A Milestone to Infinity

2 days ago, I finished another reading of a book - perhaps the one book that I can never put down and one that has had and continues to have the GREATEST influence in my life - The Yoga Vasishta by Swami Venkatesananda.


My first reading started in July 2003 and ended 9 months later. After that I tried hard to restart several times, but wasn't successful until last year when a chat with my teacher made me pick it up again. And 2 days ago, my eyes moist, hand trembling, heart reverberating with gratitude, I read the last paragraph.

At the end I held the book with love and reverence and thanked Guruji from the bottom of my heart for blessing me to be able to finish the book.

Some beautiful things about the Yoga Vasishta :

1. It is a unique scripture. Bhagavad Gita is about God giving his devotee Arjuna the knowledge of life. Yoga Vasishta is about Sage Vasishta narrating the knowledge to Lord Rama himself.

2. If you have deep questions about creation, consciousness etc, this book is a must read. Here are the Sections :

• On Dispassion
• On The Behavior Of A Seeker
  
• On Creation
• On Existence
• On Dissolution
• On Liberation

3. To be read right after kriya/meditation - just 1 page a day.

4. Guruji has this scripture read to him every day.

Available at the following stores :

• Most Art Of Living Divine Shops in India (it is titled "The Supreme Yoga" in India)
• Online in India here or here.
  
• Online on Amazon.com here.
  

I leave you to ponder the last para. Hopefully it will inspire you to begin/continue reading this amazing knowledge :

"Thus I have told you the story of Rama, Oh Bharadwaja. By practice of this yoga, attain supreme bliss. He who constantly listens to this dialogue between Rama and Vasishta is liberated, whatever be the circumstances of his life, and he attains the knowledge of Brahman".

On Dispassion......the journey continues.....

Jai Guru Dev,

He Is Coming :-)

Guruji will be in town Jan 12 - 14th 2010, just 2 months to go :-) :-). Its been 2 years since He came to Pune and we are all understandably excited !

Details : http://www.artoflivingpune.org/antarnaad/event.asp

Jai Guru Dev,

This Path

Interesting thing spirituality - the promise of enlightenment - something that can only be experienced, never explained.

But also a practical way to live life through its trials and tribulations.

A promise of a deep dive into the unknown or just a simple way to handle the next tough situation.

Simple yet complex, encompassing the micro and the macro, the good and bad.

Something for everyone - from the utterly innocent to the complicated intellectual - everyone can take a dip and take it from there.

Something so attainable yet requiring so much effort.

Something that brings about outward compassion, and inner unshakable strength.

So tangible yet so abstract.

Meant to help with addictions but such a sweet addiction in itself.

Seemingly the end of all things bad and unnecessary in life
Yet the beginning of a seemingly endless journey in itself.

Providing answers to the seemingly simple questions of life
Yet throwing up deep mysterious unanswerable questions of its own .

Right in this moment yet a quadrillion light years away .
In every atom and yet encompassing the entire cosmos.

Attainable by the humble cobbler and the Nobel prize winning physicist.

Destiny brings one to it but only self effort moves one along.

So universal yet so personal. Taking everyone along yet one has to walk alone.

Seemingly everything and yet nothing at the same time.
Beauty of a nature unexperienced before.

Love unfathomable. Grace unlimited.

Whatever it is , life is incomplete without it.

And yet my head is buried in the sand
A small speck in my eye obscuring infinity :-)

Jai Guru Dev,

Om Namah Shivaya Chanting - Join Us

The Swine Flu crisis is a problem all over the world, but here in Pune India, it has truly become a crisis. Death is always tragic - more so when school children are involved. Each passing day brings more bad news of people infected and patients succumbing to the deadly flu. Schools, malls etc. are being closed down in large numbers. The city which is usually a hubbub of human activity is slowly taking on a small-town look-and-feel with people venturing out only when absolutely necessary. Parents are panicking since the papers are reporting that the only available medicine causes serious side-effects in younger children.

Enuf Bad News !


Some of us Art Of Living satsangees in Pune are organizing a 24-hour Om Namah Shivaya relay chanting to pray for the quick recovery of those directly affected by the flu, to strengthen our own minds and to pray to the Divine that this frightening crisis may pass quickly.

The response has been overwhelming. About a 100 folks from across the globe have each(or in groups) picked a 30 minute slot starting Thu Aug 13th 4:00 AM IST so that we can cover a 24 hour window ending Fri Aug 14th 4:00 AM IST.

• You chant On Namah Shivaya at home or wherever you are. There is NO need to congregate at a specific location. In fact if you live in Pune, it is not recommended to get together in groups.
  
• You can chant alone or with family/friends
• Pick at least 1 30 minute slot / more. Please NOTE the timings are all IST. If outside India, please convert to your specific time zone before picking a time slot using www.time.gov or some such similar website.
  

The following time slots (IST = Indian Standard Time) are still available if you are interested in joining :

• Fri Aug 14th 1:30 - 2:00 AM (taken)
  
• Fri Aug 14th 3:00 - 3:30 AM

Of course if these timings do not work for you you may pick any 30 minute slot in the 24 hour window specified above.

I do realize this is awfully short notice ! Please leave a comment with your time slot if you are joining.

Jai Guru Dev,

My Enlightened Helmet

I feel almost foolish writing this post, but hey - how bout some frivolity once in a while :) ?

Something ain't right :) . I thought inanimate objects are further away from a desire to get enlightened than us humans. My headgear has been busy proving me wrong !

Last year I owned a helmet that I did not much fancy. I longed for one with a visor in the front - the kind that looks a little cooler. It was May 13th - you know the significance of that day. I went to Vikram Bhaiyya's satsang in Pune and lost myself completely in the divine music and upon returning home realized I had lost my helmet too. Attempts to find it were in vain.

Secretly I was happy as I could get a new helmet !


Recently by Guruji's grace, I (re)started going to satsang regularly. Owing to the rains in Pune, i wore my helmet each time. It has happened to me consistently over the last 3 weeks, so I refuse to believe it is a coincidence. Every single time I return from satsang, my helmet stays behind. Upon reaching home, I realize it and frantically text a friend there to pick it up for me. Yesterday was the third time and it had me thinking.

Is my helmet's longing for satsang stronger than mine :) ? Sure looks like it !

A friend jokingly remarked yesterday - Its already Hollow and Empty !

Amen to that !

Jai Guru Dev