BCAJ | Bombay Chartered Accountant Journal

APARIGRAHA (NON-POSSESSION)

An Ashramite of Gandhi
Ashram was required to adopt “Ekadash Vrats” – Eleven vows. Vows are not
just rules but has a much more deeper meaning. A vow requires unflinching
determination; determination which does not bend before discomfort and
difficulties. According to Gandhiji, “Taking vows is not a sign of weakness,
but of strength to do at any cost something that one ought to do constitutes a
vow”. Further, according to him, “to do something ‘as far as possible’ provides
a fatal loop hole. To do something ‘as far as possible’ is to succumb to the
very first temptation. Vows are necessary for the purpose of self-purification
and self-realisation.

What are these eleven
vows? They are (1) Truth, (2) Ahimsa. (3) Brahmacharya, (4) Control of the
palate, (5) Non-stealing, (6) Non-possession, (7) Fearlessness, (8) Removal of
untouchability, (9) Bread labour – work, (10) Tolerance – Equality of Religions
and (11) Humility.

Of the above eleven vows,
the one of non-possession also called ‘Aparigraha’ is to my mind a very
important one. Non-possession is allied to non-stealing according to Gandhiji.
If we posses something, if we hold on to something which is not required by us,
it amounts indirectly to stealing. We are depriving others of what we hold on
to, which they need and we do not. A bird, an animal does not think of what it
will need tomorrow and worry about it.

It is true of course, that
a human being cannot possibly live like a bird, without a house, without
clothes and without providing for his needs for food. However, one can keep
one’s needs to a minimum and do with little. As we reduce our dependence on
material things, our happiness and inner satisfaction and peace increase. We
have to learn to simplify our lives.

But what do we see around
us, and what do we actually put in practice? The homes of the rich are stuffed
full of material things. Hundreds of saris, dresses, scores of costly purses
and shoes and dozens of shirts, etc. This is not uncommon…. And yet the
urge to collect more and more is never satisfied. On the other hand, millions
do not get even two square meals a day; so many go hungry to bed every night,
many do not have even a spare set of clothes.We have to learn to “Share and
Care”. We cannot, like Marie Antoinette, the French Queen, say that “If they do
not have bread, let them eat cake.”

According to Gandhiji, the
principle of Non-possession (Aparigraha) is applicable not only to
things but also to thoughts. We should not clutter up our brains with too much
of needless information and useless knowledge. Wrongful thoughts keep us away
from the rightful path and come in the way of our search for God.

What would happen if all
of us start observing “Aparigraha” – non-accumulation – and accept it as
a governing value of our lives? Then there would be no more poverty, and no
needy persons. As Gandhiji has said, “there is enough in this world for
everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed.” There would neither be rich
persons nor poor persons. The divide between the haves and have-nots would
disappear. It may not be possible to totally observe ‘Aparigraha’ in our
day to day life. But we can certainly reduce senseless accumulation of
possessions and wealth which even our great grandchildren will not need.

Is it even possible to
follow ‘Aparigraha’? I know of some professionals who do follow it. In
their case, whatever they earn in excess of their needs goes straight for
charity. Recently, I came across one person who since the last 42 years is
keeping only 20% of his income for himself and gives away 80%! And believe me,
his income is not all that great.

So let us begin. Begin
now, today itself. Begin small but begin. Let us go through our possessions. Is
it necessary to keep 30 shirts? Or 300 sarees? 12 pairs of shoes? 20 ties?

Friends, without waiting
any longer, we should have a fresh look at our wealth and our incomes and start
the process of ‘Aparigraha’ – of non-accumulation. It would certainly
simplify our lives and make us a lot more happier.

shailesh.kwebmaker

Spiritual Pursuit, Professional Growth And Material Prosperity – Can They Co-Exist?

One often gets confused about professional growth and material
prosperity. Professional growth and material prosperity are not the same.
Professional growth comes from values, reputation and satisfaction of
meaningful contribution to clients’ lives and nation building; whereas,
material prosperity could be achieved dehors of professional growth,
e.g. even an uneducated person can be a multi-millionaire. A good professional
is one who lives a value based life and is spiritually inclined. So what is the
connection between a profession and spirituality?

People think that in order for one to be materially prosperous, one
needs to compromise on values. However, the fact is that for being materially
well off, one need not be spiritually bankrupt. Spiritual pursuit, professional
growth and material prosperity can co-exist. In fact it is often found that the
growth of professional practice is in direct proportion to one’s growth in
spirituality. And material prosperity is in direct proportion of professional
growth.

Let me share with you my understanding of spirituality in a different
perspective and its relevance to professional growth and material prosperity:

(i) Living in ‘Now’

Spirituality is not something different
from our day to day living. Doing our daily chores with utmost concentration or
awareness is nothing but a state of being spiritual.

It reminds me of a story. A young disciple
comes for knowledge to a Zen Master. Days and months pass without any sermon or
teachings from the Master. Finally one day the youngster asks his Master, when
will his teaching start? Master turned to him and smiled, it already started
the day you entered this monastery. Haven’t you observed how I live? At that
time, the disciple realised that every act of the Master was meticulous. He was
hundred per cent present in that moment. He was actually living in “Now”.

When one decides to bring this awareness
in the profession, the speed of one’s professional growth increases.

(ii) Work is Worship

Work’s reward is in work itself. I have
observed that whenever I get satisfaction of my preparations for any seminar to
be addressed by me, the same is well received by the participants. My reward is
earned when I derive joy on completion of preparation and successful delivery
of the lecture. Spirituality is nothing but doing one’s work diligently, as an
offering to Lord. When one does one’s work with good emotions at heart, the
work becomes worship.

I am reminded of a beautiful story.

Once upon a time, three masons were
working on a site. A passerby asked the first one, hey what are you doing? He
said “don’t you see, I am laying bricks”; He asked the same question to the
second mason, he replied, “I am constructing a wall”. When he asked the third
person, he said “I am building a temple”. All three were right in their
answers, but the third person was working with divine emotions and therefore
can be termed as spiritual.

(iii) Sharing is Divine

One of the insecurities people have in
professional life is that of competition. However, we all know that knowledge
when shared gets doubled, one with the giver and the second with the receiver.
Knowledge, unlike products remains with the giver and enriches the receiver
also. In fact, the more we share, more we enrich ourselves. The same thing
applies to our clients as well. The more we educate them; more they respect and
love us.

(iv) Trust and Integrity are supreme

For any professional, trust and integrity
are of paramount importance. People entrust work only if they believe in the
integrity of the professional and have a trust in his abilities and intentions
to deliver. Both these qualities come naturally to a professional who pursues a
spiritual path. Whenever a client comes to know about your spiritual pursuits,
his trust and belief in your integrity increases.

Non-indulgence in corrupt practices and
other core values are highly appreciated and respected by clients.

(v) Discipline is Divine

One of the most appreciated traits of a
professional is discipline. Delivering on time and as promised is well
appreciated. We must always strive to produce more than what we consume and
give more than what we take. When we give more than what we take, we often land
up receiving more than what we expected. This would certainly happen, may not
always be in material terms, but invariably in terms of love, respect and
appreciation.

(vi) We are all connected

We are not human beings having a spiritual
experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. In that sense we
are all connected. When we connect with our customers or clients from this
perspective, we strike a bond of love, trust and friendship which leads to
professional growth.

From the above it is clear that spirituality always helps you in your
professional growth.

Does that mean that spirituality never hinders professional growth?

The answer to the above question is both “yes” and “no”. It all depends
on how one defines professional growth. If one equates the professional growth
with material prosperity alone, then in the short term it may be possible that
you earn less or have to pay more taxes if you walk on the path of
spirituality. However, in the long run, one who follows spirituality,
experiences faster professional growth as he would be at peace with himself and
therefore can express himself or shine in his profession.

It may happen that as one progresses on the path of spirituality, one
finds the futility of this material world and professional achievements. At
that time one may consciously decide to go slow in the professional dimension
as one would not like to trade one’s permanent happiness with the temporal one.

Epilogue

Treading on the path of spirituality along with professional goals is
not easy. There are many temptations on the way. At times the system may force
you for indulgence in wrong practices, at times client wants you to do so and
at times you may simply be lured with the quantum of benefit. Here I am
reminded of one beautiful Gujarati bhajan, whose first line is as follows:

“Hari no marag che surano, nahi kayar nu kaam..”

Meaning – the path to God is for the brave and courageous and not for
cowards.

Once we decide to walk on the path of spirituality, “we must be ever
ready to fight against all low tendencies and false values within and without
us and to live honestly the noble sacrifice and service.”

At the end of the day you will find that spirituality leads to
professional growth, which in turn would bring you prosperity – both material
and spiritual.

shailesh.kwebmaker

Friend / Friendship

‘Love demands infinitely less than friendship’

George Jean Nathan

Agreeing with the quote, I
believe it is a relationship sandwiched between `man – woman relationship’ and
`man – God relationship’. However, there is a good old saying ‘a friend in
need in a friend indeed’. I don’t subscribe to this thought because I believe
friendship is not barter – it is a relationship devoid of expectations. We know
and have experienced that expectations spoil relationships. Friendship is a
relationship to be enjoyed and cherished. In friendship one accepts
differences. This doesn’t mean that one can’t criticise a friend – the answer
is : as a friend one can and should criticise to one’s face but never at one’s
back. Francis Bacon rightly advises ?to keep the mind in good health accept
the admonition of a friend – this is because there is no personal gain that a friend seeks
– it is based on the desire to correct a wrong. I believe that if a friend
seeks an opinion, give it unbiased and unaffected whether accepted or not.

The recent loss of a friend
kindled in me the urge to pen my thoughts on friendship. I believe it is
relationship in which :

– one accepts each other’s foibles and faults

– one senses each other’s ease and unease

– one shares each other’s pain and pleasure

– one sees the other through in bad times

– one shares oneself

The precept is : ‘be a
friend to have a friend‘.

Henry Adam says ?one friend in lifetime is much, two are many, three
are hardly possible’. Whilst I agree with him that friends are rare and are
a gift from God – I must admit that He has been benevolent to me – I
have been blessed with more than three – I have had my uncle as a friend, I
have and had my peers in profession as friends; I have and had the boon of
having some clients as friends and above all, I have enjoyed friends from school days.

However, as most of them are with the Lord – I at times feel lonely but
have memories to cherish. It is said : ?that marriage is a contract and in
contract there can be no friendship’ – I was blessed to have my spouse as a
friend – it took time to develop this relationship, where we were not afraid of
being judged and were never shy of accepting, appreciating and bridging
differences.

To have a happy and
rewarding life one needs friends or a friend and above all to develop
friendship with God – let us talk to Him and hear Him for He
is a friend who will never leave us.

I would conclude by quoting Lord Halifax :

‘It is a misfortune for a
man not to have a friend’

shailesh.kwebmaker

Devotion

‘There is no God, but where

there is devotion God exists’

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Devotion is an integral part of our life – existence –
success and satisfaction come only with devotion. – for example – we are
devoted to our parents, teachers, mentors and family. We professionals would
not be successful if we were not devoted to our profession – our work. We are
devoted to our clients – this is basically devotion to our work which is
reflected in relationship with our clients. I am aware that service to our
clients is ‘barter’ because it is in exchange for monetary reward – but
more than financial reward it is the appreciation and respect we receive from
them. All this is because we are devoted to ourselves and above all we are
devoted to our Creator – one who looks after us through the thick and thin of
our life. Devotion is what keeps us on our path. However the paradox is that
when devotion leads to fanaticism and fundamentalism, it results in
destruction. The fanatic – (devotee) who is a terrorist creates misery
and even war.. This is the reason why it is said that devotion should make one
creative, caring and compassionate. The three ‘C’s represent our
devotion to society and God and has its own rewards. Hence, devotion needs
direction which initially comes from our parents, then from our teachers –
gurus – and thereafter from our own self. Devotion to our self directs us to
have a balanced and realistic expectation from our own self and others.
Devotion is the elixir of life and devotion removes dilemma and yields clarity.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev says ! ‘to be devoted, does something beautiful to
you’.

Devotion – in the ultimate implies that one dissolves into
the object of one’s devotion. Devotion to Krishna converted queen Meera into
one who sang Krishna’s praise in the streets of Mewar. Ultimately, Meera lost /
merged herself in Krishna and became one with Krishna.

Let us consider a few other examples of devotion :

– Bharat’s devotion to Ram – everyone gives
example of Lakshman’s devotion to Ram but only few mention Bharat’s devotion to
Ram – who surrenders to Ram, rules as his proxy and lives the life of a sanyasi
in Ayodhya till Ram’s return.

– Devotion of Jesus to God made him say ‘I
and my father are one’ – total loss of identity.

– Devotion converted doubting Thomas into Saint
Thomas.

– Surdas plucked his eyes not to be swayed by
his senses from devotion to Krishna.

– Devotion of Hanuman made him say to Ram ?there
is no difference between you and me’. This devotion – merging of identity
made him immortal – Hanuman is believed to be alive even today in human form.

It is rightly said that `devotion is a one way street and has
the power to create the Creator’. I conclude by saying: without devotion
we stumble through life – so let us develop and live devotion.

I believe no action will give us satisfaction
unless it has a touch of devotion. – for example – we work with devotion
amongst other things to have our daily bread – food, hence let us ask ourselves
a simple question : Do we enjoy our daily bread ! The answer is No
because we consume it mechanically and we hardly enjoy what we eat but if we
are conscious of what we are eating – thank God before and after eating – take
time to enjoy our food we will experience satisfaction. Food will have a
different effect on our mind and body. We must be devoted to HIM who gives us
our daily bread. In other words – eat with devotion.

shailesh.kwebmaker

Attachment

‘Birds fly
away and leave the nest deserted

Such is the
short-lived friendship soul and body share’

G. U. Pope

1. We are all
attached to our family, work and environment –including the way we live. More
than our work we are attached to the result of our work – efforts. We are
attached to our resources including money and spend enormous effort in
protecting our resources and persons we are attached to, especially family and
friends. Above all, we are attached to our selves – this mind-body complex. In
other words, ‘attachment’ is an emotion and a very strong one. It binds us and
at times blinds us. Attachment is bare and lacks pretensions. Yet, it is
attachment that spurs us into action and we achieve our aims and goals in life
– action with attachment means success.

2.1 On the other
hand, our saints have singled out ‘attachment’ as the root cause of all human
suffering. Hence it is rightly said that `attachment and pride’ are the
intrinsic cause of unhappiness.

2.2 Attachment is
said to have six arms : desire, anger, greed, jealousy, arrogance and delusion.
Hence, these six arms together or any one of them generate worry and
insecurity. Attachment creates fear of loss as loss in inevitable even in love
and marriage is destined by death and even otherwise.

2.3 Brahma Kumaris
believe : Attachment keeps one entangled in the web of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ and the
need to hold on to whatever one is attached to. This makes one selfish, petty
and narrow-minded.

2.4 Our inability
to let go of ‘me and mine’ is the genesis of all attachment. Hence, remove the
thorn of ‘attachment’ to experience happiness. Let us reckon and realise that
‘attachment’ generates restlessness whereas detachment brings in calm – as it
converts one into an observer – an observer who observes but has no reactions.

3. Attachment is
also an illusion, because the fact of life is ‘one comes alone and goes alone’.
However, the irony is, one lives life in attachment – hence one enjoys and
suffers because of attachment to people, objects, wealth and above all one’s
thoughts. The antidote to attachment is detachment – that is – being attached
minus the sense of ownership.

4.1 ‘The real question
is : can one work without attachment ! That is, there is no reaction whether
one succeeds or fails. In other words, one works for work’s sake without caring
for the results. It needs to reckoned and realised that one should not be
attached even to one’s duty – treat duty as action without expectation of even
‘thank you’.

4.2 One needs to
realise: attachment is based on expectations whereas detachment leads to
acceptance resulting in peace of mind making life pleasant. Detach, observe and
enjoy the games mind plays.

4.3 The issue is:
can this equanimity be achieved !

4.4 The answer is
yes. Dare to dream your way out of attachment – dream during day and night and
above all pray to live a life of ‘attachment with detachment’ and it will
happen. Saints live their lives in this manner, they love and serve humanity
with detachment. Jesus loved with detachment. Ram ruled with detachment – Raja
Janak is often quoted as an example who lived and ruled with attachment coupled
with detachment. Krishna preaches to Arjun to perform his duty – fight the war
– with detachment to the result.

4.5 Enjoy wealth,
comfort, fame and above all this ‘mind-body complex’ but to have peace be
detached to all these because detachment is the only antidote to attachment and
suffering.

5.1 Detachment is to
accept everything that comes without being emotional and believe implicitly in
what Adi Shankracharaya advises :

u All that has happened has
happened for the best

u All that is happening is
happening for the best

u All that will happen will happen
for the best.

5.2 The
irony is : we get attached to detachment.

shailesh.kwebmaker

From Darkness to Light

It was our annual vacation – this time to the French Riviera and around, beginning from Seville in Spain to Capri Islands in Italy.

We had had a great time and Capri was to be the best part of our trip. Travelling from Naples by ship to reach Capri was an experience in itself. Once settled in the advantageously perched hotel at Marina Piccola, plans were made to visit the Blue Grotto next day morning.

Blue Grotto is a cave opening, about a meter in height leading you to darkness for a fraction of a second, which instantly turns to azure blue light on the water surface caused by sunlight entering the caves through the small opening. As you appear to float on water, the crystal blue waters give silver reflections from the tiny bubbles on the surface of the objects underwater.

The next day, we left the hotel at around 10 am for the jetty from where we were to be ferried to Blue Grotto which was about 45 minutes away. A number of ferries were making trips carrying groups of eager and excited tourists.

As all of us got our turn to step on to the ferry, the excitement mounted as each one of us was looking to have a memorable experience. After having braved the Sun for an hour or so, we were near the location.

Once there, we disembarked into smaller boats which could accommodate about four of us at a time. There were boats already lined up, each waiting for their two minutes of exhilarating experience. The Sun made the wait look like eternity. Time always seems to stop when you are anxious or expectant. Stop, it did.

After some anxious waiting, it was announced that our turn would be next. We had by then realised that the trip was like a drop – here you go and there you come – all in a matter of a hundred seconds. The boatman instructed us to bend such that we do not hit the rocky ceiling. And, we got ready with our Camera – ready to capture memories.

The next two minutes was marked by exclamations – “wow…”, “beauty…”, “fabulous…” and the like.

And there we were back in the sunlight. The trip over, everybody had signs of happiness and amazement writ large on their faces. Each was trying to outclass the others in the description of the beauty they had just witnessed.

I wondered what was wrong. I had seen darkness all around. Were they being sarcastic? In fact, I was too embarrassed to share my experience with my friends. I did not want to be a spoil-sport.

My mind was so flooded with these contradictions that I did not even remember my trip back to Anna Capri. I kept wondering. Heavily disillusioned and disheartened with the experience, I climbed the stairs at the hotel and walked to my room.

Throwing the camera bag on to the bed, I wearily walked to the small room. As I looked up the mirror to study myself, I was shocked to say the least.

My sunglasses rested on my nose over my elegant pair of normal spectacles. And, it struck me like a lightening. I had ventured into Blue Grotto with my sun glasses on. It did not take rocket science for it to dawn on me that Blue Grotto did not appear blue to me as I was wearing dark sun glasses.

As if still to prove myself right, I hurried to the camera and retracted the clicks of those moments in the cave. Lo and behold!! They showed the Blue Grotto in all its blue splendour.
It was much after we returned to India that in one of our meetings, I gathered courage to explain my reality of that experience. In any case, I had reinforced the age old lesson for myself – “You have to eliminate all your filters of viewing -may they be of sunglasses or prejudices, biases, predispositions or the like”. Else, as the German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, beautifully observed – “Every person takes the limits of their own field of vision for the limits of the world”.

shailesh.kwebmaker

LEARNING TO BE HAPPY

Every one of us wants to be happy. Like the Kings and Queens of fairy tales we want to “Live Happily ever after”. But in reality very few of us are happy and that too never forever. The reason is not far to seek. For being happy, we must know where happiness lies. Without first understanding where happiness lies we go on searching for it in the wrong places and do not find it. We are like that fellow who lost his keys in the house, but was searching for it below a lamp post, as there was more light there! It is very clear that if we want to go to Delhi, we must board a train going to Delhi. Boarding a train going to Chennai, and then running in the corridor of the compartment in the direction of Delhi, will not take us to Delhi.

Happiness is the purpose and the goal of our lives, and yet…. all of us are pursuing a course which will never give happiness and is sure to yield unhappiness.

For being happy, we have to first understand where happiness lies. We believe that it lies in wealth, possessions, power and position in life. We believe that acquiring these will make us happy and we will live happily ever after. We blindly chase these and at the end of the day find that happiness has eluded us. That is because, in the first place, happiness is not in the 3 Ps (Possession, Power, Position), where we were seeking.

I had read this quotation in a booklet called “P.S. I Love You”:

“A newspaper survey asked, “Who are the happiest people?” These were the four winning answers:

A craftsman or artist whistling over a job well done

A child building sand castles

A mother bathing her baby

A doctor who has finished a difficult operation and saved a life.

You will note that money, power and possessions play no part in any of the answers.”

Happiness is certainly not in possessions and power. If it was so, then money, power and possessions should bring us eternal happiness.

Take the case of a person who loves eating “rasgullas”. To him rasgullas embody happiness. If asked to eat them, a first few will certainly result in making him feel great momentarily but after say, the sixth one, he would not enjoy rasgullas anymore. If forced to eat more he would become miserable. Similarly, to a person who enjoys only spicy food, rasgullas will not bring any happiness. Happiness then is not in rasgullas or spicy food! Happiness is also not in material possessions. The same is true of power and position in life. They do not bring happiness. Happiness is not in them. The issue is: Where is Happiness?

It is said that “Happiness is a State of Mind”. So true. A disturbed mind can never be happy. A peaceful mind, a mind at rest can be happy. As children, generally our minds were at rest. Any disturbance also did not last for long. We were neither pursuing possessions nor were we craving for power and prestige. We were content with what we had. The trouble started as we grew older. People around and particularly the media, TV, Newspapers, Bill Boards and hoardings brainwashed us into believing that material things make one happy, hence we started pursuing the wrong dreams. In other words, we boarded the wrong train which has taken us further away from our true destination. If we want to be happy, we have to stop the pursuit of wrong goals, get down from the wrong train, and board the right one. We all would agree that as children we were a lot more happier. Let us then become more like children who do not grieve about the past or worry about the future. Let us learn to live in the present. Let us learn to look at life with wonder-filled eyes. Let us remember those lines of Sahir:

Friend, happiness lies in living in the present and being content with whatever we have.

shailesh.kwebmaker

Awareness

In every person, there is an inherently present ‘awareness’. In fact an
element of ‘awareness’ is there in everything in this universe. However,
in every one, the degree of ‘awareness’ differs widely. Awareness at
its very basic level is crude and gross. As we go higher on the
evolution graph, the level of awareness increases. A tree is more aware
than a stone and an animal is more aware than a tree. In the human
being, who is at the top of the evolution graph, this awareness is the
highest. However, between one human being and another human being, there
is always a difference in the degree of awareness. In every individual
also, his or her level of awareness is different at different age and
time. As the level of awareness increases, an individual becomes
sensitive towards finer aspects of life. At the lower level, the
awareness is mostly physical like that of hunger, thirst, sex impulse
etc. As awareness increases, and becomes more subtle an individual
becomes :

more sensitive and perceptive
leans more towards finer aspects of life like music, art and natural beauty, etc.
Compassionate and practices empathy and
Perceives and experiences sublime emotions of love, surrender and oneness.

When
an individual reaches a higher level of awareness which is possible
only for a human being, he or she actually touches the shores of
Divinity. The greatness of men like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi
and Albert Einstein was due to their higher level of awareness compared
to that of a normal human being.

This Divine Awareness is the
power that protects us, shows us the way, and lights our path. It is our
best friend, philosopher guide and well wisher. Being ‘aware’ of this
‘awareness’ is the key to a happy life.

One experiences this
awareness only when the mind that is pure, calm and stable. Only in such
a state of mind, one can intensely feel the presence of that Supreme
Power we call `Divinity’. The degree or the intensity of the experience
of this Divine Awareness varies according to the state of one’s mind
which changes all the time. However, having felt it’s presence, one
should then try not to ever lose or let it dim. Whenever, one feels that
this Awareness is dimming, one needs to contemplate and seek reason for
the change and take conscious steps to restore the experienced
awareness. We need to give the experience of Divine Awareness, the
utmost importance and create a conducive environment for Awareness to
continuously improve its intensity. The means of doing this may differ
from person to person. Some may find swadhyaya, satsang etc. helpful,
for others music or meditation may be useful. Whatever the means be, our
purpose should be to increase our level of awareness in our life.

For
professionals like us, this awareness is of utmost importance. It
prevents us from making mistakes, it shows us the way to avoid pitfalls
and achieve success and happiness in every walk of life.

Awareness gives meaning to our life and yields liberation. Salutations to ‘Awareness’ residing in every being.

shailesh.kwebmaker

ATTITUDE

‘Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference’
—Winston Churchill

1. Life is a do-it-yourself project. Your attitude and the choices you make today have an impact on your tomorrow – what we call future. So be sanguine in making your choices – opting from the available options. Your attitude not only impacts your tomorrow, but also what you are doing today. A positive attitude based on thanksgiving yields happiness and success, and a negative attitude yields unhappiness. Success is the result of hard work with a positive attitude and happiness is the result of attitude of acceptance. It is not that the environment will always be positive – the result of one’s action could be opposite of what one expected but one’s attitude of accepting and improving the next action will result in `what one seeks’. Failure is a part of life – what is relevant is how we treat it. Does the result hold us back or we treat it as a stepping stone. President Harry Truman said `it is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit’.

2. Life is never smooth. It has its ups and downs. The law of Nature is pleasure followed by pain. It is our attitude to pain which increases or decreases our capacity to bear it. If we accept the law of Nature and train our mind so that pain is a part of living, then its impact on our health and happiness is considerably reduced. Our capacity to bear pain of failure increases multifold.

3. The irony of life is that we are unaware of the fact that we are victims of our attitude. We suffer from our attitude of revenge, rivalry, hate, jealousy, envy and above all compare and contrast. It is also true that we survive by our attitude of compassion, forgiveness, gratitude and love. It is for us to choose our attitude. The issue is : what is attitude! I believe attitude is nothing but our reaction or response to our own thoughts and actions of others. Let us remember that all actions are based on thought – there is nothing like a thoughtless action. Hence, our thoughts determine our attitude. So, let us always remember that good thoughts produce the right attitude and result in happiness. It has been rightly said: ‘write your hurts in sand and carve in stone the benefits you receive’. This sentence is based on the concepts of forgiveness and gratitude – elements of attitude that make life happy. Attitude to accomplish is not only the basis of success, but also happiness.

4. It is me and my mind that determines my attitude to what I think and I do. My reaction to an action or statement made by my spouse, child, friend or foe determines my attitude and my relationship.

5. Our attitude, I repeat, is what determines on how we feel, live and act. Dalai Lama advises that we develop an attitude of acceptance based on gratefulness when he says : `when you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect towards others.’

P. P. Wanqchuk says, ‘you smile or you frown or you cry’. How you react to a particular situation is all because of your attitude’. He goes on to add: `Nature has an unfailing habit of siding with the determined and the positive minded. Nature works like a mother’s womb to nurture and give birth to a beautiful life’.

6. Questions one should ask oneself are:

Can I help a person who has been back-biting me?
Can I extend a hand of friendship to my foe?
Can I smile at a person who snares at me?
Can I forgive a person who has harmed me?

The answer to these questions determines my attitude towards life.

7. To conclude, I am reproducing what I lately read : T he 92-year old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told that her room was ready.

As she manoeuvred her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…Just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice: I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life.”

She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.”

And with a smile, she said:

“Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.”

shailesh.kwebmaker

THE THREE GATES OF HELL

‘Desire,
Anger and Greed are the three gates to Hell which destroy the Soul.
Therefore, one must give up all three of them’, says Krishna to Arjun –
in the Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna also tells Arjun that one who is
able to be free from these three gates of hell, seeks that is best and
attains the highest.

We are familiar with all three, Desire,
Anger and Greed. It is seldom that a person is completely free from all
these three. We must understand each one of these three and seek a way
to keep ourselves as free from them as possible, and to ensure that they
do not become our masters.

Desires are very natural to us.
After all, God has given us different senses; senses of touch, smell,
sight, hearing and taste. The desire to gratify these senses is inborn
in us. These five senses are God’s gift to us. God has also created
sense objects. Senses obviously are given to us for putting them to
rightful use; sense of touch to have a feel of things, sense of smell to
enjoy the scent of flowers, sense of hearing to listen to good music
and words of wise men, sense of sight to enjoy the beautiful nature
around us, and sense of taste to enjoy the various tastes in the food
that we eat.God has also created the sense objects and there is nothing
wrong in enjoying those sense objects with our senses. When desire is
spoken of as a gate to hell, it is not the normal desire that is meant.
What is meant is kama i.e., passion, uncontrolled desire which
overpowers us. By “desire” here we mean wrongful desire, compelling
desire, which takes hold of us and which has to be satisfied at any cost
and by any means even though they may be unethical or immoral. This
desire can never get satisfied. It is like a fire that cannot be
extinguished, a thirst that cannot be quenched. Their fulfillment is by
nature temporary and incomplete. Fulfillment of these only gives
temporary respite. They raise their ugly head again and again. It is
only when these sense objects get hold of us and overpower us that our
troubles start. Desires, particularly uncontrolled desires, are a
gateway to hell. They are endless.

We erroneously believe that
satisfaction of a desire gives us happiness. Our soul, by nature, is
happy. When a desire arises it comes in the way of our happiness, like a
cloud blocking the view of the sun. Satisfaction removes that
obstruction and puts us in touch with our happiness again. It does not
give happiness per se. The same result can be achieved by overcoming the
desire as by gratifying our desire. Sublimating desires frees us from
further desires, which gratification of desires does not do.

Anger
is another gate of hell. When what we desire does not happen or what we
do not desire happens, it gives rise to anger. When we are angry, we go
wild and behave in a manner which is totally irrational. We shout and
scream and cause damage not only to others but even to ourselves because
our mind is not in our control, and it makes us do things which we
repent later. Anger gives rise to tension and both mental and physical
disorders. It can result in high blood pressure, paralytic stroke or
even heart attack. It is allowing one to be controlled by anger that is
to be avoided. It is the second gate to hell.

Just as
non-fulfillment of desire leads to anger, pursuance of wrongful desires
leads to greed. Having once enjoyed the wrongful sense pleasures, one
wants more and more of them. One believes that the only way of
gratifying those desires is wealth and more wealth. This leads to greed.
For fulfilling the desire of enjoyment of sensual needs, one wants more
and more wealth.

As Mahatma Gandhi has truly said, “There is
enough for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed.” Greed is a
bottomless pit and no matter how much one tries, it can never be filled
up. This greed is the third gate to hell.

We have to learn to
live a life free from such excessive desires, uncontrolled anger and
endless greed. It is for us not to enter these gates of hell, be it
desire, anger or greed. I pray that Almighty grant us the strength to
close these three gates and to lead a happy and contented life.

shailesh.kwebmaker

I’M NEVER GONNA DIE

This statement ‘I am never going to die’ gives a feeling of ego. People find it as a manifestation of an egoistic mind. But actually looking from a different perspective, e – represents effective and go – indicates movement. The word ‘ego’ means going effectively.

Right from our childhood and also while studying we are taught that the soul is immortal and only the body dies, yet we seek immortality. Immortality can be achieved only by ‘going effectively’. ‘Going effectively’ means leaving footprints on the ‘sands of time’. When I recollect the people who had / have made an impact on the life of others, then many names surface on the sea of my mind and some will also come in your mind. Some of these are Mother Teresa, Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi and even Steve Jobs. The issue is: are they alive today? The answer is yes because they have impacted the life of others. Hence, in order to remain alive as an immortal soul even after death, one requires great perseverance, a selfless dedication to rise as a phoenix from any difficulty for the service of mankind even after falling again and again.

In order to attain this immortality, one has to strive. It is not just visualisation, but efforts are required to crystallise this and to achieve this we have to develop patience and have patience to listen to and patience to learn to serve others.

When I ask someone ‘How are you?’; I need to actually listen to the reply. I need to absorb and understand what he wants to say. Only then I can be a good listener and will be able to serve the person better.

Why worry and hurry on an ongoing basis. Life is a gift of God in a box with different compartments, I need to open it in a gentle way and feel the magic of every moment and what each compartment has in store for me.

Though, while living, I feel that this life is too short to cherish each and every moment and to take part in this wonderful voyage. It is almost difficult with all kinds of flaws and weaknesses to enhance value in the society. Even then one has to utilise this greatest gift from the Almighty to add beauty to the deeds and actions carried out and to covet for immortality. I need to dance with the rhythm of God. I need to accept what the divine power has bestowed upon me and he will guide me in finding a place in the heart of those I serve.

I would further add that there is no need to drink nectar to remain alive. In the true sense, there is no death. Death is when people forget us. There will be a day when your remains will leave this world, but your aroma will still be there. The fragrance of your thoughts, the charm of your dreams will be in the breeze. The only essence one requires is a calm conscience, a profound silence with the inner self, an ethical and rational life and by rendering lasting service. Service in the welfare of others is the best way of achieving immortality.

Now, the answer to the question: Where I am going to live after disappearance of the physique? Well, I am going to find address in people’s heart. It is possible for each (one) of us to develop this within us, the desire to serve others without seeking even a ‘thank you!’

I would conclude by quoting:

I will be a shining star which will pass on little light even in darkest time.
I will be available in the colours of leaves to fulfill achievable desires of the world.
I will be the clear water to let you feel profoundness of life.
I will accompany the first ray from the sun to enlighten light in life.
I will be the innocent smile on the face to make your soul feel happy.
I will be the rainbow to fill your life with all the colours to make you feel bliss.
I will be the calm moonlight to make you free from all the worries of the world.
I will be the whole ocean to give you the feeling of deepest thoughts and the shells of happiness.

If nothing else, by this communication to wish you all a healthy and happy life, and with this wish arising from my heart – I will live in your heart.

shailesh.kwebmaker

DUTY

‘He only thought of duty done’ —Sadhu Vaswani

1. Right from our childhood our parents talked of `Duty’. So did our leaders like Tilak, Gandhi and others. The only `right’ Tilak talked about was our right to `swaraj’. Let us look at how society looks at `duty’. To list a few: there is duty to parents, teachers, spouse, children, society, country and above all duty to `oneself’ – because unless one looks after oneself it would not be possible – nay impossible – to discharge any or all other duties.

2. Further :

Business owes a duty to its customers and suppliers. Corporates owe a duty to all its stakeholders and society as society is one of the stakeholders – it is for the first time in the world that duty to society has been codified in India. Corporates are now expected to spend 2% of their net profits in the discharge of their `social responsibility’.I believe this is a mandate, though initially it is being treated as somewhat optional.

We professionals owe a duty to our clients – to render a service to the best of our ability and never feel shy of seeking help where we need it. We also have a duty to those articled with us to train them to be good professionals.

The government owes a duty towards its citizens for being fair and transparent and citizens have a corresponding duty of living according to the code of conduct and paying our taxes. There is a good old saying `yield to ceaser what is due to him’.

The sage owes a duty to the seeker as much as the seeker owes a duty to the sage by following his preceptor with faith.

3. Moreover, in life `following’ is as much a duty as the `duty’ to lead – for every one of us without exception is both a leader and a follower.

4. Duty to society, per se, includes duty to obey laws, both natural and manmade. Hence, if one discharges one’s duties – he favours no one as doing one’s duty is discharging an obligation. As a matter of fact, one should not even seek appreciation or a `thank you.’ If it comes it comes as a `bonus’ in accounting language.

5. Duty to oneself is not only looking after one’s body but includes taking care of our mind and emotions. Hence in management parlance, it is in this sense that it is said that E.Q. is as important as I.Q. if not more – because if one cannot take care of one’s emotions – how will one discharge one’s duty with care and compassion. However, doing one’s duty is not easy – difficulties will arise but difficulties don’t deter the doer of duties. He faces the difficulties with faith and courage – faith in himself – and overcomes them with the guidance of his preceptor and help of God. Living upto one’s duty, though not easy, develops harmony.

6. However, the irony is that we have moved from `duties’ to `rights’ and the result is–strife, commotion, intolerance and uneasiness prevails at home, workplace and in society. We have forgotten that if all of us discharge our duty, there would be peace and harmony. Mahatma Gandhi advises :

The true source of rights is duty; if we all discharge our duties, rights will not be far to seek’.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan opines :

The best society is a duty-conscious society,

the worst society is a rights-conscious society’.

7. The issue is, can we once again live by the concept of duty’.

8. I believe we can and it will happen, for it is the only way to bring peace, harmony and happiness in one’s life and in society. Doing our duty sets us free. Charles Bandclair declares :

the habit of doing one’s duty drives away fear’.

Let us not forget that it is the individual who creates the environment at home and in the society. In conclusion I would say, let us understand what Mark Twain says on duty :

Duties are not performed for duty’s sake,
but because their neglect would make
us uncomfortable’.

So to have a happy life – let us think and do our duty.

shailesh.kwebmaker

How much of Enough is Enough?

Have you heard the oft made statement “Enough is enough?” Having heard it on various occasions and in various contexts, I have wondered – How much of something is enough?

If you normally have two slices of bread and a soup, is it enough when you had that much on any particular day?

If you have waited until half an hour past the time that your client had scheduled an appointment with you, is it waiting enough?

If your staffer at office keeps giving you excuses for nonperformance and he gives you yet another reason for nonperformance, have you had enough?

If your boss cribs and this is one more evening when he expects you to continue working late in the office, have you had enough?

If you completed the 100 metres dash in just over a minute when the rest of them were languishing way behind, have you done enough?

If you rose from a boy selling newspapers to becoming one of the scientists at a local research centre, is it achievement enough?

If you .were a nobody who has now become a millionaire, was it enough to call it enough?

If you enjoyed good health, a reasonably affluent life style and a loving family, is it life lived well enough?

Is enough a limit which you or the world around you sets for you? Is it a mental construct? Is it a limiting belief which you have placed upon yourself to either console yourself or become complacent with yourself?

Does any of these have a potential which when reached, you declare that you have achieved one hundred percent? Is that potential a myth?

Is it a sagely advice or a venting out of frustration? Is it a reflection of the end of patience or is it a glass ceiling? Is it an imaginary line to tell yourself that now you need to STOP?

Have I said MORE THAN ENOUGH to ignite your mind?

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shailesh.kwebmaker

FESTIVAL OF FRIENDSHIP & FORGIVENESS

Friendship with all

Like ‘friendship day’, the Jains observe “friendship with all” festival on Samvatsari, i.e. the final day of paryusan. This day is the finale of eight days of intensive spiritual activities such as fasting or self-restraint on eating, samayika puja, listening to spiritual discourses, pratikarmana (regretting the wrong doings), reading of religious books, etc. In general, parusyana is the unique eight-day Jaina festival of fasting when every Jain – young or old, man or woman – all and sundries would endeavour to live a simple, sacred and sin-free life. On the final day, it is essential to FORGIVE everybody, particularly those people with whom one had direct dealing, relation and connection and ask for their pardon. This practice of ‘forget and forgive’ should be done sincerely, honestly and from the bottom of the heart.

There is an old Chinese saying :

“the enemy is best defeated who is defeated with kindness.”

Maitri bhavana reaches one:

To make and/or retain friends, express regret as soon as possible regardless of whether you are right or wrong,
Visualise a person as your dear friend even though he considers you as his enemy,
Sincerely wish to heal the breach between him and you with powerful bhavana of friendliness.

The importance of the Bhavana of Friendliness: The most important sutra in Jain spiritual practice is:

“Khamemi savvajive, savvejiva khamam iu me

Mitti me savva bhuesu, veram majjha na kenai”

The above means:

“I forgive all souls and request them all to forgive me. All the souls are my friends; none is my enemy. I do not have a feeling of enmity towards anybody”.

Forgiveness:

“A sadhaka has to first increase the tranquility of the mind by forgiving, and begging forgiveness of, the entire world of beings.”

Constant reflection of this bhavana cleanses the heart of destructive negative thoughts such as revenge, retaliation, enmity, intolerance, etc. It makes one’s heart extremely light as he considers everybody around him as his friends. This bhavana softens the heart and nourishes the capacity of forgiveness and forbearance. This thought prepares one for higher sadhana towards one’s goal of eventual transcendental emancipation. The mantra of ‘forget and forgive’ creates goodwill and amity. It increases one’s power of tolerance and patience and makes a person gentle. It will also create an atmosphere that encourages the concepts of ‘unity of mankind’ and ‘peaceful co-existence’, ‘mutual co-operation’ and ‘interdependence’. It makes life thoroughly enjoyable.

We need to constantly remember:

Forgiveness means transcending our judgement and hatred
To stop blaming others for our shortcomings
Forgiveness is 100% and unconditional
To forgive ourselves
Absence of forgiveness tantamounts to being imprisoned and an unawakened life
Forgiveness is the ultimate test for a person who is willing and able to live an enlightened life.
To forgive, we must transcend our bodies and learn to be detached.

Jainism firmly believes that one’s own soul is responsible for everything that is happening in its life. It has to suffer or enjoy the fruits of its own past deeds. Once this philosophy is accepted, one will never sit in judgement and blame others and will desist from the thought of revenge or retaliation.

“The non-violent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them a new self-respect, it gives strength and courage that they did not know they had. Finally, it reaches the opponent and so stirs his conscience that reconciliation becomes a reality” [Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)].

Every hurt or sting is like being bitten by a snake. One rarely dies from a snake bite, but once bitten, it is impossible to be unbitten, and the damage is done by the venom that continues to flow through our system. The venom is: ‘bitterness and hatred’ that we hang on to, long after the snake bite – hurt. It is this venom that destroys our peace of mind. The simple act of forgiveness saves us from anger and hatred and grants us freedom. Forgiveness buys peace of mind.

I believe Forgiveness is joyful, easy and above all freeing. It relieves us of the burdens of resentment, forget past grievances and is another mode of practicing detachment which means: ‘let go’.

So let us purge our prejudices, feelings of resentment, revenge, enmity, retaliation, anger and above all malice towards others. In other words, practice forgiveness and make. ALL ARE MY FRIENDS; I HAVE NO ENEMIES – the anchor of our life.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

The Real Maths

“Who are you?”

“I am Jay Desai,“ said Jay.

“What is the
difference between you the Jay Desai and Jay Desai’s dead body? A dead
body is wearing the same clothes, have the same heart, lungs & liver
etc. But living Jay is able to do all activities including thinkingm
and dead Jay cannot do anything.”

Jay said, “The dead body has
no Soul and that is why it’s dead.” “So, there can be two types of Jay –
1) Living 2) Dead. Body + Soul = Living and Body – Soul is Dead.
Right?” Jay agreed.

“So these are two different separable things: Body & Soul.”

“Well,
Yes.” Jay said and added, “Soul separated from the body is death. So
yes, both are different & separable. Making sense.”

“Therefore, who is Jay? Dead body or a Living body?”

“Both” replied Jay.

“So you mean, (Body + Soul) = (Body – Soul) = (Jay), but just now you agreed, both body and Soul are separable and different.

Now
if the dead body is also Jay, then the living body is = Jay + Soul
& likewise, if the living body is Jay, then the dead body is = Jay –
Soul.

Jay – Soul = Dead body, cannot do anything.

Jay + Soul = Living body, can do all thinking, talking, walking, etc. Everything is put together as Activities.

This
equation proves, that the power of doing activities including talking,
walking, and thinking, rests with the Soul and not with the body.

Therefore, the answer to the first question – Who are you? Is Soul right?

Answer
giving capacity rests with the Soul and not with Jay’s body. So, the
talker is the Soul and not the body as both are different. “

Jay was speechless, but convinced about the difference. “So all of us are Souls with different bodies? Right?”

“Absolutely.”

“But on death, after the departure from one body, where does the Soul go?” Jay asked.

“There
are millions of living beings. Each of these bodies needs one Soul to
remain alive. The soul gets a new body after the death of the previous
body.

If we plant 100 seeds and offer equal growing conditions,
some will grow, some will not grow and some will grow but won’t offer
quality fruits. What could be the reason for these differences?

“Quality of seeds.” Jay was spot on.

“Yes.
The quality of seeds decides the outcome, likewise quality of Soul’s
Karma decides which next body it will get. Don’t we see beggars on the
streets or millionaires in apartments? Don’t we see pet dogs and dogs on
street facing stones? Why there is a difference in everyone’s financial
status or happiness quotient?”

“So you mean Karma, “I” i.e.
Soul does in this birth as a human being will have an impact on my
future bodies and happiness? “ Jay was in sync.

“Yes.”

“Therefore, today also, we are suffering or happy as the result of my past Karmas?” asked Jay.

“Yes, shouldn’t it be?”

“Hmm,
this theory of Karma is making sense, as we see everyone around us is
living a different life. There must be some science behind this.”

“Theory
of Karma applies to every Soul. But the problem is we don’t consider
self as a soul and act as if we are a body. There lies the problem. If
you agree on the above equation and act accordingly, quality of your
journey as a soul will improve.”

That means our belief will make
us decide the journey we are embarking upon.” Jay said and added,” |
Birth — Death | is the body approach and | — Lion–Human– Cat– Elephant–
Cow–| is the Soul approach.

“Absolutely right.”

“Oh. What
a fundamental change it can bring in approach. My bad act in the
present body for limited happiness can attract bad Karma to me, i.e.
Soul and results in misery and pain in my present as well as next body. “

“Yes, it can even influence the new body the Soul gets.”

“Suppose I do more good deeds then will it help me get happiness in future?” Jay asked.

“Yes it does, but your journey as a Soul will continue.”

“Then what should be the ultimate goal of the Soul.” Jay was curious.

“Do
you see anybody permanently happy anywhere? No. Therefore, ending the
cycle of the new body should be the objective of every Soul. All pains
and happiness are suffered by the Soul and not the body. Revisit the
above equation.”

“How is it possible to end the cycle?” Jay was inquisitive.

“By becoming a Karmaless Soul.”

“If
the Soul’s liberation from bodies is the way for permanent happiness
then knowing the laws of Karmas is essential for every Soul.” Jay was
realising the importance of the laws governing every Soul.

“Yes, but we as CAs prefer to know the laws of Income tax and Companies act and even International tax.“

“That is because we Souls have become engrossed with the body and bodily requirements.” Jay reasoned.

“I
am not stating not to know all these laws, but I am indicating about
the priority. The Death of this human body is certain and no one knows
when. It can be even today. All these bodily acts and deeds with one of
the other motives are the source of the dirt for the Soul.”

“Oh,
so I can make my clients happy by advising them about tax avoidance
practices and other ways to wrongfully escape the clutches of laws, but
by doing so I am as a Soul attracting more bad Karmas.” Jay was relating
it.

“Yes, just for the mere temporary benefit of the body and
praise from clients, the Soul is attracting new dirt i.e. Karma which
can make the Soul unhappy and prolong the pain potential for the Soul.”

He
decided to know how to make his Soul completely dirt-free i.e.
Karma-free and that was the first step of his spiritual journey.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

Namaskar

‘Because I love life, I know I shall love death as well’
Gurudev Tagore

1.
We mortals live in the fear of death. We do not realise that `death’ is
a reliever of pain and `death’ also is a leveller, for it is said :
sceptre and crown in dust be equal made. The greatest wonder is that
whilst we see others die we don’t believe that we are also going to die.
We little realise that death is a certainty. There is a saying in Guru
Granth Saheb that implies death is a certainty. ‘Jo UPJIO so bins hai karo aaj ke kaaj’. Translated it means : Everything that is born must die – don’t greave, do today’s work.

2. The question is : what is death? Philosophers say : birth and death are two sides of the same coin – and are the threads which weave life. Death also gives birth when bible propounds the concept that ‘unless a seed dies it can produce no grain. A seed has to cease to be itself in order to be a source of life to others’.
I believe that ‘death’ is a friend who is born with me, walks with me,
laughs with me and weeps with me – the only thing I don’t know when he
is going to ask me to walk with him. This uncertainty brings in the fear
of the unknown. To face this uncertainty we have to accept death as
reality and be ready for it and do what Leonardo da Vinci said ‘while I
thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to
die’. Let us learn how to die. Death is not to be feared.

3. The next question is : what does death do!
Death converts a person into a thought – memory. It makes us realise
that the physical body of ours comes with an expiry date and death is a
painful truth – nay – just truth. It at times impels us to think ‘life
is an illusion’. It also teaches us to reflect on our actions – in other
words – check our actions on the touchstone of morality.

4. Have we noticed that persons belonging to a particular sect apply Bhasma on their forehead! They probably believe that bhasma reminds them and prepares them to meet ‘death’ as ultimately body turns into Bhasma – ash. What a wonderful way to live with death.

5.
There is another way of viewing death. For those of us who believe in
the concept of re-incarnation – there is no death – because death is
only a comma and not a full stop. Hal Borland has put this concept
beautifully in words when he says ‘your end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us’.
Every birth is an experience gatherer. Our philosophy of karma also
propounds the concept that we take birth again and again to live the
result of our good and bad actions.

6. Have we ever observed our
reactions at someone’s death. Death at 25 is shocking, at 50 it causes
anguish and at or after 70 death is accepted as a norm. We say either he
lived well or he is relieved of his pain and suffering.

7.
Swami Sukhabodhananda says: ‘Death is the most critical defining feature
of life. When you die, you are making the ultimate desirable assertion
that you have been alive. In fact, death is a precondition to life’.

8.
We have to realise that there should be no fear of an event that is
certain – death. We need to live life – live it and enjoy it because
life is worth living as it is a gift from God. Whilst enjoying life, the
one death we should seek is the death of ego.

9. I would conclude by quoting Osho :

‘It is not whether life exists after death. The real question is :Whether you are alive before death?

NB:
The author attempts every morning to ask himself the question : How
will I live this day if it was my last day – so should we all. The
answer, friends, would reflect the answer to the question asked by OSHO.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

Love

“Love is to the Human Heart, what sun is to flowers”
–Swami Chinmayanandji

At a recent workshop on “Harmonising Personal & Professional Life for Effective Leadership” organised by Dharma Bharathi Mission and the BCAS Foundation, Swami Sachidananda Bharathi addressed the participant and said:

“In order to be harmonious, healthy, peaceful and happy persons, we need to know something about the deepest yearnings of the human heart. It is found that there are four deepest yearnings that are common to most human hearts:

1. Yearning for love
2. Yearning for acceptance
3. Yearning for dignity
4. Yearning of equality.”

Hereunder are a few thoughts on LOVE:

It is sad that in this world – we all are deprived of love. There is hardly a time in human history when there is no conflict – of race, of religion, for water, for territory and so on.

Love is inborn in human beings, yet it is not manifested much in reality.

Osho says:
“Love is a phenomenon, where the ego disappears and you are fully conscious.”

You need Power, only when you want to do
something Harmful, Otherwise Love is
Enough to get everything done.
–Charlie Chaplin

The best love is the kind that awakens that soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.

As Swamiji said:
“Without love, we cannot really grow and blossom to our full potentials. Without love, we also cannot be really happy and healthy. Love sustains us. Love nourishes us. It is the source of life and existence. That is why religions and spiritual masters refer to God as ‘Love Infinite’… The greatest hunger in the world today is not for food, but for love. Mother Teresa had pointed out that ‘the tragedy of the modern world is lack of love’. She also had said: “Where there is hatred you can sow love; where there is injury you can sow pardon! Spread love everywhere you go!”

Most of the individuals are narcissists – they love themselves (though many do not deserve it!). Many love others – family, citizen, even animals (especially dogs & cats), and plants. One of my friend’s wife tells me that she loves plants and she regularly talks to them and they blossom (smile!) in response.

There is selfish love. There is selfless love which is the best gift of God to many, e.g. Mother Teresa. To love another person is to see the face of God.

Happiest are the people who love and are loved.

Martin Luther King Jr. Wrote:
I have decided to stick to love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Let us all decide the same.

(August is the month of my birthday. So, it is a special month of love, and this is my ‘BHET’).

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LEARN TO SLOW DOWN

“I have no time to be in a hurry”

– Thoreau

It was the summer of 1978. We were on a trek in the Kishtwar region of Kashmir, a truly beautiful area with its magnificent scenery of sky reaching Snow Mountains, lush green majestic tall trees, lovely green meadows, and icy cold mountain streams fed by the melting snows. It was heavenly. My friend, R, and I, along with our daughters, had joined a government-organised trekking programme. The remaining participants were around the age of our daughters. The unhurried time we spent walking on those treks was one of the finest in my 80 years. The trek lasted about a fortnight. On one of the days the scenery was different. We were walking through a dry, desert-like terrain. The streams, instead of carrying crystal clear cool waters, were muddy and smelled of sulphur. The reason was not far to seek. The mountain, whose base we were crossing, was a volcano – a live one smoking at the top. We were crossing the path where lava must be flowing. It was one of those very unusual natural phenomenons we experienced.

The next day was a rest day. The next batch of trekkers arrived passing through the volcanic area. They arrived in record time. When we asked them whether they saw the smoke coming out from the volcano, they had a strange look. “What volcano?” “What smoke?” They did not see a thing.

The point is when in haste, we miss our surroundings. It is better to slow down and enjoy this journey of life, than to speed through being blind to the beauty around. That is why R.L. Stevenson said:

“It is better to travel than to arrive”

Enjoy the life while there is still time. Tomorrow may not arrive!

But first, we have to understand what we mean by slowing down. It is not becoming lazy, sleeping for 12 hours a day, not being on time at your office or not completing the work allotted to you. It means cutting down on needless activity, saving on time wasted by excessive hurry, improving on the quality of one’s work, and enjoying the work instead of considering it a drudgery. It is not being burnt out at an early age.

The question we have constantly to ask ourselves is ‘Why am I in a hurry! Is it a matter of life and death?’

I am reminded of a story of an American and a Chinese travelling in a car. The American guy is at the wheel. He manages to cross a unmanned railway crossing. An express train missed hitting them by a few seconds. On crossing, the American says to his Chinese friend, “Great, we have saved two minutes!” The Chinese, with all his eastern wisdom, asks, “My friend now tell me what we shall do with these two minutes?”

Most of us are no different from the American, risking our lives, speeding recklessly just to save two minutes, which we do not know what to do with. This is how we waste our lives, ruining our health and peace of mind rushing through life at break neck speed to make more money, get more fame, which in the end mean nothing. Whether you amass a million or 10 million, when you go, you leave behind everything. Perhaps leaving behind 10 million would be more painful! Let us remember that even Emperor Alexander left the world empty-handed.

I will ask a question. You need an operation. You are recommended two surgeons: one who is fast and performs the surgery in a short time but his success rate is not good, and another who is slow but his success rate is better. The question is what does one want from a surgeon: speed or safety? The choice is obvious and clear – safety over speed. If this be so, then this should apply to all our actions.

It is for us professionals to learn to have a work life balance take on only that much work that we can handle efficiently without hurrying our work, avoiding situations which bring stress in our lives which we also transmit to our families. We must have time to do something more meaningful, and leave our footprints on the sands of time. Let us learn to slow down. Let us not rush through life. Let us once in a while stop to smell the flowers of the way side. Let us remember those beautiful lines:

So let us all learn the art of “how to hasten slowly”.

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The Eternal Life

Do you want an eternal life? Do you aspire to live forever? This is not an easy question to answer. One must think a lot before giving the answer.

This story is attributed to Alexander the Great. Like all highly ambitious persons, Alexander, the emperor, was seeking Eternal Life. He was directed to a reknowned Indian Sage. The sage told him about a magical tree which grew on the shores of a lake, far away, hidden deep inside the forests, which could be reached only after crossing several mountain ranges. Eating the fruit of that tree gave eternal life. Alexander set off, taking the directions from the sage. After travelling for seven days and seven nights, he reached that lake and found the magical tree with the fruits. As he was about to eat one, a voice called him and cautioned him “Do not eat the fruit”. Alexander was amazed to find that it was a crocodile and that the lake was teeming with crocodiles. “We have eaten the fruit and are miserable. How much so ever we may wish, we cannot die. We have become old, disabled, have nothing to live for and yet we cannot die. Do not make the same mistake we had made. Otherwise you will have an eternally miserable life, cursing this day when you ate this fruit”. Alexander realized the wisdom of the words of the crocodile. He no longer wanted eternal life. His quest was over. He returned back without eating the fruit.

The question we have to ask ourselves is ‘Do we want eternal life?’ or we would be happier with a few good years?

Let us imagine the life of a caged bird, alone in the cage. The cage may be made of gold and he would be getting the best of food and care from the lady who lovingly kept him as a pet. He would not be wanting anything; anything except freedom to fly in the open sky and meet and mingle with the other birds of his tribe. Would the bird prefer a hundred years of such caged life, or would he rather be satisfied with just a few years of life in the open, flying soaring high up above in the sky. No question. The bird would surely love to be out of the cage, and flying high. No matter the life in the open world would carry with it its own perils. He would have to face hunger, illness, brave all kinds of weather and even run the risk of falling prey to predator birds. But it would be better than a purposeless eternal life.

All this leads us to the conclusion that endless life is not a boon, but a curse; a life which is totally protected, cut off from all risks and also human contacts is worthless. Further, to lead a good life, one requires challenges to meet and goals to achieve. One requires someone to share both, happiness and sorrow. As they say “a ship is safe in the harbour, but that is not what it is meant for”. The captain of a ship would be far happier sailing the seven seas, fighting wild winds, weathering thunderous storms and facing turbulent waves than merely sitting in the harbour. So it is with our lives. What one really seeks is not just a long life, but a good and a meaningful life, even if it be short. I am reminded of the words of Philip James Bailey:

“We live in deeds, not years
In thought, not breath
We should count time by heart throbs
He most lives, who thinks most
Feels the noblest, acts the best”

But still one may aspire to live eternally, though not in a physical form. It is well said that “to live in the Hearts of Men, is not to Die”. One would certainly aspire to live in the hearts of men for a long time by one’s noble deeds.

We then have to decide, that whatever may be our remaining life span, we will live a purposeful, meaningful life, we shall strive to achieve great goals and make the best use of our lives. We will leave our footprints on the sands of time. Maybe then, even when we die a physical death, we shall continue to live in the hearts of our fellow human beings and have a truly eternal life. We can then attain the state described in the bhajan of Jain Muni Shri Anandghanji:

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THE PATHWAY TO UNHAPPINESS

Who would ever want to travel on a path that leads to unhappiness? No one. We all want to be happy at all times. However, one would like to learn the path to unhappiness so that one may avoid it. Our scriptures show this path. One marvels at our scriptures. Our forefathers had studied every aspect of life in great depth and have given to us wisdom to live happily in the Upanishads, Bhagvad Geeta and other scriptures. Many times, the answers are given in simple words in the form of ‘Sutras’. ‘Sutra’ is a statement which is brief; having minimum words which is free from ambiguity, is meaningful, multifaceted, without any superfluous words and is flawless.

The answer to the question as to which is the surest way to unhappiness is given in the following Sutra, which reads as under:

It means – “Ignoring what you have and longing for what you do not have is the surest way to unhappiness.”

How true! So lucidly explained! Simple as these words may sound, they hold the key to human happiness. The root cause of all our unhappiness is that we are never appreciative of what we have, never satisfied with what we have and are therefore never happy. As they say “the grass is always greener on the other side.” We are not thankful to the Almighty for all that He has given us. We have no sense of gratitude. We are always seeking more. Our desires are endless. Our ‘trishna’, our thirst is never ending.

When one’s cup is half full, one only looks at the empty upper half and cribs. “My cup is already half-empty”. Only rarely, a few are happy and rejoice saying “My cup is still half full”. One has to remember that one’s cup is ever full. It is upto us whether to cry about the cup which is half empty or feel happy that our cup is half full.

The desires around us are so strong that once they catch hold of us, it is difficult to escape from their clutches. There is a story of two shepherds. They were grazing their sheep on a bank of a raging river. Suddenly, one of them saw a black shining woolen object floating down the river. Thinking that it was woolen blanket, as it very much looked like one, one of them jumped in the river and swam upto it. When he reached it, to his horror, he discovered that it was not a blanket but a bear which was very much alive. Before he could swim away from it, the bear grabbed him. Both were being pulled by the strong currents. The Shepherd on the shore shouted “Leave the blanket, leave the blanket”. Our friend, whom the bear would not let go, shouted back, “What do I do?” I have left the blanket. But the blanket is not leaving me!” This friend’s plight is the one in which all of us are. When our desires take hold of us even if we want to leave them, they would not let us go. Ultimately, we drown under the burden of our desires.

Our attitude of comparing is one of the reasons for this situation. If I do not get something, it is alright so long as my neighbor does not get it. But if my neighbor gets the latest refrigerator, I must have it too. I would be unhappy till I have one. The media plays havoc with our desires. 24×7 we are bombarded with views of “beautiful things,” without which, we are told, life and living are incomplete. We succumb to this pressure, and go on acquiring objects which may not be of real use to us and forgetting in the process that we acquire an attitude which guarantees lifelong unhappiness.

We have no time to thank God Almighty for all that He has given to us. We have lost the art of ‘counting our blessings’.

Unknowingly, all of us have been treading on this path of unhappiness. What we must now do is clear. Tell ourselves that ‘things’ may bring comfort but not lasting happiness. We must stop in our tracks. Fortunately, a U-Turn on this road to unhappiness is permitted. We must turn around, retrace our steps and be on the right road to happiness. God is always more than willing to help us. I would like to end with the lines of a song of the bye-gone era which conveys the right message.

“Tumko Mubarak ho unche mahaliye
humko hai pyari hamari galiya, hamari galia”

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Live Life Facebook Style

Thirty years ago, there was, on an average, one television set amongst a group of about fifty families, with just one channel and with restricted timings of telecast. A twicea- week film songs program, Chitrahar, and a Sunday movie were the entertainment bonanzas for television viewers. At the time when all were not fortunate enough to have the comfort of possessing a television, somehow everyone enjoyed the Sunday movie. This was possible because the owner of that ‘priceless belonging’ invited all and shared the joy with everyone in the locality. The person who allowed others to enjoy his possession enjoyed the most by bringing smiles in the lives of so many people. The beneficiaries on the other hand were ever proud as one of their neighbours owned a television, unlike today, when we have a sense of discomfort and dejection if a neighbour possesses something bigger or better than us. Such resentfulness is not just restricted to neighbours but unfortunately today, the intolerance has crept in amongst family members as well. The example of television is one out of many and of the time when people lived in harmony irrespective of their possessions. Similarly then, a rare house among many had the privilege of a landline telephone connection, but the communication at that time reigned supreme amongst all.

As we introspect into our living today, almost everyone in the family wishes to have his personal television and also a cell phone. Many are fortunate to get their wish fulfilled. The question arises: are we able to enjoy our life to the extent we used to in earlier years? Our possessions have increased but somehow the level of enjoyment and satisfaction has gone down. Why is it so that in earlier times we enjoyed far more despite not owning many things? Where are we going wrong and what needs to be changed?

The answer to this is simple and twofold. Firstly, we have forgotten to appreciate and like what others have and secondly, with possessions has come the possessiveness. We have stopped sharing and have become self-centric. It is me and mine only. The problems have increased and the level of happiness has gone down because importance is given to material possessions. In other words, valuables have taken precedence over values. One may argue: how can our happiness increase by sharing what we have and by appreciating what others have? The television and telephone of yester years are the testimony of the rule when we shared these medium of communication of others. This issue is: how can this be achieved in the present digital age?

The answer is ‘Facebook’. ‘Facebook’ today is common and almost every one of us uses it to share information. It is a tool of social networking and a popular way to communicate with friends and relatives. The platform of ‘Facebook’ allows us to ‘like’ what our friends post and encourages us to share what we have. We enjoy and cherish when we like something good being shared with our friends? Whenever we like something on the ‘Facebook’ there is a sense of appreciation towards others and whenever we share, there is enormous pleasure as our friends acknowledge our posts. ‘Facebook’ proves that to add to your joy you need to ‘share’. We experience this joy in the digital world but sadly ignore the rule when it comes to possessions.

It is only when we start appreciating others; the sense of separateness fades, and feeling of oneness prevails. Similarly, when we start sharing the benefits of what is available to us, our happiness will increase manifold. Sharing is the key for a happy living, aptly demonstrated by ‘facebook’.

I would conclude by quoting Dada Vaswani: “Nothing belongs to us”. If this be the case, let us share our possessions to experience and live in happiness.

Let us never forget that ‘Facebook’ teaches us to experience sharing

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COMING OUT OF DIFFICULTY

On the voyage of life, there is a smooth sailing. The vehicle one drives is under optimum control. The roads and the overall environment are providing excellent path and all expected convenience. One feels that this is the gala time of life. One’s own movement to get ahead on the voyage could be a part of a Race, but when the inner feel of God’s touch is there, it is Grace. The feel of happiness becomes the way of life. One feels the fragrance of the spring of life and virtually walks on the petals of roses.

Uncertainty and change is the unavoidable and immortal truth of life. As an inevitable part of life journey, all of a sudden, an unforeseen speedbreaker breaks down one’s vehicle. An unimagined situation happens which is so difficult for one to digest. Sudden unexpected storm shatters the beauty of one’s spring of life. It could be loss of a near and dear one, unthinkable betrayal or anything completely never thought of or an unfavourable situation.

People try to console you, try to help you out to get over that difficulty. But as it is rightly said, “No one can save us or No one may, if one doesn’t have the willingness to walk on the path on one’s OWN”. People can help only to re-balance your vehicle, but to cross over the speedbreaker; one has to start the vehicle again to move on in life’s journey.

In tough times, one may get upset with God. One may start losing the Faith in the Infinite Intelligence. But all that one needs, to get over the difficulty is to develop a positive approach towards it, to align oneself with the logic of Infinity. When God solves your problems, you get faith in his abilities but when God doesn’t solve your problems, it means he has faith in your abilities. Pain and sufferings come to awaken one’s greatest Self, to make one understand the perfect lyrics of lifesong and ultimately to make one strive to become a better and a stronger person.

God’s magnificient effluence is the panacea for many tough times. One gets closer to God, one’s OWN SELF, during the difficulties. The Inner power and utmost faith in God keeps one alive. One lets the difficulty feel that it’s difficult to stay here. Through the tough times, He/She attains more serenity and divineness. One feels that I need to be happy with my luck and that let one feel lucky. At the end, one who experiences and gets over difficulties are the chosen and closest to God. Remember, God’s wish and human efforts together can conquer any fault in one’s stars.

After all, pain and sufferings PURIFY THE SOUL. One would never strive to find out a SOLUTION unless and until one has not encountered the PROBLEM. In the same way, when in tough times nothing seems workable to make one PEACEFUL and CALM as far as sensory world is concerned. It expands the horizons of one’s intellect and mind to SEE THE WORLD WHICH IS TRANSCENDENTAL, THE PEACE AND HAPPINESS which is IMMORTAL. One clearly GETS IN one’s consciousness, the UNBREAKABLE and IMMORTAL LAWS of INFINITY OF INFINITIES to UNDERSTAND where did one get OUT of TRACK OF THE UNIVERSE and WHY all things turned out in A WAY one NEVER EVER EXPECTED. One starts understanding CHRONICLeS of TOUGH TIMES. Ultimately, the QUEST converts into the COMPLETE AWAKENING OF ONE’S WISDOM like A THOUSAND-PETALLED LOTUS HAS OPENED UP IN ITS FULLEST BEAUTY. Everything starts unfolding its TRUE NATURE INCLUDING ONE’S OWN. One perceives the PURPOSE of LIFE. It knocks upon the doors of HEART which had ALREADY been closed because of PAIN, opens it UP and lets the vital essence of ONE’S TRUE NATURE of COMPASSION, SELFLESSNESS, FREEDOM, HAPPINESS and PEACEFULNESS flow NATURALLY.

It becomes the FIRST STEP on the JOURNEY from IMPERFECTION to PERFECTION, from EGO to SELF and FROM ISOLATION to UNITY, from IGNORANCE to KNOWLEDGE, from CONSCIENCE to CONCIOUSNESS, from SUBJECTIVITY to OBJECTIVITY, from SELFISHNESS to SELFLESSNESS and ULTIMATELY BOUNDNESS to FREEDOM.

As it is rightly said by LORD BUDDHA, “SUFFERINGS lead to HAPPINESS”. So Let us ACKNOWLEDGE SUFFERINGS. LET it BE FELT to its END. Let TOUGH TIMES GET US CLOSER TO GOD.

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Yet Another Mantra for Life

These lines set me thinking. We are living in a jet age where we talk of expressways and bullet trains. A cursory appraisal of most homes in the early morning or for that matter a look at our traffic manners shall clearly tell you that each one is in a perennial hurry, in a rush to reach somewhere.

What is the reason?
The answer appears to be easy, but to my mind is difficult to fathom. Our parents and forefathers lived a relatively peaceful life, and were no small achievers by any standards.

What then has gone wrong?
Is it the deluge of activities, too many means of communications and of commuting and that too fast? A look at your smartphone and you shall realize – phone calls, SMSs’, WhatsApp, FB updates and the list goes on. Has the list of accomplishments grown bigger for the present generation? I think not.

We have started mistaking activities for accomplishments. We have mistaken frequent connection for deeper/thicker relations. We have mistaken bigger network of friends and acquaintances for stronger relationships.

One of my friends, who seems to have all the time in the world, once told me, “I do not need to know the 2,000 members of the club. I know one member who knows the balance 1999.” And I realised, on thinking over, that he made sense.

An Israeli researcher, Michal Bar-Eli, evaluated hundreds of penalty shootouts and concluded that it would have done good for the goal keeper and his team if the goal keeper had neither moved left nor right, but stood still. We are conditioned to action, when remaining still would be a better choice.

Over the years, I have realised that my grandma had all the time to write a post card and personally place it in the red post box, my mother had all the time in the world to do all the household chores and her children have all excelled in their chosen field of endeavours.

I cannot help but extract the famous poem of the English poet, William H. Davies titled “Leisure” –

“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this is if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.”

The position would be different if, for example: – O ne had no back to back appointments and the diary did not look like an attempt in “seconds splitting”.
– I f the lady in the house had engaged in a de-clutter exercise and avoided multitasking.
– I f one possessed clarity of goals. The traveller passing through a village asked the farmer “where does this road go?” “It shall take you wherever you want to go”, the farmer quipped.
– I f one set up do-not-disturb hours. Silence and solitude bring miraculous effects.
– I f one lived in the moment without brooding over the past or worrying about the future. My sagely friend rightly remarked “step aside from the rat race because even if you win, you shall still be a rat.”
– I f one spent time with himself. Somebody rightly exclaimed, “have you ever dialed your own telephone number to realise that it is constantly engaged and therefore providing no opportunity to talk to yourself?”

To sum up, we need to slow down or for that matter stop and sit down. Blaise Pascal made a profound statement when he said “all of humanity/s problems arise from the inability to sit quietly in a room”

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OUR DREAMS ARE WITHIN OUR REACH

When we look back at our lives, we find that so many of our wonderful dreams have remained dreams only. We have not been able to realise our dreams. In many cases we have not even tried to achieve them.

If God gives us a chance to live our lives again, what would our life be like? Would it be better than our first innings? Would we achieve more? Would we become better human beings? Most of us would agree that if we are given another chance, our second innings would be better than this one. We would be better human beings, achieve many more goals, and reach far greater heights. We would be able to fulfil many of our unfulfilled dreams. A question arises as to why is it so? Why is it that we failed to achieve our goals? Why is it that we even failed to try? This is because we fail to do many things out of fear of failure and fear of ridicule. We are just too scared to step out of our comfort zone. It is said that even eagles need a push. The baby eagle who is ready to fly, but afraid of it, is literally pushed out of its comfort zone of the nest by the mother. It is only when it is pushed out, the baby eagle realises the power of its own wings and soars to great heights in the wide open sky. We must also learn to step out from our comfort zone. It is only then we will realise these dreams. I love this quote by R.L. Stevenson, which is my favourite.

“Twenty year from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did do. So,throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore, Dream, Discover.”

How true are these words! One cannot succeed without trying. We may lose. But it is “better to have loved and lost” than to have never loved at all. As it is aptly said, “A ship is safe in the harbour but that is not what it is meant for!” Friends, we have to dream, lift our anchors, and sail the high seas ( nay, rough seas) to achieve our dreams. We may have to face gales and storms, high winds, and rains. There is no option but to sail and overcome all these to achieve our dreams.

There are some interesting things about sailing. I did not know until I tried my hands at sailing, that a good sailor can sail in any direction, no matter from where the wind is blowing. Even when he wants to go in a direction directly from where the wind is blowing, he can always zigzag his way to the desired destination! In the words of Edward Gibbon, “the winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.” We have to be ablest navigators in this sea of life and reach our destination, realise our dreams. We should firmly believe that “It is not over until win!”

And have we not watched with baited breath the yachts racing, tilted at an impossible angle. My God! It is so scary to be in that yacht at that time. But, here too, experienced sailors tell us that if you feel too scared, just let go off the ropes! The yacht will at once come to a balanced even keel and you will be safe. So it is with life. If we are too scared we have just to let go off everything and trust in God. He will take care of us. He will see that our ship does not tilt over and we are not dumped into the sea. God is always there to look after us!

We have to be adventurous, learn to take risks, and chances. After all, if nothing is ventured, nothing will be gained. As Andre Gide puts it, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. We just cannot sit on the shore of a river, afraid to step into the waters, and expect to cross the river.”

So friends, we shall dream, dream of reaching great heights. We shall never be afraid of failure and we shall put in our best. It is only if we try our best, put our best foot forward that we will be able to achieve our goals, and fulfil our dreams. It is our duty to be what we are capable of being. The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we become, and what we are really capable of becoming.

“It is not enough to have lived. Be determined to live for something”.

– William Arthur Ward

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Leaving A Legacy

“The only thing that you take with you when you are gone is what you leave behind.”

– John Allison

All of us know that we have to go some day. We are temporary residents of this world, and sooner or later we have to quit this place and depart. We also equally know that just as we came into this world empty handed, we have to go from this world empty handed. Even Alexander the Great directed that, on his death, his empty hands should be displayed outside his coffin, to give this message. No matter how much one may amass, and how so powerful one may be, someday one has to go and one cannot take anything with oneself. The only choice with us, then, is to choose what should happen to one’s wealth when one goes away. Whom to give? How much to give? And to decide on how much to dispose off while one is alive and how much to amass to leave it for one’s heirs.

It is human to leave behind one’s wealth for one’s children. One wants to provide for the future needs of the children. One wants to provide not only for the needs and comforts, but even luxuries. However, this may not be in the best interest of our children.

One has to remember what our scriptures teach us. They teach us that “Lakshmi” is “Chanchal” – volatile and does not like to stay at the same place for long. Our elders also tell us that rarely does wealth stay in a family for three generations. The first one gathers wealth, the second manages to preserve it, and the third squanders it. History tells us that people usually squander any money that they inherit and if they don’t squander it, their children surely will. Will this be the fate of what we leave behind for our children?

Hence, one has also to think of how much one should leave for them so that they do not lose all their initiative to work and excel in life. The dilemma is, how much is sufficient to look after their needs and comforts. The next issue is, how to distribute this wealth. How much should go to each of the heirs. Most of the time the wealth left behind itself becomes a source of discord, disharmony, quarrels, and even litigation.

I am reminded of the Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for one day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a life time.” The same is also true about wealth. It is better to spend and teach a child to earn a living than to provide him with enough wealth.

All these point to one thing. Leave behind legacies for children but make them fit to be able to use it judiciously and not to squander it. It should help them to be better human beings. If one has wealth more than what one’s children will ever need, better give away the excess during one’s lifetime or, through one’s wills, to charities. There are enough people who need money even to provide for their basic needs.

While it is important to provide for the needs of our children, it is equally important to teach them about money itself. They must understand that money beyond a certain basic level of providing one’s needs cannot bring true happiness. Properly handled it can ensure one’s financial future, but if not handled carefully it can fly off in no time. In our lifetime we must imbibe in them the right values of earning, preserving and spending money. It is only then that wealth will remain in the family. It is not only on how to invest money, but also how to earn it and spend it that are important.

I conclude by quoting:

“If you have just two pennies in the world, spend one on a loaf of bread; the other on a flower. The bread will give you the means to live, the flower a reason for living.”

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LEARNING FROM A SAINT

“All the Darkness in the world does not have the power
to snuff out a single candle”

Life has a strange way of giving lessons. Unexpected events happen and they give one’s life a new direction. One such incident helped to direct me to “the path less travelled”. It must be twenty years ago, that professional work took me to Halol in Gujarat. My colleague and I had one evening free. Somebody suggested that we should visit Muni Seva Ashram situated a short distance away, run by a saintly lady Smt. Anuben Thakkar. We accepted the suggestion. I am glad we did.

We reached the Ashram in the early evening to be greeted by Anuben herself. She was dressed in saffron clothes. It was twenty years ago, that Anuben decided to commit her life to work for the poorest of the poor. Her Guru indicated to her four places on the map. She told me, “I selected Waghodia, which was the worst place. If I had to light a lamp, should I not do so at the darkest place!” The place selected by her was infested with robbers. The Collector and Police authorities tried to persuade her to move to another place in the interest of her safety. But she did not budge. She built her hut with the material borrowed from the villagers and started work by looking after the children of the women, when their mothers went to work in the fields.

This was the first lesson. It taught me that if I had a choice. I should select work which helps the poorest of the poor that is most difficult. The first lesson was:

“If you want to light a candle, light it at the
darkest places”

When we were taken around the Ashram, we saw what Anuben was able to achieve in just 20 years. There were 20 day care centres. There were two residential schools with 250 children each. There was an Orphanage, where there were 80 kids. Anuben’s direction to donors was that, they should not give broken toys and torn clothes for the children. They should give only such things as they would give to their own children! Apart from these, she also had an old age home for 40 people and a 60-bed hospital……..and a nurse’s training centre! The last one which we were shown was a separate unit for 100 girls with intellectual disabilities, which was a recent addition. Parents of one such daughter cried their heart out. To look after 100 such girls and with so much love and affection was something only Anuben could do. Her dream was to set up a full-scale cancer hospital. This hospital had already been setup and was doing fantastic work. The project was started by her, but sadly she did not survive to see the full fledged hospital working.

All along people like us have not done anything on the pretext that the problem is so vast and we alone cannot do much. Here was a lady whom I considered to be less educated, less impressive in personality, with lesser resources and lesser connections. If she could do so much in such a short time, I had no business not to put in my best efforts and do whatever little I can. May be I could achieve only a small fraction of what Anuben achieved. But I had no excuse for running away from the problems of our people. The second lesson was this:

“Do not ask what ‘I’ alone can do”

Anuben was explaining how the centre for those mentally retarded girls came up. “The government gave the land so I started.” I could not help asking as to where the money came from and how could she start without entering that the required money would be available. Her reply was simple, “It is God’s work………He was bound to send money and He did!” This was an eye opener and also the third lesson. This is the experience of several social workers. Whenever they took up such work with faith, where the help came from one does not know. This was the third lesson.

“If one takes up god’s work with sincerity, he never
lets one down”

So friends, let us select a place which is the darkest and light our candles. Do not ask what we alone can do, and have faith that God will not let us down. Let us begin and let us begin now.

“Let me light my lamp
Says the star
And never debate
If it will help to remove the darkness”

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The Difficult Path

“Two paths diverged in the woods. I took the one less travelled and that has made all the difference.”
–Robert Frost.

In life there are two paths. One is a well beaten path travelled upon by most of the people. It is an easy path. The journey on the same is comfortable. But at the end of the journey one, is at the same level as the one with which one started.

The other path is the one which is less travelled upon. It is difficult. It is uphill and one has to struggle to progress on this path. The end of the journey sees one at a far greater height. One may be breathless, but one would be very happy and satisfied.

The first one is called the “Preya” path in Upanishads; the second “Shreya”.

When one looks around, one finds that the present generation is better fed, better educated, lives longer, and is relatively healthier than the earlier ones. However, this is true only of the upper crust of the society. For most of the others, things have not improved. Most of them are poor and have no food, water, or shelter and no education. Closing our eyes to the problems and miseries of these people is selecting the first path. Deciding to work for them, committing our time, money and resources is the second path, the path less travelled upon. I, as at a very late age in my life decided to take the second path, and regret not having taken it earlier.

When I see the sufferings of my fellow beings, my heart bleeds. I do see around me several people who are well to do, but who are not doing anything to help the poor and needy. A question arises that though we are all good people, why do we not help? Why do we hesitate to take the second path? Those who hesitate can be divided in three different categories.

(1) The first set is of people are completely in oblivion of the plight of others. They are like Prince Siddharth before he became Gautam Buddha! They need to be awakened and made aware of the sufferings of the others.

(2) There are others who are vaguely aware of the situation but are not moved to help. Sufficient empathy has not arisen in their hearts for the suffering lot.

(3) The last class of people who are aware of the problem, who want to do something, but just do not know what to do? How to do? Where to start? They are helpless. They feel helpless.

For the first type of persons who are just unaware of the sufferings we have to make them see the sufferings of the poor. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But a visit to any of these places where our poor and needy stay is worth a thousand pictures. If we can expose these people, particularly of the younger generation, to the sufferings of the poor, some of them are bound to be touched by what they see.

This applies equally to the second category of persons who lack empathy. Maybe a stronger dose of the same medicine will put them on the right path.

The third category of people is of persons who want to do, but do not know how. They have to be shown the work done with dedication without seeking rewards by our silent workers, our unsung heroes. This will give them direction and motivate them to start treading the path less travelled.

Friends, we are at a time in history when our country needs us. Quoting President Kennedy, “We have not to ask what our country would do for us, but ask ourselves what we can do for our country”. It is for us, the educated, the well to do, to make a difference in the lives of our poor and needy brethren. Let us leave our foot prints on the sands of time. Moreover, each one of us seeks happiness – nay – eternal happiness. This comes from serving the poor. Friends, let us take this path, though difficult, to live in happiness. To serve the poor is the highest form of spirituality – something which illuminates the human mind. But it is difficult. I would conclude by quoting from Kathopanishad:

“Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path, difficult to cross and hard to tread”

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The most cunning deception is self deception

What is deception? It is an act of not being truthful. Let us ask ourselves as to whether we put on masks whilst dealing with others and above all, whilst dealing with ourselves. The issue are:

• Are we conscious of our failings?
• Do we accept our mistakes?
• Do we accept reality ?
• Do we fantasise that we are right knowing we are wrong ?

Believe me, I am not against dreaming – I believe that unless we dream we cannot achieve. Dreaming of what I want is part of the process of achieving success. Let us never undermine the power of thought. It has virtually been said by every philosopher that, “we are what we think“. However, in my view, there is a difference between dreaming and fantasising. Dreaming is reality – whilst dreaming I am still grounded in reality – whereas whilst fantasising, I am absolutely devoid of reality. When we accept our mistakes and make amends, that is reality. However, when we fantasise that we are not wrong and justify our actions, we are, I repeat, devoid of reality. We are in fact deceiving ourselves and it is this deception that makes us wrongly justify on what we do.

This is our biggest failure and believe me, deception is an impediment to success. The first step to success is accepting oneself, which means to stop deceiving ourself. Hence, once one stops deceiving oneself, one is on the road to success and happiness is what we all seek.

I must confess that most of the time when I put on a mask, it is to hide my emotions with the intention of not hurting others. I have still not learnt the art of being politely blunt and frank. Learning is a life long process and I am making a conscious effort to be politely frank which should obviate the need to put on a mask.

The basic issue is: has the author stopped deceiving himself? The answer has been on this road and is still on this road. To a considerable extent the author lives in reality, accepts reality and moves on and I am sure a day will dawn when the mask will be fully torn and he will exist in reality and there will be no self deception.

The aim and purpose of life, not only of KC but all of us: stop deceiving ourselves and be happy.

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Giving Away Wealth

The concept of giving is not new to us. All religions consider it virtuous to give and ask its followers to give. While people generally do have incomes to give from, relatively, a fewer people have wealth from which they could think of giving. Also wealth is required for future needs. However there are a few fortunate ones whose wealth far exceeds their own future needs and also the needs of their families and heirs for generations to come. We have in our midst people like Azim Premji, Narayan Murthy and Sudha Murthy, who are giving away large portions of their wealth. One truly admires them.

Warren Buffet, and Bill and Malinda Gates who are amongst the richest persons in the world launched the “Giving Pledge’ in 2010. Billionaires are requested to publicly commit to give away atleast 50% of their wealth either during the lifetime or on death for philanthropy. The total number of billionaires who have taken this pledge are 122. Bill and Melinda Gates who launched this “Giving Pledge Movement” have expressed themselves in the following words:

“We have been blessed with good fortune beyond our wildest expectations, and we are profoundly grateful. But just as these gifts are great, so we feel a great responsibility to use them well. That is why we are so pleased to join in making an explicit commitment to the ‘Giving Pledge’”.

Our country has witnessed one of the most unique and the largest ever giving away of wealth. After independence, the Maharajas of 562 princely states were persuaded to give away voluntarily their entire kingdom and merge their states with the Union of India. This in an achievement, which is unparalleled in history for which our country would ever remain grateful to Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

Later, we also witnessed the ‘Bhoodan Movement’. Vinoba Bhave, by persuasion, managed to collect 47 lakh acres of land from the land owners, which would mean the area of size of a country like Kuwait. What an achievement!

One remembers Mahatma Gandhi who advocated the spirit of trusteeship which could solve this problem. These are his words: “Earn your crores by all means. But understand that your wealth is not yours, it belongs to the people. Take what you require for your legitimate needs, and use the remainder for the Society.”

It is extremely difficult to implement this concept of “Trusteeship”. But at least, we can make a beginning and start by giving away a part of our excess wealth for charitable purposes.

We have talked about great philanthropists. However, I have come across one instance of giving away which pales into insignificance and surpasses what has been done by all these philanthropists.

Dr. Girish Kulkarni, who is a founder trustee of “Snehalaya”, an organisation which fights child prostitution and has succeeded in freeing Ahmednagar district of this evil of child prostitution narrated this to us when we had visited Snehalaya about a year and a half ago. Dr. Girish and his team is working for the welfare of commercial sex workers, their health and other problems and also looking after their children, many of whom suffer from AIDS. One day, a commercial sex worker named Sharda Gowda sought a lift from Dr. Girish to Pune from Ahmednagar. On the way, she asked Dr. Girish whether they would accept any gift from her, to which Dr. Girish replied in the affirmative. Dr. Girish was stunned when she offered a valuable piece of land at Katraj near Pune to Snehalaya. She gave away land worth over Rs. 20 lakh, on which Snehalaya has built a centre for poor children, which is used by over 150 poor children everyday!

In my 78 years, I have not come across such a magnificent act of giving away. This is why my heart bows down in Namaskaar to a woman I would never see in my life. This is Giving. “No One has ever become poor by giving”

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The Jailor

A prisoner was sentenced to 100 lashes every day for a robbery he committed. As the jailor rose to beat him up, he shouted, “Who the hell are you to beat me? I didn’t rob anything from you. Bring the man whom I robbed and he has the right to beat me up.”

What would be the fate of the robber’s plea? Would the jailor not punish him? Certainly not. In fact, in all probability, he would get angry and beat him more.

But then, there is a point in the prisoner’s argument. Who gave the right to the jailor to beat the prisoner? Morally, the person whom the prisoner robbed should have the right to beat him up. But in the real world things do not happen like that.

So the moot question is – “Who gave the right to the jailor to beat the prisoner?” The answer in the story is simple – The Court. The Court decided on who the criminal was and the gave the jailor the right to punish him.

So can the prisoner question the jailor? No. It would not help him and on the contrary, he may be in more trouble for questioning the jailor. What is the solution then? The only solution is to be calm and quiet and let the jailor do his duty. Perhaps repeatedly beating him up and observing the silence of the prisoner, someday, the jailor may think, he seems innocent and he may stop the sentence. Perhaps he may not.

The above short story is all about our life. We are the prisoners. There is a system somewhere – HIS COURT and HE sends the jailor in our life in one form or the other. Everyone who gives pain to us in life is the jailor. We might not have done anything wrong with them, but still they give us pain. Because they have been sent by the system to punish us. We must have done something wrong to someone and HIS COURT has sent some jailor to give us pain. We have to silently bear the pain. We do not have the right to question – why is he giving pain or what wrong did we commit? We must have done somewhere something wrong, that the jailor was sent to us.

The one who ignores us, the one who abuses us, the one who takes away our wealth, the one who cheats us – are all jailors. We may wonder – this was the person whom I helped a lot, but he is cheating us now… but he is just a jailor.

Everything in life is predetermined and everything happens for good. Be calm and observe the beauty of life. See a jailor in everyone who illtreats you, and you will observe a tremendous feeling of peace. Stop making calculations in life, more so for money. We will get what we deserve and what we do not truly deserve, some jailor will come and take away. Have the satisfaction of helping someone-don’t even seek ‘thank you.’ It has been rightly said:

‘Thy right is to work only,
Never to its fruits,
Let fruits not be the motive of your action,
Let there be no attachment to results.
*( Based on the book ‘ The Jailor’ by Acharya Vijay
Abhayshekhar Suri)

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The Piecemeal Living

From the moment we are born, Mother Nature readily starts bestowing her grace upon us. Everything necessary for a smooth and healthy start of life is readily made available to us. All necessities are being taken care of with an utmost ease, as if Somebody is perfectly executing a well designed plan. From the very first breath, enlivening sunlight, mother’s feed, nature’s warmth and all other essentials are provided without any hassle. All things are beautifully and perfectly placed as if Someone has meticulously worked out our grand entry on this magnificent stage called world. Has it ever been heard that a baby is born with an anxiety of the source for his first breath? No, because all things generally necessary for a good, healthy, and sustainable living are adequately provided.

A question arises that if all is so skillfully worked out for us, why mankind is in a state of despair? Why are many of us living a life in piecemeal instead of enjoying it to the fullest? The answer to this is simple. As we grow, ignorance creeps in. Everything that is made available in abundance is neglected and attention shifts from “haves” to “have nots”. The feeling of being in a state of emptiness sets in; unaware of the fact that one is full in all respects. The irony is that we want more and more, not knowing that we already have plenty. The appreciation for having this beautiful life, fresh air, sound sleep, good family, caring friends has lost its way to gadgets, big cars and foreign holidays. Materialistic pleasures have taken over ‘true happiness’.

Today, one is not able to control one’s ‘desires’. Craving for material objects is affecting prudent decision making, in other words, prudent living. All actions are performed on selfish interests. There is an emphasis on wealth rather than values. Wealth is accumulating but man is decaying. Luxury is preferred over necessities and priorities are changing. Until a generation back, it was observed that the entire family saved on all fronts, to first own a house before anything else. Instances today are easily observed where even the learned professionals are found of preferring a car over a house. Availability of easy finances to meet indulgences in cars, mobile phones or holidays is changing our priorities. We are forgetting that it is easy to borrow for our comforts, but takes a lot to repay. It is not just the money that gets repaid in installments but life itself gets into an ‘installment mode’ and piecemeal living”.

It is easy to get out of this type of life. As a commerce student and accounting professional one has studied the principle of accounting for personal accounts – Debit the Receiver – Credit the Giver. From the very first day of our birth, there have been innumerable receipts in various forms from the world. Someone, above in the heavens, is debiting the account of every receiver for every single grabbing from the world. What would be the position of our account if we only receive and do not pay back in some form? There would be no credits in the account and one would depart indebted – which should not be the case.

The first step for repaying our debt is to start acknowledging the fact that God has been kind to grant us all that is necessary. It is only when we begin counting our blessings, will we be overwhelmed with gratitude for all that has been bestowed upon us – this would generate a feeling of abundance which would compel us to share with others, and get our account credited in Lord’s book of account s and make us live our life to its fullest potentials. I would conclude by saying:

Without any bounds, it is Lord’s grace,
All in plenty for mankind to embrace,
But mean is the world, thus lacking in His praise,
And searching for more in a strange race.
Forever let down with an attitude to seize,
Beautiful gifted life though, living in a piece,
Just a shift in view to see all’s there
Abundance on offer for a life of flair.

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Spirituality in Worldly Life

Generally, people believe that worldly life and spiritual life are two contradictory matters poles apart from each other. It is a common belief that spiritual living is not possible for a normal person leading a worldly life and worldly life inhibits one from leading a spiritual life. But this is a wrong belief. Spirituality is not something which one gets only by living in a cave or a dense forest. One can lead a spiritual life by remaining in the material world also. It is a mistake to believe that spiritual living is something which is reserved for only ascetics or monks who have renounced the world. Spirituality is science of the sciences and this world is an ideal laboratory for its practical application.

Unfortunately, most people ignore spirituality in their day to day living. In their opinion, whatever little charity or worship they do, is also a thing to be kept separate from their material life. The separation of the spirituality from our daily life is the root cause of diminishing values and erosion of ethical standards in society. Anarchy, corruption, war, disharmony, absence of law and order, tyranny, materialism, selfishness and consumerism are rampant today and due to our failure to synthesise the material life with spirituality. The world and the society is nothing but a group of individuals. When an individual lives his or her life bereft of spirituality, many vices like anger, violence, fear, hatred, greed, selfishness, envy, and enmity breed in him. Individual vices collectively surface on the stage called society and becomes the cause of society’s downfall. If we want to transform the world, establish high standards of ethics and remove vices from society, then we shall have to start with the inner transformation of the individual and only spirituality has the power of transforming that an individual.

Man is by nature self-centered and is interested in only those acts which benefit him. Even from this angle spirituality should be adopted by every individual because it is in the self interest and of immense benefit to persons who adopt it.

Every person is in pursuit of happiness and tries to find it in material wealth, fame and power. This erroneous pursuit for happiness ultimately robs him of peace and happiness and gives restlessness and pain. Many times, these material possessions become the cause of unhappiness.

This physical world is governed by some subtle universal and natural laws established by the Supreme Power whom we call God. Not having the awareness and understanding of these laws, man tries to seek happiness in their breach. These subtle laws are unchanging and autonomous. These laws are:-

1. As you sow, so you reap.
2. You receive what you give.
3. The fruit of the action is according to the intention behind it.
4. What you do unto others shall be done unto you.
5. Every action has a reaction.
6. Every sin shall be punished and every good deed shall be rewarded.

Everyone has heard of the simple laws described above. However, what is important is living these laws. Our universe is governed by these laws but we do not understand this due to our shortsightedness and impatience. Today, we find many persons achieving material success by unethical and dishonest ways. This results in our not believing in the importance of purity of means for material success.

In fact, one gets peace and joy only by living in harmony with these laws. Every material success can be attained by living according to these subtle laws. Spiritual living means practicing ethics and values and living in harmony with the voice of our conscience.

A question naturally arises to us – what about our life hitherto lived in disharmony with these laws? Let us accept that man is imperfect. It is natural for him to commit mistakes. The issue is, is there no respite for the mistakes committed? The answer is “better late than never”. These laws are meant for aspiring us to move towards perfection from imperfection and not to punish us.

I would like to end by quoting Swami Vivekananda, who always advocated practice more than theory. He has said, “Hindu religion does not consist in struggles and attempts to believe in certain doctrine or dogma, but in realising; not in believing, but in being and becoming.”

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The Second Freedom Struggle – Our Unfinished Agenda

Mahatma Gandhi gave us freedom from the Britishers. Yet, we still have to be free from hunger, poverty, and above all, from corruption. We, the older generation, who witnessed to our freedom struggle were losing heart. We remembered with nostalgia and a deep sense of sadness those days when the whole country was united and fighting against the foreign rule. The air resounded with the slogans of ‘Quit India’ and ‘Do or Die’. I personally recollected having helped in making badges and posters at home. We believed that all is lost and the torch lit by Gandhiji and our other leaders is extinguished. There is no more light. Only darkness.

But things are not so bad. There is a silver lining to the dark clouds. Anna Hazare and his team have rekindled the flame. From what we believed were smoldering ashes, he has relit a flame and brought back hope.

In August, we saw history in the making. Anna Hazare demonstrated to us and the world, what can be achieved by satyagraha and non-violence and how the common people can make the Government wake up from its slumber, sit up and listen to the message that people are not prepared to tolerate corruption.

The fight today is against corruption. We have to get rid of this cancer which is eating away the very vitals of our social fabric, that is based on Dharma and sapping at the very roots of our real freedom.

The present generation is dimly aware of the great movement which brought us freedom. I am reminded of an incident narrated in the book ‘Exodus’. The Jews were fighting the Britishers to get their homeland. One aged freedom fighter, a grandfather was dying of bullet injuries, suffered while breaking out from the prison where he was held pending his execution. His young grandson, who had helped him in the escape, tells him “Grandfather, it is good to die for one’s country”. The grandfather replies, “Son, it is good to have a country to die for !” People today are not aware what it means to be citizens of a free country. The sacrifices of freedom fighters and lakhs of our people during the freedom struggle have been forgotten.

There are three great things about the entire movement by Anna Hazare, which have gladdened my heart. First is the spontaneous response of lakh’s of people to the cause. Such a response was beyond the wildest imagination of anyone. Second is the amalgam of people which responded. They were from every strata of society. Many of them were young and most of them were the common man. It was indeed a movement of masses and the younger generation. The third is that the entire movement was peaceful and without any violence, incidents of looting, stone throwing or burning of vehicle. There was nothing like ‘The Jasmine Revolution’ of Middle East. This has restored my faith in our people and the principles laid down by Mahatma Gandhi.

But the battle has just begun. We have to see that the torch lit by Anna remains burning. There is a saying in Gujarati, that “Gujaratis are courageous only in the beginning”. That applies to the rest of the country also. We have to disprove this and wash this black stain from our forehead. Of course Mahatma Gandhi proved this for us.

I came across this very apt shloka from Niti Shatakam of Bhartruhari.

“Base men do not undertake any work apprehending obstacles. Mediocres make a start, but cease working when they encounter hindrances. The men of excellence, however, after commencing a job do not give up despite recurrence of impediments.”

We all have to take part in this movement against corruption. We have to finish it before it finishes us. We can no longer be passive observers. We must support and participate in the anti-corruption movement in every possible way. Of course we must resolve not to be part of corruption. We must not indulge in ‘convenient corruption’ — corruption to get what we want through offering bribes. We must also resist coercive corruption and refuse demands for bribes.

I would end with my Namaskaar to Anna and his team, for starting the struggle, and leading from the front, and also to millions who gave tremendous sacrifices in our freedom struggle. Let us assure Anna that we all are with him in this struggle to eradicate this cancer called corruption. Let us then rise united for this cause, and see that the torch of real freedom remains ever burning.

I conclude by quoting the national poet and freedom fighter Zaverchand Meghani:

“We do not know what perils lie ahead of us on the path. We only know that the call has come from Mother India.”

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Kabir and the art of giving

Kabir is talked about a lot, admired a lot and even worshipped by many, but hardly followed. This is true of most of the great people. We end up becoming their admirers rather than followers. One of my senior colleagues in IAS used to tell me, that when people listen to talks of great achievers, most of them are ‘prabhavit’ (impressed), but rarely ‘parivartit’ (reformed). We go home and extol virtues of the great speaker, but most of the time fail to bring in our lives the changes suggested by that great person.

Even few couplets of Kabir are sufficient to change our lives provided we truly follow them.

Society is an amalgamation of people. If people are good, society will be good. All of us want others to be good, while for us we have different standards. And this is the reason for the pitiable state in which we find the society today.

One way to reverse this trend is to follow what Kabirji says —

And it is because of this lack of introspection and self-correction that we are still grappling with the same problems against which Kabirji fought centuries ago — Hindu-Muslim differences, casteism, religious fundamentalism, ritualism, etc. Today we are supposedly more ‘educated’ than what people were during Kabirji’s time. But these problems have taken a turn for the worse. When an illiterate like Kabir could raise his voice against all such evils and fight resolutely, then why we the so called educated cannot ? But how can we expect them to fight the woes of society when todays educated cannot even take care of their parents and when they fight bitterly with their siblings and stab their friends in the back.

Maybe it is because of our education system today. Earlier the two main purposes for which people sent their wards for education were ‘character-building and knowledge’. Now it just teaches a person to become a money making factory. Parents are heard telling their wards — quickly do a course so that you can start earning, or choose a course which will fetch crores of income. We are not bothered about gaining knowledge or becoming wise. One of the greatest educationist and visionary — Benjamin Franklin has said — “the greatest aim and purpose of all education is — service to society”.

Of what use is our education if we cannot put it to use to eradicate the social evils or fight against the injustice or illogical things happening in the society. If Kabirji could do, why can’t we ?

It is therefore heartening to see that BCAS is a place where the education that one had is being put to the service of society. In my numerous interactions with the members and on going through the Namaskar articles I have found that an earnest attempt is being made to do something about the various problems of the society. I have been particularly inspired by two of the senior members — Narayan Varma and Pradeep Shah and have been regularly working with them in my own small way. This article too is an outcome of that.

Coming back to Kabir, as I have mentioned earlier, we do not need to do too much research on all that he has said. Even if we can just understand and imbibe a few of his teachings from the ocean of wisdom that he gave, we can do wonders, both for ourselves as well as for the society.

As Namaskar very often champions the cause of ‘giving’, I would now quote some of Kabir’s sayings about ‘giving’ :

It is amazing to see how Kabir could pack so much wisdom in just one Doha ! It talks about contentment, compassion, seva and giving (even when there is barely enough). In his view, man should ask God to give him only as much as is required to fulfil his needs. Whereas we all continue to run after money and matter and realise very late in life that we failed to do all those things that make our life worth ‘living’.

Nature takes its own time and everything has its own pace. But today there is a mad rush for everything which leaves us all with lots of tensions, blood pressures and frustrations. We have to learn to do our jobs and detach ourselves from its results which would happen at their own pace. We have to be patient and not hanker after them.

What is the point of being a big person when you are of no use to anybody ? It is like being a date tree. It is tall but a passerby cannot get respite from the hot sun under its shade and its fruits are too high and cannot be eaten by people.

Trees do not eat their fruits; rivers do not drink their water. Saints live this life to do good to others.

Says Kabir that making gifts does not diminish one’s wealth just as taking a beakful of grains by a little bird does not diminish the grain heap or the river water does not diminish even though it is extensively usd by a large number of people.

Like when water starts increasing in the boat, we have to throw the excess water out of it, similarly when wealth starts increasing, we should start giving it away. Otherwise in both cases there is the danger of drowning.

I would like to conclude by repeating what I mentioned earlier. Kabir is not something that we should keep in the museum. We have to try to understand and imbibe his teachings in our lives. It will benefit us, our society, our country and even the entire world.

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HONEST LIVING

“If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.”

— Marcus Aurelius

The other day Sant Rajinder Singh Maharaj was speaking on TV. He was recalling an incident. A professor gave a test in maths to his students. He explained to them that it was not one test but two tests. One in Maths and the other in honesty. He expected students to pass in both. But if they could pass only in one, then it was better that they fail in maths but pass in the honesty test, than the other way around. If a student cheated and passed, he was covering up what he did not know, and he would never learn what he was required to learn. Failing in honesty may result in a permanent damage to oneself. Translated in our dayto- day life, it means that if one succeeds in the world with honest means it would be excellent. It is better to be less successful or even fail by honest means, than to succeed by dishonest means. In the ‘Gospel of Mathews’ it is said:

“For what is a man profited
If he shall gain the whole world,
And lose his own soul?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul.”

A question arises in our minds. Why does a person cheat? Why does he become dishonest? The simple answer is that he wants to show to the world an image of himself which is not real. This is what leads to cheating.

Honest living is exhorted by saints. It is truly said that honest living is a stepping stone to the path of spiritual progress. Putting it differently, an honest person may or may not be a spiritual person, but at least he is on the path of being a spiritual person. On the other hand, a spiritual person has to be an honest person. One cannot think of a dishonest spiritual person.

What is living honestly? One is living honestly if there is no difference between his thought, speech and action. One is dishonest if one thinks one thing, speaks something else and acts totally differently. To live honestly, the first step is to think right. We all know how difficult it is to control the mind. It is truly said that: ‘mind is like a monkey who is drunk and bitten on the tail by a scorpion’. This saying means that it is the nature of the mind to jump from one thought to another and hence it is difficult to keep wrong thoughts from creeping in. The initial step is to control the mind. Guru Nanak says:

“If you vanquish your mind, You have vanquished the world”

The next step is to align our words with our thoughts. Speak what you mean. Do not think one thing and speak another — there should be no flattery, and no sycophancy. We have then to act according to our words — our speech. We must practise what we preach. We must walk our talk. Speaking something and behaving differently is hypocricy. Hence a person who is speaking, and particularly when he is speaking from a dais, — ‘a Vyaspith’ has to be extremely careful of not speaking what he does not believe in, and what he is not putting in practice himself. He can, otherwise, misguide and mislead a whole lot of people, and thus become responsible for their actions. Living honestly also means earning one’s livelihood by honest means. Kabir was a weaver. Guru Ravidas was a cobbler, and Paltu Sahib was a grocer.

In recent times, we have had Nisargadattaji Maharaj who was a shop-keeper in Girgaum! An honest person has to earn his own living and not be a parasite on society. I was really pleased to read this quotation of Master Charan Singh.

“In our dealings with the Government (tax department) we should always do the right thing, not caring what the government does or does not do.”

Cheating in tax matters is not honest living. Stealing and bribing are also not honest living. Quran decrees:

Whenever you weigh, do it properly and use a precise scale. Do not steal money from others and do not give bribes.

Let us, therefore, think honestly, speak honestly and act honestly in all walks of life.

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The Missing Link between Action and Purpose

Human beings act out of reason. We do not dig holes and refill them for no reason. The reasons behind our actions are our goals. For most of us, these are ‘unwritten goals’ within the narrow context of our physical and emotional needs. Very few of us have ‘clear written goals’. Mark H. McCormack has given details of a study in his book “What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School.” The study was conducted at Harvard between 1979 and 1989. The Harvard graduates of 1979 were asked whether they have set clear, written goals for their future and whether they have made plans to achieve them. The responses were: 3% had clear and written goals; 13% had goals, but they had not written them; the majority 84% had no specific goals. After ten years, they found that the 13% earned on an average twice as much as the 84% and the rest 3% were earning 10 times the other 97% put together. The only difference was clear and written goals.

Clarity and purpose is more important than intelligence. An average person who is clear about what he wants is set to achieve more than a confused genius. Goals are derived from our dreams and they direct our actions. Many of us have never defined our goals. We, thus, live without direction and dreams. As needs get satisfied, the ‘unwritten need based goals’ lose their power to motivate. Once we are dry of motivation, we suppose that we have achieved whatever was necessary. It is similar to a situation where your car runs out of fuel and you declare that you have reached your destination.

Frustration, boredom and fatigue are thus inevitable in our lives, and we try to dodge them with sloppy entertainment and possessions. We may have accomplished many ‘unwritten goals’, but we lack the harmony among different roles we play. Our homes are filled with things, but we are unfulfilled within. Our achievements are termed ‘great’, but we are cramped with regrets. We ‘exist’ but have stopped ‘living’– result: a life of ‘unaware mediocrity’. Without an aim we are like a leaf at mercy of the winds.

‘Goal setting’ process is much more than merely a prerequisite for achieving more. It makes you think for yourself. This is the rationale for setting goals – goals define both our needs and purpose. This process shifts our attention from the question “What I want?”, to “Why I want it?”. This shift opens the doors for introspection. You are compelled to answer the question: “What is it that I truly want in life and why”? Your conscience is stirred in the process.

Swami Vivekananda said, “The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves.” Goal setting is the first step towards authentic thinking about our own self. This process temporarily upsets you from within till you arrive at your own answer. But once the process starts, rest assured, the answer will come. The moment you arrive at something original, that moment is the moment of your rebirth. Your first birth was from the womb of your mother, the rebirth is from the womb of wisdom.

This new ‘YOU’ has found its purpose. Now, instead of being tossed around by life, you take control of life. You transform from bewilderedness to clarity. You now shine with clarity and purpose. You have dropped society’s definition of success, and arrived at your own definition. This sets a new zeal in you. It is a shift from knowledge to wisdom.

Unless our goals are ‘purpose-driven’, they, over a period of time, cease to have either meaning or motivation. Purpose is beyond needs. It is the ardour in you to make a difference. Higher the purpose deeper the depth from which your abilities and capacities be pulled out. Isn’t it sad to go to your grave without knowing what you were born for?

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COMPASSION

“Empathy is . . . . . your pain in my heart” — Author unknown

More than 2500 years ago, Gautam Buddha gave the world a message “Be Compassionate”. Since those times there have been many saints who served mankind with compassion. Mother Teresa taught us compassion by putting it in practice . . . . . . It is a quality which is truly divine, and one which raises an ordinary human being to great heights.

It is time we intellectuals, the so-called cream of the society learn to be compassionate. We have to agree that as children we were far more compassionate than we are as adults. Compassion flows naturally from a child. It is only when the child grows up, and sees things happening around him, that he starts becoming less and less aware of others’ suffering. He starts becoming more and more thick-skinned and insensitive to the pain and unhappiness of others.

As explained by Rashmi Bansal in “I have a dream” there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who think and those who feel. As we grow up, we increasingly become ‘thinkers’ from being ‘feelers’. As thinkers we tend to believe that “the suffering of others is their problem. We have nothing to do with it and have no responsibility towards our brethren. We see the world as a place with boundaries. What is mine and what is not mine. Anything happening in that part of the world which is not mine is not my problem. I do not have any obligation towards people in the other part”.

It is time we changed our mindset. There has to be a paradigm shift. We have to look at the world as a whole, and everyone in it as a part of one family. “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam” say our scriptures. We have to move out of our apathy to become not only sympathetic, but truly empathetic.

There is a difference between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy flows from pity. In sympathising one’s ego is at play. One believes that “I am helping”. This is not so in empathy. Empathy has no involvement of EGO. In sympathy, it is pity which drives one to help. In empathy it is compassion in one’s heart that makes one act. One remembers the lines of Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan:

But how can one graduate from being sympathetic to being empathetic? A learned thinker was explaining on the TV that unless one suffers some pain, one does not act. A person suffering from diabetes tends to ignore it as there are no symptoms, no pain. If one has a headache, or even a small cut on the finger, one promptly attends to it because there is pain. If we merely read about the sufferings of others, or watch it on the TV, it does not impact us. But if we actually see ‘suffering’ it moves us to act. Emperor Ashoka changed when he saw the suffering of the dying on the battlefield of Kalinga. From a Conquering Emperor, he became a Messenger of Peace.

If people, particularly those who are young, visit places like orphanages, hospitals and schools for the poor people, particularly in the rural areas, it is likely that they will become sensitive. Emotions will stir their hearts. Perhaps some may even realise that it is merely by chance and their good fortune that they have been born in better economic environments. They could well have been in the place of those poor and downtrodden people. I believe such visits will certainly make them empathetic and they will become alive to the needs of the hungry, the homeless and the disadvantaged. Many will learn to stretch out a helping hand. They will also experience the joy of giving which leads to true happiness. I conclude by quoting His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

“Kindness and compassion are among the principal things that make our lives meaningful. They are a source of lasting happiness and joy. They are the foundations of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others.”

Let us be compassionate.

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THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

Many times we wonder why success eludes us. The success we seek may be monetary or name and fame or professional or in personal life or may be the highest: viz. realisation of God. However, few realise that the seed of success is really the deepest desire of our heart. Whatever is this deepest desire in that we shall be successful. If the deepest desire of our heart is material success or money, we will get money. If it is the ‘name and fame’, we will achieve ‘name and fame’. If it is God we desire, sooner or later we will reach God. Once we are possessed by a deep and intense desire, the desire will manifest in our thoughts and actions and then success is only a matter of time. Once this happens, the universe will provide conducive surroundings for our success. On the spiritual path, this intense desire makes a Guru appear before the aspirant to lead him to the realisation of God. The whole universe has come into existence by manifestation of God’s will, and we being a small spark of God will have the same potential to manifest the object of our will.

Every person has some deep desire whether he knows it or not. The key is to know what that ‘deep desire’ is and then manifest that desire in our personality and actions. However, intense desire is not enough to achieve and attain, it has to be backed by action — dedicated action. Desire motivates us to set a goal and ceaselessly work to achieve it. Know for sure that if our deepest desire is one and we pursue some other goal, we may have limited success but the success will not be phenomenal. So to know the thing one really wants in life is very important and whether we know it or not today, life will go on taking shape in that direction and one day, we will know it. To know our deepest desire and consciously pursue the same with patience and perseverance shall advance us rapidly in achieving our goal.

How can one know what is his or her deepest desire? It requires some amount of purity and a lot of concentration of mind. If one sits regularly in meditation and daily spends some time with oneself in solitude, one day one shall know what is it that one ‘deeply desires’.

Pursuing our deepest desire determines our destiny. Hence, having the right desire is cardinal. If money for money’s sake is what we want, money will come but with its negative aspects. This is what we are witnessing today. The same is true for name and fame. Desire is the seed, Karma or action is the plant and it will bear fruit according to the quality of the desire and the action. So one needs to be wise in choosing the right desire and also the right means to fulfil the desire. Fortunate are those who know what they desire because they shall get it. But most fortunate are those who have the right desire in their heart and know it. The choice of desire is relevant to achieving a satisfying success.

Ultimately, what everyone desires is happiness and tries to find the same in various objects like money, name and fame, etc. However, true happiness can be only found in God. All other desires should be a stepping stone to realise God. The key is: Don’t get attached to stepping stones. In reality, every one of us is on the spiritual path and knowingly or unknowingly desires only God. Let us always remember that life after all is a series of small awakening steps till we realise God — that is — self realisation.

Ultimately every pursuit is for happiness and the objective is to know where our real happiness lies and ceaselessly strive for the same. I would conclude by quoting Swami Vivekananda: “Take up one idea, make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea, let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”

“He is the wisest who seeks God. He is the most successful who has found God.”

— Paramhansa Yogananda

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Learning to work

“The Greatest Waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we are capable of becoming”

— Ben Herbster

Sounds strange, but all of us have to learn to work. Most of us are working far below our capacity. Our abilities and energies are underutilised. We are like an industrial organisation with the installed capacity of 1000 units, but just producing 200 units. If we can substantially reduce the gap between what we are capable of producing and what we actually are producing, we can work wonders. Sounds strange, but it is true. One is reminded of the words of Thomas Alva Edison:

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves”

Why should one work?
Gandhiji has described ‘Wealth without Work’ as one of the seven deadly social sins. We do not have to look very far to see what happens, when people inherit large chunks of wealth and who, because they have much more than they need, stop doing any productive work and wile away their time. Wealth without work not only kills their desire to work, but makes them spend their money on luxuries, wine, women and what not. Therefore one has to work, and teach one’s children also to work, in spite of the wealth that one possesses.

Even Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita advises Arjuna to work:

“There is nothing in the three worlds, Partha, that should be done by Me, nor anything unattained that might be attained, yet I mingle in action.”

“For if I mingled not ever in action unwearied, men all around would follow my path, son of Pritha”

Krishna in other words says: If leaders in our society, who are occupying high positions do not work, they set an example to the rest of the society. It is therefore necessary that we work, and work to our fullest capacity.

How should we work?
Having concluded that we should work, one should also learn to work efficiently. People have the tendency to spread work over available time. We should not spend the whole day on work which can be finished in a couple of hours, and feel that we have been working hard for the full day.

What should be the manner of our working?
People have to work for earning a livelihood. The question is how should one earn. Let us remember what our scriptures tell us:

“Without causing any torment to others, without going to the place of villainous people, without causing any unhappiness to your soul, even if you earn a little, that should be considered to be more than enough.”

What should be the purpose of our work?
Working hard and making an honest living is not enough. We should work with a purpose, a noble cause. There is a difference between just breaking stones and working to make a temple. Working for a good cause brings a special kind of happiness and a sense of fulfilment, a joy which is difficult to describe. If we can bring a smile to the face of the poorest of the poor, and wipe a tear from the eyes of a person undergoing pain and suffering, we would have done something worthwhile. It is this small act of kindness and grace that really matters. In the words of Mother Teresa:

“We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.”

What should be the ultimate goal of our work?

Ultimately we have to reach a stage where we realise we are working for God, as per His wish. We must then understand that it is not we who are working, but it is God who is working through us. We are just His chosen instruments. In words of Shri Haribhai Kothari.

Let us then work, work to our fullest capacity, work for noble causes and work understanding that it is God who is working through us. It will make our lives truly worthwhile.

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CRISIS

“In a crisis, beware of danger — but recognise the opportunity”. — Richard Nixon What is a crisis: It is an event which challenges you — it changes the direction of one’s life — in other words — it shapes one’s behaviour. Crisis is when relationships change. Crisis is also when one doesn’t know how to accept a given situation and feels lost. However, crisis cannot be faced with a disturbed mind. It is a myth to say that we control events — the fact is that events control us — shape us. Who in life has not or does not face a crisis — even Gods face crises. Crises are a part of our existence and life. It has been rightly said: ‘Crises produce deeds of courage’. In my view, whether God or man, both have faced crises:

With a balanced mind and action based on conscience.

The few instances I touch upon are:

Vishnu faced crisis when Rishi Bhrighu hit Him on the chest. Vishnu responded with a balanced mind.

Ram faced a crisis when he was asked to accept ‘Vanvas’ instead of ‘Raj’ — the acceptance was without a murmur — the result of a balanced mind.

Gandhi faced a crisis when he was thrown out of a train in Africa. He handled it with fortitude and a balanced mind.

President John F. Kennedy faced a crisis of Soviet intervention in Cuba. He reaffirmed American supremacy in the area — with a balanced mind.

Rupert Murdock is facing a ‘trust crisis’ on phone hacking and took the decision to close ‘World News’ — with a balanced mind.

This write-up is autobiographical — it is based on some of the crises I have faced:

At the age of ten I faced an emotional crisis when I lost my grandfather. I loved him and revered him and he loved me and was indulgent. His loss was my first brush with ‘death’. This is also when life moved from ‘indulgence’ to ‘denial’ as my father was a disciplinarian. He sculptured and instilled in me the value of work, wealth and worship. The sculpture he created was polished by my uncle. I am what I am because of the duo and I am indebted to them. However, this emotional crisis converted a demanding KC to one who accepted but with a rebellious streak.

At the age of 17 the partition of the country created an economic crisis — the environment changed from ‘plenty’ to ‘. . . . . . . . ’. It impacted the family’s living environment and style. Our family migrated from Amritsar to Mumbai.

This economic crisis opened my eyes to the fact: material wealth is unreliable and transitory and developed in me the need to educate myself and have the capacity to earn through ‘knowledge’.

At the age of 44 when the founder and senior partner of the firm died — there was a professional crisis — nay challenge — the perception was that the firm he built would not survive. However with the help of our people we the then partners not only sustained but enhanced the operations and prestige/standing of the firm — on the premise: though small endeavour to ‘be the best’.

At the age of 48 another emotional crisis I faced was that of loss of my uncle who was more a friend and confidante. This crisis steeled in me the streak of doing my duty without considering consequences.

I have also faced the crisis of being in the ‘doghouse’ and the crisis of being questioned when I was not even involved. The issue is how I have faced these and other crises. I was able to face these:

With His grace — and a balanced mind devoid of emotions. The strength to face crisis came from Him and Him alone.

Help also came through the understanding and support of family and friends.

I have been extremely fortunate in having received both these in abundance.

I believe each of these crises steeled me.

Crises, though painful, are also beneficial and help us in developing and shaping us. Another name for the crisis is ‘problem’. Raymond Williams has rightly said: ‘crisis is always a crisis of understanding’. In other words, once we understand the problem the solution is embedded in the problem. So let us embrace ‘crisis’ as a friend. It is difficult to call ‘crisis’ a friend, but that is exactly what crisis is. It builds us. I repeat, ‘crisis’ whether major or minor is a part of our daily existence. Hence, to have a happy existence it is necessary to develop a responsive mind as opposed to a reactive mind to face ‘crisis’. In other words, have a ‘controlled’ and ‘balanced’ mind.

As a nation, presently, we are facing ‘crisis of confidence’ — perched on and nurtured by corruption. There is ‘public interest litigation’; there are public protests, resignations of ministers and civil society agitations. In my view, corruption cannot be abolished, but can be controlled if all concerned consult and act with a cool mind.

I conclude by quoting Richard Nixon:

‘The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis’. One brush stands for danger, the other for opportunity’.

Let us seek ‘opportunity in crisis’.

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Life And Death

The cycle of birth, life and death goes on. What is born has to die. Both birth and death are not in our hands at all. As Saigal sang in good old days . . .

(Readers are requested to listen to excellent rendering of this ghazal by K. L. Saigal)

Both birth and death are not in our hands. But having been born, it is better to do something in our lives, instead of wasting it and lamenting when our end comes that I have not done anything worthwhile in my life. Bhagvad Gita says . . .

Even if Gita says that rebirth is always there, we cannot postpone living, hoping to catch up with life in the next birth. We have to consider that we are not playing the first inning of a test match, where a second inning is possible, but are playing an ODI knowing that there is no second inning and overs too are limited.

The basic question is: ‘how must one live’? Should we follow the policy of ‘eat, drink and be merry’? That would not have been the purpose of life. The scriptures tell us that to be born as a human being is very fortuitous — a rare happening and one cannot waste this priceless gift of God.

“You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, You can only decide how you are going to live” — Joan Baez

Oddly many times one finds the right answer, of all the things, in film songs! One remembers the song written by Sahir Ludhianvi and sung by Mukesh.

We must live a life that brings true happiness to us and all around us. In this journey, we will meet several cotravellers who need our help. Helping does not necessarily have to be in terms of money. One only needs richness of the heart. As we go along, we must wipe the tears of those who are suffering and bring back happiness in their lives. Even a smile can make someone’s day. Let us lead a life whereby, people will remember when we are no more. The objective of living should be:

I recollect the words found in the diary of a young girl who died in a house collapse in an earthquake.

“Life is short

Make it sweet

Keep not all the flowers

For the grave”

Many times attachment to our family members holds us back from serving others. One remembers the lines sung by Mukesh in that unforgettable duet he sung with Sudha Malhotra.

We have to remember that a good life is one that is used in serving others. True happiness comes from selfless service. Therefore, lead a life, so that when death comes there are no regrets, as we have lived a life of service with a smile.

This is a small poem written in the last letter of Ensign Heiichi Okabe, a Japanese Kamikaze (Suicide Bomber) pilot to his family before he left for his last suicide bombing flight to crash his bomb, laden plane on an American battleship in the last stages of the second World War:

“Like cherry blossoms

In the springs

Let us fall

Clean and radiant”

Let us then learn to live and die like a cherry blossom flower.

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Namaskar to Modern Day Rishis – Dr. Kavita and Dr. Ashish Satav

For those who wish to climb the mountain of spiritual awareness, the path is selfless work! Bhagavad Gita 6.3

India has a rich ancient heritage of thousands of years where Rishi-Munis lived with their families deep in the forests and jungles and worked for the welfare of the people.Recently I had the fortune of meeting and listening to Dr. Kavita and Dr. Ashish Satav, modern-day Rishis, and understood the true purpose of life, courtesy ‘Caring Friends’ and Shri Pradeep Shah.

Dr. Ashish Satav, MD, influenced by his ‘nana’, a close associate of Vinoba Bhave, has been leading a simple life right from his impressionable years. Inspired by the Sarvodaya philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and encouraged by Baba Amte and Dr. Abhay Bang, Dr. Satav decided to serve the tribals of Melghat, instead of pursuing a lucrative medical practice in the comfort and security of a metropolis. Dr. Kavita’s background and outlook are also Gandhian. With hardly any resources, they set up the MAHAN (Meditation, AIDS, Health, Addiction and Nutrition) Trust in 1997 and started a small hospital in a small hut at Melghat, a hilly forest area in the Satpuda mountain ranges in Amravati District.

Melghat is known by two words, “Malnutrition” and “Project Tiger’’ and is an underdeveloped area of about 320 villages spread over 4,000 sq. km. It is 150km away from the district headquarters and the uneven road crosses through a dense forest and sharp ghats. Even today a large number of these villages have very poor or no infrastructure like transportation, electricity & communication and the area lacks basic amenities. Most of the tribals (>75%) are below poverty line and illiterate (>50%) and live in hamlets (>90%), with very high maternal and infant mortality rates.

MAHAN hospital started from a small hut with very limited facilities. The patients were brought in bullock carts as there was no ambulance. Initially, the locals were very suspicious and reluctant for modern medical treatment and relied on traditional faith healers and quacks. Over last 15 years, Dr. Ashish and Dr. Kavita have braved many challenges such as superstitions, limited infrastructure, political interference and lack of funds. Both Dr. Ashish and Dr. Kavita have gone beyond the conventional notions of service – for instance, Dr. Kavita narrated how she became a “Milk Mother” to a newly born adivasi child when their only son was just a few months old. This is being true to the concept of service before self.

This journey has enabled Satavs to demystify a lot of medical myths as well. They have proved how even without sophisticated medical facilities a lot can be achieved and even serious ailments can be treated. Within four years of MAHAN’s intervention, the infant mortality rate has reduced by more than 50%. MAHAN identifies local villagers, mostly women, and trains them in basic health care segments. It has built a team of close to 40 trained village health workers. MAHAN now serves more than 75,000 persons in Melghat region.

The opposition to their work, especially from local politicians and government officials, has been tackled with the Gandhian thought of ‘truth can be troubled but cannot be defeated’. Dr. Satav has also fought the bureaucratic system through numerous applications under the RTI Act and PILs and has been instrumental in ensuring improvement in benefits of the Government’s welfare spending reaching the needy.

The hospital based in a hut, shifted to a larger structure in July 2007 and presently has an ambulance, two operation theaters, an OPD, a spectacle shop and staff quarters. Now, Dr. Satav has a vision to carry out various research projects and develop models that can be replicated nationally.

Work done by Dr. Kavita and Dr. Ashish Satav is nothing short of a Yagna, often translated as “sacrifice” or “worship”. A heartfelt Namaskar to this modern day Rishi Couple!

Errata
In our October 2012 issue,
In ‘Namaskaar’ featuring ‘Remembering Mahatma Gandhi’, two paragraphs at the end of the feature were inadvertently omitted. These paragraphs are reproduced on page 19.
The error is regretted – Editor.

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ANXIETY

‘Anxiety’ itself is neither helpful not hurtful. It is our response to anxiety that is helpful or hurtful. – Winston Churchill

Anxiety is normal and is part of our existence. The base of ‘anxiety’ is insecurity and possessiveness – hence, fear of loss is the cause of anxiety. ‘Anxiety’ and its twin sister ‘worry’ are killers. It is rightly said that worry over the past, anxiety over the future and frenzy in the present kill energy – energy which is essential for action. ‘Anxiety’ impacts our performance. According to Thomas J. Delong, ‘anxiety is possibly the single largest inhibitor of growth’. The normal response to ‘anxiety’ is flight or fight. However, I believe, anxiety can be a powerful stimulant arousing the senses to function at their sharpest.

We are normally anxious about our family, economic activity, social and professional status, living up to expectations, ours and others, and lastly we are also anxious about our health – though health should take priority over other concerns, because no action can happen without being healthy, both in body and mind. Let us consider a few examples of ‘anxiety’:

a doctor is anxious before a major surgery.
a lawyer is anxious before a major case.
an actor is anxious about forgetting his/her lines or success of his or her performance.
a student is anxious about results.
a lover is anxious about relationship.
a sick person is worried about getting well.
a housewife is anxious about her family.
a business person is worried about ‘topline’ and ‘bottomline’.
a chartered accountant is worried about his client.

Unexpected events and contingencies also create and cause anxiety. Hence, I reiterate anxiety is normal and is part and parcel of our existence. All these anxieties are genuine and the answer to anxiety is one and only one and that is possession of a cool mind. With a cool mind and with proper preparation we can face ‘anxiety’. If we are adequately prepared, all anxiety giving issues would look small and there is a good old saying: ‘The art of living is: ‘don’t fret over small things’. The fear of failure is the biggest cause of ‘anxiety’. The response to ‘anxiety’ should also be acceptance of failure, because failure is nothing but a stepping stone to success.

Personally, in recent times I experienced a traumatic experience – I was anxious – about the outcome – anxious to the extent of losing sleep – what brought me out was faith in my god, my guru, my family, my friends and faith in myself and above all proper preparation. I am grateful to Him for both the ‘anxiety’ and the ‘faith’. We forget, anxiety is all about future which robs us of the pleasures of the present.

We have to learn to befriend ‘anxiety’ and use it as a stepping stone and never to yield to ‘anxiety’. I repeat, use ‘anxiety’ to improve ourselves, our environment and our life. Use this emotion as a tool of success and success will be ours.

The answer to ‘anxiety’ is:

Faith Faith in the concept that from bad emerges good, Faith in the fact that every problem has a solution, Faith that with help and guidance from Him one can overcome every obstacle, Faith in oneself that one will win,

Above all we must learn to bond with people instead of possessing them. If we do this there will be no ‘anxiety of loss’.

Anxiety to achieve our objective actually dilutes our efforts. So stop being anxious. Success in life, I repeat, can be achieved only through clarity, courage and commitment.

I would conclude by quoting George Bernard Shaw:

‘In this world, there is always danger for those who are anxious (afraid) of it’.

So to have a happy successful life let us hang our anxieties – fears – on the tree and leave them to Him and work with, nay for Him.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

I Love You Too

When I ring up any of my grandchildren, Jaanaki, Nishant or Yash, the conversation ends with my saying “I love you”. Invariably the spontaneous response I get from the other side is “Nana, I love you too!” Though this message is not really necessary, I must confess that it is comforting; it is reassuring. It is good to know that your grandchildren care for you and are deeply aware of your love for them.

I got one such call recently. When I finished the call, I started thinking. I was thinking about myself and my response to people, when they convey to me that they love me. Their love was being taken for granted by me. Their loving action, caring behaviour went unacknowledged. Great opportunities of making others feel happy were being lost by my just not expressing gratitude for the love and kindness received from them on so many occasions. I failed miserably in this test. Their goodness was being taken for granted. I took it as part of the other person’s duty to love me, to be kind to me and go on bestowing happiness on me, without my even acknowledging the same.

Though I am late in doing this, I take this opportunity to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have contributed to my happiness; be it my family members, my parents, my relatives, my friends, my partners, my professional colleagues, my staff members, my articled students, my teachers, all my seniors in the profession, my co-workers, people who have been working shoulder to shoulder in the work of helping the poor and the needy; but for whom my life would not have been so joyful, so rich in relationships and always full of fun and happiness. These are the people who have added colours to my sunset sky. I thank them all for being a part of my life and contributing to my happiness.

I also thank those who have delighted me with their wonderful songs and music which has enriched my life and made my cup of happiness overflow.

My thoughts travelled further and went to the One who always helps me and all of us, day and night, 24×7, unflinchingly, whether we deserve it or not. He helps us even when we have been really bad and are not deserving. Apart from not thanking Him, I did not even recognize His presence! Yes, I am referring to God, to whom we owe so much and seldom express our gratitude. He is the one who looks after us so well, cares for us, gives us wonderful gifts, but hides Himself from us. Lines of a beautiful song sung by Mukesh come to my mind (I request the reader to listen to this and the other song I have referred to).

There is another unforgettable song of bygone eras, which the older generations may remember with nostalgia. This one is sung by K. L. Saigal, the all-time great singer.

How do I thank the One who hides Himself, is never seen, but who always takes my care? One good way would be to remember Him everyday when I open my eyes in the morning and tell Him “Thanks for another beautiful day, I love you”, and also when I go to bed by acknowledging “God, I thank you for one more wonderful day.” May be, I shall then be able to hear Him saying “My child, I love you too.”

But I believe I can do this better by expressing my love to all His creations, by leading an ethical, principled, value-based life, being of help to others for the rest of the life, by wiping a tear and bringing back a smile on those who are needy and poor. This should be the path I must follow. Will you come with me on this path?

I would end with this beautiful quotation:

“Late have I loved thee, beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved thee! For behold, thou wert within me and I outside; and I sought thee outside and in my unloveliness fell upon these lovely things that thou hast made. Thou wert with me and I was not with thee . . . . .”

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shailesh.kwebmaker

Does God Reside in the Self or in the Temple?

“Why do you go to a temple?” asked my friend plainly and I responded saying, “I go to see God and have His Darshan obviously.” My friend asked me again “How did you see Him there?” I replied, “I saw Him in the consecrated idol”. But how can an idol be God? my friend persisted. I got the point he was driving at. My visiting the temple proved two things, namely, that: (i) I believe in God and (ii) His presence in the temple in the form of idol which I worship. These were my beliefs which I had no occasion to test up to now.

Being born and brought up in a family in which worship of God is a daily routine, there cannot be any doubt in my mind about God or His presence, nor had I any occasion to test my faith about His presence in the temple.

Once an enlightened priest explained that the purpose of a temple is to provide a serene atmosphere to the tired soul such that it experiences peace, getting rid of negative emotions in the process. All great masters agree on one thing and that is ‘God is One and Indivisible’ which entity is nothing but perpetual universal energy. Modern science accepts that in the ultimate analysis, the foundation of the Universe and its multifarious manifestation is nothing but primordial energy which, being omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent, can assume any shape or form at will, temple idol not excluded. So when an idol is consecrated in the Sanctum Sanctorum, the universal energy gets worshipped and when thousands of people direct their thought and attention towards that idol, it gets infused and enlivened. And consequently, we generally experience the divine spark of energy in the serene atmosphere of temples.

Well, this is one of the arguments in favour of idol worship and I am, of course, aware that there are other view points as well.

But as I grew up and saw the gross abuse of temples by vested interests, my faith in God residing therein got eroded somewhat. Today, we are witness to all sorts of degrading activity in and around temples. For example, special or VIP Darshan for a certain class of people, modes of pooja linked to the amount of Dakshina, etc. etc. leading to the conclusion that temples have become money-spinning resorts, plain and simple.

If God does not reside in temple, where can I find Him? Here, I am reminded of the following poem by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore:

Go not to the temple to put flowers

upon the feet of God;

First fill your own house

with fragrance of love.

Go not to the temple to light

the candles before the altar of God;

First remove the darkness

of sin from your heart.

Go not to the temple to bow down

your head in prayer;

First learn to bow in humility

before your fellowmen.

Go not to the temple to pray

on bended knees;

First bend down to lift

someone who is downtrodden.

Go not to the temple to ask

forgiveness for your sins;

First forgive from your heart

those who have sinned against you.

When I assimilated the pith of this poem I realised in that I don’t have to visit a temple at all to see God, as He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. At the same time, I have nothing against those who go to the temple.

Today, I do believe that regardless of the presence of God in the temple precincts, He resides in the core of my being. Faith moves. Faith nestles and blends/merges with the surging, bubbling, energy abounding the Universe, call it Nature, Truth, God or whatever you please.

So be it!

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shailesh.kwebmaker

Standards and Structures

Order in Society exists because of ‘standards and structures’. Without standards we would be in chaos and anarchy will rule. We accountants are aware of the importance of standards. Accounting standards are required to usher in clarity, comparison and accountability — the three ingredients fundamental to economic decisions. We accountants also have our ‘code of conduct’. Violation of the code leads to censure and punishment.

Similarly, social conduct has its own code. Our social code of conduct is not codified though laws are nothing but codification of behaviour — violation of which leads to punishment. All religions and religious practices are also nothing else but codes of behaviour — though non-observance or violation of these normally do not in today’s environment entail even social censure.

‘Standards and structures’ are in the interest of both the rulers and the ruled. They bring into focus accountability and these should be the basis of our decisions and actions. ‘Standards and structures’ build society. On the other hand lack of standards destroy and cut at the very roots of stable society. The basis of the French revolution was moving away from normal standards. The current LokPal crisis in India is because our rulers have probably unwittingly moved away from ethical standards and encouraged actions which have increased corruption — Satyam happened because standards were violated.

The issue is: Are standards immutable? Except for certain standards like living in truth with love, having compassion and living an ethical life, no standards are immutable. They are nothing but hypotheses and represent the current environment. We must never forget that the present keeps changing hence the social standards also keep changing — for example — live-in relationships were not accepted — today they are accepted and even the courts have approbated this relationship.

Another issue is: What is the duty of doubt in establishing standards and creating structures? Doubt plays an important role in establishing standards. It is to avoid doubt, unpredictability, uncertainty and unaccountability that standards are required. Doubt is the basis of all standards with the object of bringing clarity — clarity in our thinking and behaviour.

To live a happy life — whether social or professional, let us respect ‘standards and structures’ and live by and within them.

I would conclude by quoting Reinhold Wiebuhur:

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.

If we practice this, there will be no anxiety and peace and happiness will prevail and pervade our lives.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

NAMASKAR TO A BRAVE YOUNG GIRL

Year 2004. A young graduate daughter of a village farmer aged around 22 years comes to Ahmedabad. She wants to be an IAS Officer. Passing the U.P.S.C. exam requires a lot of knowledge. She takes up further study in Journalism to acquire more general knowledge. She learns real life.

She gets a grant to study the tribals working in sugar mills. She goes to a village 20 km from Surat for a first-hand study of the tribal workers. (Do we, urbanites know what real India is? Let us see.)

The villagers do not allow the tribals to live in or near the village. The tribals stay in semi-arid areas away from civilisation. With considerable difficulties in searching and after walking for 4 km, she comes near a settlement. She wants to talk to the workers. But the tribals have a fear and suspicion of the non-tribals. The fear is built over past thousands of years. No tribal is ready to talk with her. Is their fear justified? Let us see.

While the young lady is in the settlement, there is a commotion. A young man — all covered with blood and bruises, carrying a two-year old child in his hands comes to the settlement. He is a tribal. He and his wife worked in a sugar mill as temporary workers. In the evening while they were returning home, some upper-caste goons came on two motor cycles. They beat up the husband mercilessly, threw the child in a cactus fence and kidnapped the wife and went away.

Our young lady enquires : “Why don’t you file a police complaint?” The tribals look at her with contempt and say — “Even the police will beat us.” This is the current state of India, current Gujarat. Now we know.

She returns to Ahmedabad and continues her study in Journalism. She visits a library and falls in love with a young boy.

She gets an internship assignment at a reputed news paper. She writes investigative stories for the paper. She is praised by the editor. Next day the story does not appear in the press because . . . . . someone paid the price (for not printing the news) to the editor.

The young lady, Mittal Patel scraps the idea of being an IAS officer, forgets journalism and decides single-handedly it necessary to fight for the cause of the oppressed nomads. One is reminded of the famous lines from Shri Rabindranath Tagore

spfu Å¡ lpL kzÎpu Lp¡B _p Aph¡, sp¡ A¡¼gp¡ Å_¡ f¡

Our great modern India which is growing rapidly, badly treats 50% of the population — women. If any one has doubts let me remind that recently (March-April, 2011) two chartered accountant ladies have committed suicides due to atrocities of their own families.

Then there are scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and nomads. I do not know the percentage. But may be 45% of the people. Total 72.5% people (50% women and 22.5% underprivileged men) are exposed to the exploitation by the upper-caste men. (These percentages are generalisations. They do not apply to many families. At the same time, outside Mumbai, they do apply to many people.)

The young lady — Mittal (Now Mrs. Patel) has now established Vicharata Samuday Samarthan Manch (Nomadic People’s Support Organisation) (VSSM). She is now working for the most under privileged people of India. Most of the nomadic people have no homes. Hence no ration cards, no election cards, no BPL (Below Poverty Line) cards. They live away from the upper-caste and somehow survive.

They have survived from times, even before Ramayan.

Since they have no voter cards, politicians are not interested in them. Government welfare schemes do not reach them.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

The Art of ‘Giving’

‘Giving: giving is not just a quality that you nurture; it is the very nature of life.’

—Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

‘Giving’ is advocated by all religions, castes and creeds and even by the ‘atheist’. The issues are : what do we mean by ‘Giving’ and how should one ‘give’. The issues I have are:

• is it ‘giving’ when you expect a return – may be a ‘thank you’. I believe it is not ‘giving’ but is a barter. If I am not wrong Jesus said, ‘Give in a manner that the left hand does not know what the right hand is giving’.

• is having your photograph taken or name plate placed in return for ‘giving’. We all, including the author, indulge in it. But is it ‘giving’! One is seeking acknowledgement – a reward. However, it is better than not ‘giving’.

• is it ‘giving’ – eg – when you present something to someone and expect the person to look after what you have ‘given’ in the manner you desire. Is it giving: when you say ‘take care of it – it is expensive’. The answer is, ‘no’, because you in your mind are still retaining ownership. ‘Giving’ should free oneself of the feeling of ownership.

Concept of charity – ‘giving’ – also makes one feel superior – it feeds the ego. This is what has to be avoided whilst ‘giving’. ‘Giving’ probably also makes the receiver feel……. This also has to be and should be avoided – not only consciously but also subconsciously. When you give – give with a feeling that you are giving to yourself – this would unite you with the receiver and eliminate any feeling of superiority.

‘Giving’ however, is not restricted to tangibles – for example – ‘giving’ can be of time coupled with patience – that is what is listening – nay real listening. It relieves a person of a burden – clears his agitated or disturbed mind – calms him, makes him responsive to a suggestion or a solution. Time is one of the finest means of ‘giving’. Kahlil Gibran has rightly said:

‘You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.’

Giving , in my view , is also a self serving act because all texts say and all noble persons preach that ‘give and it will be given to you… for the measure you give will be the measure you get back’. This expectation again makes giving a barter, a deal full of expectations – seeking a reward not from the recipient but from the Almighty. Hence, it again is not giving in true sense. As mentioned earlier giving has to be without expectation. Giving should be for self satisfaction and not self glorification.

If the above are not ‘giving’ then what is ‘giving’. ‘Giving’, in my view, is ‘sharing’ – because when you share you share out of love, you have no expectations. ‘Sharing’ reminds me of an instance reported in a newspaper: ‘a beggar in Gujarat used his savings of Rs. 3000 in distributing clothes in an orphanage. When asked: why have you done it! His response was: ‘Hame Khushi Hoi’. It gave him pleasure. In short, the beggar was ‘sharing’ without any expectation. He wasn’t probably expecting even a ‘thank you’. He was doing for his pleasure. This is real ‘giving’. On ‘giving’ Buddha says:

‘If you know what I know about the power of giving, you would not have a single meal in your life without first sharing it with someone’.

So, let us share and give meaning and feeling to ‘giving’.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

REMEMBERING MAHATMA GANDHI

Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth. —Albert Einstein on Gandhiji’s

70th Birthday Every year, we remember Gandhiji for a day on 2nd October and then forget him for the rest of the year. We should never forget him even for a single day, but we rarely remember him. We know very little about one of the greatest persons whom we call “The Father of Nation”. It is time we know more about his work and his life. It is difficult for the present generation, which is leaderless, to understand how this frail man had the strength to shake the mighty British Empire, how he won our freedom with weapons of Love, Truth, and Nonviolence. It is difficult to envisage his tremendous influence over millions of our people, across the length and breadth of the country. He exercised influence without any authority.

“My life is my message” said Gandhiji.

In the days of our freedom struggle, thousands were arrested. A few of them asked for pardon and got out from jails. There were rumours about terrible tortures being inflicted on our freedom fighters. I had heard a rumour about Dr. Usha Mehta who was caught operating a secret radio station. Dr. Usha Mehta addressed our BCA Society Members, when she talked about this incident. “My mother was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and was not very highly educated, approached the prison warden, and arranged to send a food parcel to me. In between chapattis, a note was smuggled giving a clear message. “Usha, it is rumoured that you are going to seek pardon of the British Govt. and get released. If ever you do so, never come back to our house again!” – This was the spirit instilled in millions of Indians by Gandhiji. I, Pradeep, have seen many people, who were ordinary persons like you and me who became heroes. They were prepared to sacrifice everything and did sacrifice everything for our country.

Gandhiji’s ability to touch the hearts of people did not end with Gandhiji’s demise. Recently we have the case of Laxman Gole, a young person who had 19 criminal cases pending against him. He changed completely by merely reading Gandhiji’s writings while in jail. He came up clean before the judges and confessed to his crimes. He dedicated himself to spreading Mahatma’s message amongst his fellow prisoners while in jail and later to the outside world. I do not know of any other person who after more than 50 years after his passing away – could influence and change the hearts of men – and change a Walia Robber to a Saint Valmiki.

Some of us know of his work in India, but very little is known about his work in South Africa. Our knowledge is limited to the incident when he was thrown out of the train at Maritzburg Station. Little do we realise that that was the first event, in a struggle which went on for over 10 years! In fact, it was 13 years later, that this resulted into a mass nonviolence resistance against “The Black Act”. We all believe that he gave a legal practice which was quite small and insignificant. I was stunned to read this very recently that he had 30 juniors working under him and the practice in current rupee value was over 1.5 crores annually.

What should we do to remember Mahatma Gandhi? We must remember what Gandhiji said and act accordingly.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

Happiness Unlimited

What is happiness where does it lie?
How does it look like and why is it so shy?
Chase of mankind always kept aloof,
Appearances in roses, hearts filled with gloom.

Life in bigger cities, despite better amenities, has become very hectic and stressful that a news item even reported that sale of anti-depressants in India is growing by 17% annually. If we look around, it is an appalling scenario. People seem or rather pretend to be happy, but in actuality are far from being happy. Why is it so that in this era of technological advancements where almost everything has become possible upon a touch of a button, the mind is far away from serenity?

Life is referred as “anubhav dhara”, stream of experiences. There is life as long as there are experiences. As the experiences cease, life also comes to an end. There are two components of any experience, subject and object. The subjects are we as individuals and the object is the world. As the subject, we individuals deal with the world, we have experiences. As are the experiences, so is the life. If experiences are good, life is good and when there are sorrowful experiences, so is the life. To improve the experience, the options are either to improve the subject or the object. One set of school works for the betterment of the objects to provide greater happiness. The scientific developments play an important role and indeed have made massive contributions. With each passing day, new and new captivating gadgets and equipments are becoming part of our life. The objects are truly facilitating. Nevertheless people continue to be in a state of anguish and pain. No object till date has ever been able to overcome the sufferings and woes of any human being. This is an irony. Another set of thinkers concentrate on the subject. Vedanta provides that if we do not work on the improvement of the subject, we live a life of strain and disarray even in the world of prosperity and plenty.

We as human beings succumb to our desires. Desires of sense objects. The fulfillment of each desire; achievement of sense object, symbolises happiness to us. Each time we get our desire fulfilled we appear to be happy. If we put happiness into an equation, mathematically, it would be:

Number of desires fulfilled
Happiness = ————————————–
Total number of desires entertained.

Obvious from the above formula, the two ways in which happiness can be increased are:
I) Either increase the numerator or
II) Decrease the denominator.

Getting along with the first option is very easy. We try to increase the numerator by fulfilling our desires and we do have a sense of happiness. For example: If there is a desire to go out for a dinner at a restaurant, then accomplishing the object makes us feel happy. But in the process of increasing the numerator, we find ourselves in a situation where many more desires have crept in. Every time we fulfill our desire, the number of desires in the wait list keeps on rising. Thus, increase in the numerator automatically increases the denominator and in fact manifolds, severely affecting the equation of happiness downwards.

Concentrating on the subject, we achieve strength to raise ourselves. If we are able to control and confine our desires, there is decrease in the denominator. The removal of each desire would give us the power. Happy at all times. Swami Ramatirtha has said “If you are not happy as you are, where you are, you will never be happy.” The day when we bring down the denominator to zero value, imagine the level of happiness, it shall be infinite. “Happiness Unlimited”. It might seem to be a difficult proposition, but we human beings do follow this practice. The question ahead is; are we willing to improve upon? How? Let’s see.

It is a known fact that our composition is of matter and spirit. The body, mind and intellect referred to as the matter and Atman, the spirit. At the gross level it is body, mind being subtle. Intellect is subtler and Atman the subtlest. Eating an imported brand of chocolate and its taste is the cause of happiness to the body. When it comes to the emotional level where mind plays, we rise and we give the chocolate to our child giving us much more joy and in fact for a longer duration. Our intellectual pursuits for study many times make us give up various desires and we happily let go desires for a cause something more important. That brings everlasting happiness. We need to lift ourselves because intellectual persists.

Giving away desires may not be that easy. The higher we move, from body to mind to intellect and there above, it becomes more difficult. The higher is the pain; greater the happiness. The Lord Himself has said in the eighteenth chapter of The Bhagwad Gita: The true happiness is like poison in the beginning but nectar in the end – verse 37. False happiness is like nectar in the beginning but poison in the end – verse 38.

In these times, full of hassle and haste, let us pause for a while; think where true happiness lies and how it can be achieved lies in not letting go the objective of our life and existence.

The way to happiness is on path of attitude,
Where hearts filled with sense of gratitude.
With all one has ever so content,
As divine gifts above from heavens.

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shailesh.kwebmaker

Conditioning

Namaskaar

‘Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe he can
achieve’.

— Napoleon Hill

Have we ever contemplated that we live a ‘conditioned’ life
and not a thoughtful life ? We are conditioned by the acts and thoughts of our
parents, teachers, friends, peers, children and above all by our spouse. We are
even conditioned by the books we read, the movies we see, the television shows
we view, the newspapers we read and the economic and social environment we live
in and above all by our leaders in the social and political arena.

Our mode of dressing and even our eating habits are dictated
by an environment conditioned by the media. We want to get rid of strife, but we
imbibe strife from news and tele-soap operas.

For those of us who believe in the concept of Karma
our existence and actions are controlled by our past karma. In a way it is a
paradox to say that ‘one has the choice of action’, but no control over results.
The issue is : Is action not controlled by karma ? Does this mean that ‘man
lives like a robot’ ?

The problem is : Can we get rid of this conditioning — can we
live as thinking beings ?

I think one can — it will be difficult, but one can
consciously get rid of all ‘conditioning’ — it will be a painful, laborious and
long process. To condition our mind in the right direction we are advised to
study good and religious literature, have good friends, act according to the
teachings of our guru and above all listen to our conscious. All with the idea
of changing our ‘conditioning’.

The paradox of ‘conditioning’ is that by following a painful
process of getting rid of our unconscious conditioning one is getting into
another conditioning — namely — that of thinking about what motivates and
conditions our actions. Robin Sharma in his book ‘Megaliving’ says ‘The human
mind and spirit can perform miracles if properly used and conditioned for
excellence.

Let us never forget that our thoughts condition our lives. It
has been rightly said ‘Man is as he thinketh’.

Let us live a conscious conditioned life as opposed to
unconscious conditioned life. Let us make this change. This ‘changed
conditioning’ will transform us from ‘slaves’ to ‘masters’. So let us be
‘masters’.

The mind is like a muscle, if it is weak it can be
conditioned for strength.

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

For the purposes of action nothing is more useful than
narrowness of thought combined with energy of will.

— Henri Frederic Amiel

Mentally repeat your commitment.

The essence of genius is knowing what to overlook.

— William James

Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of
things which matter least.

— Goethe

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Nirav Shah

Flowering Trees

Namaskaar

It was a lovely morning. I was enjoying my walk, admiring the
beauty of nature around me, and paying my silent tribute to the creator who
created this wonderful world. My eyes rested on a tree standing tall in its
majestic glory and fully decked with lovely flowers. I started thinking about
flowering trees. How many did I know ? I could recall about twenty in my mind.
And then it dawned on me, and what I had learnt came to my mind. Every tree
(unless it be a cone bearing one) is a flowering tree ! Every tree has to have
flowers. Only we fail to see the flowers. We do not have eyes for them.

And my mind wandered further. This principle applies to us
humans too. All of us have some wonderful qualities. Every one of us is great
and unique in some special way. God has made every one of us different. No two
persons have the same fingerprints. Each one’s DNA is different. Each one of us
is gifted with some good qualities.

It is said that no one is perfect. But it is equally true
that no one is totally devoid of good qualities. A 100% hero or a 100% villain
exists only in romantic films, novels of ‘Mills and Boon’ type or in TV serials.
Even in ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Ramayana’ and other epics, we find that the authors
realised this and depicted it correctly. Even great personalities like
Bhishma and Drona were not devoid of faults and weaknesses.
Bhishma silently witnessed the dishonour of Draupadi without
attempting to stop Kauravas, and Drona for the sake of money
backed the wrong side.

On the other hand Duryodhan stood firmly besides
Karna and conferred instant princehood on Karna when he was being
humiliated because of his alleged birth in a low caste family. He also chose to
fight Bhima and met his death at his hands when he could have well chosen
any of the other four of Pandavas who were no match for him in fighting
with Gada. Karna also magnanimously gave away knowingly his
Kavatch and Kundals which were providing him with invincibility, to
God Indra who came dressed as a beggar, knowing that he was signing his
own death warrant. Even Ravana had his good qualities. Laxman was
sent by Rama to seek wisdom from Ravana, when Ravana was
dying on the battlefield.

There are also numerous instances where the latent goodness
comes out and a person gets transformed from being a sinner to a saint. We all
know how Valya the dreaded robber became saint Valmiki and gave us
the priceless gift of Ramayana. In not too a distant past Leo Tolstoy
completely changed from leading life full of vices to reach great heights. He
became a champion of poorest of poor and started living a very simple life with
only bare necessities. He became one of the three major influences in Mahatma
Gandhi’s life. There is a current case of one Laxman Gode who was sentenced
eight times for as many as 19 criminal offences. Reading Mahatma Gandhi’s work
while in jail, completely transformed him. He came out clean, confessed to his
wrong deeds and is today totally devoted to Gandhiji’s ideals. He has been
responsible for spreading Gandhiji’s message amongst hardened criminals and
transforming many of them !

In Bhagvad Gita lord Krishna describes the qualities of good
persons in the first three shlokas of the 16th Chapter.

The Blessed Lord said :

Fearlessness, cleanness of life, steadfastness in the Yoga of
wisdom, almsgiving, self-restraint and sacrifice and study of the Scriptures,
austerity and straightforwardness,

Harmlessness, truth, absence of wrath, renunciation,
peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion to living beings,
uncovetousness, mildness, modesty, absence of fickleness,

Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of envy and
pride, all these are his who is born with the divine properties, O Bharata.

Many of us do not posses several of these. But if we look
around carefully we will certainly find these in people around us. Let us find
such people and do not hesitate to learn from them, howsoever humble and lowly
they may appear. Let us then see that the best in us comes out and the tree of
our life flowers in full bloom.

“I look only to the good qualities of man. Not being
faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into faults of others.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

Nirav Shah

Conditioned Mind and Conditioned Living

Namaskaar

Our lives are conditioned by the accumulations of the past
and expectations of the future. We have been taught to live in destiny,
pre-conditioned as it is, it prevents us from breaking out of the cocoon or the
shell. We try to console ourselves for the misfortunes or the tragedies that
befall us in our lives, and meekly blame it on our destinies. From there on and
to everything in our lives, there is a deep-rooted conditioning, by building a
fort or a wall around us to conclude that all else other than the accumulated
impressions are false. To be unconditioned simply means to be un-caged.
Religiosity and spirituality help one to discover the true nature of life and it
is the quintessence of being totally free.

What needs to be done to get us out of the shackles of
conditioning ? A mind of deep contemplation and a sensitive approach to natural
instincts that have weathered out from us, over centuries, on account of
materialistic desires. A religious and spiritual bent of mind to understand the
subtle forces that prevail in nature are the hallmarks of an unconditioned mind.
But let us be clear that religiosity does not mean rituals and dogmas, but
something beyond it.

The superficial mind is momentary, conditioned and
artificial. Delving deep into the inner self, the serious mind begets questions
all about life and not willing to be conditioned by conflicts about the
externalities of living. Contemplation leads to frugal living and less of
desires, it prompts seriousness in every walk of life, be it with respect to
work or in relationship. It is only the deeper mind that can experience total
silence and blissfulness whatever may be the state of ones being. There is no
craving for ‘becoming’, but it is always a state of ‘being’.

All our lives we have lived with what we have gathered and
what we have accumulated. We have lived by what others have told us. It is a
beaten path. Delving a little deeper, we would be able to see much more than
what we have been told and what we have been taught or seen. By searching for
it, the human mind gathers a lot of composure, it will respond without conflict
or tension. To live, will become more meaningful even without seeking for it.
Tragedies in life are taken at strides without having to bother about such
consequences, for they are natural part of our life process. A meaningful leaf
can be taken from ‘The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost’.

‘Somewhere ages and ages hence :

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference’.

To be in the state of receptivity or in the state of a subtle
mind, always requires a serious approach and an earnest effort, irrespective of
what subject we are dealing with. There is a sense of divinity and all
pervasiveness in such an approach and at such stages the mind does not and will
not hanker for results.

Jiddu Krishnamurthy, the world philosopher, has dealt
exhaustively on the unconditioned mind; for him it was the unconditioned mind
that could seek the absolute truth. Glimpses of what he has got to say on the
unconditioned mind are here for the readers to experience :

‘He thought that the mind was conditioned by reason and the
expectations of our society, culture, and personal needs. He held that having a
conditioned mind is an obstacle that needs to be overcome through insight
in order for an individual to move to a higher state of consciousness. He talked
in multiple ways about the conditioned mind. One of these ways is through the
analogy of the pendulum. He used this analogy to show that normal consciousness
swings from past to future, and then reverses. Humans are always in one of the
two states, either the past which consists of memories, or the future which
consists of expectations. He claimed that at the centre of the pendulum swing,
the present exists, and it is at this infinitesimal moment when a preconscious
state of mind can be cultivated. By training the mind to ‘live’ in the
present, it can be emptied of all contents in order to facilitate a true
awareness of what is. Awareness of ‘what is’ comes through insight and signifies
the development of the religious mind.’

The aim should be to get to the ‘centre of the pendulum’ and
enjoy the present.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Learning to be dissatisfied

Namaskar

Yes. I mean it. Strange as it may sound, but just as we have
to learn to be satisfied with certain things, there are things about which we
have to learn to be dissatisfied. I am amazed at the words of wisdom contained
in our scriptures. I came across one gem recently.

The first part of the quotation speaks of three things with
which one has always to be satisfied : one’s spouse, one’s food and one’s
wealth. The second part lays down three things with which one has always
to be dissatisfied. It says that one must always be dissatisfied with
charity that one has done, ‘tapa’ (penance — the struggle that one
has undergone for progress in the right direction) and one’s knowledge.

So much is said in these few words of wisdom that it takes a
lifetime to understand, absorb and implement it.

We do a small bit of charity and start thinking that we have
given enough. We do a bit of service to others and spend the rest of our lives
singing praise of the ‘great’ work done by us. We gain a little knowledge and
consider ourselves to be full of wisdom.

The saying tells us that we should never stop giving, as our
obligation to the society is endless. As accountants we know that a cash book
always has a debit balance, as we cannot pay out more than we receive, there has
to be a debit balance all the time. So it is in life, we cannot give out more
than we receive. We must give as much as we can with all our heart and never
feel that we have done enough. In the words of Francis Bacon ‘In charity there
is no excess.’

How can we stop our tapa, that is serving others ? There is
so much need all around us, and to stop serving and becoming complacent is not
the right thing to do. The woods may be lovely, dark and deep, but ‘We have
miles to go before we sleep’. One remembers the words of Einstein. I quote :

“A hundred times everyday I remind myself that my inner and
outer life depends on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I
must exert myself in order to give, in the measure as I have received and I am
still receiving.”

Again, learning is an unending process. It is like climbing a
mountain. As you climb higher, your horizon expands and you come to know how
much more there is to learn. One remembers the words of Sir Isaac Newton :

“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to
myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea shore – and
diverting myself in now and then finding smoother pebbles or a prettier shell
than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before
me.”

The same thought is expressed by Jim Collins in his
best-selling book ‘From Good to Great’. According to him, ‘Good is the Enemy of
Great’. There are many good companies, but only a few companies which are truly
great. So it is with us individuals. We have so many people around us, who are
really good, but are stagnated at that level. They believe that they need not,
cannot go any further, realising little that learning has no end.

So let all of us, even when we believe that we are good,
become dissatisfied with our charity, our tapa and our knowledge, shake
ourselves out of complacency, reset our goals, lift up our anchors and sail
towards being great from merely being good.

“I shall pass through this world but once

Any good therefore that I can do,

or any kindness that I can show to any human being,

let me do it now.

Let me not defer nor neglect

for I shall not pass this way again.”

levitra

Nirav Shah

Our valuable treasures

Namaskar

“There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s needs but not
for man’s greed”

—
Mahatma Gandhi

As human beings, we are blessed with the wonderful priceless
treasure of resources. Internal resources, in the form of intellect, emotions,
mind, senses, thought power along with valuable external resources provided in
nature.

But, do we sincerely appreciate the worth of these valuable
resources bestowed upon us by the Almighty ?

Our present life style of ‘Instant & Disposable’, ‘Use
& Throw’, reflects nothing but disregard and abuse of the resources. Credit
card facilities, consumer finance, free home delivery, exchange offers, etc.
have made life easy, but at the cost of most risky attitude to ‘Take things
for granted’ and hence losing their values. Unless we are conscious about
our intrinsic values we can’t be just and fair to the use of external resources
gifted by nature to nourish us.

Being, a civilised persona, in our pursuit of protecting the
social values we need to ensure about prudent and optimum utilisation of
resources.

We have to first learn to distinguish between ‘need’ & ‘want’
to ensure optimum utilisation of resources. Once we act mindfully with rational
approach, we would be just and fair to ourselves as well as to the society as a
whole.

To share here a conversation of Buddha with his
disciple, which I feel conveys the essence very nicely.

One day, one of the disciples of Buddha approached him
and said humbly “Oh my teacher ! While you are so much concerned about the
world, why don’t you look into the welfare and needs of your own disciples
also ?”

Buddha : “OK. How I can help you ?”

Disciple : “Master ! My attire is worn out and is beyond
decency to wear the same. Can I get a new one, please ?”

Buddha found that the robe indeed was in a bad condition
and needed replacement. He asked the store keeper to give the disciple a new
robe to wear. Then, he asked the disciple, “Is it comfortable ? Do you need
anything more ?”

Disciple : “Thank you. The attire is indeed very
comfortable. I need nothing more.”

Buddha : “Having got the new one, what did you do with
your old attire ?”

Disciple : “I am using it as my bed spread.”

Buddha : “Then . . hope you have disposed of your old bed
spread.”

Disciple : ” No, Master. I am using my old bedspread as
my window curtain.”

Buddha : ” What about your old curtain ?”

Disciple : “Being used to handle hot utensils in the
kitchen.”

Buddha : ” Can you tell me what did they do with the old
cloth they used in kitchen.”

Disciple : “It is being used to wash the floor.”

Buddha : ” Then, the old rug being used to wash the
floor . . .?”

Disciple : “Master, we used it as a twig in the oil lamp
which is right now lit in your study room….”

Buddha smiled in contentment and left for his room.

If not to this extent of implementation, can we at least
start thinking on this direction in our pursuit to achieve the optimum level of
utilisation of our valuable resources ? The depth of spirit reflected in this
dialogue could prove to be of tremendous value from economic, social as well as
spiritual perspective.

Such mindful thought process and conservative approach would
turn out to be most favourable in the present chaotic atmosphere of global
economic recession, lay offs and cut-offs. Cases of depression, violence,
suicides have multiplied in the society. It is time to pause and think
rationally to arrive at a balancing solution. We need to evaluate the resources
at our disposal so as to ensure their optimum utilisation by assigning the real
utility values.

Our religious tradition teaches us that we have been given
dominion over the resources on this earth, but we must be good stewards of them.
Our constant endeavor should be towards developing the value culture to bequeath
in legacy for our generation.

From spiritual perspective, the concept of ‘Aparigrah’
has great significance for the soul seeking liberation. To grow internally and
enrich our inner self, we must create the space by least of accumulation.

Let us worship God by respecting the values of His divine grace showered in
the form of precious resources in our life !

levitra

Nirav Shah

Commitment

You can’t keep a committed person from succeeding’ – Peter Drucker

What is ‘commitment’ ? Is it living and working for an idea, a thought which is action based ? Dictionary defines ‘commitment’ as :

‘An instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled : the action of committing oneself to a course of action : it is a pledge or promise to do something’.

‘Commitment’ is the essential required for both success and happiness in life. Every human being is committed to some ideal or action in life — his polestar — because without that ‘polestar’ a human-being does not ‘live’, he only exists. Let us for a moment pause to reckon as to how many ‘commitments’ we have in life, irrespective of whether we are conscious or not of those ‘commitments’. We are committed to :

our family
our job
our society
our nation and above all we are

committed to ourself, because unless we are committed to ourself we cannot fulfil our other commitments. But what do we mean by ‘commitment’ to ourself ?

In my view this commitment to ‘ourself’ means being true to ourselves. It is a promise to yourself. In other words, it means being in a position to analyse our thoughts and motives and also being in a position to chanelise our actions in conformity with our thoughts and beliefs.

I also believe that a plan without commitment remains a plan and no thoughtful and conscious action can be taken without ‘commitment’. Hence, success in every action is based on ‘commitment’. Even the action of a ‘suicide bomber’ is based on and motivated by ‘commitment’. ‘Commitment’ forsakes excuses, it breaks resistance, it makes our work light and not loaded. It represents honesty and leads to excellence. It lends strength to our character. It has been rightly said ‘commitment in the face of conflict produces character’. ‘Commitment’ represents conscious hunger to succeed and above all to live. According to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar :

“Life runs with ‘commitment’ and

‘commitment’ lends strength”.

The most salient commitment which we all have experienced is ‘mother’s commitment to her child’. It is what builds our character, because it is based on love — it is there — even when the recipient is not conscious of it.

Let us consider a few examples of ‘commitment’ :

Albert Einstein’s commitment to invent

Albert Schweitzer’s commitment to serve

Gandhi’s commitment to Swaraj

Kennedy’s commitment to put man on moon

Sachin’s commitment to cricket

Vivekananda’s commitment to preach Vedanta

It is apparent to us as to what they achieved with ‘commitment’. Obama’s commitment to peace and progress with change in attitude has got him the ‘Nobel’.

However, the questions which bother me are :

Are we fully conscious of our ‘commitments’ because according to Imre Lakatos ‘blind commitment to a theory is an intellectual crime’?

and

Do we really put commitment into our actions ?

Let us pause and think about this simple word ‘commitment’ and make our life consciously successful, satisfying and, above all, happy.

Nirav Shah

The substance our world is built of

Namaskaar

There is one implicit underlying belief that truly motivates
nearly all our actions. We don’t notice it, yet we are infused with it. When we
go to bed we believe that we will wake up the next morning. When we leave home
each morning we believe that we will return. When we buy something we believe
that it will function the way it’s expected to. When we delegate work to our
team we believe it will get done. Without this one attribute, human
relationships turn into poison, families collapse, society deteriorates,
countries turn suspicious and stand in arms against each other. That belief is
Trust in ourselves and others.

TRUST — is the one vital foundation on which our life is
built, sustained and fulfilled. Can you imagine a person — who mistrusts most
people; who suspects the outcomes of his efforts to be adverse, who generally
disbelieves what others say; who often doubts the coming moment to turn
untoward; who is consistently wary of motives behind good deeds of others. What
would these beliefs make such a person ? Possibly a bundle of nervousness,
apprehension and defensiveness, which eventually leads to resentment,
frustration, blame, hostility and total dysfunction. Without TRUST, life RUSTs
(note the partial anagram)

The increasing challenge we face today is that of diminishing
interpersonal trust, within families, in businesses, in polity and
internationally. A friend from Japan who was visiting Mumbai recently, mentioned
that the driver of a taxi she took was a fine man. As they talked during the
ride he mentioned that people these days did not trust one another and therefore
the situation had turned the way it was. Today we wonder when we get financial
advice or a medical prescription — whether it is really for our benefit or it’s
going to benefit the advisor only. The collapse of financial markets reveals
that trust was breached by many who were trustees of wealth and savings. The
author of MEGATRENDS 2010 has put it well when she writes :

Greed destroys wealth. Trust and integrity, by contrast
foster prosperity.

Having said this, the question is — Where does change lie ? A
contemporary author Stephen M. R. Covey writes beautifully in his book to tell
us to start with ‘Self Trust’. Self trust, he writes, is made of :

Integrity (congruence between intent and behaviour),

Intent (your agenda),

Capabilities (the skills, knowledge, attitude that make you relevant), and

Results (your record of behaviour — how and what you got out of your actions).

Recently, I had a powerful experience of broken trust. The
people I trusted most, broke a commitment. They spoke about a self-created rule
on which their actions were based. The same people represented an institution
that taught right living, but in action they were not walking their talk. Former
US Fed Chief Greenspan wrote :

“Rules cannot take the place of character.” How
true !

The thing I like best is how Covey articulates capabilities.
He calls it the sum total of T-A-S-K-S — Talents, Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge
and Style. Only when we improve upon our capabilities, constantly upgrade our
knowledge and behaviour then we can be trusted. If our knowledge is current,
then we remain relevant. Tiger Woods, the legendary golfer, is an example of
someone who continually improved himself even though he was better than the
best. He took a year and half ‘slump’ to improve his swing. The Golf Digest
aptly referred to his ways as the :

“Tiger Creed : I improve therefore I am.”

But at the end of the day nothing works like results. Results
speak the loudest. Results want people to extend more trust. On the other hand,
result sans the other three attributes makes them unsustainable. It’s all about
walking the talk. As an anonymous writer has put it :

People don’t listen to as you speak; they watch your feet.

Happy walking this new year 2009 !

levitra

Nirav Shah

Death be not proud

Namaskaar

Death had snatched away Shri Haribhai Kothari from us. But we
can tell death ‘Do not be proud’ — You cannot really take him away from us. To
live in hearts of people is not to die. Haribhai will live for ever in our
hearts.

Let us all then do Namaskar to this great soul and pray that
the God Almighty give him eternal peace.

Haribhai has been addressing us under the auspices of Amita
Memorial Trust since past 14 years. He was scheduled to speak to us for the 15th
time on 31st January 2011. But this was not to be. He passed away on 5th January
2011.

During our life we come across various people who are good
thinkers, who are good speakers. But very rarely do we come across a person
whose thinking, speaking and living are totally aligned. Haribhai taught what he
believed in and practised in his life. He walked his talk. He was truly a saint.

Haribhai was easy to get along with. In arranging all the 14
lectures, never had I to even write a letter to him. Even selection of the topic
was done on phone. To lend us comfort he would come 15 minutes ahead of the
appointed time of the lecture, to ensure that we were not put to any uneasy
feeling. He came on his own, and went on his own. No arrangements were required
to take him back to his residence in Mulund.

Haribhai was a great exponent of ‘Bhagvad Gita’. He
repeatedly taught us that one should not grieve at the death of someone. Quoting
Bhagwad Gita :

Just as we cast off old clothes and put on new clothes, the
soul gives up the old body and acquires a new one. The soul is neither born nor
does it die. Why should then one grieve ?

My mind goes back to my childhood. As a small boy, I along
with my grandfather, had an occasion to visit an Ashram in Songadh in Saurashtra.
In the morning when we were to leave, a person was singing a bhajan in a
melodious voice to the strains of a sarangi. He was blind and he was also
playing the sarangi. I remember the bhajan that he was singing written by
Anandghanji :

During the last month of his life he uttered these prophetic
word “He only is afraid of that who has done things which he should not do or
not done things which he should have done. I have always done what I should have
done and never done things I should not have done. Why then should I fear
death ?”

Let us learn from the life of Haribhai how to live, so that
we do not fear death. Let us spend our time doing things that we should live. As
expressed in the Upanishads “Better a moment of glow than a lifetime of smoke.”
Let Haribhai’s noble life be a guiding torch to enable us to live a better life
that will be our true Namaskar to the great soul.

“We live in deeds, not years;

In thoughts, not breaths;

We should count time by heartthrobs.

He most lives, who thinks most.

Feels the noblest, acts the best”

— Philips James Bailey

levitra

Nirav Shah

Comparison

NamaskaarShakespeare said “Comparisons are odious”. Yet,
‘compare’ and ‘contrast’
are the two traits which control our behavior. The issue is:
Are we conscious of the
fact that they rule our lives?
Comparisons and contrasts are obvious in every aspect: for example, we have good
and bad, black and white, high and low, love and hate, etc. However,
‘comparison’, in particular, is a tool by which we evaluate our actions always
in comparison to others. For example, we ask of ourselves: Am I

* successful?

* acting fairly?

* rich or poor?

* knowledgeable?

* socially oriented?

* charitable?

* handsome – beautiful?

All these questions are in comparison to someone else. A
comparison could be with one’s idol or idea or it could be with one’s teacher,
relative, friend, colleague, peer, senior or subordinate. Comparisons compel and
motivate us to improve. On the other hand, we should not forget that comparisons
also have a dark side: it leads to jealousy — a destructive emotion. A
comparison can also be drawn out of insecurity that is rooted in a sense of
inferiority. It can also be based on the concept ‘I am better than someone’.
These comparisons always lead to unhappiness, anyway. The art of living lies in
making use of comparisons constructively, that is, to improve our lives, make
life more fruitful, rewarding, successful and happy. Comparisons will always be
there irrespective of whether we compare consciously or unconsciously; hence,
let us consciously compare ourselves with the best in every sphere and
constantly endeavor to improve ourselves. Let us see how comparisons may have
helped some achieve greatness. For example:

* Gandhi probably
compared himself to Buddha;

* Martin Luther King’s
model was Gandhi;

* Obama models his
actions on Lincoln.

Comparison also leads to emulate in our economic policies. At
one point of time, we were emulating Russia. Today, we find ourselves emulating
the ‘free world’. However, in my opinion, despite comparisons, we should take
care to evolve policies that suit India’s peculiar needs, and not blindly
emulate or compare ourselves with the ‘free world’ and repeat the mistakes we
made in adopting socialistic policies. Our success in avoiding the financial
meltdown of 2008 is largely attributable to the Reserve Bank of India, which
over the past few years, despite comparing India with the free world, has
followed policies which were ‘Indiacentric’. We should do the same with our
other economic policies. The mantra, therefore, is: Compare with the best, but
do our own thing.

However, I also believe:

.1. ‘Comparison’ is not always in relation to others, but
also sometimes with our own past thoughts and actions. We always judge the
present or project the future in comparison to our past or the present.

.2. ‘Comparison’ leads to emulating and copying. It can kill
originality. Hence, in using comparison as a tool to improve ourselves, we have
to consciously innovate in order to suit ourselves to our environment and avoid
being cast into a mould. In short, ‘comparison’ should not kill ‘originality’.

Hence, let us consciously avoid the negative impact of
comparison; let us consciously use it to improve our thoughts and actions; and,
last but not the least, let us consciously use comparison to motivate ourselves
to do better.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Health and Mind

Namaskaar

Each one of us perceives the world in our own individual way.
Hence we experience health, disease and the purpose of disease individually.

The words ‘health’ and ‘heal’ originate from the word
‘whole’, which means ‘complete’, or to ‘integrate’. The subjective experience of
feeling whole from within is very individual and unique to each one of us. Thus
one’s experience of health (physical and emotional) may be radically different
from another’s understanding of the same.

In this era of modernisation and standardisation, society
offers us certain norms that define health and disease. These norms were
originally designed to assist us in our already inherent and intuitive
understanding of our own inner balance, of how it feels to be whole. In an
almost comic twist of events, we lost touch with our inner health-barometer and
we now find ourselves dependent on the judgment of a system outside us, when the
most powerful healer lies within. Health is basically a state of being, an ‘avastha’,
an experience of ease, joy and peace.

Disease is nothing but the loss of ease. When there is a lack
of ease in a part or in the mind, it is a clear indicator that there is
something that requires attention. Attention is different from judgment or
action. Those come much later. Let us give it that attention. Today the
perspective toward health is principally focussed on finding where and what is
diseased. The investigative thought process is directed towards all that can go
wrong. The time has come for us to shift the focus from disease to wellness;
from knowledge to wisdom . . .

Every event has the potential of the exact opposite. Peace
cannot be realised in an already existing state of peace. It can be realised
only when it is born out of a thirst created out of non-peace. Let us respect
that distress or disturbance for helping us realise peace.

Every illness brings with it a very specific personal
message. Once the disease is understood in the light of this learning, it ceases
to be a disease and becomes an opportunity to understand that part of oneself
that lies yet undiscovered deep in the ocean of the unconsciousness. The choice
to discovery is up to us. Once the discovery has been made, the disease has
completed its purpose and finds its own way out of the system. There is no
question of making it happen, but simply of letting it happen.

Had Columbus not lost his way, he would not have discovered
his destiny. Let us respect the apparent disharmony of things just so that the
experience of harmony can be more thrilling . . .

Everything here has a purpose — the day the purpose is
fulfilled, it dissolves !

To heal ourselves and have a healthy life we need to develop
positive thinking by synchronising mind and body. Intention is all it takes to
make it happen !

levitra

Nirav Shah

Accounting for life

Namaskaar

‘If I am not for myself, who will for me’

— Anon

We as accountants always deal with ‘accounting for business’.
In other words, we act as book-keepers of economic activity and at the end of a
given period draw up a ‘profit and loss’ account which exhibits the operational
results for a given period and a balance sheet on a given date — which exhibits
the assets and liabilities of the entity.

The questions which I have for all of us and
myself are :

– Do we apply the same principles to our own life ?

– Do we prepare a profit and loss account and a balance sheet of our life ?

In other words, do we do ‘accounting for life’ ? It
means do we pause to introspect. I believe that for the purposes of preparing a
profit and loss account and the balance sheet of our life, we need a generous
use of ‘introspection’. To go through our memory lane with ‘truthfulness’ to
give a ‘true and fair’ view of ourselves to ourselves.

What is required to do this ? I think and believe we need to
:

1. take stock of our relationships. How have we handled our
relationship with our parents, spouse, children, friends, acquaintances and
clients. We have to ask ourselves :

– have we discharged our duties simply or with care.

– have we ignored our obligations.

– have we treated every relationship as a transaction.

– do we feel obligated.

2. take stock of our response to the needs of society. How
have we responded to our social obligations. It is a debt we owe.

Let us remember that :

– Our relationships, whether at home, at our work place or otherwise, are
both our capital and assets and need constant care.

– What we take and receive is a debt we incur which has to be repaid : for
example,

– the love we receive from our parents, children and friends.

– the support we receive from our clients, and

– the resources of society we use.

Friends, let us take out time to prepare our own profit and
loss account and balance sheet. Let us do this ‘accounting for life’. This
accounting like all accounting will enlighten us. It will help us to forget and
forgive and at the same time remind us to be grateful and enable us to live our
life in a sense of ‘gratitude’. It is an exercise to improve ‘myself’.

The question is : have I done this ‘accounting for
life’ ? Yes, I have attempted it and the result is that I am in ‘deficit’.
Despite being in ‘deficit’ the one account that I have settled is seek
forgiveness of those who have felt hurt by my words or actions, by forgiving
those by whose words or actions I have felt hurt. I accept I have received more
than I have given. I have been singularly fortunate in most of my relationships
— my god, guru, relatives, friends and clients. I am grateful to my
‘preceptor’. In short, I owe a huge debt of gratitude. I conclude by quoting
‘Mereez’

levitra

Nirav Shah

Learning to pray

Mayur Nayak in two excellent articles taught us that ‘Prayer Makes One Complete’. I would like to share a few thoughts on the subject of Praying.

What is a prayer ?

Let us understand what a ‘prayer’ really is and what it is not. Prayer is conversation with God. It is when we open our heart and talk. It is not raising a charter of demands or submitting a list of wishes to God. In a prayer one does not go to God with a begging bowl. Prayer is essentially an expression of our gratitude to God Almighty.

When does one pray ?

In my younger days, I came across this couplet which has left a lasting impression on my mind :

How true ! Only when we face difficulties in our lives we look up to God and remember Him. Never when we are happy.

Personally I have remembered Him in my happy days, and that has really rewarded me with ‘mental peace’.

Kahlil Gibran says,

“You pray in your distress and your need,

would that there might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.”

The right time to pray then is now, whether you be happy or unhappy.

When to start praying ?

A question may arise as to what is the age when one starts praying. Is it only meant for old and aged people ?

Adi Shankaracharya laments in ‘Bhaj Govindam’ that,

“In the boyhood one is attached to play; in youth to sense objects, in old age one is obsessed with anxiety. At no age one is attached to the Supreme.”

Hence I believe : the right time to pray is now, whether one be happy or unhappy, young or old. Whatever be our age we must pray. Tomorrow might be too late.

How should one pray ?

Our prayer must be with faith, trust, and confidence in God that He will look after us. He will do what is best for us. There is a bhajan, a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, which very lucidly express this :

We must give over the reins of our lives in the hands of God, and know that He will do what is best for us. We must pray with full faith in Him. We must understand what faith means.

In words of St. Augustine

“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for that faith is to see what you believe.”

As Wayne Dyer puts it “You will see it when you believe it.”

Where does one pray ?

And where does one pray to God ? Where does one find Him ? We confine our prayers to temples and mosques, churches and gurudwaras, as if God stays only there ! Gurudev Tagore answers it beautifully as under :

“Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads! Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut ? Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee !

He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the path maker is breaking stones. He is with them in sun and in shower, and his garment is covered with dust.”

The lines of the song from Yatrik come to my mind :

So let us look for Him within and find Him in our hearts. He is very much there within all of us.

Let us then start praying right now in the right manner and at the right place. We must always continue to pray and thereby attain eternal peace.

Nirav Shah

Realising our dreams

Namaskaar

The end of man is an action and not a thought.

— Thomas Carlyle

All of us have wonderful thoughts and grand dreams of what we
wish to do. The sad part is that we are somehow unable to put our thoughts into
action and our dreams remain unfulfilled. We are unable to translate our ideas,
our pious intentions, our noble plans into action. Hence, wishes remain only
wishes, they just remain unfulfilled dreams. While there could be justification
in case of people who die young and who did not get time to act on their
thoughts, for most of us who live up to ripe old age there is no justification
whatsoever.

Some of the possible reasons for our not taking action are :

we always believe that there is ‘a tomorrow’ which unfortunately never comes. We
procrastinate.

we are shy of stepping out from our comfort zone.

we are scared of the unknown.

It is true that when we act we may fail, but fear of failure
should never be the reason not to act. There are two kinds of failures — those
who thought and never acted — and those who acted but failed. One would rather
be the second type of failure than the first. I am reminded of what Shakespeare
said :

“It is better to have loved and lost rather than not to
have loved at all.”

When one looks back at life, one finds that most of our
regrets are for actions not taken. Brilliant thought, noble intentions, grand
plans and magnificent goals all remain within us, like buds which never
blossomed into flowers. It takes a lifetime for us to understand that the
smallest of action is always better than the noblest of intentions. We have to
make a start, convert our dreams into goals, and take action to fulfil our goals. Without action,
dreams are useless. Nothing can be achieved by merely having wishes and good
thoughts. There is a well-known subhashit which is as under :

“Goals can only be achieved by action, not merely by
having grand ambition. Even the deer do not enter the mouth of a sleeping lion.“

There is a story of a person who every day went to the temple
of Hanuman, and asked for rupees ten lakhs. This went on for quite some time,
till Hanuman lost his patience. He appeared and gave the devotee a hard
resounding slap and said :

“If you want ten lakhs, at least buy a lottery ticket ! Do
not expect me to do that for you !”

We have to wake up and be bold, learn to take risks and act
to realise our dreams and achieve our goals. We have to act. A ship would be
very safe in the harbour, but that is not what it is meant for. As Andre Gide
has expressed it :

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage
to lose sight of the shore.”

Putting it in a language we accountants can easily relate to,
there is a wide gap between what we are capable of and what we actually attain.
I have always felt that in our case our actual ’production’ is far less than our
installed capacity. I would dare say that our actual production seldom exceeds
20% of our installed capacity. If we take the right action and raise this even
to 30%, our world would be a much better place to live in than it is today. By
taking action on our dreams we have the capacity to bring heaven on earth. Hence
let us act. I would conclude by quoting Vivekananda :

“Arise ! Awake ! And stop not till the goal is reached.”

levitra

Nirav Shah

Making A Difference

Namaskaar

“Let me light my lamp, says the Star and never debate if it
will help to remove the darkness”

— Tagore

We are all good people. We all feel we must help others. Our
intentions are noble. We all agree that we must make a difference. And yet when
it comes to putting our good intention to practice, we hesitate. We are unable
to act. Our good intentions remain in our thoughts only. Why ? I have been
asking this question to myself. Why is it that we do not act ? Two possible
reasons come to my mind. First is the feeling that the problems of the world are
so immense that our little effort will hardly make any significant difference.
It is sheer magnitude of the problem that restrains us from acting.

But this should not be so. Have you heard the story of the
little boy and the starfish ? David McNally writes thus in his book ‘Even Eagles
Need a Push’.

“. . . . . . Loren E. Eiseley talks of the day when he was
walking along a sandy beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up on
the share. He noticed a boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them
back into the ocean. Eiseley observed the boy for a few minutes and then asked
what he was doing. The boy replied that he was returning the starfish to the sea
otherwise they would die.

Eiseley then asked how saving a few, when so many were
doomed, would make any difference whatsoever ? The boy picked up a starfish and
as he threw it back said. ‘It’s going to make a lot of difference to this one.’

You will agree that we can certainly make a difference at
least in a few lives in our lifetime.

The second thought which inhibits us from acting is the
belief that making a difference is the preserve and prerogative for saints like
Swami Viveknanand, Mother Teresa or leaders like Mahatma Gandhi. A quotation of
Mahatma Gandhi dispels our doubts :

“The world knows so little of how much my so-called greatness
depends upon the incessant toil and drudgery of silent devoted able and pure
workers, men as well as women.”

We will not be able to reach the heights of Mahatma Gandhi,
but certainly we can do the work done by those countless men and women who
worked for him and brought us our freedom.

In words of Robert F. Kennedy :

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but
each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless
acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.”

But to understand this better you will have to travel with
me. We will go to the deep interior of one of the most backward areas of our
country in Dharampur, to a small village hamlet called ‘Matunia’. We will talk
there with inhabitants of that small village in that godforsaken place and ask
them a question. ‘Did anyone make a difference in your life ?’ We will also go
to some remote villages like Chandvegan and Tamachhadi and ask the same question
to the Adivasi children living and studying in the village schools. We will get
the same answer. ‘Yes, one Hitenbhai came to us and he made a difference in our
lives’. Friends, they are referring to our Hiten Shah whom we lost at a very
young age of only 48 years on 14th June of this year. Since past decade or more
he was regularly going to these and other places and helping the Adivasi
villagers. He was working in the field of building check-dams, getting wells
dug, soil bunding, helping the village schools in getting help for constructing
their schools, getting computers and other equipments necessary for the
students, looking after medical problems particularly of mothers and babies,
arranging mass weddings, improving irrigation and cultivation, getting trees
planted and similar welfare activities. He is a shining example of what a single
person can do and what difference in life one can make. He left behind his
footprints on the sands of time for people like us to follow. We all can make a
difference. I offer our Namaskar to him. Let us all resolve that we all shall
contribute our might and do our best to leave this world a better place than
what we found it to be and follow the path shown by Hitenbhai.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Comfort and Happiness

Namaskaar

It was a winter morning. My car stopped at a traffic signal below the Kemp’s Corner flyover. I look out of the
window and see 3 poor kids on the pavement. I would put their ages at 7, 5 and
2. The older one was clapping and singing, the middle one was playing ‘music’ on
a tin drum with a stick and the tiny toddler was dancing. A thought crossed my
mind. Happiness dwells (even) on the sidewalks of our city.

Have we not experienced happiness when we offer our seat in a
bus or a train to an elderly person or a lady ? We are in fact exchanging our
comfort for happiness. We do this very naturally. If comfort and happiness were
synonymous we would never do that.

Sometimes giving up comforts yields happiness.

Thinking of happiness took me back to my younger days, when
hiking was my passion. My friend San-jay and I were on a hike to Matheran. Just
outside Neral town, a trek branches off from the pathway to Matheran. It is a
short cut, but it means a steeper climb. After the initial steep climb, the trek
winds through a hamlet, which I call “the village of the barking dogs” as
invariably one is greeted by a chorus of barking dogs. Then the trek starts
climbing up again. Sanjay stopped there for a smoke and spoke something which I
will always remember. He said “On every hike a time comes when I curse myself
for coming on the hike, suffering all this pains and discomfort, these aching
muscles and blisters on the feet, while I could well have been in Bombay,
enjoying a movie in an air-conditioned theatre, or sipping coffee in a cool
place. Yet as soon as I reach the top, all the aches and pains are forgotten. I
am happy to have achieved something and surprisingly am looking forward to the
next hike !”

It made me understand that comfort and happiness do not
necessarily go together.

If comfort was happiness, we would not have had Buddha,
Mahavir and Mahatma Gandhi; we would not have saints like Mirabai, Surdas and
Tulsidas; we would not have people like Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa or
Vivekanand. Great
souls have sacrificed

comforts to attain true happiness.

During our freedom movement, many of our freedom fighters
faced lathi charges, tear gas and even bullets — they sacrificed comfort. Bhagat
Singh happily went to the gallows with a song on his lips. This should not leave
room for any doubt that

comfort and happiness are different.

The other day I was watching “Awakening with Brahmakumari” on
TV. Brahmakumari Shivani was explaining the difference between comfort and
happiness. As she explained, acquisition of a Mercedes car will give you comfort
of a smooth ride, but cannot ensure ‘happiness’. Apart from an elated feeling
for a few days, happiness of possessing the Mercedes will not endure — it will
be become another ‘possession’ — for example, when you are rushing in your
Mercedes to the hospital to see a dear friend who has met with a serious
accident, there is no happiness in the ‘Mercedes’ ride. Things bring comfort but
not happiness.

I learnt that comfort comes from outside, while happiness
comes from within.

One recounts the great classic ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’ by
Charles Dickens, a story of the times of the French Revolution. Charles Darney
is awaiting execution at the hands of revolutionaries in the infamous Bastille
Prison. Sydney Carton, a friend of Charles, but a goodfor-nothing person (who
looks exactly like Charles Darney) visits the prison to see Charles, renders
Charles unconscious, lets him be taken out, and takes his place. When Sidney
Carton is lead to the guillotine to be beheaded, his famous words are “It is a
far far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far far better
rest that I go to, than I have ever known.” He dies happily in place of Charles
Darney. There are times when even death brings happiness.

In heart of our hearts, we understand that comforts do not
necessarily bring happiness. Yet we blindly pursue ‘comfort’ sacrificing
‘happiness’. In pursuit of wealth, we ruin our health, neglect our families,
have no time for our parents or children, let alone for the poor and the
downtrodden. Too late we realise that the ladder of success we were climbing was
put up against the wrong wall. Let us learn to pursue ‘happiness’ even
whilst sacrificing ‘comforts’ to ‘Live happily’.

levitra

Nirav Shah

The Pathway to Progress

Namaskaar

Our earth is inhabited by billions of people. Though all of us have been given life by the Almighty, Life of each one is different. Out of the billions, for most of the people life is just one day lived many times over. One day is no different from the other. They end their lives where they started. There is no progress.

For making progress one requires a clear purpose, a goal, which will give one a sense of direction. Unless we decide where to go, we will not reach anywhere. We will spend our lives like driftwood tossed around by every wave on the seas of life. Setting of a goal is thus essential for our progress. The first step on the path to progress is to have a clear goal set in our mind. We must be clear about our destination. Setting of goals is clearly the first step . . . . A step which will begin our thousand-mile journey.

When we look at the goals set by people, we find that most of them centre around amassing wealth and material things, getting education and acquiring power. If one examines these things, whether it be wealth, education or power, one finds that these by themselves are neither good nor bad. The use to which these are put determines whether they are good or bad. The second step that we have to take is to ensure that what we acquire is for a good purpose and put to a good use. A shloka in Sanskrit explains this :

Education is for needless debates and arguments, wealth for becoming proud and arrogant, and power for harassing others . . . . that is what an evil person thinks. But truly, education is for real knowledge, for wisdom, wealth for donating, and power for protecting the weak.

Thus whatever we desire as a goal must have a noble purpose attached to it. It must be for good of ourselves and also others. The moment one understands and accepts this, the goals become far more meaningful. They cease to be selfish. In the pursuit of such goals one finds that happiness is a by-product. Happiness just starts flowing in one’s life.

I am not talking of goals like taking sanyasa or laying down one’s life for the country. Such heroic goals are not meant for ordinary people like us. But even in our life, as a householder, a student, a worker, or just anybody, there are numerous opportunities to wipe a tear, to restore a smile and be of some help to people around us.

The second step then, is to ensure that whatever we achieve as our goal is put to good use, a noble use.

But then we come to the third and the final step. It is not difficult to set goals and put them to good use. The third step, which is the most difficult one, is to do good deeds without any pride. This is well expressed in the Bhajan ‘Vaishnav Jana’ by Narsinha Mehta :

“Vaishnava jana to tehne kahiye . . . . . .

Para dukkhe upkaar kare thoye

This is a very difficult test to pass. I have been trying and failing again and again. Yes. A keen desire to help others is always there, but a feeling of ‘doership’ persists. A word of praise gladdens my heart, and non-recognition leaves me with an empty feeling !

I am attempting that there should not be any sense of pride. After all what I am doing is only my duty and natural obligation to return something to the society from which I have received countless benefits. May be some day I will succeed. Till then the struggle continues. I would end with an excerpt from a letter :

“I am glad I was born, glad I suffered so, glad I did make big blunders, glad to enter peace. Whether this body will fall and release me or I enter into freedom in the body, the old man is gone, gone for ever, never to come back again !

Behind my work was ambition, behind my love was personality, behind my purity was fear. Now they are vanishing and I am adrift.”

Can one believe that these are the words of Swami Vivekananda, written shortly before his death ? No wonder the third step of doing away with a sense of doership is not easy for people like us ! However one must not give up. Some goals are so worthy, its glorious even to fail.

Nirav Shah

Of thorns and roses

Namaskaar

Nobody is perfect. We have heard this time and again. Even
the moon has spots on it. Perfection in human beings is only in films and in
romantic novels of bygone days where the hero is faultless and is
personification of goodness and with one hundred percent of goodness in him. On
the other hand, the villain is nothing but evil, bad in every respect without
even an ounce of goodness in him. Let us not forget that roses have thorns and
that thorns too have roses. Hence, everyone has some goodness in his heart. It
is for us to seek that goodness.

In Mahabharat, Duryodhan represents evil. He is a person who
openly says “I know what is Dharma but I cannot follow it, I know what is
Adharma, but my nature prevents me from not following it”. In spite of this, one
finds that Duryodhan also had his good side. He stood by his friend Karna when
Karna was derided in the open court as being a Sarathiputra, a charioteer’s son.
Duryodhan made him the King of Angad. Later after losing the battle at
Kurukhshetra, Duryodhan was running away as a fugitive followed in hot pursuit
by the Pandavas. When he had no other escape left, he with his super powers hid
in the waters of a lake. When challenged by Yudhishthir to come out and fight,
he replied that to expect him to fight against all five of them was totally
unfair. Yudhishthir offered him to come out and fight any one of them with a
weapon of his choice. Duryodhan, who was an expert at fighting with a gada,
came out and selected Bhim ! It was clear that none of the other four Pandavas
was any match for Duryodhan in fighting with the gada. Only Bhim was; and
Duryodhan selected Bhim. He preferred to fight with a worthy adversary and face
death than seek an easy victory by selecting someone who was no match for him.

Recently there was a report of a person named Laxman Gole who
was earlier guilty of 18 offences of extortion from which he had managed to
escape conviction. He was being tried for 3 more offences when he happened to
read the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. This completely changed him. He
admitted his guilt in open court and was sentenced to two years of rigorous
imprisonment. While undergoing his prison sentence, he converted a number of
co-prisoners to Gandhian way of thinking. He is released now and is working for
Sarvodaya Mandal and pursuing the noble cause of turning criminals away from
crime to a Gandhian way of life.

I cannot resist sharing this personal story with you. When
Amita and Nandita, my daughters were small children, I used to drop them to the
school on my way to the office. On a day in monsoon when it was raining, I gave
a lift to an Income-tax officer from the bus stop. This man was known for his
bad temper and rude behaviour, and had a habit of shouting at assessees and
practitioners alike. It was a pain to appear before him. I was about to drop the
kids at the gate of the school while it was still raining and ask them to run to
their classrooms. This Income-tax officer, otherwise a terror, chided me, got
out of the car, opened his umbrella and escorted both the kids up to their
classrooms. When he returned he was drenched. My outlook about him changed. It
underwent a ‘paradigm shift’. Such gentleness and soft heartedness was never
expected by me from this man. We also have to understand that people can change
and become roses from thorns. The story of Valmiki who changed from a robber to
a sage and gave us “Ramayana” is known to all of us.

Yes friends, thorns too have roses. It is nobody’s privilege
to be good. It is only that we have to train ourselves to look for the roses. To
be happy, let us seek roses amongst thorns. I conclude by quoting Gurudev
Rabindranath Tagore :

“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of Man“.

levitra

Nirav Shah

ETHICAL PRACTICE IS A DELIBERATE EFFORT

Namaskaar

“Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path difficult to
cross and hard to tread — thus the wise say”

(Kathopanishad)

Things around us do not auger well, not only for the human
mankind but also for all other living beings on this earth. There is rampant
corruption, greed, dishonesty and selfishness pervading our lives that we have
often forgotten of what it is to be ethical. I know not if these are the
characteristics of the so-called ‘Kaliyuga’, but suffice it to say that human
greed and dishonesty have broken all barriers and may be it is on account of
this that the quality of our lives both mentally and physically has waned.

In such an environment, there is a tendency to overlook
ethics, ethical practices and good values as all of us, or most of us, are in
the rat race. When one is approached and a topic of ethics is broached for
discussion, defences are built up to say that it is difficult to confront
negative tendencies in the environment. It is believed that it is easier to
behave like the masses, as that gets results rather than confronting the system.
This choice arises as individuals have the desire to stay away from difficulties
or that it creates a sense of insecurity.

To be ethical requires a great deal of determination. It has
to necessarily be both in thought and action. It has to be cultivated and
gradually nurtured to reach a stage of personal satisfaction and a character par
excellence. It is not a matter of recognition but it is a matter for deep
contemplation and personal satisfaction; a satisfaction for the soul. It is a
feeling beyond expression. To express is to lose the feeling of it, and it has
to be instantaneous without forethought. The terrain is a difficult one and
therefore requires constant endeavour, deliberate effort and sincerity in
approach. It is a path of dedication and requiring lot of sacrifices along the
way.

It is indeed not an easy task to expect any transformation
overnight. The ways of the world are tricky. But as Lord Gautama Buddha says
that to accept ethical living requires dispassionate reflection upon one’s
conduct. Such a one should develop positive skills and thinking so that human
mankind’s humane possibilities may be realised. If this is so, then this is
beyond monetary considerations, material comforts and mundane living. Can we
accept this challenge ? May be yes, but it requires building up tremendous
potential and grit of conviction for one to be there.

Public recognises money, recognises power and therefore
people tend to gravitate towards the wealthy and powerful. No attempt is made to
segregate the chaff from the grain. It is there for us to see as an everyday
phenomena and we bother not to worry about the methods or the means. We are awed
by their positions or with their possessions. On the other hand, we have no
respect for people who fall short of stature in public life. People who have
towed ethical lines may not have achieved anything in life, for obvious reasons,
but we tend to ignore them or praise their virtues for it is neither endowed
with riches or with positions in public life. Public life is replete with such
examples and requires no examples for substantiating it.

We are all aware that there are numerous examples in Mahatma
Gandhi’s life which are worthy of emulation. It was easy for him to live and
swear by those values, only because he had given up every material possession
and hence was beyond fear. When you have no fear of losing anything, you get the
liberty and freedom of behaving without causing harm to the living environment.
You can refuse and desist to actions beyond ethics. Therefore the bottom-line
for adopting ethical values stems from the thought of willing to lose and the
willingness to let go.

We cannot be lured by money, we cannot be lured by material
comforts and we are not going to be influenced by mass psychology. God has given
us the mind to think and therefore we think for the general good of mankind. We
shall desist to efforts which have the tendency of thwarting natural methods of
living. This then gives us the strength of acting and behaving without fear.

Let us not have a false sense of insecurity in our lives. Let
us live our lives fully without fear and this requires a constant endeavour of
living with values and virtues. Sacrifices are a must and we have to consciously
be aware to let go things that cannot be obtained or achieved through natural
means. Hence, ethical practice is by choice and deliberate efforts.

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to
yourself.”

— Richard Bach

levitra

Nirav Shah

Prayer makes one complete — Part I

Namaskaar

Prayer does not necessarily change things for you, it changes
you for things.” — Swami Chinmayananda

Two years back, when my mother was on deathbed, I prayed
intensely for her life. A few days passed as if my prayers were not answered as
her condition was deteriorating. Suddenly, one day, a realisation dawned on me
that she was suffering a lot and it was my love, which was holding her back.
From that moment, I left everything to God’s will, and when finally she passed
away, I remained calm. This realisation through prayers helped me to remain
composed and experience my mother’s presence beyond her physique.

Do we need Prayer ?

When I thought of this, a counter question flashed in my
mind as to whether we need food to live on ? What food is to body, prayer is
to the mind. Prayer makes our mind healthy, positive, sensitive and humble.
Our attitude or reaction to the situation undergoes change, even as we derive
strength from within.

Prayer and service

Service to mankind is prayer in action !

In May 2008, I visited a place called Nirmal Hriday (Tender-Hearts)
— a home for dying destitutes run by the Mother Teresa Foundation in Kolkata.
I was touched to the core by the selfless services rendered by the volunteers
to the terminally ill. I found that they bring people who are dying on the
roads of Kolkata and provide them refuge with love, care and affection. One of
the volunteers said, that “we are really doing no great thing but just are
serving the suffering humanity — a prayer, indeed. I saw ‘prayer in action’
for the first time. Prayer until then to me was reciting a few hymns — the
meaning of which I hardly ever knew. However, later I realised that prayer is
not merely reciting hymns or visiting temples but it (prayer) is a means
communicating with God. I also realised that one of the channels of
communication with GOD is service to the humanity — as it is said “Manav
Seva is Madhav Seva.” To quote Mother Teresa “the fruit of silence is
prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of
love is service and the fruit of service is peace.”

Prayer and Emotions

An emotion laden prayer is an invocation to His grace !

Questions often arise in our mind, as to how do we pray ?
And what will make God answer our prayer ? For prayer to be effective or
responsive, it is not important how long we pray, but how intensely we pray.
Intensity comes from heart overwhelmed by emotions. Prayer without emotions is
blabbery, whereas prayer packed with emotions does not need any verbalisation,
for He is omnipotent and omniscient who knows all we intend, think or speak.

A small boy in a Church was reciting alphabets — A, B, C,
D. The presiding priest offered to teach him how to pray but was stunned by
the answer given by the boy who said, “I know not complex hymns or words,
though I know that they all are composed of alphabets, and God being
omnipotent, can understand my alphabets hence He can compose a prayer from me
of His choice’. Needless to say that the prayer of the child was well
received, rather than that of the priest who prayed more from his mind
rather than from his heart. But then generating emotions in prayer
is easier said than done. How does one go about it ? Let me give you a simile.
We human beings have launched many communication satellites whose signals are
beamed across the globe. In order to receive these signals and strike a
communication link, we need to adjust the frequency and/or wavelength of our
handset (mobile). Some receive messages/images in colour, others in Black and
White. The quality of communication depends upon the quality of the handset,
that is, whether or not it is capable of receiving colour images, how it is
programmed and so on. If we switch off the handset, we cannot receive any
communication/message whatsoever, notwithstanding the fact that signals of the
message are there in the atmosphere. But, remember, there is no flaw in His
communication. We only need to fine-tune our receiving set to match His
wavelength and frequency in order to strike a link between HIM and us. This
can be done through love, faith and devotion, wherein faith and devotion make
for proper programming and love acts as a battery — battery that supplies
power, — power which keeps the receiving set tuned at all the times.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Is life worth living ?

Namaskaar

Poets and philosophers from days gone by have tried to find
an answer to the question “Is life worth living ?” However, with the
examinations mercifully more than four months away and Bombay’s less warm
season, (Bombay never has a winter), just about to make its bow, one would
really be a cynic to answer it in the negative.

Particularly when this question is put to college students
the answer cannot but be in the affirmative, for life with its vast uncharted
vistas full of adventures and the joy of accomplishment is still before us. Each
one of us has his ambitions to be a Fleming, an Edison, a Lincoln, a Marshall,
Hall and surely the mere opportunity of being able to put in an effort to bring
to fruition our dreams, makes life worth living.

By saying that life is worth living, I do not mean that there
are no hardships to be endured, nor does it signify the absence of pain and
sorrow, nor even of death; thought it so often strikes most cruelly and
unexpectedly. As a matter of fact it is these disappointments, it is this
challenge full of uncertainties and vicissitudes which life offers, the suspense
that it holds, adds zest to living. In the type of Brave New World envisaged by
Aldous Huxley, life would indeed be physically comfortable, but there we would
merely be existing and not living. We on the other hand want a world where a man
by facing his troubles can prove his manhood. May this world always have
something to be solved, patched, or mended ! But above all, may it never be a
soft place for soft people with soft heads. This world of ours with dreams for
us to dream, really deserves a vote of confidence, for, with its dirt and
cleanness, its ups and downs and its total unexpectedness, it has given, through
variety, more pleasure than pain. As the poet says :

“This world that we are living in,

Is mighty hard to beat

There is a thorn on every rose

But ain’t the roses sweet ?”

If, of course one wants to sit whimpering in a corner pitying
oneself for the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, then undoubtedly one
will not find life worth living for the simple reason that one is determined not
to find it so. Surely one lacks some essential human quality if one does not
find life worth living when a former President of the United States who could
not walk without being supported, an English poet who was blind, a German
composer who was deaf, an American lady, still happily with us, who for the
major portion of her life has been unable to see or hear or speak have all
unequivocally declared that life has given them great satisfaction and they
would not like to change anything if they were to re-live it.

The inventions of modern science have placed so much in the
hands of so many for so little, that today there is no reason for anyone to find
life not worth living. No longer do we have to regulate our work by the sun, no
longer does it take months to communicate information from one place to another,
no longer are optimism and a faith in God the main foundations of medical
science.

There is no excuse today to feel bored with life. We have the
cinemas, the theatres, the art galleries —to mention but a few of our modern
amenities. It may of course be stated that all this costs money and it is only
for the ‘haves’ that life is worth living. But let us not delude ourselves. The
best things in life are free. One does not need a large bank balance to watch
the sun reluctantly merging in the sea, sending forth a last ray in salutation
and leaving, as it departs, its footprints on the clouds of the sky amidst a
beautiful colour scheme. What more satisfying experience can one have than to
watch the sea on a full-moon night, the waves shimmering in the moonlight as
they dash, to no avail, against the rocks and then roll back. Here indeed is a
form of rock and roll more ancient and certainly more graceful than its human
variant.

One may ask next : “What is the secret which makes life worth
living ?” It is to remember to remain contented always — to thank God, it is not
worse. A small verse comes to mind :

“From the day that we were born

Till we ride the hearse

Nothing ever happens

That couldn’t have been worse.”

One should also not forget that when we point an accusing
finger at another, three are pointing towards ourselves and that it is far
better to trust and be cheated than never trust at all.

Life is not necessarily made worth living merely by
accomplishing great things. A Tom Thompson can find life as enjoyable as a
Winston Churchill. It is the little things which count. The smile received when
a frown was deserved, the first time one saw one’s name in print, that glorious
cover drive off the back foot by Wally Hammond, the memorable occasion when one
entered the Quarter-finals of the District Championships, the joy one obtained
in reading that book by P. G. Wodehouse, lying curled up in bed with the rain
beating outside and at a time when one really should have been in college, the
wonderful sense of achievement one felt when one successfully placed a mouse in
that nasty mathematics-teacher’s drawer, the sheer bliss of that first kiss —
these are the things which make life worth living.

I am not unaware of the fact that poets and sages throughout
the ages have stated that Life is not worth living. As Shelley said in his “Ode
to a Skylark”.

“We look before and after,

And pine for what is not.

Our sincerest laughter

With some pain is fraught,

Our sweetest songs are those that

tell of saddest thought.”

But as one rambles through the woods with a clear blue sky
above, with one’s pet dog trotting a few paces behind, with the trees in full
bloom and the birds giving vocal expression to the joy which one feels in one’s heart – the joy just to be alive at a time like this to be able to repeat such divine poetry does not that in itself make life worth living?

Nirav Shah

Consistency

Namaskaar

What is consistency ? We know it, we realise it, we practise
it. As a matter of fact — we accountants practise it with a fetish. For
example :

We
seek ‘consistency’

in accounting policies to make financial statements true and fair.

in disclosure practices to make financial statements easily understandable and
comparable.

in the quality of food we eat. Restaurants which are consistent with the
quality of food are patronised and successful.

We
seek consistency

to improve the quality of service we render.

in the improvement of the quality of services we receive.

in satisfaction and happiness.

to improve ourselves because without this continuous and consistent
improvement we will either stagnate or more often than not deteriorate.

Law affirms ‘consistency’ despite ‘estoppel’. There are
innumerable court decisions affirming consistency.

Consistency in action and behaviour is thus what we
continuously practise. Sadguru Jaggi says we are a ‘joy factory’ and we must
continuously and with consistent practice improve the quality and quantity of
joy.

It has been rightly said that ‘consistency’ (repetition) in
action leads to ‘habit’ and habit builds character and character in human beings
is what we not only seek in our lives but also seek in others. Character is what
makes a man and a nation. Character is what Ram sought to build in people by
being an example — that is why he is named ‘Maryada Purushottam’. Character is
what Bhishmapitamaha advised Yudhishthir when he sought his advise on ‘how to be
a good ruler’. Character is what Gandhi sought to build in us Indians by
practising what he preached. I repeat, character is the product of
‘consistency’.

Above all, we seek success and it can be achieved by creating
a congenial and rewarding work environment. Hence, let us continuously and
consistently practise the concept ‘bloom wherever we are planted’.

Another ‘C’ we should consistently practise to make our lives
rewarding is ‘Compassion’. Let us never forget that there is a difference
between charity and compassion. ‘Compassion’ is an emotion — emotion of taking
care — care from the heart and without even seeking any form of acknowledgement.
The practice of this ‘C’ enriches our lives.

Though not relevant to the subject of this ‘C’ — I would like
to share a thought with you on the two ‘C’s one should always shun and
these are: ‘conceit’ and ‘cunning’. They are twin sisters and have
a disastrous influence on our lives. Let us not forget that wars have been
fought due to conceit — whether it is the Ram-Ravan fight, or The Mahabharat or
world wars. Families and business houses have been destroyed because of the
conceited and/or cunning behaviour of one individual. These are emotions from
which all of us suffer and the fullness of life is marred by them. So let us
with conviction and consistency shun them to make our life happy.

We have talked about four ‘C’s earlier — that is —
commitment, conviction, comparison and conditioning. I intend to close this ‘C’
series with ‘consistency’. I also believe that adopting any one of these five
‘C’s will automatically lead to the adoption of the other four ‘C’s. So let us
adopt and practise these ‘C’s to make our lives rewarding, successful and above
all, contended and happy.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Now . . . . Is Life Still Worth Living ?

Namaskaar

About a fortnight ago, I was most pleasantly surprised to
meet Ms. Sneha Phene in the company of Ms. Benazeer Patil. They had managed to
dig out a piece that was published in the GLC annual magazine for 1957-58.
Though I remembered that the college had won the Boman-Behram Inter-Collegiate
Trophy, I had forgotten that the piece had been published in the magazine.

Reading the piece transported me to the St. Xavier’s College
hall where the Boman-Behram trophy competition was held annually. Prof. Colaco
from that college was the leading light amongst the organisers. I have been
asked how different the article would be if I were to rewrite it. I do not think
it would change materially, though I would have signed my name as ‘Sohrab’ and
not ‘Soli’. I presume the reason for the question is the general feeling that
the hopes of youth give place to the despair of age. As a popular song says :

“Those were the days, my friend

We thought they’d never end

We’d sing and dance forever and a day

We’d live the life we choose

We’d fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way.”

Today, at an age when much time has gone by and little
remains, the question is ‘Has life been worth living ?’ I would answer this with
a most emphatic ‘Yes’. Undoubtedly, some difficult professional decisions have
had to be made. In the period 1956-58, the Law degree was a two years’ course,
after graduation. As one neared completion of the course, several cautionary
warnings were received : There was not much future in the profession, one would
have to compromise values, one required a ‘Godfather’ to succeed, the Court
language would change to Hindi, Marathi, etc. The ignoring of the advice of such
prophets of doom has indeed made life worth living. Then there was the choice
whether to go in for general practice or to specialise, and lastly, whether to
be a solicitor or counsel and very importantly whose chambers to join as a
‘devil’. Fortunately, I made the right choices — perhaps more by chance than
design.

I have just said that the message of the prophets of doom was
ignored. Let me hasten to add that often it seemed that they were dead on right.
In my first year, I earned the princely sum of Rs.30 and that too because the
Counsel to whom the solicitor wanted to deliver the brief — for an adjournment —
was not readily traced and I was found — as usual — to be warming a seat in the
library !

One fact which I did not realise 45 years and more ago is
that the secret for life being worth living for a professional is an
understanding spouse and children who can adjust to having a parent coming home
at 8.30 p.m. or later. If this understanding is absent, life sours. They say
that female lawyers of eminence are less in number than the male variety. If
true, it only means that the female spouse is more understanding than the male
one ! But more seriously, there are professionals who unfortunately get so
immersed in their work that they do not have time to build such relationships.
They realise only in their middle age that fawning clients are no substitute for
a loving family, who will care for you, unmindful of whether you deliver.

I have perceptively been asked how the connotation of life
has changed from my student days. One most unfortunate development (for which I
alone have to be blamed for being a bad organiser) has been that I do not find
time for friends as I used to. Gone are the days when one sat at Pyrkes (which
was near Flora Fountain) or in an Irani restaurant exchanging notes and solving
the problems of the world over a cup of tea. (Beer was not freely available then
and in any event, who had the money so to indulge oneself ?) Those happy moments
just to sit by the sea have become rarer. To quote again from the same song so
popular in the fifties of the last century :

“Then the busy years went rushing by us

We lost our starry notions on the way

If by chance I’d see you in the tavern (Pyrkes ?)

We’d smile at one another and we’d say

Those were the days . . . . .

Just tonight I stood before the tavern

Nothing seemed the way it used to be

In the glass I saw a strange reflection

Was the lonely fellow really me ?

One disturbing development which has affected life was and
now is, is the increasing feeling, particularly amongst juniors in the
profession, that the streams of justice are not as clear and unmuddled as
heretofore. The highest in the land have spoken about the over-hanging sceptre
of corruption in the administration of justice. But still, on a personal level,
the joie de vivre and the desire to see new places, climb hills
(unfortunately, one now gets out of breath more easily), swim in the ocean and
have new experiences remains. Yes, all said and done life was, has been and,
hopefully, will be worth living. So let me end on a song :

“Oh my friends we are older but no wiser

For in our hearts, the dreams are just the same.”

(This article was written by the author in 2002-03, as a sequel
to his talk in 1957,

which was reproduced in the September 2008 issue of the BCAJ).

levitra

Nirav Shah

Time is running out

Namaskaar

The water-drop playing on a lotus petal has an extremely
uncertain existence; so also as life ever unstable.

(Stanza 4 — Bhaja Govindam — Aadi Shankaracharya)

We lost Hitenbhai Shah in June this year. He was only 51. We
lost another active member Manesh Gandhi in October. He was only 50. Lives of
both these were plucked while they were still in their prime. Such tragedies
convey a very clear message to us. ‘Time is running out.’ We all know
that death is the ultimate certainty and that everything that is born has to die
some day. Only the time is the question.

Yet, we live as if we have all the time in the world to do
whatever we want As if death is never going to come. This is an eternal paradox.
One recalls the incidence in Mahabharat when Yaksha asks Yudhishthir as to ‘what
is the greatest wonder in this world’ and Yudhishthir without hesitation
replies : “Man sees death around him everyday. Hundreds and thousands are dying
all around. Yet he goes on living as if that is never going to come.” How true !
Doesn’t this apply to all of us ?

A renowned Gujarati poet, Mareez has expressed this
beautifully :

Mareez, hasten Thy drinking from the cup of life. Only very
little wine is left and the cup too is leaking.”

— Mareez

This is not a pessimistic message, but a wake-up
call to all of us to live life fully. Whatever our pious intentions and
noble thoughts are, let us put them in practice now, without waiting for
tomorrow, which may or may not come.

This applies to all the fields of our life. How many things
worthy of doing we go on postponing ? We want to call on a friend who is not
well. We wish to write to our mother to whom we have not met for quite a while
and who is pining for our letter. We have not expressed our love to the near and
dear ones. We have not found time to play with our children and spend time with
them. We have deferred showing our gratitude to the Almighty for the blessings
showered on us, we have procrastinated doing charity and paying our debt to
society by giving something to the universe which has provided us with many
priceless gifts. We have not found time to take a vacation with our family. This
list is endless. However, we have been investing our time in pursuit of false
values — always seeking praise and power.

It is of course true that whenever our end comes, our
desk is not likely to be clear. There will always be an unfinished
agenda. However, we can prioritise and first do the things which are really
important to us. As Stephen Covey says keep “First Things First“. In his
book there is a chapter called “How Many People on Their Deathbed Wish They’d
Spent More Time at the Office ?” This is an eye-opener for us. We just give
too much of time to our work and very little to that which is really
meaningful. Reversing this would make our lives happy and satisfying — it
will reduce tension. We would then leave this world with far less regrets and
leave behind an unfinished agenda of relatively less important things. We do not
have to do things faster and in haste, but we have to do ‘right’ and
first attend to the important.

Let us resolve today to step on the accelerator to prioritise
and then act.

From today let us make it our mission to pursue only
fulfilling and satisfying goals, and not get bogged down in the mire of the rat
race — all the time seeking wealth, power and position. Let us pursue our
childhood dreams. Let us learn to sing, dance and enjoy life. Let us do those
things, which we really wanted to do but were scared to do. Let us lift up the
anchor, unfurl the sails, catch the winds and sail the seven seas. Let us
discover new lands, explore new places, climb mountains. Let us sit down and
write down at least three things which we always wanted to do but have not done.
This will put us on the path to realise our unrealised dreams. Let us start
living and remember :

‘Better a moment of glow than a lifetime of smoke.’ —
Mahabharat

“The tragedy of life is not that it ends too soon, but that
we wait so long to begin it.”

levitra

Nirav Shah

True knowledge

William Blake, a renowned English poet and a mystic writer once said “Knowledge is an eternal delight”. However cryptic as it may sound, it is very profound in its exact context. Simply put, True Knowledge is one that fills us with eternal delight; everlasting bliss that does not beget arrogance of its attainment.

Look around and what we find is that knowledge in current times is often mistaken for information. We often feel insecure, unhappy because we apparently do not possess those super skills of interpreting and assimilating constant barrage of information that is bombarded on us. Preoccupied with efforts in interpreting, we not only feel inadequate but forget the joy that true knowledge brings in our lives. As Eric Berne writes “The moment a little boy is concerned with knowing which is jay and which is a cuckoo, he has lost his joy of hearing them sing”.

It is the lack of True Knowledge that deprives us from progressing towards the real purpose of our lives — which is to attain eternal joy by enlightening ourselves.

What is a True Knowledge ?

True Knowledge is wisdom that life in human form is a blessing endowed by the Almighty to transcend beyond ‘Have and have not’. It is a journey which may begin with yearning for ‘many and more’ but culminates where there is sheer abundance without possessions. It is something which gives sense of fulfillment not from physical or intellectual possessions but from enlightenment about cosmic laws of universe.

These cosmic laws are :

1. Freedom of choice :

Greatest of human freedom is the ability to make choices in life. Realisation that we are what we have chosen to become can be a life-changing experience. No one can make us sad or inadequate, unfulfilled and unaccomplished without our consent. Power of knowing that life as given is a blank slate where we have a choice to determine our roadmap both by thought and action is the supreme knowledge which is extremely potent.

2. Process of evolution :

Knowledge that life is an evolving process brings great serenity in our lives. Nature wants us to learn from our mistakes; not punish us with low self esteem. Every mistake that we make, every obstacle that we face is a great lesson for us to move forward in life by knowing what ought to have been done. It gives us opportunity to integrate ourselves seamlessly with the process of change that nature desires for our growth and betterment. This knowledge teaches us to flow and not resist.

3. Abundance :

The thin line dividing humanity from divinity is a knowledge that everything in universe is in abundant supply. The understanding that we must cultivate is that universe is made up of energy which is constantly flowing. In order to get more from life we must be prepared to give more. This giving should not originate from compulsion or expectation of receiving something in return but out of sheer love and compassion of giving. Giving can be a compliment, help, charity or even a benign smile. When we learn to give, we create space for positive energies in our lives which in turn create a magnetic force of attracting like-minded people and environment conducive to achieving a true sense of fulfillment and bliss.

German philosopher Frederic Nietzsche wrote “Every enquiry starts in doubt and fulfills the need. If you strive for pleasures and comforts for self then believe in what is tangible; but if you want to be a devotee of truth then enquire into what seems intangible”. A simple question ‘Who Am I’ led Raman Maharshi to his salvation. Why then, not begin the search for True Knowledge right from today ? Why not yearn for that treasure which shall bring an eternal delight in our lives ? Let us not forget what Jesus said :

“Seek and ye shall find”

Let us seek ‘True Knowledge’ to live a fulfilled life.

Nirav Shah

Change

Namaskaar

If there is anything constant in this universe, it is the
phenomenon of change. Change is continuous, constant and persistent. Everything
is changing all around us, whether perceptibly or imperceptibly, and whether we
like it or not. It is truly said, “One cannot step in the same river twice”. The
river appears to be the same, but the water is continuously flowing. When we
step for a second time in the river, the water is different.

Time changes everything. It is said that in a period of seven
years every single cell of our body changes ! What was once powerful and
almighty can become weak and powerless with the passage of time. One is reminded
of the famous lines :

This refers to the incident in Mahabharat when Arjun the
mighty warrior who had vanquished many a great warriors in battles was bested by
a robber named Kaba, though still Arjun had his famous bow Gandiv and his
arrows.

In the modern times, the speed of change has increased beyond
imagination. The changes taking place now are mind boggling. In early nineteen
sixties Allwyn Toffler wrote in ‘The Future Shock’ that life on this planet
could be estimated to be around 50,000 years, i.e., about 800
generations. The change seen by the world in the last generation itself is more
than the sum total of changes seen in the earlier 799 generations ! We know that
since then (1960s) the speed at which change is taking place has increased
manifold.

It is said that the weekday edition of the New York Times
contains more information than the average man was exposed to during his entire
lifetime in the 7th Century England ! We then are living in times where things
are changing at the speed of whirlwind all around us and we have to cope with
the changes taking place. Bill Gates has written a book on the subject ‘Business
at the speed of thought’. The title metaphorically represents the pace of
‘change’.

As I perceive, there are two distinct types of changes. One
is the cyclic change which one observes in nature. The sun rises every morning,
and travels through the day to set in the evening, and rises again the next day.
The tide comes and ebbs away with regularity which is predictable. Winter is
followed by spring, summer, and by autumn, once again to be followed by winter.
This law of nature is relatively easy to understand and accept.

The other change is what we see in our life itself. A seed
sprouts, becomes a tree, and one day it decays and falls. A baby is born; the
baby becomes a child, and then a young person. The young becomes old and dies.
Somehow we fail to understand and accept this that we are impermanent, and that
we also have to go someday. Similarly when going is good, we tend to believe
that the happy days will last forever and that no sorrow will ever cross our
path . . . . When bad times hit us we feel that our miseries will never end. We
fail to understand that the night will turn into day and that ‘this too shall
pass’. It is very very imperative that we learn to adapt to ‘change’. Otherwise
we too can be wiped out and become extinct like the mighty dinosaurs which once
roamed freely over the surface of this earth.

We also have to accept that the gates of change are locked
from within. Unless we decide to change ourselves, no outside agency will be
able to change us.

At the same time, we have to learn to accept that old age,
disease, and death are all inevitable. Bhagwan Buddha asks in ‘Anguttora Nikaya’
to the Bhikkhus to contemplate on the following :

Old age will come upon me someday and I cannot avoid it.

Disease can come upon me someday and I cannot avoid it.

Death will come upon me and I cannot avoid it.

All things that I hold dear are subject to change and decay and separation,
and I cannot avoid it.

Buddha asks us to contemplate on the changes and accept them
with grace.

Let us then take heed to the valuable words of Buddha,
contemplate on the inevitability of change and be ready to meet whatever
changes, life brings.

The issue is : how do we meet this challenge of change ? The answer is by
‘faith’. Faith in God and above all, faith in ourselves.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Conviction

NamaskaarI have earlier shared my thoughts on ‘commitment’ and
‘comparison’. I believe that there can be no ‘commitment’ to a thought or an
ideal or an action unless one is convinced of the virtue of the action. The same
equally applies to an act of ‘compromise’. Hence, in this article I will deal
with ‘compromise’ and ‘conviction. These two also in a manner control our lives.
Ludwig Erhard defines ‘compromise’ as the art of dividing a cake in such a way
that everyone believes he has the biggest piece’.

Do we realise that we make ‘compromises’ every day.
Compromise made without conviction leads to unhappiness — whereas compromise
made with conviction leads to satisfaction and happiness.

True ‘Compromise’ happens only when one is convinced that compromise results in a win-win situation or it is best of the
worst options. In both options there are no regrets because, I repeat, conscious
compromise happens only when one is convinced that the solution is in one’s own
interest. Any action taken without conviction results in misery. The question I
have is :

Are we conscious of our convictions ?

Before we get into the answer let us examine how dictionary
defines
‘conviction’.

‘A strong persuasion or belief-awakened consciousness,
strong belief on the ground of satisfactory reasons or evidence, a settled belief or opinion’.

Firstly, whilst practising our profession we have to be first
convinced about the fairness of the financial statements before we certify the
same as ‘true and fair’. Secondly, whilst arguing an issue before an authority —
conviction in an argument makes all the difference in our presentation. I know
advocacy is an art and is said to have no connection with conviction — for
example — a lawyer advocating for a person accused of murder will do his best to
save his client, but defence based on conviction that the accused has not
committed murder will have a different

impact. I believe any action based on conviction smells different and sends a
very effective message.

Let us consider a few examples :

We prefer
democracy over dictatorship because we as a nation are convinced it is a
better form of government.

We practise team-building
because we are convinced it is good for our organisation and gives better
results.

We prefer consensus over
conflict because it is our conviction that consensus brings harmony.

Mohandas became Mahatama
because of his conviction in truth.

Arjun agreed to fight the
war with his kith and kin once he was convinced that it was not only right but
also moral.

Paramhansa Ramakrishna
suffered pain of cancer and didn’t seek relief from Ma Kali because of his
conviction in ‘Karma’.

Jesus’ conviction in
forgiveness made him say ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’.

Every action of human
repentance is based on the conviction of having done wrong.

Churchill won the second
world war because of the conviction of the British that he will win the war.

Obama delayed committing
additional troops to Afghan war till he was convinced that there is no
alternative or is the best of options.

The message of the above examples is : Without conviction
there is no convincing action.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati in his book on ‘Teachings of Gita’
says that values are initially taught to us by our parents and teachers. One
acts according to those values in one’s childhood, but unless one adopts those
values as one’s own values, the same are easily overlooked and transgressed.
Hence, to live a life according to ‘values’ one has to be convinced of the value of those ‘values’.

We have heard about it, we have read about it, hence we know
that there is no difference between ‘atma’ and ‘parmatama’, but we are not
convinced about it — the paradox is that we will experience and realise this
truth only when we are convinced — that is why it is said :

‘Guru vaka mol mantra’.

The ‘Guru Mantra’ helps us get convinced about the truth that
there is no difference between ‘atma and parmatama’.

Conviction plays a very important part in our lives and compromise based on
conviction is the basis of a happy life. Hence, to have a successful and
harmonious life, let us live our life with ‘conviction’.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Death, be not proud

Namaskaar

This writing is inspired by the article, “O death, You must
listen”, by C.A. Ashok Dhere, in the Namaskaar column of BCAJ, March, 2009.

We, who are all born, are certain to die, one day or the
other. It is the only certainty in life. So why be afraid of death ? From a
statistician’s point of view, it is a 100 % probable event. Only the day, date,
time and the mode of happening of this event is not certain or at least not
accurately predictable to any ordinary human being (Astrological prediction
apart). And this human ignorance of the actual day, date of our death is on
purpose, as intended by our Divine Father. If I knew the exact date and mode of
my death, I would be restless all my life. Each day would be an agony, counting
backwards 10, 9, 8, . . . . . 2, 1.

Shakespeare has written “Death, Be not Proud !” Even if I die
one day, as all mortals do, I shall be immortal through my writings. And what a
true way to be victorious over Death. A man is known after he has left this
world, not through his body, but by his work and attainments.

We all dread ‘death’ because of our constant
body-consciousness. We identify ourselves with the body and role that we are
playing in this world Drama. We erroneously think and feel that we are a
physical body with a spirit (energy) within. We are educated that when the
spirit (soul energy) is with the body, we are living beings, and when the energy
leaves the body, we die. But actually, we are all immortal, divine, spiritual
beings (software), with physical bodies (hardware), for manifestation and
experience through the senses.

This ‘SHIFT’ in our understanding from ‘Body-Consciousness’
to ‘Soul-Consciousness’ makes us all brave and truly learned to face Death, as
and when it comes.

After all, what is death ? It is only a change in dress and
address of the spirit — energy. In this life, we wore a particular
(male/female), unique dress to facilitate us to perform our tasks, in a
particular geographical location. After death, we just change our physical robe
and walk into another physical garment, with some other family of soul-friends.
So, why worry ? We are all immortal souls. Even so-called ‘death’ cannot do us
apart. This is the true teaching of Bhagwad Geeta.

Death is just like walking through a door from one room to
another. Death is actually the beginning of a new Life. Death opens up new
opportunities for newer lessons to be learned and for newer experiences, by
mind-consciousness.

It is only because of our limited perception of ‘one body one
life’, that we rejoice at the occasion of birth and weep at the event of death.
Spring or summer follows autumn or winter, to be again followed by the cycle of
spring and autumn. Similarly, death follows life, to be again followed by life
hereafter . . . . till eternity.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Tend your garden regularly

Namaskaar

A garden is normally a square or a rectangle, so is life and
it has four quadrants. In the first two write-ups we have considered the
triology of ‘mind and body’ complex, the ‘family’ and the ‘society’. This one
aims to focus on ‘work-place’ — a place where an individual either
physically or mentally spends, according to some sociologists, 70% of his
working life. It is the work-place which completes the garden. It is the area
where one seeks the fulfilment of one’s goals in the arena of materialism — it
is the work-place which gives him success, fame and wealth. Money is important
and is required to meet the material needs of an individual, his family and also
enables him to discharge his obligation to society. The contribution of
work-place depends on how one approaches it — some disdain it, whereas others —
leaders — cherish it, because they consider the ‘work-place’ as their Karma
Bhoomi.

However, I believe that everyone of us is a leader. In other
words, both the ‘peon’ and the ‘president’ are leaders, though their arenas of
operation may be different. The first quality of a successful leader is a sense
of ownership. We all have experienced peons who own the
‘work-place’. They take pride in keeping the work-place clean, ensure things are
in place, report on time and observe discipline. They also ensure customers are
attended to. A ‘peon’ is essentially the first point of contact with the
customer. The second person who controls the work-place is the secretary who
owns the boss. This is the individual who at times enthuses — nay enforces
discipline on the boss. How many times we have experienced when in the midst of
a discussion the secretary reminds us of another appointment for which we may be
getting late. This person through exemplary dedication enforces ‘discipline’ —
the second essential ingredient of being a leader.

What applies to a peon or a secretary, applies equally to
everyone at the work-place. I have taken these two as an example to emphasise
basic qualities of ownership, dedication and discipline required in an
individual to enjoy and enrich the ‘karmabhoomi’.

Coming to what makes a leader a ‘leader’ — the
boss. I believe in addition to the qualities of ownership, dedication,
discipline and pride in one’s work, a leader should have the capacity to
envision and execute with passion, coupled with a strong sense of
care and share. To give credit where it is due is the hallmark of a leader.
To discipline and be disciplined, to exhibit patience with impatience, to be a
catalyst of change & progress and to have the capacity to blend autocracy with
care, are the ingredients of the cocktail that is the ‘leader’. He is an enigma,
yet simple and straightforward. It is these qualities which make the leader make
the work-place a challenge — a battlefield — which also in full measure has the
elements of ‘care and share’. Let us not forget that success can be achieved by
instilling ‘fear’, but success based on fear is not lasting. Success lasts where
both ‘vision’ and ‘execution’ are shared by the entire team. In other words, a
good leader not only rules the heads, but also the hearts. So let us also make
the fourth quadrant of our garden beautiful by tending it regularly with
discipline, dedication and the manure of ‘care and share’.

Let us always remember that leadership is a privilege
and is the prerogative of everyone of us. It is the exercise of this
prerogative that makes the garden of life complete.

In conclusion, I would urge that to make all the four
quadrants — our garden of life — beautiful, successful and satisfying, let us
‘tend it regularly’.

We work to earn a living to survive. We work to earn money to do things we
enjoy. We work because we enjoy work. Above all, work should bring in personal
satisfaction.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Destiny

Namaskaar

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves
that we are underlings.”

Julius Caesar–

Shakespeare

What is destiny? What role does it play in our lives? How
much of what happens to us is pre-ordained? Is everything in our life
predetermined? If everything that is going to happen is already decided in
advance, what is the role of self effort? Why should we work and struggle at
all? Can destiny never be changed? What should we do? Should we sit with folded
hands and leave everything to destiny?

We Asians, particularly Indians are accused (and sometimes
rightly) of being fatalist and believing too much in ‘fate’. But this is not
true! Our wisdom and literature teaches us otherwise. The
Bhagwad Gita
tells us that we have ‘the right to work and not to the fruits of action’,
meaning that one must do one’s best and act and not get attached to the results.
The results have to be accepted. This is succinctly borne out by the following
excerpt from the
Bhagwad Gita, where Lord Krishna has
explained it thus:

“What the outstanding person does, others will try to do. The
standards such people create will be followed by the whole world.”

“O Parth, there is nothing in the three worlds for me to
gain, nor is there anything I do not have. I continue to act, but am not driven
by any need of my own.

If I ever refrained from this continuous work, everyone would
immediately follow my example.

If I ever stopped working, I would be the cause of cosmic
chaos, and finally of the destruction of this world and these people.”

In
Yoga Vasistha,
sage Vasistha explains destiny to Rama as follows:

“If an astrologer predicts that a young man would become a
great scholar, does that young man become a scholar without study? No. Then why
do we believe in destiny? Sage Vishamitra became a Brahmarishi by self effort;
all of us have attained self knowledge by self effort alone. Hence renounce
fatalism and apply yourself to self effort.

The concept of fate has been concocted to give momentary
relief to people of low intellect during periods of grief.”

We have to learn that we must work — and build our own
destiny by our own efforts…as has been so clearly expressed by an Urdu couplet
that translates as follows:

“Make yourself so great that God Himself asks you before
granting your destiny as to what thy desire is.

We also learn from Karna in
Mahabharat
when he says, “I may be a charioteer or a charioteer’s son. Where one is born,
is in the hands of God; but what one does in one’s life, is very much in one’s
own hands.”

A Gujarati poet explains further:

We have, therefore, to understand that most of our destiny is
the result of our own efforts during this very lifetime. And what passes off as
‘destiny’ is the result of the efforts and karmas of earlier lives…

It has been aptly stated thus: “Perhaps one can think of
‘destiny’ as two different things.” The accidents that may befall us, the death
of a close relative or a dear friend, natural calamities like earthquakes and
tsunamis, and man-made disasters like riots — all fall in one category. These
are happenings over which we have no control and which have no relevance to self
effort. These have to be accepted. But for things over which we have control or
are the fallouts of our actions/inactions, we have to own full responsibility
and not blame destiny or fate for them. We cannot absolve ourselves by passing
on the buck to fate. In all such matters we have to ask ourselves, “Have I done
my best?”

In the ultimate analysis, one comes to the conclusion that
‘destiny’ comes into the picture only after events have occurred; it is relevant
only to the past and should never come in our way when we plan to reach great
heights. One cannot achieve great goals by merely banking on destiny. We have to
take charge of our lives.

I believe, destiny is the result of action.

“Over the same sea, on the same winds,

A ship sails in one direction.

Another in the opposite,

It is not the wind that decides

In which direction the ship goes;

It’s the sails: how they are tied and how they are
manoeuvered…

Similarly, it is not fate that decides where

Your life is going —

It is all about how you take life,

And where you take it.”

levitra

Nirav Shah

Goals, Targets, Deadlines . . . . .

Namaskaar

“There’s no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You
can’t do any business from there.”

— Colonel Sanders

In the highly readable book ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’, a true
story by Mitch Albom, ailing Morrie in his final days of life says, “Everyone
knows they are going to die but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do
things differently. To know you are going to die, and to be prepared for it at
any time, that’s better. That way you can actually be more involved in your life
while you are living.”

What has life and death to do with CAs ? We are a party to
the creation, preservation and liquidation of companies. We are very much
present in all the cycles a company passes through. When it comes to our own
life, where do we stand ? Targets, goals, due dates and deadlines till one is
dead.

Take a typical day of a CFO of a company. The day begins in
the car replying to emails and reading business dailies. More emails and,
therefore, more replies after one reaches the office. Review of the work with
the colleagues in the department, attending interdepartmental meetings,
strategy/budget/budget review sessions. Unexpected work comes regularly — Income
Tax assessment order where the assessing officer shows his immense knowledge of
the Income-tax Act, legal issues arising out of termination of an employee and
so on. Added to this is the need to comply with the requirements of SEBI, stock
exchanges and the board of directors. The day is not over yet. On his way back
home he has to catch up on the latest judgment on transfer pricing, IFRS and
that highly recommended article that appeared in the latest Harvard Business
Review.

Being from the industry, I have narrated a typical day of the
CA in the industry. It is no different for the practising CA who has to endure
more at home too — phone calls from clients, chairman of the co-operative
society about the problems they are facing, et cetera.

Where is the time to do what one wanted to do when one was
young ? Where is the time to pursue one’s passion ? Where is the time for near
and dear ones ? My mother’s recent passing away triggered these thoughts. I
could not help the feeling that I had taken for granted the constant help
received from my parents. Did I express gratitude ? Would have, but not as
profusely as one would do with one’s bankers or customers. After all, we are
looking for repeat orders from the customers. Memories started flowing of the
many times my mother would wake me up in the night druing preparation for my CA
exams, or check to see whether I was sleeping and, if so, prepare a cup of tea,
kept everything ready as one came back from exams.

Numerous promises one made, some fulfilled and some just
remained as promises. Three of them still remain in my mind and guilt is
unlikely to go away during my lifetime. The promises to take her to the temple
of our family deity in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, darshan of
Shankaracharya of Sringeri Mutt, visit to Varanasi and dip in the Ganga. The
time required for all these trips would not have been more than a week. But one
kept postponing. Parents do not demand, nor do they remind you of the promises
made. I had the excuse of paucity of time. One does not postpone visit to a
multiplex or a restaurant or a sports stadium.

We are not saints to ignore worldly duties. We cannot be
selfless to nip our self interest. We are paid to do our work. We have to take
care of our clients. The professional firms and organisations we run have to go
on. It is not just our livelihood but the livelihood of many who depend on our
organisations. At the same time can’t we look at life not as a sprint but as a
marathon, as Prof. Raghunathan wrote in his book, “Don’t sprint the marathon”.

The belated lesson I learnt and which I wish to share with
the fellow members of our profession is not to postpone what one wanted to do in
one’s personal life. As Morrie said, “We are too involved in materialistic
things and they do not satisfy us. The loving relationships we have, the
universe around us, we take these things for granted”.

When Clayton Christensen (Innovation guru and author of
management bestsellers like “The Innovator’s Dilemma” and “The Innovator’s
Solution”) was asked last year to address the students of MBA in Harvard, he
ended his speech with the following :

“This past year I was diagnosed with cancer and faced the
possibility that my life would end sooner than I had planned. Thankfully, it
now looks as if I will be spared. But the experience has given me important
insight into my life. I have a pretty clear idea of how my ideas have
generated enormous revenue for the companies that have used my research; I
know I have had a substantial impact. But as I have confronted this disease,
it has been interesting to see how unimportant that impact is to me now. I
have concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life, isn’t dollars
but the individual people whose lives I have touched”.

Wise words indeed.

levitra

Nirav Shah

O death, You must listen

Namaskaar

We say ‘Death’ is certain, but exactly where is it ?
Nobody knows except HE. How to travel the distance between life and the death ?
A poet aptly states in Marathi :

Translated into English, it means that the distance between
life and death is only ‘one breath’. How to travel that distance is always a
question. French novelist Albert Camus says that we live only awaiting
death. However I do not agree with Albert Camus and in fact all of us should say
with one voice that “we should live making life meaningful till death”.

Recently a Marathi movie is announced advocating that we
should have the right to end our life instead of living a life in agony. Many
others must have commented on this topic; but there does not appear to be any
unanimity on the concept of ‘right to die’. I strongly advocate a view that one
should have a ‘right to die’. Jainism advocates and celebrates it. Marathi Saint
Dnyaneshwar had also taken ‘Samadhi’.

We celebrate festival and at the same time sorrow. We believe
in life. We refuse to accept death. We love life and hate to think of death. A
slight knock by ‘death’ at the door sends shivers down our spine. Death is an
unwelcome guest. We neither have the will nor the courage to face the death. We
make all efforts to delay ‘death’, but some times we are caught unawares. He
gives a big knock at the door. If we don’t open, he breaks the door and stands
in front of us with his cruel face. He captures us and takes his toll and
vanishes in the wilderness. His shadows widen and make us fearful. But . . . .

Why should we fear ?

Because he is everywhere ?

He is in plane and train ?

He is on a boat, car, zhopadpatti and also in star hotel ?

He is on table and in a chair and on a bed ?

Middle of the road and even on footpath ?

He is in hospital, railway station and in dispensaries ?

He is here and there where “I” am.

I therefore recognise death and say

Your presence is noted.

I am however not fearful be highlighted.

His presence gives rise to innumerable brain teasers

His presence compels one to spare,

At least some valuable carpet area for “Devghar”

His presence makes authors and poets to write.

His presence makes philosophers assemble at least to fight.

His presence makes a man define and achieve a goal

His presence keeps one’s name and fame even in one’s absence

Giving everyone a motivation to do something in present.

His presence makes a small little leaf to duck under

His little movement enables leaf to take a big sky jump

And let him remember, I am not alone.

Plural of “I” becomes “we”

We shall give a good fight to him

And not run away or flee.

11/09 or 26/11 makes no difference

We always have some cross reference

We are neither afraid nor coward.

We are sending a prayer forward

Oh, ALMIGHTY, give us a right

to end our life at our will

When we have settled our important bills

And our contribution to the cause of this world is “NIL”

And also a wisdom to recognise HIS will.

I believe, death being a certainty should be treated by us as a friend. So
let us welcome the friend with a smile.

levitra

Nirav Shah

SOUL SEARCHING

Namaskaar

As I put down Gurucharan Das’ book ‘The Difficulty of Being
Good,’ the question that arises in one’s mind is if we want to be good, why are
we not able to be good ? He has written on the subtle art of Dharma based on the
Mahabharata. He examines closely the moral idea the Mahabharata has thrown up
and how it relates to our daily life.

I was reminded of another well-written and researched book,
‘Bury the Chains’ by Adam Hochschild. This book is about the slavery trade — how
a few individuals fought to free the slaves. While slavery is reprehensible
today, it was an accepted practice in the 18th and 19th centuries. Both George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson were slave owners. Thomas Clarkson, Granville
Sharp and others led the fight for eradication of slavery which took several
decades to yield results. It was not before 1833 that the Slave Emancipation
Bill was passed in the British Parliament, although the matter had come up in
the Parliament as early as the second half of the 18th century.

The abolitionists had good motives but the difficulties that
they had to surmount were huge. Otherwise normal and sane people kept quiet when
the dehumanising slave trade was on and even demanded compensation from the
government when slaves were freed (Slaves being property, there should be
compensation for loss, was the argument).

63 years after Independence, what is the relevance of the
above books for India ? We want to be good, would like to fight for the right
causes and being human beings, would like to have fairness, equity and justice.
Given this positive mindset, can we resolve to make the changes that will impact
favourably the vast sections of the population ?

Take just three areas — primary education, health and water.

Only 66% of students complete primary education. More often
than not, teachers are not present in government schools. Classrooms are
crowded. Amidst the noise, it will be the child’s fortune if she can even hear
what the teacher says.

Maternal mortality is 450 per 100,000 live births (10 times
that of China). The under-5 mortality rate is 72 per 1000 live births.

People still have to walk some distance to get water. Potable
water is a far cry in many places.

To say that this is not a satisfactory state of affairs is a
gross understatement. Yes, there has been remarkable improvement in several
directions after the Independence. In the post-liberalisation era of last 19
years, benefits have reached far and wide.

Intentions of every government — central or state — are
honourable. Good intentions do not itself make for effective actions. Funds
allocated in budgets for education and health are increasing. There is no dearth
of new schemes. A report on Bharat Nirman scheme in Business Standard of 23rd
February, 2010 is telling. The targets achieved in 2009-10 have been
disappointing, whether for road construction, electrification or drinking water.
For example, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna has a target of 13,000 villages in
2009-10. Till November, 2009 it had covered only 1,643 villages i.e., about 13%.
Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yojna has targeted 4,73,000 villages in 2009-10 — it
has achieved coverage of only 8% till October, 2009. In addition to target
slippages, sustainability and maintenance of assets created is a problem.

Can we move towards a situation where we can say with pride
that every child completes secondary education regardless of gender, quality of
education is comparable to private schools, potable water is available at the
doorstep and improved sanitation facilities are available to one and all ?
Education, particularly of girl child, and improved health care can make all the
difference to society. I was ‘volunteering’ in Bangalore in a school for
children of disadvantaged sections of society. Located in a crowded area on a
narrow road, this school caters to children who were once child labourers or
whose parents are barely literate. It was a pep talk for students taking 10th
standard examination. For their families, it was an important occasion as
perhaps for the first time someone in their family would pass out of school.
When I asked the students what they want to be later in life, answers came back
spontaneously — engineers, computer professionals, doctors (to my chagrin, none
said CA !) This school caters primarily to members of the minority community and
some students who wanted to be doctors were girls. This is what education does.

Can we ask ourselves the following questions ?

(1) Do we agree that everyone in the country should have
certain minimum entitlements ?

(2) How do we have elected representatives who work
altruistically to make this possible ?

(3) Can we depend only on the government to make this
possible ? If so, how do we hold the government accountable ?

(4) If we agree that we should not leave it to the government
alone to make this possible, can civil society take up this duty ?

(5) Is civil society equipped to do this ? Can it work
effectively with the government in bringing about the change ?

(6) What is the role of professionals like us ? Do we go
beyond management of our clients’ affairs ?

The freedom struggle produced men who were selfless,
innovative (take the case of Salt March) and importantly, produced leaders who
not only sent the British back home but made freedom possible in every British
colony. They had a common objective and worked towards achieving it.

The freedom struggle has lessons even today for us to arrive at a common
goal. Perhaps 50 years from now, posterity will remember what their forefathers
did in the second decade of the 21st century.

levitra

Nirav Shah

Gift of pain !

Namaskaar

Nobody wants pain but everybody gets it ! May be of different
variety and intensity, but if we are living in this world, then we all share the
common inheritance and experience of pain, either physical or
psychological . . . .

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”

What’s the difference among us when we come across pain ?
Simply, some people, who are overwhelmed by their pain, lose control over them
and are controlled by pain. They begin to panic with frustration and seek
instant solution. While others cope and manage pain simply by accepting. The
realistic perspective on pain, no matter how harsh and painful, keeps us
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually sound.

“The nature of rains is the same, but it makes thorns grow
in the marshes and flowers in the gardens”.

“Suffering is an emotional response; pain is a neurological
one.”

More Suffering occurs just because of basic tendency to
hold on ! ! It is worth realising that pain is more of a psychological
phenomenon than physical. Just an emotional state of mind.

Mullah Nassrudin was asked after his wife’s operation : “How
is your wife now ? Has she fully recovered now from the operation ?” And
he answered : “No, not yet. She is still talking about it.”

The gift of pain :

From health’s perspective, pain is a wake-up call ! Through
pain, we are educated to understand the iron laws of the universe. Pain gives
us a signal to realise that something is wrong, something needs to change, and
problem needs treatment. Unless we experience pain, we would not be compelled
to cure and would rot !

For instance, a person who enjoys eating sweets may later
suffer from diabetes. But with the signals of warning in form of little pain,
sickness and weakness, he can control and cure the same by changing diet,
taking exercise, etc.

The pain phenomenon in life makes us wiser, strengthens us,
preserves us and teaches us compassion. It just helps in regulating desire and
gradually extirpating desire.

No pain, no gain.

Even though we can’t always choose what happens to us, we
can choose not to be a victim. Pain and pleasure are experienced, not by the
body but always by the mind. Just by changing the perception towards pain, one
remains unruffled in all situations. Enjoying pleasures is a worthwhile
objective. However, a careful scrutiny will show us that there is structural
error in our thinking. Pleasure and pain keep on swapping. Nature has provided
us with these two feelings to help us in our growth and development. Joy and
sorrow are both essential to light the rainbow in the sky of human life. I
have always regarded adversity as a challenge, and great opportunity to learn
and improve. Pleasant experiences make life delightful, but they don’t lead to
growth in themselves. Pain throws light on our own weakness, fault and
mistakes. Suffering identifies area where you need to grow and be transformed.

Just changing our attitude towards pain can change our life

When we face sufferings in the right spirit, we release the
hidden potential in our spirit, from unconscious depth to surface. To react to
adversity with bitterness defeats the Divine plan. Growth and spiritual
evolution depend upon very special qualities like tolerance, perseverance and
endurance.

Pain is the sensation which eventually helps us in growing
and expanding our consciousness. To establish in pure consciousness, is the
essence of our life. The suffering with quiet, steady and concentrated mind
provides a deep understanding of life which in turn helps us to see life
objectively with witness like attitude. One moves towards detachment,
disinterestedness and attains Sakshibhav. This attitude gradually elevates the
soul to realise that there is something super which is just beyond body, mind
and intellect.

That is ‘Atma’, our true nature ! Which is real, eternal and
blissful !

From spiritual perspective, adversities are meant to
strengthen our resolve, test our faith and enhance our determination to move
Godward. It is the pain or adversity that helps us to develop our spiritual
muscles. Rather, adversity is essential for our spiritual progress.

Thank God ! There is pain !

levitra

Nirav Shah

The goal of our life

NamaskaarBe at ease.

“What we give out, we get back”

Every thought we think creates our future. We create our
experiences by our thoughts and feelings. The thoughts we think and the words we
speak create our world. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our
minds, we will find the same in our lives. This is the state of ‘being at ease’.
This is the goal of our existence.

We are here in the physical form, to experience the best of
this planet, our Mother Earth. We all have the right to feel joyous. Our
non-physical self, i.e., our higher self, is always guiding us and has
the knowledge of our past, present and future. Therefore, in order to finish our
lessons, we choose our parents, partners, children, staff, etc. We choose our
life plan to move further in our evolution. Being a human, we have the great
gift of ‘making a choice !’ We can choose to ‘change’ our thoughts and feelings
— for example we can change our thought that ‘People are selfish’ to that
“Everyone is always helpful”. Here the feeling of suspicion or hatred is
converted into a feeling of trust . This thought gives us a new experience of
‘being at ease’. And this new pattern of thought creates a new positive truth in
our life and hence the situations which we create for us !

The state of disease comes from a state of unforgiving. The
universe supports any form of our belief system. Therefore, it is important to
dissolve any negative, and foolish ideas that build our belief system and change
them into a new, healthy pattern which nourishes and supports our belief system
to bring ease and harmony into our life.

For this to happen, we first need to forgive everyone and
release ourselves from the past.

The act of willingly forgiving itself is the beginning of
‘healing’. Releasing the past is the key to changing ourselves. No matter how
you forgive, just let go by saying : “I forgive you for not being the way I
wanted you to be. I forgive you and set you free.” When we truly accept and
approve or love ourselves exactly the way we are, then everything in our life
works !

As the universe completely supports every thought we choose
to think and believe, let us change our thought process in order to create a
new, desirable future : “The Truth of my being is that, I was created perfect,
whole and complete. I now choose to live my life in this understanding. I
believe I am in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. I am
willing to change, I am willing to release all resistance.”

Hence, put the mental energy into releasing the old and
creating a new thought pattern.

I believe : Fighting the negative is a total waste of time.
The more you don’t want the more of it you create.

What you put your attention on, grows and becomes permanent
in your life. It is beneficial to put our attention on what we really want and
‘be at ease’. Hence, change thoughts :

From “I don’t want to be sick” to “I am going to be
totally healthy.”

From “I hate my job” to “I will now create a wonderful new
job.”

From “I don’t want to be fat” to “I am going to be
slender.”

From “I do not have enough money” to “I will create a new
avenue to have enough money.”

We have come here to express who we are. We are meant to be
different ! Think thoughts that make you happy and do things that make you
happy. ‘Plant in’ the new seed — the new belief system, water it with
affirmations. Let the sunshine of
positive thoughts beam. Weed out negative thoughts and allow positive thoughts
to blossom and grow.

(Based on “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay)

levitra

Nirav Shah

Do Not Exist. Live!

We feel that the span of life is short. We make it still shorter by wasting time. The greatness of one’s life depends not on the years lived but the effect one leaves on the minds of one’s generation. The immortals live after their death through their work. So, it is not the years that count, it is what we do with them that matters. Doing good needs sacrifice. The immortals lived a full life and did not squander time. God compensates our mediocrity with more number of years – giving us more chance to serve mankind.

So, one has a choice; of simply Existing in this world or of Living, in the real sense of the word. But how do we do this?

So, if we plan to teach moral values to our children, we, in our life, need to become a role model. To influence and inspire people — setting an example is not only necessary but it is THE ONLY WAY!

In a recent book — Honest Truth about Dishonesty — by Dan Ariely, the author has explored revealing, unexpected and astonishing traits that run through modern humankind, to ask us questions: What makes us cheat? How and why do we rationalise deception of ourselves and other people, and make ourselves ‘wishfully blind’ to the blindingly obvious? How a whole company can turn a blind eye to evident misdemeanours within their ranks? Whether people are born dishonest? And whether we can really be successful by being totally, brutally honest?

Let us just see one example from his book. He gave tough questions to a bunch of seemingly highly respected people from different walks of life and after they completed the same, he asked them to destroy the answer sheet. He then asked them to state how many they had answered. They were not aware that hidden cameras were recording everything. It was found that almost all inflated the answer!

So the question is, how moral are we when nobody is looking! If not, then how do we expect honesty from others! He further shows that how many of these, when caught, tried to rationalise by saying — stealing a needle is not as same as stealing an elephant! Can anybody teach such persons? Or can they teach anything to anybody? Learning, like charity, has to begin from self. So as Gautama Buddha said — Ap divo bhava – everybody has to be his own candle. Be the change you want to see.

Further, to do something worthwhile in one’s life, one must know that it is easier to criticise but difficult to improve. There is this famous story of the painter who painted a superb painting and then placed it on the road with a request to the patrons to point out mistakes or suggestions for improvement, if any. Soon, he was flooded with hundreds of suggestions. He was quite perturbed and felt very inadequate. But his friend had an idea. On his prodding, he again painted a new painting and placed it there with a request to patrons to themselves correct/paint the mistakes if any. This time there were hardly any suggestions! Great men concentrate on the work on hand and not waste time criticising others.

We have to leave the chalta hai, hota hai attitude! In India, we celebrate mediocrity. People are happy and accept work half done. Sweepers not cleaning properly, driver not cleaning cars properly… while those who try to do jobs fully are ridiculed as fastidious and perfectionists! Should we accept this? It is because we accept this, which is why the country, our cities, villages or whole society is in bad shape. Let us resolve to be different. Once we take up any task, let us do it with our heart and soul! Let us become role models.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit” – said Aristotle

Essentially, it means, excellence in any field is not a onetime feat. It is a cumulative outcome of a series of acts performed by an individual over a period of time in pursuit of excellence. We cannot hope to be excellent in one field, say our workplace while we are sloppy in our personal life or the way we interact with people.

The trick to live then, is doing things with excellence, finding fulfilment in doing whatever we are working on and having extreme gratitude to the almighty for making our life meaningful and not shallow and mindless. I hope we all can live with this spirit and enrich our life!

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Nirav Shah

Who am i?

Man has been eternally asking the question “Who am I?” Man is a seeker, a seeker who is in search of himself. Many seek, however, only a few find the answer.

Whenever someone asks us as to who we are, we give, in reply, our name, qualifications, age, position in life and sometimes our religion, our caste and the state and our country.

We give our visiting card which gives our name, education qualifications and organisation to which we belong and the position that we hold in the organisation. But the issue still remains: What are we! This is because even if all these are taken away, we still remain.

‘I’ is the word we use more than any other word in our day to day living. We say: I slept well. I said this, I did that, I enjoyed my meal; I like my work. It is always ‘I’ and ‘I’. I prevails our life and yet we never pause to enquire: who is this ‘I’: what is this ‘I’. In other words, we fail to enquire: Who am I.

“Know Thyself” is the message Socrates, the great philosopher gave to his pupils ages back. Bhagwan Shri Ramana Maharshi asks us to undertake a self enquiry as to “who am I?”

“I am that” Brihadaranyaka Upanishad thunders. It says. “That in whom reside all beings and who resides in all beings, who is the giver of grace to all, the supreme soul of the universe, the limitless beings – I am that.”

“you are that” says Chandogya Upanishad “That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that supreme non-dual Brahman – that thou art” – says Shankaracharya.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj says “give up all questions save one: Who Am I. After all the only fact you are sure of, is that ‘you are’. The “I am” is certain. The “I am this” is not. He teaches that to know who you are you must first investigate: what you are not. In our younger days we used to play a game of “Ten Questions” – The group was divided into two teams. The first selected some eminent personality and the other group had to find this out. This was done by asking ten questions. The answer was only to be given in terms of ‘Yes” or ‘No’ – By asking right questions, one went on eliminating possibilities, to find out the person selected by the first team.

The scriptures adopt a similar art of reasoning. We have to discover our self by finding out what we are not. The key to understand is : What is mine cannot be me. Your bungalow, your car, your diamond necklace are not you but they belong to you. Similarly it is true about our body. We speak of “my body”. The question is whose body? The moment we say that the body is mine, we accept that we are not the body. Whatever can be perceived or felt is an object. What perceives or feels is the subject. That is I. Similarly a thought also is an object, the thinker is the subject. Who is the perceiver, fetcher, thinker? We have to discover ‘him’ within us.

Reading that we are a soul and not the body, is one thing, understanding and accepting this is another thing and realising this is still another thing. For example – reading that Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world and seeing Mount Everest are relatively easy but climbing Mount Everest is different. It is difficult and only a few courageous, adventurous persons can achieve this – the same is with finding: Who am I.

Let us be amongst the few who understand and accept that we are “not a body having soul but a soul having a body. This realisation will lead us to know : Who I am and experience true bliss – the bliss which lies within us. As Brahmakumaris teaches us “I am a peaceful soul”.

Bhagwat Gita explains in very simply terms:

“I am that which will still remain even when my body is cremated and reduced to ashes.”

Let us yearn, pray and succeed in searching and finding the answer to the eternal question: who am I? I conclude by quoting from Shankara’s Nirvana Shatakam:

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Nirav Shah

Equation of Success

All strive and walk alongside,
Few move ahead many lag behind,
For all who dwell in realm of success
Choose a noble approach to access.

Everyone today is running for success. The question arises – how are we going about it? Are we looking for success in the true sense or is it the greed to have instant gratification! If the chase is for instant gratification, the risk would be in its sustenance. It is only the correct approach that enables everlasting success.

What constitutes success? By all means and in all materialistic sense, success would include wealth, prosperity, happiness, name and fame. It might be easy for many to acquire all these but the underlying principle is the manner of achievement. Success can be best enjoyed when it is earned and viewed as ‘journey’ rather than ‘destination’. A commerce student would recollect the principle of accounting for Real Accounts. “Debit – what comes in; Credit – what goes out”. Success ideally fits in the definition of a real account where debiting it would require an equivalent and a corresponding credit. It might be possible to borrow wealth but borrowing or buying success is an impossible proposition. Hence, something concrete will have to be put on the credit side so as to debit achievement of success in life.

Dr. Abdul Kalam has given the answer to this in his famous quote. “Knowledge with action, converts adversity into prosperity”. Knowledge backed by hard work is the formula for success. It is clarity of thinking coupled with sincerity in action when adopted as principle of life, makes success enduring. However, the present environment is: everyone is looking for instant success and not imbibing the basic principle. Visits to astrologers, consulting palmists, figuring numerologists, adding alphabets to name, demand applications in lieu of offerings at places of worship and various other measures seem to be the means of achieving success. Do these measures help? Can one achieve one’s goal by following such procedures? Are there any short cuts to success? Can success be achieved in life without putting in hard work? For people following different beliefs, there are many questions that do not have an answer. However, Lord Krishna in verse 5 of Chapter 6 of Bhagwad Geeta has emphatically said that it is one’s own efforts that lift him up.

One should lift oneself by one’s own efforts and should not degrade oneself: for one’s own self is one’s friend, and one’s own self is one’s enemy. [Ch.6 Verse 5]

If success was possible without one’s own efforts, Lord Krishna would not have said these words or for that matter the entire advice to Arjuna. He could have suggested other easier measures – but Krishna did not do so. He even said that even I cannot help in raising you but only you can raise yourself by your own efforts. Success thus, is impossible without endeavor. Without constructively applying knowledge with sincerity in action, the outcome can never be “Success”. Even if it is regarded as success, it won’t sustain. Mahatma Gandhi includes: “Wealth without work” and “Knowledge without character,” as one of seven deadly sins. Wealth is a visible and important ingredient of success, but the same acquired without work, is a sin. Knowledge, a major tool to achieve success, if applied negatively is also not approved. One has to put his own conscious hard work to achieve ‘success’. When sincere effort and wisdom combine, the outcome is bound to be “Success”. Success set in an equation would be:

Success = Sincerity in Action + Constructive Application of Knowledge

The above formula to success is also confirmed by Lord Krishna in the last verse of Bhagwad Geeta. It is in verse 78 of Chapter 18 where He says:

Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, wherever there is Arjuna, the archer, there is wealth, prosperity, happiness, victory and unfailing righteousness; such is my conviction.
[Ch.18 Verse 78]

Krishna in pure sense symbolises “Intellect”. Krishna is wisdom personified, ambassador of Knowledge. Arjuna on the other hand is ‘sincerity and hard work’ and ambassador of ‘Action’. This combination of wisdom and action constitutes or are the constituents of success.

I would conclude by saying:

The only way to go about
Departing me, mine, myself,
Brace thy work with knowledge profound
Success sure to greet around.

So let us achieve real success and satisfaction by working with sincerity coupled with detachment.

Nirav Shah

The Bishop’s Candlesticks

Lord Mahavir taught us forgiveness. Bhagvan Buddha taught us compassion. A classic example of forgiveness and compassion, the story of “The Bishop’s Candlesticks” from “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo comes to my mind. There is an incident which has left a deep everlasting impression on me. Briefly the story is like this.

Jean Valjeen is the main character of this book. He is released from prison after serving 19 years as a galley slave, a very torturous inhuman punishment. His crime was that he stole a loaf of bread for the starving kids of his sister; and made attempts to escape from prison. In the words of Victor Hugo, “The pecfduliarity of punishment of this kind, in which what is pitiless, that is to say, what is brutalising, predominates, is to transfer little by little, by slow stupefaction, a man into a criminal, sometimes into a wild beast.”

His misery did not end with his release. He was issued a yellow passport which branded him as a dangerous criminal. He was denied food and shelter. All inns and hotels turned him out, inspite of the fact that he was wanting to pay for the same. He had no place to go. When he had lost all hope, he was directed to go to Bishop M’s house.

Who was this Bishop M? He was a bishop who was known for his good-heartedness, and charity, his empathy and love for the poor. Bishop M, spent away most of his substantial allowance for the poor, himself leading a simple and frugal life. He lived with his sister.

Jean Valjeen knocked at the door of the Bishop late in the evening, hungry, tired, dirty and devoid of all hope. He was surprised when the Bishop received him like an honoured guest and treated him with dignity. The Bishop told him “You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house of Christ… You are suffering. You are hungry and thirsty. Be welcome”. Jean Valjeen was stunned. For the first time in his life he was treated like a human being. The Bishop made him sit with him for dinner — on a well laid table. This was the first time in 19 years that Jean was served a decent meal. The food was served in silver plates, and the table was lit with candles in silver candlesticks. The silver plates and the silver candlesticks were the only valuables which the Bishop owned. Jean was also given a decent bed, next to the Bishop’s bed for his night’s rest. From wooden planks to a clean comfortable bed after 19 years!

But the hardened criminal within him made him restless. He decamped with the silver plates in the night.

In the morning when the theft was discovered, the Bishop’s sister lamented the sheltering of such a criminal. The Bishop was unperturbed.

Jean was caught with the silver plates and brought to the Bishop. The Bishop asked the police to release him and stated that the plates were not stolen, but gifted by him to Jean! He then addressed Jean and told him that even the silver candlesticks were gifted to him, which Jean forgot to take with him, and then handed over the candlesticks also to Jean! This completely changed the life of Jean Valjeen.

These things happen in real life too. Sir Prabhashankar Pattani was the Diwan of the erstwhile state of Bhavnagar. His jewellery was stolen. The culprit, a servant in his house was brought to him by the police. Pattani Saheb got the servant released and also gave him financial help. The servant returned the jewellery and took a vow to lead an honest life.

There is also an event in the life of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, a Hindu saint who revived the dying spirit of Hinduism. The King of Jodhpur became his devotee and started a pious life. The King broke off his relations with a dancing girl, who in order to take revenge bribed the cook of Swamiji to poison him. As he was dying in great agony Swamiji realised what had happened, called the cook and asked the cook to run away for his life to escape the wrath of the King of Jodhpur who would most certainly have killed the cook. Swamiji forgave his murderer and helped him to escape.

These are the instances of true forgiveness, true compassion, and true charity. May these help us to learn to be better human beings.

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Nirav Shah

Forgiveness

‘Forgiveness is something you do for yourself’. George Kohlrieser

To practise ‘forgiveness’ one must understand ‘hurt’— hurt is the result of some act which is against our expectations and/or represents unfulfilled expectations. Both these not only result in hurt but also cause misery. The issue is: what is forgiveness and what does it do? ‘Forgiveness’ puts an end to the inner struggle that rages within, and teaches us to face life with tolerance, understanding and equanimity’. ‘Forgiveness’ is the task of transcending concepts of justice and fairness’. ‘Forgiveness’ is an attitude of compassion and understanding with which we choose to react to the world.’

Forgiveness is a gift we choose to give ourselves. Forgiveness is a choice—a choice when exercised puts our mind and heart at rest—but higher than forgiveness is to forget the instance that caused the hurt. The issue is, can we accept what has happened? Can we consider it a bad dream and like all bad dreams, forget about it? It is rightly said that it is easier to forgive but difficult to forget. Combine the two to make forgiveness complete. This is difficult—nay, very difficult—but possible. Once one can forget the hurt—forgiveness becomes easy. ‘Forgiving and forgetting’ when practiced together heal both the mind and the matter (body). David Schwerin says:

‘By forgiving people who have done us wrong, We can give ourselves the greatest gift’.

To the above quote I would like to add that it is also a gift to those who have hurt us and in case we can forget the hurt, then it would be the finest gift to ourselves.

We are living in a ‘me decade’ and in this decade, hurt is easy and forgiveness is forgotten. This is evident from recent research in the USA which brings out:

• The capacity to feel for others has dropped by 48%.

• Ability to see other’s point of view has declined by 34%. These are figures as compared to 1979. Hence, to practice forgiveness we now need to:

• Move from ‘self-justification’ to ‘self-control and selfdiscipline’.

• To be fair, honest, truthful and objective—being objective means being non-emotional—develop warmth for others and treat them with dignity and refrain from making callous comments.

We have discussed about ‘forgiving’. I believe we should also be aware of seeking ‘forgiveness’. There is no human being who can say that he has never hurt anyone—even Krishna hurt Gandhari who held him responsible for the Mahabharata and had to suffer her curse. Hence, let us also develop the art of seeking forgiveness of those whom we may have hurt by thought, word or deed. I believe seeking forgiveness is as relevant as ‘forgiving’.

However, according to Swami Shivananda, we can seek forgiveness only when we ‘eradicate self-justification’— we all indulge in ‘self-justification’ all the time. It requires courage to overcome the ego that tells us that we can do no wrong and that our hurt is the result of a fault of others. Hence, let us become aware of this malice. True happiness lies in both forgiving and seeking forgiveness.

To practice ‘forgiveness’ we must know what ‘forgiveness’ results in. In my perception, forgiveness:

• Reduces tension, guilt, anger and suffering.

• Frees us from the burden of expectations and feelings of grudge.

• Transcends our concepts of fairness.

• Makes us humane.

• Liberates us from being ‘constrained’ and sets us free.

• Removes our desire for revenge and retribution , and above all

• Restores relationships. It has been rightly said: ‘Forgiveness is the precious lubricant which keeps all relationships smooth and friction free’.

Let us remember that forgiveness is not running away from facts and feelings. It requires courage to overcome our ego—our hurt and unfulfilled expectations. Mahatma Gandhi said:
‘The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong’.

I also believe that a true and sincere apology is not defeat but victory over a bad situation. It is not humiliation but it exhibits humility and maturity to accept responsibility for our actions and exhibits our care for other’s feelings and value for relationship. I repeat it takes courage to apologise and seek forgiveness. Believe it is very difficult to say ‘Mujhe Maaf Kar Do’.

In conclusion, I quote George Shim: ‘We get what we give. If we give hatred, we receive hatred; if we give love, we receive love’.

And this is what St. Francis of Assisi propagates: ‘It is in pardoning that we are pardoned’.

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Nirav Shah

If Tomorrow Never Comes

Dharampur is one of the largest districts of Gujarat. It lies east of Vapi and Balsar. It is one of the most backward regions of Gujarat, and is basically inhabited by the adivasis. Most of it is hilly area and once upon a time ,it was thickly forested. However, now a good amount of forest cover has disappeared by indiscriminate tree felling. There are a number of NGOS run by devoted people, which are doing excellent work for the upliftment of the advasis. We visit Dharampur a few times a year, to do our bit and give a helping hand in this work.

On our last visit, two young articled students from my office expressed their desire to come with us. I cautioned them that it was not a pleasure trip or a picnic. The visit would be hot and tiring. Yet they insisted and I am glad that they came. To my utter surprise and delight, both these young men, though not Gujarati speaking, were completely at ease with the adivasi children. They played and sang with the children, even carried them, and had great fun with them. They were happy with the kids, and the kids were happy with them. My faith in the younger generation got reaffirmed.

I also learned something valuable. One of my articled students made an interesting comment. He said that he would like to commence serving the poor when he was 40. The elder person asked “What if you do not reach 40?” Our young friend decided there and then, that good work cannot wait for tomorrow. What if tomorrow never comes? He has started contributing 50% of his stipend to assist the deserving and needy poor.

This incident took me several years back in time. I remembered a quotation in Gujarati by Father Vallace who, though Spanish by birth, a Roman Catholic and (then) a mathematics professor at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad had mastered the Gujarati language and was also a renowned Gujarat author. He said:

“Tomorrow is the grave of many a heart’s noblest dreams”.

According to him ‘I will do it tomorrow ‘ is a polite way of saying “I will not do it”.

There are two things that can happen when we plan to do something tomorrow. Either tomorrow gets postponed and never comes, or we ourselves may not be there tomorrow! In either case, the work remains undone.

I was speaking at a Rotary club meeting on “Giving”. A gentleman sitting in the very front row expressed his desire to donate Rs. 1 crore. I was elated. Two days later, I was shocked to see his photograph in the obituary column. His “tomorrow” never came! I learned my lesson. The Message is: ’Do not procrastinate’. Tomorrow, like income tax, refund may never come. “tomorrow” never came! I learnt my lesson.

Friends, the worst regret we have in life is not for the wrong things we did, but for the right things we did not do.

The message I am attempting to convey by saying ‘tomorrow never comes’ is not only about ‘giving’ but also about a hundred and one things , which we go on postponing. For example, it may be reading a book, phoning a friend, calling on a sick relative, visiting our aged parents, learning something new, taking a vacation, playing with our children, or sitting by the sea shore watching the waves, admiring a sunrise, gazing at the stars and even, sometimes doing nothing. Let us live like a samurai as if each day is our last one. I conclude by quoting from a Hemant Kumar song:

It was Mark Twain who said,

So friends, let us learn to live today; for tomorrow may never come.

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass.

It is about learning to dance in the rain”.

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Nirav Shah

Our Endless greed

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed” – Mahatma Gandhi

We all, as children, have heard the story of Alibaba. Alibaba discovered the cave of thieves and came to know the magic password “Open Sesame”, which opened the door of the cave. Exercising this knowledge in moderation, he became rich. His uncle Kassim also managed to know the password, entered the cave and went mad with greed, piled up huge amount of gold, and treasure and then forgot the words to open the cave. He was found inside by the robbers, killed and cut into four pieces. Yes, we know the story alright. But have forgotten the moral of the story. Do not be greedy.

Some of us may also have read a story written by Tolstoy, called ‘How much land does a man need?’ The story is about a poor peasant, eking out a living from his small plot of land. He comes to know that beyond the mountains, fertile land is available at a very cheap rate. He sells his land and buys a bigger and more fertile piece of land, and starts living a better life. The same story is repeated and each time the peasant moves to a still distant land, each time he becomes richer and richer. Ultimately, he learns that behind the distant mountain range, there was a still better opportunity. The King of the place was giving all the land a person could cover by walking from sunrise to sunset, for a hefty amount to be paid in advance. The only condition was that if one could not reach the starting point by sunset, he forfeited his entire deposit. Our friend starts walking at sunrise, finding better and better land ahead. In trying to encompass as much as he could, he loses track of time and realises that it has become very late and may not be able to reach the starting point before the sunset. He runs and runs. He staggers to the starting point with his outstretched hand. He manages to finish. But he too is finished. The cheering crowd was stunned. In his greed to cover more and more land, he had overstrained himself so much that his heart gave way. The people had to dig a grave for him and it required just six feet of land to bury our peasant friend when ;

It is truly said that while a ship needs water to sail, if the same water enters the ship, the ship sinks. Money is necessary for our necessities and comforts. But if we blindly pursue money and allow it to become our master, it is then that the problem starts. We run the risk of sinking under the weight of our wealth.

What is true of money is also true of power. It has brought about the downfall of the high and mighty like both Napoleon and Hitler. Even Alexander the Great after conquering so many countries realised that at the end everyone has to go empty handed. He directed that when his body is taken for cremation, his hands should be displayed for people to see, to realise that even Alexander the Great went empty handed.

It would do good to all of us, if we pause in this race of getting more and more riches, and think as to what is required to be truly happy.

I would end with this passage from ‘Les Miserables’ by Victor Hugo:

“Indeed, is not that all, and what more can be desired? A little garden to walk, and immensity to reflect upon. At his feet something to cultivate and gather, above his head something to study and mediate upon a few flowers on the earth, and all the stars in the sky.”

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Nirav Shah

In Search of Godhead

Robin Sharma, renowned author and a leadership guru has given an interesting story in his book “Who will cry when you die?” Thousands of years ago, it was believed that every one who walked upon the earth was god. But humankind abused its limitless powers. So the Supreme God decided to hide the Godhead, the source of all of this potential, so that no one could find it. An imperative question arose, where could such thing be hidden? The first suggestion of placing it deep into the ground was rejected as some one would find it, digging deep. The other options of placing it in the deepest ocean or the highest mountain were also turned down as some one would dive deep in the ocean or scale the highest peaks and find it some day. The Supreme God then found a solution to this. He decided to put this source of all power inside the hearts of every man, woman and child as they will never think of looking there.

The story appears so very true in today’s context considering the manner in which everyone is going about looking for God. The irony is that, all our actions including the devotion seem more because of the fear of God rather than the love of God. As put beautifully in the story, how many are able to look for God in a human being or for that matter, in every being, the ones that are marvelous creations of God? The need is to distinguish between the “Man made Murats” and “God made Murats”.

Atman, the soul, the Brahmn is the same in each and every being. One that is beyond body, mind and intellect. Those who have never tried to understand anything beyond the sensually perceivable world may raise the question, “If there is God, why can’t we see him? Such a question may be a matter of laughter for many. Our identification with body, mind and intellect in all our exchanges without even having a thought of the spirit (the Atman), is an example of how ignorant we are. Whenever we interact with anyone, we identify only with the mind, body complex and not the spirit. Atman or Brahmn, in all beings is the same. Brahmn pervades all activity.

In Kenopanisad, the guru explains God, Brahmn as:

That which indeed is the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind, the Speech of the speech, the Vital-air of the prana and the Eye of the eye. The wise having completely freed and risen above this world become immortal. [Kenopanisad – Mantra 2]

This may sound somewhat confusing at first instance as to what could be the Ear of the ear or the Eye of the eye. The answer is simple. It is known that we see through the eyes, but there is force within that enables the eyes to see, that force is Brahmn, God. So is with the ears. If eyes could see, then the body without life could also see. This enlivening force, the Brahmn, one which is non-dual resides in the heart of every human being is the substratum of the universe.

If there is one God in all then why don’t we see it? We do not see it because we operate only through the body, mind and intellect. This can be best understood with a small experiment. When a light passes through a prism, the output of one coloured light is reflected in various different colours. Single coloured light appears in many colours on the other side of the prism. Similarly, when the Brahmn operates through the prism of the body, mind and intellect, we see different individuals distinct from the one Brahmn rooted in all.

To love God is to love all. Lord Krishna in the 12th chapter of Bhagwad Gita has enumerated 35 qualities of a devotee. The first and foremost quality stated in verse 13 is on the same thought and in fact would disqualify many devotees. “One who hates no being”. Thus to love God, one needs to identify God everywhere, love all beings because the same God lives in all beings. Loving all fellow beings has been beautifully presented in a poem Abou Ben Adhem, by James Henry Leigh Hunt. The poet has illustrated the true devotion to God. Abou dreamt of an angel who was writing the names of those who loved God. He enquired whether his name was there in the list or not. When the angel replied that his name was not in the list, he then requested the angel to write his name in the list of those who loved his fellow-men. Angel wrote the name and left. The next night the angel came with the list of those whom God loved. This list had Abou Ben Adhem’s name on the top.

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Nirav Shah

A Parable of Life

Mankind’s journey of life is variously described as a journey of life and greed. In this journey, he forgets the true purpose of his life and gets stuck in the material world.

Here is a parable taken from the Jain literature which best describes the journey. The words/phrases in parenthesis endeavour to give an interpretation which one can relate to in his spiritual quest. This interpretation is said to be provided by Haribhadra Maharaj, a Jain monk from the 7th century.

A man (Soul), seeking fortunes (Salvation) was passing through a thick jungle (Cycle of rebirths). Suddenly, a wild elephant (Death) with upraised trunk charged him fiercely. He tried to run fast, but his path was blocked by an evil demon (Old Age). The only escape route now was to climb the huge, tall, banyan tree (Path to salvation). He ran and reached the tree but could not decide if he had the will and power to climb the mighty tree. Right below the mighty tree was a deep well (Human Life), all covered with grass and reeds. “This well (Human Life) would save me”, he thought, and jumped in it.

As he was falling through the grass and the reeds, he looked below and was terrified. Right below him lay many terrible snakes (Passions which impede human judgment) enraged and hissing fearsomely. To make matters worse, deep down below was a black and mighty python (Hell) with angry red eyes. Afraid, he held on to a clump of reeds hanging from the top and clung on to it. He thought, “My life will only last as long as these reeds hold fast” and he looked up.

There he saw two large mice (The day and night – the passages of time), one white and one black, their sharp teeth ever-gnawing at the roots of the reed-clump. Up above, the wild elephant (Death) was charging, repeatedly, at the banyan tree (Path to salvation). This disturbed the beehive hanging from a branch right above him. The angry bees ( Diseases of Life) swarmed down on him and his whole body was stung. Just then, as he was looking up and cursing himself for not climbing the tree, a drop of honey (trivial pleasures) fell on his face and somehow reached his lips.

That was a moment of sweetness. He looked up again, forgot all the dangers around him and just craved and waited for more drops of honey to come down his way. In his excited craving for yet more drops of honey, he lost awareness of the reality – the python (Hell), the snakes (Passions), the mice (the day and night the passages of time), the elephant (Death), or the bees (Diseases of Life).

It is for each one of us to understand and appreciate the parable in its true spirit as we journey through life.

(Acknowledgements: Jainism and the New Spirituality by Vastupal Parikh)

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Nirav Shah

A Bird at the Window

It was a beautiful spring morning. Disciples had gathered in a hall to listen to a discourse by Buddha. People were eagerly awaiting his arrival and looking forward to an enlightening discourse. Buddha entered the hall and a hushed silence enveloped the disciples as everyone became quiet. Buddha took his seat and was about to commence his talk when a strange thing happened. A pretty little bird flew in and alighted on the window. It looked around at the august gathering, fluttered its pretty little wings and burst out in a melodious song. After delighting the onlookers with its clear notes, the bird spread its wings and flew away. Buddha commenced his discourse. He just told the gathering that the lesson of the day was over! The little bird had taught everything that Buddha wanted to teach on that day!

The questions for us are:

• What was the lesson taught by the bird!

• What was the message that Buddha gave!

The message was: lead a simple peaceful life. Our lives should be like that of the bird: ‘come to the window of the world, live a natural peaceful carefree life, look, admire and enjoy what is around, sing our song and fly away free from all cares, without a trace of attachment to what is left behind in essence, live in the present. Be like the bird – it was neither haunted by the past nor filled with anxieties of the future. It sang in the present’. Questions which arise are: Can we ever live such a life? Is it possible to lead such a peaceful serene life?

I believe it is possible. Was our life not like that when we were children? Our days were filled with fun and laughter. We went around playing, singing without a care. We were not even worried about the unfinished homework which we had to do and take to the school the next day. We built sand castles on the sea shores, not bothered that the next tide will wash away all that we had carefully built. Our lives were like that described in the ghazal sung by Jagjit Singh…

At the end of the day, tired and exhausted we went to sleep and migrated to the land of dreams which had rainbows and rivers, stars and moon and we were princes or princesses just enjoying. Yes, life was carefree like that of the little bird at the window. Let us then, take a lesson from the little bird and learn to live a carefree life. In other words, a life of acceptance and not expectations.

We live when we are true to ourselves and are not living to please others. Our only obligation is to be true to ourselves. I am not for a moment suggesting a selfish, self-centred life because a life led to please our inner self can never be selfish or self cantered.

One recalls the story of Akbar and Tansen. Akbar considered Tansen to be the greatest singer, which Tansen never accepted. According to Tansen, his Guru Swami Haridas was the greatest, and he, Tansen, was no match. Akbar wanted to call Swamiji to his court to listen to him. Tansen told him that that was not possible. One had to go to Swami Haridas, and wait till Swamiji chose to sing. Tansen took Akbar where Swamiji used to stay and made him wait till Swami Haridas chose to sing. As divine music flowed from Swamiji, calm prevailed and the whole atmosphere became peaceful. Akbar listened with rapt attention and became totally spellbound.

He had no doubt and was totally convinced that Swami Haridas was the greatest. He still could not understand as to why Tansen, a disciple of Swamiji could not reach the heights attained by Swamiji. When asked by Akbar, Tansen explained: He said, “It is simple. While I sing for you, Swami Haridas only sings for God!”

It is only when we dedicate our work to God that music flows in and from our life and we become like the bird on the window who came, sang, gave us pleasure and left without expectation – it was free.

So, let us offer our work to God and be free.

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Nirav Shah

Laxman Rekha – Accountability

At his best, man is the noblest of all animals, separated from law and justice he is the worst’. —Aristotle.

The issues for us are:
• what do we mean by ‘Laxman Rekha’. Is it an imaginary line or does it prescribe the limits of human behaviour ?
• why is it prescribed only for humans ? and
• what are the consequences of crossing the ‘laxman rekha’ ?

I don’t have the answers but will still make an attempt to share my thoughts on these perennial issues. In my view, ‘laxman rekha’ is meant for us humans because we have the capacity to think and act. Other creations act according to their nature as they don’t have the faculty of thinking.

‘Laxman Rekha’ I believe is a code of conduct for us — human beings – laid down by us as members of society.

Whenever a person crosses the ‘laxman rekha’, he/she faces the consequences – our epics and history depicts this. For example :

• When Bali – a very learned and powerful ruler crossed it by co-habiting with his brother’s wife – and usurping his kingdom, he met his end at the hands of Ram.

• Aahilya for wrongly and not wilfully crossing the ‘laxman rekha’, became a stone and had to wait for Ram to revive her.

• Sita had to go through ‘ágni pariksha’ and suffer separation from Ram for crossing the ‘laxman rekha’.

• Draupadi crossed the ‘laxman rekha’ of a ‘good host’ when she called Duryodhan ‘andhi ka beta andha’ and she sowed the seeds of war – Mahabharat.

• Clinton crossed the ‘laxman rekha’ for his immoral behaviour and was impeached. He apologised and survived but the damage he did to the office of the President survives. The blemish hasn’t gone away despite his services to society.

• Cancer survivor and cancer care evangelist Lance Armstrong – super cyclist and super hero – the man whom fame and fortune favoured, confesses to the use of drugs and paid a big price – loss of respect.

• Walmart, the largest retailer in the world has been charged for violation of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for indulging in bribery and corruption in Mexico. This has resulted in Walmart initiating investigations in India and China. Newspapers report that some officers, vendors and consultants have been suspended in India and expansion of Bharti Walmart is on hold — the result – loss of reputation and business, and possibility of prosecution in the USA.

• Ramalinga Raju – the founder of Satyam suffered in prison for over two years and is facing a host of civil and criminal cases.

• Recently, our Law minister had to resign for interfering with investigation reports.

The list is metaphorically unending.

It is a fact that the pain of leaders and icons crossing the ‘laxman rekha’ for the followers becomes personal – which makes the followers revolt both mentally and physically.

Consequences of crossing the ‘laxman rekha’ are visible in society today – the cancer of corruption is having disastrous consequences on governance and economic and social environment and behaviour. The way our parliamentarians (leaders) behave in parliament – exhibits a kind of violence which is abhorring. The tragedy that it is that these very leaders ask us not to indulge in violence and remain within ‘laxman rekha’. They forget it is not words but actions which are emulated by people. Parliament is a forum created to discuss, debate and decide and not for storming into the well and tearing bills being tabled. It is a forum created to create laws and not break laws. Our leaders have probably forgotten the maxim: ‘lead by example’.

All this violence of crossing the ‘laxman rekha’ is for us to feel – Society is on tenterhooks and explosive. At the drop of a hat we have strikes, dharnas and violence – which I reiterate are nothing but consequences of crossing the ‘laxman rekha’. We are experiencing violence of all kinds — we have become intolerant and are sacrificing our right to express the banning of books, art, people and movies that is not only adversely impacting us, but will also affect future generations. Salman Rushdie christens the present environment as ‘cultural emergency’. Shobhaa De says ‘we are living in the republic of hate and nightmares’. We as a nation cross the ‘laxman rekha’ when we stifle ‘freedom of speech’, a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution. We are giving up the concept of – ‘live and let live’. Any time whether at home or at office or as citizen the moment, I indulge in ‘you have no right’, I am crossing the ‘laxman rekha’ of tolerance and this crossing leads to strife. Believe me, the ‘right to express’ includes the ‘right to dissent’ Mr. Manish Tewari, our Minister for Information and Broadcasting affirms that :

‘Freedom of expression must include right to offend’.

‘Laxman rekha’ is not only for sinners or saints or for those in power but is also for us – the normal – the householder, the office goer and the entrepreneur – who despite corruption value ‘values’.

It is a sad fact that we are unconsciously imbibing the culture of conflict, crime and corruption and I dare say all of us are directly or indirectly have contributed to it and are affected and impacted by this. We are impatient and intolerant. We need to remember that today’s leaders have risen from amongst us. We in India and probably people across the world have crossed the ‘Laxman rekha’ – the result is unrest. Let us not forget that all crimes – social or economic – represent crossing the ‘laxman rekha’. For example:

• The Chief Minister of a State – a beloved leader – wants her driver to be whipped for being 15 minutes late – the Times of India of 08-02-2013.
• Khaps in Haryana and Punjab have mandated and ensured that a couple though married be separated because marriage between the two castes to which they belong is not permitted by custom.
• Minister of a State is said to be involved in the murder of a police officer.
• Members of a state assembly are charged with assaulting a police officer. The questions we have to ask ourselves are :
• Is this the secular India we gave ourselves and was dreamt by the leaders who drafted our Constitution
• Is this non – tolerant environment that we want to live in and leave for our children.

The issue is: if this is what we don’t want, then what should we do to contain this and bring back the culture of love, compassion and confidence in law to live within the ‘laxman rekha’ and be happy.

I believe ‘laxman rekha’ is the litmus test of accountability not only for the society but for each one individually. Hence , it is for us as members of society to lay down, modify or reject the norms. We are the ones who cross or maintain the ‘laxman rekha’. Being an optimist, I believe that there is a ray of hope because there is a silent revolt against the present environment of corruption and intolerance. Ministers are resigning apparently because of intolerant behaviour of a chief minister. The recent protests against corruption and misbehaviour (rape) are instances of this resurgence. People and press are talking about ‘ethical values’. We also now have the Right to Information Act – which is bringing transparency in governance and probably instilling some ‘fear of retribution’ in those who govern – the powerful. It was Kahlil Gibran who said:

‘Life without freedom is like a body without a soul and freedom without thought is like a confused spirit’.

To bring ‘laxman rekha’ back in society, let us join this silent movement by contributing to it both ‘time and money’. Gandhi had resilience. It was his faith in our desire and need for freedom that gave us freedom. Let us develop ‘resilience’ and return to ‘values’ even despite having been bent and battered. Let us revive the spirit to live by ‘values’ by living ‘values’. This will be our legacy to the young and coming generations.

Let us do and we can. Let us not cross ‘laxman rekha’. Let us bring back ‘accountability’.

Nirav Shah

Awake, Arise……………..

The clarion call given by the patriot saint Swami Vivekananda is as relevant today as it was when it was given more than a century ago. He said ” Awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached.”

His passionate appeal to the youth of this country was to get up from the stupor, dream big, have faith in oneself and take action. He said “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” His emphasis on the power of the mind and thoughts was clear when he expressed that the infinite library of the universe is in our own mind.

His concern for the poor and downtrodden was almost unparalled. God manifests in them and when we serve them we serve God. ‘Daridranarayan’, a phrase which Mahatma Gandhiji popularised, was an expression of Swamiji’s call to serve the under privileged. ‘The God in them wants you to serve him’ is how he put it.

Another area of concern was the evil of trampling on women. He felt that God is the omnipresent force manifesting in women and that our country was weak because women were not honoured. The recent case of Nirbhaya is a stark reminder of this reality. Swamiji observed that along with other things, women should acquire the spirit of valour and heroism. He had great faith in the power of women folk which is evident in his observation that – “with five hundred men, the conquest of India might take fifty years: with as many women not more than a few weeks.”

“Have faith in yourself”, he said, “all power is in you – be conscious and bring it out.” Swamiji considered an individual an atheist if he did not believe in himself.

His love for India is evident in his utterances. Dr Annie Besant called him a Warrior Monk whose figure was instilled with the pride of India. Sister Christine remarked that “our love for India came to birth when we first heard him say the word ‘India’.” Swamiji described himself as condensed India. So much was he India personified that Rabindranath Tagore is said to have told Roman Rolland “read Vivekananda if you want to know India.”

He desired national integration because he felt that sectarianism was the reason for the colonial rule. He made an ardent appeal of oneness and observed that India shall rise out of chaos, strife, glorious and invincible with Vedantic brain and Islamic body.

Speaking of true religion, he observed that each soul is potentially divine and the goal is to manifest divinity within and advocated the practice of karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raj yoga and gyan yoga to achieve pure Bliss.

As we celebrate Swamiji’s 150th birth anniversary, let us imbibe his spirit. Let us awake and arise. Let us work towards realising the India of his dreams.

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Nirav Shah

GIVING — LESSONS FROM LIFE

“Give now, that the seasons of giving may be yours and not your inheritors” — Kahlil Gibran

(1) His name is Dhairya, age about 7 months. I have not even seen him. But he is in my list of Gurus! His mother is a C.A. One morning she called me, and conveyed that they are opening a bank account for Dhairya; and that the first cheque to be issued from his account will be for charity! Dhairya has taught me that one is never too young to start giving! I learnt that one can start giving at any age. The mother also taught me how children should be given sansakaras.

(2) Her name is Naseema Hurzuk. They fondly call her Naseemadidi. She became a paraplegic when she was barely 17. She must be 61 years old now. In spite of the terrible tragedy, she courageously built up her own strength and decided to help other handicapped persons. Her organisation is called ‘Helpers of the Handicapped’. She has by now helped over 8000 persons. Her autobiography ‘NASEEMA — THE INCREDIBLE STORY’ brings tears in one’s eyes. What touched me most is that even when she was in that dire state, she started donating blood! I learnt from Naseemadidi, that one’s handicap is no handicap in helping others. One only needs courage and, of course, the grace of God.

(3) His name was Behramjibhai Irani. He died several years ago. A middle-aged Irani musician, who played mandolin in film orchestras. I walked into his house on 2nd floor in an old building at Grant Road uninvited. I wanted to learn to play mandolin from him. He was making his living by playing in film orchestras, and earning only 30/40 rupees per day as and when he was called to play. I went to him for a few years, but anytime I asked him for his fees, the answer was “Go out of the house and down the stairs! I am not teaching people for making money.” What was extraordinary about Behramjibhai was — he was totally blind. Here was a blind musician, making a living by playing in orchestras, but teaching me a young man from well-to-do family and several other students free of charge and refusing any fees.

I learnt from Behramjibhai that even a blind person can make you ‘see’ and give you a vision of life.

(4) His name is Pandubhai Maganbhai Mahala. He is an adivasi. He lives in a small village located far away in Dharampur, a backward area on Gujarat-Maharashtra border — on the bank of a river. A few persons from Sarvoday Parivar Mandal were dreaming of putting up a school there. The question was of getting resources for buying land. Pandubhai — a poor adivasi very graciously gave away his land! Despite being poor, giving came effortlessly to him! I learnt from Pandubhai that one need not have lot of money in order to give. One only needs richness of the heart.

I cannot help recalling an article called ‘Madhuri and Pushpa’ about two girls seven years of age. It is my favourite one, because it is written by Mahatma Gandhi, ‘The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi’ (Vol. 23 : 6 April 1921-July, 1921 pp.330-333) and also because Madhuri in this episode is my mother. It is a great example of how during our freedom struggle even children contributed wholeheartedly. This is also a reminder to the present generation as to how millions of selfless sacrifices of young and old, rich and poor, were given in the fight for our independence. Readers can view the article on:

http://www.gandhiserve.org/cwmg/VOL023. PDF > Article no. 152, pg. no. 330.

This article time and again reminds me that what my mother could do when she was only seven, I am unable to do at 77. At seven she virtually gave away all her wealth. I am reminded that giving has no limits.

“. . . . And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;

They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.

Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth . . . .”

— Kahlil Gibran

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Nirav Shah

Seva: Humanitarian service is central theme of sikh philosophy

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi

The concept of community service or Seva is central to the spirit of the Sikh faith. God is all pervasive, and what better way to realise Him than through service? He is no separate from His creation; so serving Him by serving what He has created is the ultimate duty of every Sikh. The Sikh often prays as did Guru Arjun Dev: ‘As Your servant, I beg for Seva of your people, which is available through good fortune alone.’

Seva or service occupies the central place in Sikhism where no worship is conceivable without Seva. The spirit of service not only creates in one’s heart, love and affection for others, but also helps the person overcome his ego, the main obstacle in the path of spiritual realisation. Service is suggested as a practical way of life for a Sikh, and he is expected, among other things, to meditate on the Name of God and perform service for the welfare of humanity.

Service could be any kind — serving the poor and needy; giving charity, providing food or shelter, helping a person in distress, saving someone in danger or reading the scriptures for his solace or providing services for the common good. These acts are considered far superior to countless sacrificial fires and performance of ceremonies or mere meditation and worldly knowledge, says Bhai Gurudas.

Seva can be rendered in any form through labour, feelings or material means. The first is considered the highest of all and is prescribed for every Sikh.

Dignity of labour is realised the foremost in Guru Ka Langar, the community kitchen, and in serving the Sangat, the holy assembly. Langar is the unique way of combining worship with Seva. One can contribute in cutting of vegetables, cooking of food, distribution of water in

Langar, washing of utensils, cleaning of the premises, taking care of footwear as well as in collection of rations. Langar, therefore, becomes a place of training in voluntary service and helps develop the notion of equality, hospitality and love for human beings. It makes you humble by helping curb your ego. Humility is a special virtue recommended to the Sikhs. It can be acquired through Seva. The Sikh prayer, Ardas, ends with a supplication for the welfare of all, ‘Sarbat da Bhala’. The attitude of compassion should be combined with a practical way of serving God through His creation.

Seva through material means should be a silent and non-personal contribution. It is meant for the welfare of the community and the whole humanity, and should be done in a way as to help dissolve one’s ego. Even in serving others, one serves not the person concerned, but God Himself through him. Even as one feeds the hungry, it has been the customary Sikh practice to pray: “The grain, O God, is your own gift. Only the Seva is mine, which please be gracious enough to accept.”

Service should be rendered without any expectation of reward. Desire for any reward in return turns it into a bargain, and it ceases to be a service. ‘He who serves without reward, he alone attains God’. True Seva, as pro-claimed by the Gurus, must be performed in humility, with purity of intention and without any desire for reward. Service is its own reward that leads to liberation. ‘We get eternal bliss through service of God and merge in the peace of poise,’ says the Guru Granth Sahib.

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Nirav Shah

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