why and what you should do

And about what in the world is there so much ado”

So what is the common destination that all of us do all our activities day-in-day-out in order to attempt reaching? If you ask a student why he is studying, he might say, “To gain knowledge”. If you ask him why he wishes to gain knowledge, he might say, “To pass the exam in flying colours”. If you further ask him why he wants to do that, he might say, “To acquire qualifications and earn living respectably”. If you drill down with further “why”s, he will eventually come to “To be happy!”

Similarly if you ask an employee why he is doing his best for his company, he might say, “To get increments and promotions”. If you ask him why he wants increments and promotions, he might say, “To become the CEO and earn a lot of money”. If you keep asking “why”, he will eventually say, “To be happy!”

Thus, it is quite evident that people may have different milestones in their journey but have the same common destination which is to “Be Happy”. This rule has no exceptions - including the people who serve others ‘selflessly’…

Abraham Lincoln was once travelling to the court with a fellow lawyer. They were having a conversation about the fundamental motive of all living beings behind every action. Lincoln was of the opinion that everyone does everything to “Be Happy”. His friend argued that there are some selfless souls who perform charitable actions without caring for their own happiness.

Just then they saw a piglet struggling by the roadside to get out of a muddy ditch. Lincoln immediately stopped the buggy, got down, helped the piglet out of the ditch and returned. “Look,” cried his friend, “That was a very selfless act of yours – and it only proves my point!”

“Not at all” said Lincoln, “In fact, it was a very selfish act. If I had not rescued the piglet, it would have bothered me all day long. Hence I had to do it.”

The next question you will ask is, “What about people who commit suicide?” Even such people do not want death, they actually want happiness. They would never want to die if they found a way of being happy!

So, let’s conclude then that all of us live every moment of our life in search of happiness. And how do we want this happiness to be? Transient? Fleeting? Temporary? No way! We want it to be eternal!! Also, do we wish to be just a little bit happy? Somewhat happy? Less happy than someone else? Not at all! We wish to be infinitely happy!! Our happiness must know no bounds...

Thus, it will not be incorrect to say that all of us want to be eternally and infinitely happy. This is indeed the single destination that all of us yearn. Understanding and accepting this fact is taking an important step forward in our journey.

However, this acceptance also gives rise to the next set of logical questions. Which path (or paths) can one take to ‘get home’? Is it indeed ever possible for anyone to be perfectly happy? What role does Yoga play in this?

The Science of Yoga provides unequivocal answers to these questions -

Just like all the raindrops falling from the sky undertake a journey through various routes to eventually merge into the ocean, we also merge into the ocean of happiness. The raindrops may follow different trajectories but the direction is same – towards the ocean. Likewise, people may cross different milestones in reaching the destination but the path is the same – the path of Human Evolution, the Yoga Path!

In fact, ‘Life’ is nothing but a game of ‘Treasure Hunt’. The ‘Treasure’ happens to be the ‘Reservoir of Joy’. The main (in fact, only) objective of this game is to hunt down the treasure. So the game gets over once this objective is achieved - just like a journey concludes after reaching its intended destination. What’s more, various steps in the ‘Treasure Hunt’ map astonishingly closely to the steps in Human Evolution!

How? Let’s take this fascinating analogy further and discover a few secrets next week.

Au revoir…

Yard [005] : I am OK - You are OK

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

Last week we said that majority of our problems will be resolved if we just listened to the ‘Voice Within’. However, this may not solve ALL our problems.

This is because there exist various orders of reality just like there exist multiple layers in an onion. Conflict may arise because people stick to ‘their’ truth rather than the ‘whole’ truth…

In ancient times, there existed a village that had not seen much of the outside world. One day, an elephant entered the village from a nearby jungle. The villagers had never seen an elephant before so it became the talk of the town (or village!). People streamed in to see it, feel it (fortunately it was a very gentle soul and did not mind) and talk excitedly about it.

The village also had a group of six friends. Unfortunately all of them were blind. Not to be left behind, they also decided they would pay this elephant a visit and ‘see’ it for themselves. When they got the opportunity, they went near it and started touching it. One friend caught him by the tail, the other put his arms around one of its legs, yet another started feeling its belly and so on. Excited, they started describing the elephant in animated voices.

The person clutching the elephant’s tail said it resembled a thick rope. “Wait”, cried the person feeling its leg, “It is actually like the trunk of a tree”.  “Are you crazy?” shouted the third, “I can bet my life it is exactly like a sack full of rice!” Soon, a commotion started.

Just then, a man with normal eyesight happened to pass by. He immediately figured out what was going on and set the quarrel to rest by describing the true appearance of the elephant. :)

So what do you do? You peel the onion to get to its core and when the last layer is peeled off, all that remains is only the space that contained the onion!

Similarly, there are three orders of reality – subjective, objective and absolute. As we evolve, from being subjective, we learn to become more objective. The evolution completes when from being objective, we start experiencing and operating within the Absolute Reality. That’s when we discover that everyone is right and there are no conflicts. Like the man with normal eyesight found out. Or indeed the wise Mulla Nasiruddin acknowledged…

Mulla Nasiruddin’s mother and wife were very assertive personalities. Moreover, due to the generation gap and the nature of their relationship, they did not quite see eye-to-eye. Both of them would then badger poor Mulla about how the other one was always wrong.

One fine day, when he was discussing some religious matter with a contemporary Scholar in his living room, the two emerged from the kitchen!

Mulla’s mother seized the opportunity first and strongly expressed her views about the matter under discussion. Then she demanded to know from him whether hers was indeed not the correct opinion.

Mulla thought for a while and agreed, “O Mother, I think you are quite right!”

Then his wife jumped on him and conveyed in no uncertain manner what she thought of her mother-in-law’s views. She then put forward her case and demanded to know whether her approach was not more logical.

Mulla again thought for a while and replied, “Ah, I must confess, what you say makes sense!”

The Scholar, so far a silent witness, could not remain quiet anymore. He pounced upon Mulla, stating agitatedly, “Mulla Nasiruddin! This is completely ridiculous! Both the women are in complete disagreement with each other but you are saying both of them are right. They are expressing diametrically opposite views and therefore both of them cannot be right! Either your mother can be right or your wife can be right. NOT both of them!”

To this, the wise Mulla nodded his head and said solemnly, “My dear friend, in this observation of yours, I must say, you also seem to be perfectly right!”

Thus, while our conscience is worth its weight in gold, it is more like the ‘ore’ that has been freshly mined from a goldmine. It needs to be purified for the gold to come to its 24-carat glittering best! Likewise, our conscience also has to be cleansed of the impurity called ‘ego’ or ‘ignorance’ for it to experience and operate within the Absolute Frame of Reference!

That is what will surely put ALL our problems to rest once and for all!

And “correcting the conscience” is what Yoga is all about!

This is indeed the destination of the Yoga path and is guaranteed to deliver to us co-travelers eternal and infinite happiness when we reach there!

Let’s take one more baby step in that direction next Tuesday.

Ciao

…

Yard [004] : Feed Your Good Dog

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

                                                                                     

“Feed the Good Dog”?? “Hey” you will say, “But I don’t even have a pet!” And this, let me admit, would not be an abnormal or unnatural reaction.

But patience, my friends, pray read on…

Do you know that each one of us, without exception, is the master of two pet dogs? Do you also know that it is not any external stimuli, but these dogs alone, that give us all the happiness and misery that we experience in our lives? Sounds puzzling? It may sound like a riddle but it is true!

Of the two, one is called the “Good Dog” and the other “Bad Dog”. They are extremely loyal and give us company throughout our lives. The “Good Dog” is so called because it feeds on good thoughts only and the “Bad Dog” feeds only on bad thoughts we think. Because the Good Dog feeds on positive thoughts, he gives us happiness. Likewise, because the Bad Dog feeds on bad thoughts, he gives us misery.

The two dogs are quite quarrelsome and keep fighting with each other all the time. Each one is very keen to hog the master’s attention and in every matter, howsoever petty, one tries to overpower the other and influence his master’s (your) life. Also, the strength they have at any time depends on how much you have fed them. Sometimes, the Good Dog wins and gives you Happiness because you have fed it with positive thoughts much more than you have fed the Bad Dog with negative thoughts. Sometimes, the reverse happens and you experience Grief.

                                                                            

In inference, the more you feed your Good Dog and starve your Bad Dog, the happier you become! The secret of Happy Life is so simple. Yet, we suffer because we are not-so-blissfully unaware of (or only fleetingly notice) the existence of these two dogs, how they engage with us and influence our lives. We even forget that we are the masters – not them - and it is entirely up to us whom we feed and how much!

But now we have become a little more aware as to where we get our Happiness and Sorrow from. Consequently, we also wish to feed our Good Dog as much as possible. Still, we might sometimes get nonplussed in deciding how we accurately identify a benevolent thought from a spiteful one. And just like a Security Guard would need a repertoire of tools to differentiate between the good and bad entrants (as we saw last week), we also do need a powerful tool to separate out bad thoughts and deny them entry into our mind and into our life.

The good news is, each one of us has such a tool available - round the clock! We can use it anywhere, anytime and it almost never fails! We may not have consciously and consistently used it in the past. However, it is never too late to start using it and with use it will automatically get sharpened and become more and more foolproof.

This tool is commonly known as our ‘conscience’. It is also sometimes referred to as our ‘Inner Voice’ or ‘Higher Intelligence’. In the Science of Yoga, it is called ‘Sat-Asat or Saar-Asaar or Nitya-Anitya Vivek Buddhi’. Literally translated, it means, ‘faculty that clearly differentiates between the good and the bad, the permanent and the temporary, the beneficial and the detrimental, the true and the false, the positive and the negative, the reality and the illusion’. When we say we can fool anyone but not ourselves, what it really means is, whatever we make ourselves (and others) believe, in the heart of our hearts, we know the Truth. And it is our conscience that is clearly reflecting this truth in the same fashion as light falling on and reflecting from an object makes that object visible.

But just like a biased Watchman either does not use his tools or tends to overlook what they are showing, we also tend to turn a deaf ear on what our inner voice is telling us. The result? Compromised Security, misery, grief for us and for everyone else within the circle of our influence!

So, will all problems be solved if everyone starts using his or her conscience in choosing thoughts and actions? Will we start experiencing ‘God is in the heaven and everything right with the world’? Not exactly. Remember we said the tool is ‘almost foolproof’. While it is capable of preventing majority of the security breaches (a commendable achievement in itself!), it is no guarantee against all possible, unforeseen disasters. Why is this so? Is there a remedy? Can Yoga be the remedy?

Let’s discuss answers to these questions in our next tѐte-a-tѐte.

Keep smiling… :)

Yard [003] : Look Who's Watching

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

“A thought seeds the tree of action

Bearing fruits of result as the logical reaction

The one who understands this the best

Can indeed reap a rich harvest”

Last Tuesday, we saw how our thoughts shape our destiny and hence the importance of being able to direct our thoughts. Now we will see how we can, with some determination, training and practice, actually do it.

But before we learn the technique, let’s imagine the unimaginable! Let’s visualize a scenario where our TechM offices operate without any Security cover whatsoever! What will happen in such a case?

1.       Far many more people – most of them unwanted - will keep coming in and going out
2.       Some of them may misuse the office space for personal/malevolent purposes
3.       Some of them may intentionally or otherwise damage our property
4.       Some of them may even steal equipment on which our business runs

In short, it will become impossible for us to provide software services to our customers.

So what do we do? Simple! We station Security Guards/Watchmen at all the entrances. We equip them with modern technology. We provide them with tools to do their job effectively. Last but not the least, we ensure that this vigilance is kept round the clock.

Now what will happen? By the mere sight of gun-toting Guards, 90% of the unwanted trespassers will refrain from entering the office premises. For this, the Guards don’t have to do anything but just stand there watching people. Even the 10% of the unwanted crowd, that may still dare to come in, will hardly be able to cause any damage under their watchful eye!

However, the Guards cannot just remain passive. Because baddies are also smart. Once they figure out that the Guards are mere scarecrows, they would immediately go about their anti-social business. Furtively, under the guise of a well-meaning employee or even more blatantly!

Therefore the Guards have to not only be well-equipped and keep the surveillance but also swing into action from time to time and put their tools to good use!

Only then can we hope to run our business smoothly, peacefully and prosperously.

The same applies to the well being of a country or a society. If we were to sum up the total cost of resources being deployed worldwide to ensure this, we will simply lose count of zeroes the figure will contain. And still we all live in a very unsafe world where, God forbid, any atrocity may happen anytime. We may call having guided missiles as ‘progress’ but we still have misguided individuals! With them around, it’s almost like sitting on a volcano not knowing when it will erupt!

Why have things come to such a pass?  We seem to have overlooked the fact that the security model that applies to organizations, countries and societies, applies to each individual also. The property to protect in case of an individual is his or her ‘mind’. Thoughts enter mind like people enter an office. Our five senses are the entrances through which these thoughts primarily enter. Like people, there are good thoughts and bad thoughts. If an individual does not play the role of a Security Guard to keep harmful thoughts at bay, they may simply run amok and destroy the mind. Just like you cannot run a business through a ruined office, you cannot manage your affairs through a mind whose welfare is severely compromised!

So the trick is to ‘play the Guard’, ‘play the Watchman’. Just observing your thoughts would automatically keep 90% of the harmful thoughts away. (Try it for 5 minutes and judge for yourself. The proof of the pudding is in eating it.) To keep the remaining 10% away – frisk, intervene, do not allow entry!

“Thoughts by nature are extremely shy

If you step out and just observe them

They will retreat and hasten to fly

Rather than creating unwanted mayhem”

But what is a good Watchman without the tools to keep rowdies out of sight? Fortunately, all of us have a very powerful - almost foolproof - tool available at our disposal. If it has got dusty and rusty due to lack of use, no worries! We need to just start using it, it will get sharper and better automatically. And will it keep our mind in its original pure, tranquil, blissful state!!

Let’s check this tool out in the next article so that we will be all set to control our thoughts and shape our future!

“The secret of life full of harmony

Is always being in Good Company

What better company to be sought

Than the company of a Noble Thought”

So long…

Yard [002] : Happy Dussera

This mail was sent on the occasion of  Dussera & it outlines very beautifully the importance of this festival.

Dear Friends,


Namaste!


Wish you all a very happy (albeit belated) Dussera


Dussera is  very auspicious for two reasons. Firstly, we are expected to perform “Seema Ullanghan” (Crossing the Boundaries). Secondly, we are also expected to spread wealth and well-being by drawing upon the reservoir of riches all round us.


This was the day when Pandavas completed their tenure in exile and re-claimed their weapons hidden in a “Shami” tree-hole. They went on to fight injustice, recover their kingdom and restore their self-respect and reputation.


This was also the time at which Rama killed Ravana and Durga Maa killed Mahishasur reassuring mankind that Good will always eventually prevail over Evil.

Thus, Dussera inspires us to overcome the so-called constraints, take our achievements beyond the imagined limits and fulfill our true potential. It also inspires us to celebrate and live life to the fullest by engaging in constructive activities. It further inspires us to leave the mediocre, the negative, the petty behind and get into the territory that is glorious, positive and  principal.

How do we do this? Is there a technique that all of us can practise to get there?


In answer to these questions, let’s look at a jewel of a technique from Yoga Shastra. Hopefully, this will also provide the “quick win” that some of you Jet-age citizens may be looking for!


The law of Karma (better known as Newton’s third law) states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Effect will follow Cause and where there is Smoke there has to be Fire. Whilst reaction succeeds every action, there is always a trigger that precedes it. That trigger is ‘thought’. In fact, thoughts are the roots from which the tree of action grows bearing fruits of results! Hence the saying, “As you think, so shall you become”. What we are today is a result of what we thought yesterday and what we will become tomorrow is going to be a result of what we are thinking here and now.

Thus if we can shape our thoughts, we can shape our destiny. If we can control our thoughts, our progress will know no bounds. We can possess and share all the good things in the world if we can focus our thoughts in that direction. We can - if we think we can.


Difficult to believe? Then read on this story of a magical tree…



This is the story of that magical tree

Whatever the wish it would grant for free

The seeker could either be arrogant or humble


All he had to do was stand beneath it in the jungle

Once upon a time a man was passing through

At heart he was a sceptic well and trueSure enough he wanted to stand below the tree

To confirm his non-belief and make others agree

His horse in anticipation he did straddle

Once and for all he wished to resolve the riddle

There in the jungle right in the middle

Stood the tree that he considered merely a fiddle

Looking at the tree and not a little excited

From the horse’s back he nimbly alighted

Standing beneath the tree he got all set to demand

Whatsoever would be his cynical mind’s command
As his mind drowned in a plethora of thought

A bountiful of wealth was the first thing he sought

At that very instant and suddenly from nowhere

Appeared a chest full of goodies he would revere

Eagerly he asked for a perfect looking wife

In search of whom he had toiled all his life

No sooner did the thought pass through his mind

Than did he get a lady no mortal could ever find

This was when his suspecting mind did observe

All the goodies he had done nothing to deserve

He said to himself, “This cannot really exist,

“I will go mad if these hallucinations persist”

The moment he convinced himself about this ‘reality’

All his possessions left him with amazing agility

“Aha!” exclaimed his mind, “Didn’t I tell you?

“About some superstitions I all along knew?”

Wearily he made his way back to his horse

Satisfied that his beliefs at last he could endorse

On the horseback out of the jungle while making way

He knew to all Believers exactly what he would say

So far so good!





Having seen how our thoughts help us to achieve our goals, we will now turn, in the next article, to how we can control our thoughts. How we can be the master and make our mind our slave (rather than the other way round). What simple, yet effective, technique Yoga Shastra prescribes. A technique that is so easy that it can be practised by anyone, anytime, anywhere.



Till then.