Where are you from?

Is one of the most used conversation openers. (after the usual ‘I’m so n so’.) When I’m asked this question I usually answer Bangalore. But when I’m in the mood for some fun (at the other person’s cost) I give an elaborate explanation of my family’s origins. I say something like -

“I’m a half Kannadiga, half Maharastrian. My dad is from Belgaum, mom is from Aurangabad. I was born in Aurangabad, raised in Bangalore. My husband is a Kannadiga Tamilian from Bombay. His family is a Kannadiga family that had settled in Unjuloor, a village in Tamil Nadu. But he was born and brought-up in Bombay.”

This might not be an elaborate explanation, but to a person who expected a mono syllable answer, its a little too much. Sometimes the joke has been on me – the other person has a much longer tale to tell. All in all its great fun.

I changed the template again :)

Sometimes I get bitten by this bug called 'Get a new look for your blog' and I go hunting in internet (or rather google) for new templates, add-ons, widgets, etc. For the templates I recommend Deluxe Templates. The author is a Blogger fan and converts all the Wordpress templates to Blogger. The last 3 templates that I have used are from him.

For the widgets and add-ons - I haven't yet found a single site that is like a one-stop-shop.

For the past few days have been immersed in work. Also have been scouting for a venue for Utsaah and Dhamaka. We have just a little more than 2 months left and venue isn't yet decided.

YES! - My first experience

Just finshed a YES! program in Kaggadasapura. There were very few kids but the speciality of the course was that it was held bang in the middle of exams/tests. None of them missed even a single day, even if it was their most difficult subject's exam the next day.

Arvindh took the course for the first 3 days and later Ashok, Vivek and me took over. It's an entirely different experience sitting on the chair and being Guru ka tota. And when you read the experiences of the youth, you really feel special - special that the Master has chosen you.

Some snaps...

Navratri Again...

Its the time of year when ashram wears an extra festive look. The chants of the mantras, the fragrance of flowers and chandan, the charge in the air...Ah!! all so amazing!!
Its the time of Navratri and following is the Navratri message by Guruji...

There are two attitudes that we have to pay attention to. One is when we go inward, we say everything is Ok. Not a blade of grass moves without Divine intervention. God has kept us like this, so let it be so. Everything is Ok.

This is the attitude when you have to go inward (Nivriti).

When you have to come out and work (Pravritti), then you see perfection in even small details. Wherever you see imperfection, you have to pay attention on how you can correct it. Find out ways to improve on all the things.

So while acting, we see where we can improve and what we can change.
When we retire into meditation and say that everything is perfect, only then we can go in.

Usually when people close their eyes and go inward, they say, ‘This is not ok, that is not ok and find fault with everything’. They can neither meditate, nor be quiet. And in activity, people think that everything is fine the way it is, why do we have to do anything about it? Then, we are at a loss.

So when we are acting, we see what we can do and when we have to retire we say everything is Ok. This attitude will help you go deep in meditation.

I want nothing nothing
I do nothing
I am nothing

These are basic principles of meditation. We have to pay attention to this thing.

So Navratri will start from tomorrow. These nine days are nine days of inner connection to the Divinity.

In these nine days, let us keep all our small, petty things, petty desires, requirements, our small small issues that bother us - all in one side and just say to Divine, 'Let thy will be done. I am yours, let thy will be done'.

With this conviction, when you move forward, doing your practices you will lack nothing. All that you need, will just come to you naturally, spontaneously.

So we move into our sadhana, our practices with a trust that we will be taken care of, we are being taken care of.

Navratri is a time when all those needs- physical, mental and spiritual, are taken care by the Divine. At the same time, help each other, help all those people who need your help. It is nine nights, it is very auspicious and it is uplifting to the spirit.

Yagyas (pujas) are done from thousands of years to bring peace, prosperity, to dissolve all the negative karmas and to uplift the human spirit. It has been practiced from a very long time.

It is best not to engage yourself in all other socializing, talking wordly things with people. Just be with yourself. If at all you speak, only speak some knowledge or bare essential things. It is better not to sit and gossip. But these few days its best to be in Divine knowledge.

Q. Once you said that by doing seva all our problems are solved. I have come here for seva, will my problems be solved?
Sri Sri: Yes, definitely they will be solved. For all our problems to be solved, two things are needed: one, is our effort (purushartha) and the other is Grace (krupa). God is within us. We are the embodiment of absolute consciousness (chaitanya swaroop). There is nothing separate from us. It is within us, in our form. What we do outwardly, to do pooja, is to create an atmosphere. But the purpose of all this is to be bring the vision inwards to the self.

Q. Could you please explain why we pray to Shiva, even though Shiva is called the destructor?
Sri Sri: Shiva is not just the destructor; Shiva means the transformer, the consciousness which is advaita, which is non-dual, the one consciousness, Mahadeva. The Shiva pooja- Rudrapooja is the most ancient yagya which unites all the five elements, through chanting and using the five elements. This ceremony is done to uplift the human consciousness.

Q. What is the goal of our life?
Sri Sri: This is a question you should ponder on. What is it that you want? It is a very important question. Ponder on the answer - what is it that I need? Then all that is important in your life will stand and the unimportant will fall. Then what you think is important, within that (category) you prioritize again and again and again. And when you ponder on that and when nothing remains then you are the goal. Till then its good to keep doing this.

Q. I don’t know how to pray, I understand meditation but I don’t understand prayer. How does one pray?
Sri Sri: Meditation is the finest form of prayer. Prayer is ‘Oh God give me this, give me that’ or ‘Oh, I am so thankful to you because you gave me that or this’.
But meditation is just reposing and that is the best form of prayer. Prayer happens when you are utterly helpless or when you are very grateful. There are two situations in your life. Either you are so helpless, when you have no other way. Like if you are very thirsty and you need water, you say please give me some water. Please help.

Asking for help is one form of prayer.
Thanking is another form of prayer.
And the third is just reposing, being quiet.

The third is the most supreme type of prayer.

You can be grateful for all that you have had, that is a sort of prayer. You don’t have to use particular sentences or phrases or verses for it.

The yagyas that are being done here is not just some sort of prayer. It is a technique, a procedure. You don’t need to understand what those chantings mean. The chantings, the vibrations have an impact on our whole body, mind and the environment. That is the most important thing about yagyas. It is not asking God for this thing or that. It is just chanting those shlokas. Hearing the chantings is even more beneficial. You don’t need to chant with them. Simply listening to it, itself creates the vibrations in the consciousness.

Q. Where are Shiva and Shakti?
Sri Sri: Both Shiva and Shakti are within us. You sit as though you are sitting in an ocean of bliss, in the ocean of cosmic energy, Divine energy, Shiva energy, Shakti energy. That is what is meditation.

For more knowledge from Guruji visit the Wisdom Blog.

New Mobile

I bought myself a new mobile. This time I bought a Sony Ericsson rather than a Nokia. My budget was around Rs.6000 and Nokia had a very boring collection in that range.

The one I bought is G502. Its a 3G phone (the cheapest you can get) – has the usual features Mp3 player, camera, etc. Its handy and looks really nice.

Spellings and Grammar

I finally extracted the photos that I had taken from my mobile. Found some interesting ones.

All of us have seen mis-spelt boards and horrible grammar. Below are a couple from my collection.

The first was in some loo in Bangalore. The second was in a loo on the way to Shimoga.

You fill up my senses

For the past two days I’m addicted to this amazing song.

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

Let me give my life to you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Slowly descending…

Its been 3 days since I returned from TTC. All this time I am just reliving the moments of TTC. It was difficult for me to get back into the office mode. It was difficult to accept the fact that I need to sit in front of a monitor for 8 hours in a day when there is so much work (seva) to be done. I was wondering if I should quit and become full time. Thoughts like ‘Why should I work?’, ‘Why do I need a family?’, etc kept popping in and out. But each time something like this would happen, Guruji’s words (not verbatim) that ‘Each one has a role to play’ kept coming back to me. And gradually the TTC hangover is wearing off!! Today I could put in some useful work in office. I need to pull up socks here – the project is starting in full swing and I’m the least equipped person.

Meantime, I managed to collect a couple of amazing songs that I heard in TTC. Naiharawa and Saiyyan were easy (got from Kailash Kher’s albums). You fill up my senses (TTC1), Tu Maane Ya Na Maane Dildara, Shaboon Ke Jungle Mein and Duma Dum Mast Kalandar were a little difficult. I had to extract the mp3 from the video. I am still looking for Tumse O Jori and Shivoham (both my TTC1 favorites). Need to update my iPod with all this.

Back from TTC

Its pretty difficult to describe a TTC. The experience, the learning, the fun, the masti, the knowledge… is so much that words fall short while writing about them.

And since I was doing the Art Excel and YES TTC, the masti, fun and dance just doubled. Mala with her child like enthusiasm, Shreya with her accents and imitations… the Awesome Twosome. Top it with the experiences of Children’s Kriya and the YES Home Kriya, 4 Padmasadhanas - totally mind blowing. To this add some dance, Arabic and Chinese music, all AE & YES games, 3 birthdays with cake and chocolates, playing pranks on the Hindi group and Part 1s (the ‘aratis’), organizing a fun fare, screening of a movie, etc – that was my TTC 2. It felt more like an extended party than TTC.

Now I’m back to office and all I can think about is the memories of the TTC. I look at the watch and think, ‘Oh! this time we were doing sadhana/dancing/yoga nidra…’.

And…I can now take Art Excel and YES courses. Honored to be an Art of Living Teacher – ‘Guru ka tota’ like Rishi Nityapragyaji says.

Off to TTC…

I’m off to TTC. 15 days in the Ashram!!! Awesome!!!

I couldn’t write more about my TTC1 experience…but hoping I’ll be able to write about my Phase 2.