Laugh a lot

As children, we used to laugh a lot. Every small thing seemed funny and tickled our funny bones. Whether it was the way someone dressed or the way someone spoke, we would find everything funny. And yet our laughter was very innocent and not the least malicious. In fact, our laughter was also infectious as it made others also smile and laugh along with us. In this manner, we ourselves were happy and created a happy world around us.

As we grew older and 'wiser', we started taking things more seriously. We started becoming more analytical and skeptical. Some of us even became cynical. We started smiling less and scowling more. Things that once made us laugh now seemed silly and childish. Some of us even show our 'maturity' by controlling our laughter. We feel that people may take advantage of us if we laugh too much or too often.

Laughing is healthy. The amount of stress that we adults accumulate in our day to day lives needs to be released. Laughter is probably the best and the cheapest way to do it and have fun at the same time. No wonder then that laughter clubs are mushrooming all over. All the pent up frustration and suppressed laughter are released in these clubs without any inhibitions. People feel relaxed after a good round of laughter.
However, it is not necessary to join a club to laugh. It only needs a tweak in our attitude and approach. We can literally laugh our way to good health. When we laugh our body generates and releases a lot of positive and good enzymes which not only makes us feel good but also healthy.

On a different level also, laughter makes sense. If we reflect on this world and all its ups and downs, one can really feel like laughing. Realise that everything around us is temporary and neither good nor bad situations will last forever. Therefore, when life does seem stressful, use this understanding to laugh your troubles away. People who have reached the pinnacle of knowledge will tend to laugh at every situation.

"Laughter is a tranquilliser with no side effects" - Arnold Glasow

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" – Victor Borge

"Between the laughing and the weeping philosopher there is no opposition: the same facts that make one laugh makes one weep" - George Santayana

"A young man who has not wept is a savage and the old man who will not laugh is a fool" – Confucious

Signs of true knowledge

What construes true knowledge? Whom can we call as truly wise?

Is this represented by a string of degrees from reputed colleges and institutions? Or does it reflect on people having depth of specialisation on specific subjects without necessarily having a formal qualification? Better still, do we find it in people who have reached the pinnacle of their respective careers?

Then, there are people who are often recognised for their talents and feted for the same. We also have many guys who have up-to-date information on their finger tips and are consulted widely. There are also some deep thinkers and philosophers who could be considered for this.

The moot question to address is - what is knowledge? Awareness of information or statistics cannot be called as true knowledge however important or vital they may be. True knowledge is beyond all this. It is not based on the respect some people command due to their skills, talents or position. True knowledge is indeed reflected only by the way people behave. After all, knowledge has to get translated into ones character.

A person who is truly knowledgeable will realise that we are all made up of the same elements and a soul and are essentially the same. Differences which are perceived are only a result of our minds working with a delusion. Such a person realises the transient nature of life and is not fiercely competing for personal growth.

Such a person will act and behave very differently. She will have only unconditional love for everyone around. She will be compassionate, kind and helpful. She will be extraordinarily generous and extremely humble. She will be equipoised and calm. She will smile often and have enormous and complete faith in the Lord Almighty.

A truly wise person lives an uncompromising life of values.

Praise me not

In the Srimad Bhagvatam, there is a story of a King called Prithu who ruled the world . He was considered as an avatar or part incarnation of the Lord Himself. The earth was barren then and it was this king who forced the earth to yield food grains, fruits etc. The earth is called Prithvi (in Sanskrit) because of this king. When his subjects, in their joy, came to sing his praises this is what he had to say "Praise me not".

"Praises, while they sound pleasing to the ears, are actually slow / sweet poison. People generally tend to go overboard when praising someone and it soon takes the flavour of flattery. The person being praised gets carried away and starts believing what others say about him. This leads him into a kind of fools paradise where he starts living in an imaginary world."

"Rather than praise, tell me what are my shortcomings. Help me to identify defects which I may tend to overlook or ignore. If you really care for me, tell me how I can be a better human being, a better leader and a better person. Do not lull me into a sense of complacency by speaking positive words. I know fully well that I am imperfect and help me to progress towards perfection."

What a wonderful lesson for each one of us!!

Most of us seek the exact opposite. We crave for positive strokes. We hate critics and criticism. Perhaps we do not have the strength of character, self confidence or mental toughness to face the negative feedback. However, if we cultivate this attitude and welcome criticism and shun praise we could become great indeed.

"Flattery is like chewing gum. Enjoy it but don't swallow it." Hank Ketcham

"If you are not criticized , you may not be doing much" Donald Rumnsfeld

Not mine, not mine

There was once a jobless poverty stricken man. He lived a difficult life on the charity of others and had little to call his own. He had very few friends. One day a friend offered him a tip to invest in a particular share in the stock market which was quoting at a very low price. So, this guy went around and borrowed some money and invested. Very soon the share price reached dizzy levels and he sold it to make a tidy profit after repaying the loan. Often after that he consulted his friend and made investments in the stock markets and in less than a year, he could call himself rich owning a nice house, car and a good holding of shares.

After that he became a regular in the stock markets. He spent his days watching the movements of share prices and his nights in luxury. There came a time when the value of his share holding reached a very high level and he was delirious with joy. Some time after that, the sub prime crisis erupted and the markets started crashing. He was optimistic and was hoping for the prices to recover. However, it kept going down each day making him desperate and miserable. On some days there would be a slight improvement and he would smile but then the prices would fall and he would frown.

In many ways, his happiness or sorrow seemed to be directly linked to the share prices. He had forgotten that he was once a pauper with nothing of his own. Now he felt that he was losing something.

In many ways we are like this man. A lot of us have days when we feel miserable. It could be triggered by a variety of causes like loss of something or someone precious, break up of a relationship, failure in something that we attempted to do, being unfairly treated by someone etc. When such a time comes, we react in a varied ways. Some of us go into a shell and refuse to communicate, some sob their hearts out, some find solace in sharing their misery with some trusted person, some drown their sorrows by resorting to artificial supplements like wine etc.

When we came into this world we came all alone with no possession and even when we leave this world it will be likewise. We will not be taking our wealth, our relations, our ambitions etc. with us. Everything emerges and dissolves in this earth. Our true happiness does not and should not depend on external matter / events. Ignorance is the root cause of all misery. If we think about it in a dispassionate manner nothing should really make us sad.

The mourning / celebration etc. are all a result of our minds. When we think something nice has happened or is going to happen, we feel happy and vice versa. So, our 'thinking' is really responsible for our state of mind. In other words, we can program our minds to think that everything is fine as it is. We need not worry, fret or fume about things. We can position ourselves as mere witness to the drama unfolding. We can choose to remain uninvolved and blissful.

We should think that we own nothing and that nothing belongs to us. We should keep repeating in our minds the mantra "Not mine, not mine" in order to slowly and steadily disassociate ourselves with everything. This will insulate us from sorrow without preventing us from enjoying what is available. We should treat life like how we go to an entertainment park. We should be aware that we are here for a short time and should learn to live life blissfully without clinging to it.

Control yourself !!

We are surrounded by temptations all the time. Our minds get attracted to things that we see, smell, hear etc. Each one of us has our weaknesses and we inevitably succumb to it. Our senses seem to control us and our minds rather than us being in control. We thus lead lives as slaves to our senses. All our actions and thoughts seem to revolve around these temptations and we end up doing many silly and regrettable things to live and re-live the experience.

We sometimes do detestable things when our mind is weak and not fully in control. We become provoked or angry and say harsh words or become violent. Relationships that are built and nurtured over a long time are broken in a fit of momentary madness. We lie and cheat to get sense gratification. We break the trust of those around us. We waste our lives chasing things that would never satisfy us completely or add value to our lives. It is almost like trying to extinguish a fire by pouring fuel.

Most of us do not have a will power so strong that we can give up our secret desires. If we think about it, these desires have arisen in us only due to our encouragement and our experiences. Over time and life times, these become hard coded tendencies and habits which are difficult to break. Even if realise the issue intellectually, we may not take the steps necessary to overcome it. Some of us could be in a denial mode and never acknowledge the problem.

Lord Krishna, in His parting advice to beloved devotee and friend Uddhava, said "Control your speech, mind, organs and the impure intellect with the purified intellect. Then you will no more return to the world". He further said that for the person who has not controlled his mind, speech and intellect, the good work done in the form of vows, charity and austerities leak out as water flows out from an unbaked jar.

Unless we have a control over ourselves, our emotions, our thoughts, our desires and our passions how can we succeed in our ventures? We can achieve this control only by firm resolve and strong discipline. If we can visualise the benefits and imagine our new improved personality without the baggage of temptations, we would find it easier to strengthen our mind. We could also seek external help and facilitation from someone we trust to help us in the process. Hypnosis, meditation and yoga can also work wonders.

Control yourself and enjoy success.

"A learned man's knowledge will be of no avail if he does not have control over his tongue" - Kabir

"Non-control of senses is the path of ruin. Control of the senses is the path of prosperity. A man of self-control can move freely." - Chanakya

"Without controlling ourselves, we can never hope to control others" - Vishwanath Seshadri

Did you pray today?

What is a prayer? When people say they pray what exactly do they do?

I haven't done a research on this and what I write here is more an introspection and a reflection than anything else. As I understand, most people try to connect with their preferred Deity when they pray. They use this as an occasion to thank the Almighty for blessings received, seek support for resolution of problems and ask for specific desires to be fulfilled.

When we pray, we remember our Lord and acknowledge His supremacy. Some people pray by chanting His names or singing songs in praise of Him. Over time various elaborate processes have been created for conduct during prayer. The simplest prayer is one wherein the eyes are closed, the hands are held together and the mind is focused on the Lord. Of course, there are people who pray with their eyes wide open and lips sealed. One can pray at any location or occasion. Any format is acceptable to Him.

Lord Krishna, in the Bhagvad Gita, says that four types of people pray - the distressed, the seeker of boons, the seeker of knowledge and the wise. While all of these people are on the right path and are dear to Him, it is the wise person who prays without any desires who is the dearest to the Lord.

So, what should one pray for? Asking for material things is pointless because it is short lived. Also, the human mind is such that it never gets satisfied. So, one tends to keep asking for more and more. Moreover, like children, we sometimes ask / crave for things which are not good for us. Our minds are not so evolved as to ask for the rights things and the things that are in our interest.

If one believes that there is an Almighty who is our creator, who is fair & just, who knows everything and who cares & loves all his children, do we need to ask for anything? Does He not know what is good for us and give it to us without our asking? Does He not care for our spiritual and emotional growth and plans our lives accordingly?

Yet, there is something that is beyond even His control. This is our mind and our actions. If at all we should seek anything, it should be a pure mind which is grateful for His grace & mercies. We should also seek His grace to ensure that we never stray from the path of the righteous and always do actions which are right. For without His grace, we can get bewildered and confused and do things which we may regret or repent later.

Most of us pray. Some do this as a matter of routine every day while some pray occasionally. If we truly believe in Him, we should be praying every moment of our lives. Irrespective of what happens to us, we should remember Him. We should especially pray when we good things happens to us for that is the time when we naturally tend to get carried away and forget Him. When we tune our minds in this manner, we can say our mind is one with Him.

Our bodies will die one day but when our hearts are filled with His thoughts and prayers, we merge with the Supreme Lord. So, pray every day and every moment.

"A prayer is not a 'spare wheel' that you pull out when you are in trouble; It is a 'steering wheel' that directs you in the right path throughout your life" - Anonymous

Purpose of education

Most of us, as children, went to school as a matter of routine. We did not think then of alternative methods of learning or even about the purpose of learning. We learnt subjects which were in the curriculum whether or not they would have any future relevance in our lives. After schooling, we chose streams of learning based on our aptitude, constraints etc. Those courses which resulted in great career opportunities and high paying jobs turns out to be the most popular. Come to think of it, education today is more for earning rather than for learning.

I would like to submit that education should help us to learn how to live and not just about how to make a living. Unfortunately, this aspect is grossly neglected in most career oriented courses today. This results in people competing fiercely for high paying positions. We also see unscrupulous methods widely employed by people both in careers as well as professions. People who call themselves as professionals do not seem to think that they need to show integrity in their approach.

For example, we see a nexus between pharma companies, doctors and medical centers whereby doctors prescribe unnecessary tests or medication for their patients who trust them. Perhaps these doctors have spent a lot of money and time to get their degrees and are in a hurry to recover it. Likewise, we see nexus between policemen, politicians, underworld, legal practitioners, media, judiciary etc. If we look around, we find a dearth of basic honesty and are unable to decide whom to trust.

The purpose of education should be to help us understand who we are, what our real goal is and what we need to do to reach there. Career is not the main purpose of our lives. It is only something that we do while we are in this earth to contribute to the sustenance of the society. There is an urgent need for academics to discuss and revamp our education system.

A good education system should lay adequate emphasis on inculcating values into our lives. Integrity should become the foundation on which we build our lives and careers. If the basic platform of integrity is missing, our careers, society and everything will become shaky and will crumble at the slightest of shocks or tremors. A good education system should help in building character and making us spiritual.

Do you agree?

Everlasting happiness!!

It is that time of the year when one gets flooded with mails and messages conveying best wishes for a happy new year. I wish my readers very happy times ahead. But rather than merely wishing you, dear reader, I would like to also share with you some thoughts on how to be happy. And what we should do to be happy always.

Happiness is not something that is based on a certain event happening. It is not based on being with loved ones, having our intense desires fulfilled, on earning huge amount of wealth or spending it, on travelling to exotic places etc. Indeed, we do get pleasure when these things happen but this pleasure is short lived and very temporary in nature. In a short while, we seek some other pleasures as the existing pleasure ceases to satisfy. It is very much like children who get excited and happy on seeing a toy but soon lose interest in it and develop a desire for some other toy.


Happiness is essentially a state of mind wherein we feel complete and satisfied with what we have. What we do not have does not bother us. What others have or do not have does not gladden or sadden us. Wherever we are placed in life, whatever be our circumstances, we are in a state of permanent bliss. If we achieve that state of mind, we become happiness personified and radiate bliss all around us.

So on this happy occasion (all occasions can be happy occasions if we choose it to be so), I wish you happiness always. Whether the sun is shining or rain is pouring, whether it is hot or cold, whether you are young or old, whether are you richer or poorer, whether you have company or are alone, be happy.

Be happy always.

Heaven on earth

If someone was to ask you to describe earth in one word, what would that be?

Some say that the earth is akin to heaven with beautiful natural spots, many man made wonders, luxuries to spoil us, comforts and conveniences, fantastic gourmet food, lovely people, so many sports and games to amuse us, music and fine arts to entertain us etc. Truly, we can enjoy life to its fullest whilst still in this earth. It is difficult to imagine how much more heavenly can it get. One can spend a lifetime of bliss right here (if only we can afford it).

On the other hand, people who have experienced the murkier side of life would say that the earth is a veritable hell with mindless violence aimed at maiming and hurting people, cheating aimed at depriving others of what is rightfully theirs, lying and deceit to fulfil selfish desires, filth and pollution created by modern day urban living, wanton destruction of natural wealth etc. People whom we believe to be decent or honest sometimes surprise us by behaving otherwise. Don’t we see this all around us? We do not need to go anywhere else to suffer for our sins. We create hell in earth with our sins.

So, in this very earth, we can discover our heaven or find our hells. It all depends on what we choose to do. There are some like Mother Teresa who create heaven wherever they go. They spread joy. They take very little but give a lot. They are selfless. They have no desire but to see happiness and smiles filling up everyone’s lives. They touch everyone positively and leave pleasant memories for people to bask in. Such people are rare indeed. The vast majority of people are living in their own small worlds, tied up in their own little desires & problems and eking out a miserable existence.

What stops us from reaching those heights? What prevents us from transforming ourselves from the ordinary to the extra-ordinary? What does it take for us to convert the entire earth into a heaven of peace, harmony and joy? All it takes is to become less self-centered and care more for others around us. Let’s lead lives that are less complicated and demanding. Let us embrace simple living. Let us care for our fellow beings and revel in seeing happiness in others.

Then, my friends we can say that there is heaven in earth.

Eco-friendly living

The hot topic which causes concerns across the world today is not terrorism but global warming. Terrorism is a pain but the impact of global warming will be devastating. Glaciers will melt, sea levels will rise, weather will become more unpredictable, alternating flood and drought conditions will make life miserable, food shortages will be rampant etc. Life in this lovely planet will no longer be the same unless we take immediate steps.

The sense of urgency is felt across nations as people are seeing the direct impact of global warming. Various nations are discussing the steps to be taken and there is negotiation on who is responsible and who will sacrifice how much.

A few days ago I met a man named Venkatachalam who lives near my home. He shocked me by saying that he does not use any appliances at home. He has no refrigerator, washing machine, microwave oven, mixer / grinder, air conditioner etc. Since he is quite well off, I wanted to know the reason for this frugal lifestyle. He said that he is doing his bit to reduce global warming. I was truly impressed.

Global warming has been caused by each one of us by living lives which are not eco-friendly. If we take stock of what all we do during our typical days, we will realise that there are many things we do which have an adverse impact on the environment. Whether it is using of harmful chemicals in our soap or toothpaste, whether it is in the use of mobile phones which emit harmful radiation, whether it is in the wasteful consumption of electricity - there are many different innovative methods available to harm the environment. We mistakenly think science and technology have made the quality of our lives better and more enriched. If we think deeply, we realise that technology has introduced convenience to us which comes at great cost.

The responsibility of reducing global warming is with each one of us. We have to take stock of our lives like my friend Venkatachalam and make necessary changes and sacrifices for the common good. Every effort is useful and one should not wait for others to do the needful. I am reminded of a story from the Ramayana about a squirrel which contributed its mite to the construction of a bridge across the ocean. The mighty monkey army of Lord Rama was carrying large boulders and dumping them on the ocean. The tiny squirrel was wetting its body, rolling in the sand and then running to the bridge and shaking its body thereby dropping the sand on the bridge. Even Lord Rama was touched by its act.

It is time for us to do our bit by changing our lifestyle. Let us make a pledge today that we will give up habits and practices which are not eco-friendly. It could be as simple as not using plastic bags or turning the tap off when brushing your teeth. We will also cultivate habits and do acts that have a positive impact. Not only will we make changes in our lives but also encourage others around to do the same.

If you agree, please write in your comments to this blog as to what specifically you want to do in your life towards the aim of eco-friendly living.