Random Thoughts/quotes

- Talk little, talk sweet, talk only when there is pressing need to only those to whom you must. Do not shout or raise your voice in anger or in excitement.

- Anger makes your mouth works faster than your mind.

- Manage yourself first then you will be able to manage others.

- In desires, we live a life full of desires and not happiness.

- The whole game of life depends on how well we are able to control our minds.

- If it is not good, then don't think it or say it.

- Send thoughts of love towards other people. Speak words of encouragement to them.

- As you begin to think loving thoughts about people, you will find them behaving in a more loving manner. Thoughts and words are containers for carrying creative or destructive power.

- Develop a thankful mind.

- Be thankful at all times.

- Be a grateful person - one filled with gratitude, not only towards God, but also towards people. When someone does something nice for you, let him know that you appreciate it.

- A sure way to lose something is not to appreciate it.

- Meditate daily on all things you have to be thankful for.

- That person is wise who learns from others experiences,
   that person is ordinary who learns from his own experiences, and
   and that person is a fool who does not learn from either.

- In meeting resistance, you will build your strength. if you only do what is easy, you will always remain weak.

- To see a lit lamp, we don't need any other lamp because it is self luminous. Similarly,we use intellect to know other things, but not to know our true Self, True Self is self revealing.

A few quotes of Swami Vivekananda

(1863-1902)

Swami Vivekananda  was an Indian monk who introduced Indian philosophy of Vedanta and yoga to the western world. Inspire yourself from some of his quotes:-

- All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes  and  cry that it is dark.

- That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material.

- Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached.

- You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.

- Anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually and spiritually, reject as poison.

- Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals. Place them day and night before you and out of that will come great work.

- The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong

-  Do not lower your goals to the level of your abilities. Instead, raise  your abilities to the height of your goals.

- Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials to success and above all love.

-  Strength is life, weakness is death. Expansion is life, contraction is death. Love is life, hate is death.

-  Never lose faith in yourself; you can do anything in the universe.

-  Society does not go down because of the activities of criminals, but because of the inactivity of the good people.

- Do not hate anybody, because that hatred which comes out from you must, in a long run, come back to you. If you love, that love will come back to you, completing the circle. 

- Each work has to pass through these stages - ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their times are sure to be misunderstood. 

- Great work requires great and persistent effort for a long time. Character has to be established through a thousand stumbles.

There are many more inspirational quotes on the web. Find time to read and inspire yourself. 

Thank you. Have a great inspired life. Namaste.

Kindness

Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to live a stress free life? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then I have a secret for you. The secret is just loosen yourself in the service of others. Believe me, our problems begin when we start living a selfish life. One should start doing random acts of kindness. The happiness which we receive in this manner,  cannot be described in words. Let me quote a couplet written by a greatest poet, saint, reformer and philosopher GoswamiTulsidas of India -

दया धर्म का मूल है, पाप मूल अभिमान ।
तुलसी दया न छांड़िए, जब तक घट में प्राण॥
(For Hindi speaking audience)

Transliteration of the above couplet :-

dayaa dharam kaa mool hai, paap mool abhimaan.
Tulsi daya na chandiye, jab tak ghat mein praan.

The meaning of these lines is:

Kindness (compassion, mercy) is the root of  dharm*, pride (arrogance) is the root of sin
Tulsi says as long as we have life in this body, we should not leave kindness.

Kindness has more power than violence. Let us all be kind to ourselves and to the people around us. This way, violence cannot exist in the society. Let us remind ourselves some quotes on kindness which can be  found on the web also -

- Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and 
  the blind can see  - Mark Twain

- Always be a little kinder than necessary.

- One kind word can change someone's entire day.
(I would like to change "entire day" to "entire life")

- Kindness is free. Sprinkle that stuff everywhere.

- Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile - Albert Einstein

- No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted - Aesop

- Kindness is free, let us pass it on.

- If you can be one thing, be kind

Do you t know that there is a world kindness day? I only learnt it while writing this blog.

Let us all develop this divine quality of kindness. Let us touch lives of many people with our acts of kindness.

I would like to end this post with these lines which I received from a friend of mine -

Learn to:
Love without condition
Talk without bad intention
Give without any reason, and most of all
Care for people without any expectations.

Namaste  

* dharm - I did not find the exact English translation of the word 'dharm'. Dharm tells us how should we act towards living beings. Dharm teaches us what is the right thing for us to do and what is wrong. Dharm teaches us that we should follow truth and non-violence. 

Simplicity in life

From time to time, we should go through our possessions and get rid of unwanted items by giving them away to the needy or throwing them in the garbage. You must have heard "Less is more". Enjoy the treasure which you will receive by possessing less stuff. This treasure is in the form of more space, more clarity in the mind, less hassles, less wastage of time, less anxiety, less sorrow, less accidents, better health,  etc.  These "possessions" literally weigh us down. We should do this "cleaning-up" process at least once a month.  This "cleaning-up" process will expand your vision and take you to the higher-consciousness.

How to make yourself beautiful

Do hard work from body,
Mind should have self-discipline,
Intellect should have wisdom,
Heart should have compassion,
No ego,
With these things, you will be beautiful.

By the way, these lines apply to men also. Just replace beautiful with handsome.

p.s. I found this in my diary. I want to thank the author of these beautiful lines.

Beauty in Nature

Daily we have to make it a point to see beauty in nature. This beauty has the power to heal us. Daily we need to keep aside some time to go for a long walk in nature. It will really be a boon if we can go for a walk in the morning and in the evening. Walking in nature is very therapeutic. The more problems we have, the more time we should spend in nature. To savor the beauty of nature, we need to let go our preoccupation with our thoughts. If we are already full, how can we receive anything? So, consciously, during this walk, drop all worries of the mind. From time to time we should just empty ourselves. Don’t we all get tired of carrying burdens of life?

To have balance in life, one must spend time with nature. One will be a happier and a healthier person. I am sure there are many people in this world who have not seen a sunrise or a sunset. Have you seen a flock of birds flying? It just takes your breath away. These birds are so much full of energy, vitality, and enthusiasm. They don't even own any houses or have any bank accounts. I don’t see any signs of worries in them. Not only birds, you might see squirrels chasing each other, ducks, cranes, butterflies etc. Relax in sounds of nature like a chirping of birds, a murmur of leaves. Pay attention to a variety of flowers, majestic trees. During sunrise, the eastern sky gets filled with a golden hue. One can see beautiful scenes of a variety of colors in the sky. Morning sunlight is good for health. We get our quota of vitamin D. Wake up early in the morning and spend time in the fresh air.

I remember while growing up, my father used to tell me the benefits of looking at the sky. By looking at the sky, one feels more spacious inside. One feels less constricted. It is nice to see various shapes of clouds in the sky too. Sometimes one can see a pure blue sky with no clouds at all. Both offer their own beauty. With the advancement of technology, we don't have to distant ourselves from nature. Nowadays, we are spending more time indoors and online. Daily we should soak ourselves in the beauty of nature. One becomes a more contented, positive and peaceful person. By becoming a peaceful person, we are contributing to the peace of the world. A peaceful person will only transmit peaceful vibrations which are healthy for everybody.

I would like to share a personal note with you. I have a picnic bench in my backyard. I have put a mosquito net around it. This way mosquitoes don’t bother me. I am even writing this post from inside this setup. Mild wind is blowing. I can hear the chirping of birds. To me relaxing like this is worth more than a million dollars. 

I wish you peace in your life.

---

A few quotes of Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu (604 BC - 531 BC) was a Chinese philosopher and a writer. Below are some of his quotes which are among my favorites. Do not be in a hurry to go through these quotes. Read them slowly and let them assimilate in you. Each and every quote has a potential to transform your life for the better.

"Nature does not hurry,

 Yet everything is accomplished."

"There is no calamity greater than lavish desires.

 There is no guilt greater than discontentment.

 There is no disaster greater than greed."

"Silence is a source of great strength."

"If you are depressed, you are living in the past.

 If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

 If you are at peace, you are living in the present."

"Be content with what you have,

 Rejoice in the way things are.

 When you realize there is nothing lacking,

 The whole world belongs to you."

"The best fighter is never angry."

"He who knows others is wise

 He who knows himself is enlightened."

"Mastering others is strength. 
  Mastering yourself is true power."

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare, or compete, everybody will respect you."

"To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."

"Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner."

"If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away,

 Awaken him with your words, elevate him with your deeds, 

 Repay his injury with your kindness;

 Do not cast him away, cast away his wickedness."

"Water is fluid, soft and yielding.

 But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield.

 As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.

 This is another paradox: what is soft is strong."

"Stop thinking and end your problems".

"If one desires to receive, one must first give.

 This is called profound understanding."

"By letting go, all gets done."

"If you want to become full, let yourself be empty."

"If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place."

"Great acts are made up of small deeds."

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.

 Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow.

 Let reality be a reality.

 Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."

"New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings."

"Clay is shaped into a bowl,

 But it is the empty space that makes it useful."

"Be still like a mountain,

 And flow like a great river."

"Watch your thoughts, they become words.

 Watch your words, they become actions.

 Watch your actions, they become habits.

 Watch your habits, they become character.

 Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."

We are visitors on this planet earth

No one has come on this planet earth who lives forever. We have to leave this earth after we complete our lifespan. We did not bring anything with us when we were born. In the same fashion, when we leave this earth, we have to leave everything.  Have you seen anybody taking anything when leaving this earth? We can’t even take a blade of grass with us. What is the need to hoard much more than our need? You must have heard this quote ''we came to the world with empty hands and we leave the world with empty hands". That is the reality. Whatever we have earned during our lifetime, we have to leave here. We are trustees of things which we have acquired during our lifespan.

We are visitor on this earth for the duration between point A and point B. Compared to eternity, our average lifespan of 80 years or so is negligible. Everything in the world is impermanent. Many of us are caught up in small things which do not matter in a long run. We waste precious time and energy pursuing those little things. If we keep in mind the reality of point B, we will let go those small things. Time is going so fast. Yesterday has gone. Morning has gone. This second has gone. Seeing that everything is going, let go all worries, anxieties, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, etc. This will help us live life peacefully. We are visitor on this earth for a limited time.  Let us utilize this time effectively and make choices wisely in life which leads to happiness. 

The Last Three Wishes of Alexander the Great

I was inspired by this story a lot. Let us learn three lessons which the below story offers:-

Alexander, while returning home after conquering many kingdoms fell mortally ill. While lying on his deathbed, he realized the worthlessness of his vast hoard of gold, silver, and jewels, accumulated through his conquests with his sharp sword and his mighty army.

He longed to reach home. He wanted to have a last look at his mother’s face before departing from this mortal world. But, he knew that his sinking health would not let him reach his distant homeland. He called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail.”

With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king’s last wishes.

“My first wish is that my physicians alone must carry my coffin,” said Alexander.

After a pause, the king continued, “For my second wish is I want the path leading to my grave be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which are in my treasury while my body is being carried to be buried.

The dying king continued, “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin.”

Though the generals wondered at the king’s strange wishes, no one dared to question or ask him the reason for these three wishes.

Alexander’s favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. “O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?”

At this Alexander took a deep breath and said:

“I would like the world to know of these three fundamentals:

I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death.

My second wish to strew gold, silver, and other precious stones on the way to the graveyard is to let the people know that though I spent all my life accumulating riches, not even a grain of gold will come with me when I leave this world. I want people to understand that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

With my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I want people to know that I came empty handed into this world and likewise will go empty handed from this world.”

With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last. . . .

About "Mistake"

I found this sentence in my diary and thought of sharing with you all. I do not know who the original author is. I offer my gratitude to him/her for such a thoughtful sentence -

A mistake is not a mistake if you learn from it.

Trees – Embodiment of endurance and giving

Let us take a few moments to contemplate on how much trees endure and give unconditionally. They endure bitter cold, hot weather, severe storms, fierce winds, heavy rains, etc. They can’t run and hide themselves inside houses when they are faced with such conditions. Not only do they endure, but they give so many things like shade, wood, fruits/nuts, shelter for birds and animals. They also beautify the landscape. We use wood for building furniture and constructing houses. Trees help prevent soil erosion with their deep roots. They give us oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the air to maintain a healthy atmosphere. Dry branches are used for cooking and heating in many parts of the world. We can even use dry leaves as fertilizer for our lawns and gardens after composting them. There are special trees like rubber tree which are used to make natural rubber. Eucalyptus tree is used for eucalyptus oil which has medicinal value. You must have heard about the beauty of cherry blossoms. Can you believe some Sequoia trees are found to be 3,500 old? Do you know that cork, which is used as a stopper for a wine bottle, comes from the bark of the Cork Oak tree? Another tree worth mentioning is the coconut tree. Coconut oil which is extracted from the flesh of coconuts is good for skin and hair. Coconut water which is found inside a young green coconut is full of health benefits.  There are so many other uses of trees which are impossible to narrate them all here. Trees don’t ask for money or appreciation in return.

Can we imagine our lives without fruits? Sometimes we get arrogant and think we have money and we can buy anything. What about if we have money and there are no fruits to buy? For the sake of emphasis, let me list fruits which I have eaten in my lifetime – apple, banana, blackberries, blueberries, figs, guava, grapes, grapefruits, kiwi, mango, melons, papaya, pear, pineapple, oranges, and strawberries. I can’t imagine my life without these juicy tasty fruits.

Can you imagine this earth without trees? How will the landscape look without them? The earth will look so barren. There will be many more severe dust storms. We will lose a lot of top soil due to erosion. Trees are very important for our sustenance. Let us not take them for granted. Protect each tree like a valuable treasure.

Let us learn the value of endurance from trees when we are faced with difficulties in life. O trees of the world! we always took from you and never even bothered to say thank you. We learnt two things from you – the value of endurance and giving. We thank you for teaching us these two values.

O Wind - I offer my gratitude to you

I was looking outside the window of a room and saw flags flying beautifully. But I realized that those flags were flying not because of themselves but because of the wind. Without the wind, they will lie lifeless. The wind had given life to the flags.  We need to appreciate this beautiful gift of nature which is given to us at no cost. Don’t we take the wind for granted?

Some of the gadgets like windmills, wind chimes, hot air balloons, parachutes, etc. will not work without the wind. We will not be able to enjoy beautiful scenes like the swinging of branches of trees, dancing of grass and blowing of dry leaves without the wind. We won’t be able to enjoy flying kites or sailing of boats on rivers/sea without the wind. Doesn't the cool breeze feel good on a hot and humid day? We will be deprived of this sensation without wind. We do not even realize how everything outside will become static and the environment will look so eerie.

So, guys, next time when you go out, feel the wind on your skin. Many times, we are so much caught up in our thoughts, that we don't realize the presence of the wind. Come back to the present moment, observe moving things around you and enjoy and appreciate this gift.

But let us talk about the other side of wind also. The wind which is so pleasant to the skin when it blows gently can cause so much havoc and destruction when it blows fiercely. It can uproot houses, trees, break down power lines and even take away lives. Maybe, the wind is trying to tell us that “I am not just a silent and meek witness but have the potential to destroy many things.”  So please respect nature. Follow rules in life which nurture nature. Let us not take this wind for granted. Be aware of this free and precious gift. Enjoy! 

Listed below are some of the YouTube videos showing the presence of wind:

The Wind in the Corn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIRo-nOyOlc

Wheat field blowing in the wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7RO4Tm_PTA

18 Minutes of Wind Blowing through Trees:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNk1B8H4wmQ

Grass moving in the Wind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UujsfrHYgX0

10 Incredible Wind Power Facts: 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/10-wind-power-facts.htm

O wind, you have given so much to us. I offer my gratitude to you.

Wonder in sprouting of seeds

Please pick up any seed today. Put it on your palm. Notice carefully. Do you see any plant or a tree in there? No. You sow it in the soil and put appropriate water in it. When the environment is appropriate, lo and behold, a sprout comes out after a few days from the seemingly lifeless object. This is the biggest mystery or a wonder you may call it. From where the sprout has come from and how? There was no sign of a sprout when we had examined it.  Our intellect can’t grasp this process of sprouting. I will just stop here and I will let you wonder too!

p.s. This picture is taken from the internet to enhance the meaning of the post. It is not for any profit.

Guide Your Actions by Intellect and not by Your Emotions

Let us look at many examples to understand this point. If dishes need to be washed, we wash them even if we do not want to wash them. We do our homework (for school going children) because it has to be done. We do it even though we do not feel like doing it. Acting in this way will bring control of our mind. We go beyond our likes and dislikes. What we dislike maybe a good thing for us. What we like maybe a bad thing for us. We might like eating junk food. We do not eat it because it is not good for our health. In this scenario, we are acting in a wholesome manner. Our action is not dependent on our likes or dislikes but what is right. Similarly, we eat salad or a fruit whether we like it or not. We can't do something just because we feel like doing it. Action has to be guided by intellect. So many more examples can be given. Let us say I am angry. It is best to keep quiet when I am angry. So we keep silence because that is best in this situation. Even though we want to speak our heart out, we keep quiet because that is the wise thing to do. Action is governed by our intellect and not by our mind. Intellect guides what is right and wrong. Mind is the seat of emotions. In our actions, intellect should have higher priority over our emotions. By governing our life in this way, we will always be doing what is right and refraining ourselves from what is not right. Our life will be guided by values and not by whims of our fancies. This principle can be applied in financial matters also. We know how much we can spend without going in debt so we do not spend more than our limit. Even though we like some expensive dress but we do not buy it because that will keep us out of trouble later on.

Acting in this way, one will have total control over the mind. Without this control, we act in this world as slaves of our minds and not as masters. This is also a type of slavery. So if we want to live like masters, we need to learn to restrain ourselves in both situations.

In the beginning it will be difficult not to act according to our minds. Our likes and dislikes will rule us but slowly and slowly with practice and patience, we will be able to act according to our intellect and not by our minds. Practice and patience are very important in developing this quality. 

Discipline of the “Organ of Speech“

We, the human beings are endowed with a beautiful instrument, the “Organ of Speech”. Animals do not have this instrument. They can only produce a few sounds. So many of us do not realize how fortunate we are to have this ability to communicate with others using the vocal chords, and the words of so many languages.

Four Parameters

Before we speak, we should make sure that

1. It is truth.

2. It does not cause any agitation to others.

3. It is beneficial to others.

4. It is pleasing to others.

That means we cannot speak the truth which is unpleasant or speak untruth which is pleasant.  Of course, there are some exceptions to these rules. A doctor might have to give bad news (which is truth) to the relatives of a patient. That is alright. He is just doing his duty. As a general rule, we should try to follow these four factors in our conversations with our spouses, children, friends or colleagues.

Implications

We should use this instrument with a lot of discipline. The same instrument can either produce havoc in someone's life or it can produce comfort/inspiration/peace in the other’s life.  So much agony can be avoided simply by following the above listed parameters while speaking. So many families have been broken in this world because of uncontrolled talking. Verbal wounds leave deep scars in the heart and take much longer to heal as compared to physical wounds.

Procedure

If you think you are out of control, very agitated or very angry, or you are in a company of an agitated person, the best thing to do is to remain totally silent. Silence is the best antidote. Totally refrain yourself from speaking a single syllable under these situations. This will prevent a lot of misery in the future. Swallow your pride, your ego, drink water and leave the scene. In anger, whatever you will speak will cause further agitation, further turmoil. You must have heard these phrases “Silence is golden” or “One silent person can win against 100 people”. We need to use this speaking power very judiciously.  We should use the speech in a very measured way. We should not fritter away our mental energy by gossiping or unnecessary talking which has no relevance. We should only talk purposefully, with kindness, with minimum words and mean what we say. This avoids a lot of disputes between two people. Sometimes we just argue to prove our superiority over the other person. This ego based talking should be totally avoided. It just brings bitterness in the other person.

We have enough violence in this world. If we can’t reduce it, at least we should try not to increase it. We can do this by refraining ourselves from using harsh or false language at homes or anywhere in the world. When we are abusing words, then we are creating disturbance in other people’s mind, we are creating verbal violence. It is very difficult not to talk when your mind is so eager to talk. It will generate a lot of heat in you. But this is the time to test your patience and perseverance and endurance and not succumb to the desires of your mind. You will show a tremendous sign of self-control. It is very important to have this self-control. We are trying to become self-disciplined human beings who are compassionate towards other human beings. We need this self-discipline of speech to become a better human being. With practice, it will become our nature. That is what we should strive to become.

We are trying to remove even a slightest trace of violence from our system. By using our speech wisely, we are treading the righteous path of non-violence.

Let us take a vow today that we will use this organ of speech judiciously. By doing this, we are contributing towards a violence-free world. Thanks.

Lesson from the Sitar

Tune us the sitar neither low nor high

The string overstretched breaks and the music flies

The string over slack is dim and the music dies

Tune us the sitar neither low nor high

Manifesting Divinity

Manifest your divinity and everything will be harmoniously arranged around you.

I found the above thought in one of my diaries. So thought of sharing with you. Thanks

The Chariot Analogy

Let us learn a lesson of life from these two mantras of Kathopanishad (1.3.3 and 1.3.4). In these two mantras, our body, senses, mind, intellect and the self are compared with a chariot. 
In this analogy:
The chariot stands for the human body
The five horses stand for the five senses (ears, eyes, taste, touch and smell)
The reins stand for the mind
The charioteer stands for the intellect
The rider here is the individual soul.

If the charioteer is not able to control the reins, then reins will not be able to control the horses. When horses are not in control, they will try to go in their own directions as they please resulting in the destruction of the chariot and the rider. 
So with this analogy, it is logical to say -

To reach our destination, we need a fit body, disciplined senses, a controlled mind and a wise intellect. With such an equipped chariot, driven by such a charioteer, the rider will enjoy the smooth ride in this journey of life.

          

Present Moment

All we have is the present moment. Rest are all concepts.