Life Lessons from the Bhagvad Gita

 

The Bhagvad Gita caters to the entire range of human evolution. It stands for poise and equanimity and for performing one’s designated duty. There are seven important lessons Lord Krishna has given in the Bhagvad Gita that we should all remember.

Honour Existence: The Bhagvad Gita says that the Universe is made up of eight elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether (space), mind, intellect, and consciousness. The five sheaths to human existence are the environment, physical body, prana or energy, mind and consciousness. So, the whole universe is an individual part, and we are part and parcel of the universe.

Peaceful Fight: Krishna tells Arjuna to fight but be in peace at the same time. He says, “First, go inside and cleanse yourself. Do not fight with hatred, but fight for justice; fight with equanimity.”

Mind your Mind: The Gita says, “Your own mind is responsible for your bondage and for your liberation.” Your mind keeps changing all the time. If your mind is trained well through sadhana (spiritual practices), it befriends and helps you. Otherwise, your own mind behaves like an enemy.

Karma Yoga: Liberation is acquired by nishkama-karma - action done without any feverishness or attachment to the fruits of the action. Karma yoga is doing work with total responsibility.

Stop the hurt: Lord Krishna first hurts Arjuna by saying, “What a coward you are to want to run from the battlefield?” But Arjuna doesn’t argue. When you feel hurt, don’t shut down. Look into the situation. If a wise person’s actions, or someone you have a lot of regard for, hurts you, then know that it is for some good reason. If a friend is hurting you, know that some karma is getting released. If the hurt is coming from an ignorant person, then have compassion. These three attitudes can make your whole personality shine.

You are sukha: Remember that that which is temporary is sorrowful. Sukha (happiness) is inside you. Don’t look for happiness in that which is temporary, fleeting and changing. Joy and happiness are only in that which does not change.

Witness the Flow of Time: The relevance of Gita is in observing the flow of events in your life. That is ‘sakshi’! Look at your past — Is it not a dream? Similarly, another 20 years will pass. Remembering that, “Whether unpleasant or pleasant things are happening, I am a witness to it. My mind getting caught up in it is also part of the happening; I am witness to that too.” This is how you rise above any situation.

Just like how the air comes and blows everything away, in the same way, all of life’s events come and go. But what is essential is that you should not get stuck anywhere, move ahead and put in your efforts. Whatever is yours will come to you for sure.

On world water day, March 22

 

Rivers have been the lifeline of all civilizations; no wonder they are considered sacred across cultures. In India, the Ganga symbolizes knowledge, Yamuna was known for love stories, Narmada stood for bhakti, knowledge and logic, Saraswati for brilliance and architecture, and India got its name from the Sindhu.

Sanskrit has a beautiful word for water, apa and the word aptha means ‘that which is born out of water’. Aptha also means ‘the dearest one’. So it’s the same word for both ‘the dear one’ and ‘water.’ Sixty to 70 per cent of our body is made up of the water element. You need water vapour in the atmosphere; you need certain amount of humidity in the atmosphere. And you need water to drink as a fluid. Whether you dig deep into the Earth or you look above the Earth, there is groundwater and water contained in rain clouds. Just imagine a world bereft of clouds. There needs to be no reiteration of the fact that life will not survive.

In a land where water was recognized as the basis of life force and rivers were considered sacred, we’ve come a long way from worshipping, venerating and nurturing our rivers, to polluting them with all kinds of toxic substances. Waters of many rivers are not potable and many other rivers are polluted or are drying up.

An intimate relationship with nature is built into the human psyche. Historically, nature, mountains, rivers, trees, the sun, the moon — have always been honored. It’s only when we start moving away from our connection to nature and our own selves, that we begin polluting and destroying the environment.

According to ancient scriptures, we have five sheaths, physical environment, physical body, mind, intuitive sheath, and the Self. Our connection with the environment is the most important one. A clean and positive environment can affect all the other layers of existence. When there’s harmony in these layers, there’s a greater sense of peace and connectedness.

Spirituality has the power to check greed. It elevates one’s consciousness and brings a sense of caring and commitment for the whole planet. Spirituality elevates our consciousness. It opens our eyes to the beauty of nature, encourages us to revere nature and life and helps bring more joy and celebration into our lives. A spiritual outlook and sensitivity is essential to foster environmental consciousness.

Do not look for God somewhere in the sky, but see God in the mountains, water, trees and animals. When a seeker can honor the sanctity of the environment, then he can experience the same sanctity in his own mind. For the one who has transcended his mind, all time, every place and every mood is anyway sacred. (March 22 is World Water Day).

A good leader has a mission and a vision

What are the qualities of a good leader? How can you be a dynamic, confident and an enthusiastic leader? A major aspect of good leadership is letting go of control. Are you in control when you’re sleeping or when you’re dreaming? No! Are you in control of any other function in your body? Your heart is pumping all by itself. Are you in control of the sun and moon moving around the earth or even the earth rotating on its axis? Are you in control of the thoughts that come into your head? So, when you realize you really do not have any control over all major things that are happening in your life then you will realize that the idea that you are in control is an illusion. And this will relax you.

A leader sets an example. He doesn’t just order things; he does it first so that others can do it. A good leader is the one who creates leaders and not followers. He takes good care of those whom he is leading. He delegates responsibility. A leader does not worry about position. The respect that one gains through virtue is very different from the respect one gains through the position. The respect you get through a position is short-lived and temporary. But the respect that you gain because of your virtues, your attitude, is there with you all the time. You may be a chairman of this committee, a president of that committee, or you may be a barrister here or a governor of some state — these are all momentary, temporary. These positions come and go. And the respect you get because of this position is not genuine, it is not from the heart, it is not true. But the respect you gain because you are a nice person is genuine, it lasts long.

A leader should have a fine balance of listening to the head as well as the heart. If you mix your head and heart, you are in a mess! When you have to work, you work with commitment and you live with your head. In life, in situations other than when you are working, listen to your heart. Self-judgment is an obstacle. Don’t judge yourself. When you judge yourself, you are judging others too. Then your mind oscillates like a pendulum. Judgment is very similar to self-blame and blaming others.

A good leader is one who does not care for comfort, but who stretches himself beyond the comfort zone. Anything creative, dynamic and great can happen only when you stretch beyond your comfort zone where you are often stuck. You think you cannot do something: just make an effort and put one step ahead, and you will find that you are expanding your comfort zone. Creativity transcends your comfort zone.

A leader should have a long term vision and should have short term plans to work on it. A leader should have integrity and should be sincere in wishing well for the country before oneself. That amount and that sense of sacrifice is needed. A good leader should be ‘satya-darshi’ (truthful), ‘sam-darshi‘ (equanimous), ‘priya-darshi’ (having a pleasant personality), ‘par-darshi’ (transparent) and ‘door-darshi‘ (farsighted). A leader should have a mission and a vision and a spirit of sacrifice, compassion and commitment.

Let our lives blossom with the colours of enthusiasm and love

 

On the day of Holi, our life too should blossom with the colours of enthusiasm and love. Our face should glow with happiness and our voice should resonate with sweetness. Such should be the colour of life — the colour that springs from deep faith in the Divine.

We should play Holi with vivid, fragrant and beautiful colours of life, not with muddy water and chemicals. We should not celebrate this festival with inauspicious colours of anger, craving, greed, attachment, aversions and lust. Every time you are negative, you transmit those negative vibrations. Challenges come, people with different mindsets come, but when you expand your vision and see your life from a broader perspective, you will let go of all these small issues that seem to be so significant to you right now. Lights of different colours are glowing within each person. In some the lamp of anger is glowing, in some it is the lamp of jealousy etc. Save your mind at all costs.

The second thing is, know that they may not be like that forever. With time, they might change. Wait for some time, make some more effort. If they change, it is good, but if they don’t, just move on. And the third option is to accept them, ‘Okay, let them be. They are going to bring out better skills from within me.' They bring out greater communication skills, test how positive you are and how grounded you are. The last thing is to leave it to the Almighty. Just look within you, how many negative qualities do you have, and how many positive? What is it that you need to improve yourself?

The question about how others should improve, leave it to them. If you can, educate them, but do so with compassion. Pray that their life becomes better. Those who trouble others are actually suffering themselves, and are hurt or wounded in some way. Such people give misery and suffering to others around them. A person who is happy and content will never trouble anyone else in any way.

Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite song was, “Ishwar Allah Tero Naam, Sabko Sanmati De Bhagwaan’ — Let everyone’s mind and intellect be pure and be channeled in the right direction.” Whatever you do, Nature brings you back more of it. If you give misery to others, you get that back, if you give happiness, you get that back, and if you share a little bit of what you have with others, it comes to you multi-fold. All specimens are needed on this planet. They make the world more colourful. They push certain buttons in you and evoke certain emotions in you - see how you act or react to it. Tell them, ‘Hey! Wake up! Laugh and Smile.’ We should become such that wherever we go, the fragrance of love and happiness spreads from within us.

Regardless of the events or circumstances, remain steady and established in the Self; happy and blissful. If we have inner contentment, not only will we be able to fulfil our own desires, but we will also be able to fulfil the wishes of others. Holi is a festival of fun and frolic, of happiness. And this colour of life should drive us to do some good work for the society and nation. So don’t play Holi where you only apply colours on each other. Make it a festival where you are coloured in the magic of your soul.

(First published in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar | Let our lives blossom with the colours of enthusiasm and love (firstpost.com))

Miracles in the life of Lord Krishna

A lot of miracles happened in the life of Lord Krishna. But at the same time, he also had a blessing or you can call it a curse also, in a way. The moment a miracle would happen, people would instantly forget about it for around one year. So for example, if some miracle would have happened today, everyone would forget about it and they would be able to remember it only after one year! Have you heard about this? This is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam (texts of Sanskrit literature, with its primary focus on bhakti - religious devotion - to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna). It is said that after being a witness to any of the magnificent manifestations of the Lord, people would forget about it in the next minute.

So when Lord Krishna danced on the head of Kaliya (the many headed serpent), after witnessing this when the people returned to their homes, everybody forgot about the miracle and went about doing their work as if nothing had happened. It was ordained that his miracles would be forgotten, only to be remembered after one year had passed. Some say it was a blessing, and some say it was a curse from Lord Brahma (the Creator among the holy Trinity) that people’s memory would be veiled whenever a miracle happened. 

Whenever any calamity would befall Gokul (Lord Krishna’s village), the residents would gather and chant, ‘Om Namo Narayana’, and pray to Lord Narayana (Lord Vishnu) to save their young Krishna and prevent any harm from happening to Him. So everyone in Vrindavan would pray and chant, ‘Om Namo Narayana’, for the safety of Yadukul Nandan (meaning a descendant of the clan of Yadus, here, Lord Krishna). They would also pray to Lord Shiva for the safety and well-being of their young Krishna. So all the miraculous events that happened then, whether it was the slaying of Shakatasur (a demon), or that of Putana (a demoness sent by Krishna’s uncle, Kansa, to kill Him as an infant); all these would be forgotten by people in a matter of a few seconds. And they would remember it only after a year had passed. As a result of this, people would keep talking about the past events. So goes the story from the Srimad Bhagavatam.

It would appear from reading the Srimad Bhagavatam that the times of Lord Krishna were filled with fun, frolic, happiness, love and devotion. But, along with this there is a lot of vairagya (dispassion) as well. If you wish to understand dispassion, you should refer the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Srimad Bhagavatam is a very rare and extraordinary confluence of Vairagya (dispassion) and Anuraga (love), knowledge and devotion, even though it seems to be so contradictory to each other. 

Lord Krishna was the center of attraction. But along with Lord Krishna was Lord Balarama (Lord Krishna’s elder brother) and he represents great strength and power. People are mostly scared of great strength. Usually where there is attraction and love, one also experiences weakness or helplessness. Though love is the greatest strength, yet it can also make a person feel very weak. And if someone only sees this weakness that comes from love, then they run away from it. Then it transforms into hatred. So Lord Krishna is the center of attraction and the fountain of love, while Lord Balarama represents dignity and strength. Both always go hand in hand.

Also, Lord Krishna could not be without Radha. That is why I said that there is weakness in love as well. Radha is a Shakti, Radha was not a person. She represents Lord Krishna’s strength, the strength of love. And Lord Balarama represents power, who walks with Lord Krishna wherever he goes. It is said ‘Nirbal ke Balaram’ (the strength of those who are weak). Just as Lord Rama offers shelter to the weak and helpless, the same goes for Lord Balarama who signifies the strength of Lord Krishna, and is always by his side.

Where there is love, there will be longing. Where there is longing, there will surely be love. Both go together. There is longing because there is love. In the same way, love brings with it great strength also – Lord Balarama. Lord Balarama circumambulated the Earth many times and connected himself with every part of the Earth. But Lord Krishna just stayed where he was and smiled, and the entire Earth revolved around Him. One has to make efforts to attain strength, but for love one need not go anywhere or do anything. You can be immersed in love wherever you are. Lord Balarama signifies effort and hard work, while Lord Krishna symbolizes deep rest. And in that deep rest love dawns within you.

Love cannot be found by making efforts, rather by doing nothing. But strength comes only by making efforts and striving hard. Sitting idle and doing nothing will not give you great strength. To achieve capability or excellence in any field, you will have to work hard and strive hard. If you wish to play the Sitar, you will have to practice rigorously for two hours every day. If you wish to play the Flute, then too you will have to practice. You have to exercise regularly to make your body strong. So, one has to make efforts to attain strength. Even to receive knowledge one has to make effort. But for love, you need not make any effort. You just need to relax and repose in your self.

Lord Krishna says, ‘Dharmaviruddho Bhuteshu Kamo’smi Bharatarshabha‘. The desires that arise inside you, know them to be Me too (inspired by Me), as long as they do not oppose or destroy Dharma (righteous conduct). Any action or desire that opposes Dharma is not Me. This is quite surprising. If you act according to Dharma, and act as per your Swadharma (one’s own responsibilities as prescribed by the scriptures), then all the righteous desires that arise in you are borne out of Me (Lord Krishna).  I am (the source of) all those desires that arise in you that are of a righteous intent. This is so astonishing and unique. He says, ‘I am the strength of the strong; I am also the beauty in all whom you see as beautiful. Any and all good qualities that you see in another person come from Me only.’ 

Why is he is saying this? This is because the tendency of the mind is to run wherever it finds beauty. If there is great wealth or great strength in someone, the mind runs there. So, to collect and bring the mind back to the Self, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, ‘See Me alone in everything that you see. Whatever greatness you see anywhere or in anyone, it is due to Me, I am the power behind it all, and I am right here.’ To retrieve and collect the mind that wavers and wanders here and there and to bring its focus back on the atma (soul) which is the source of all strength. Lord Krishna gives this vibhuti (miraculous secret) to attain perfection (siddhi).

Lord Krishna used to worship Devi (Mother Divine). This is mentioned in the Durga Saptashati (a series of 700 verses in praise of the Mother Divine, from the Markandeya Purana). ‘Roopam Dehi Jayam Dehi Yasho Dehi Dvisho Jahi’. These verses come from the Argala Stotram in the Durga Saptashati and become a kavach (armour or shield) for one who recites them. It is said, 

‘Krishnena Samstutay Devee Shashvad Bhaktyaa tathaambikay, 

Roopam Dehi Jayam Dehi Yasho Dehi Dvisho Jahi.’ 

Meaning, ‘Oh Devi (Mother Divine) who is worshipped with eternal devotion by Lord Krishna, bless us with beauty (Roopam), victory (Jayam), glory (Yasham) and destroy all craving and ignorance (Dvisho) in us.’ This is the prayer. It is in the 3 verses from the Kavach Argala Keelakam.

If you see, it is actually the Devi who rescued Lord Krishna. Devi was also born on the day of Ashtami, to Yashoda. And on that very same day was brought to Mathura. Kansa tried to get hold of her and kill her but she escaped from his hands. Here, Kansa symbolises Ahankaar (ego), Lord Krishna symbolises Ananda (bliss) and the Devi or Durga symbolizes Aadhyashakti (primordial energy within us, or Consciousness). Ego cannot catch hold of Consciousness or the primordial energy (Devi), nor can it catch hold of Ananda (bliss, that is Krishna). So the Divine Consciousness (Devi) then made a prophecy that the One who is destined to destroy the Ego (Kansa) is Bliss (Krishna) and he has already been born. 

When life becomes full of Ananda (bliss), then ego vanishes. When one is feeling blissful there is no ego. But as long as ego remains, a person keeps on suffering and is miserable. They become sad due to something or another, or go on blaming someone or the other. Even then ego cannot destroy Consciousness, because Consciousness is eternal. Nothing can destroy or diminish the power of Consciousness. It is constant and eternal. Those who know physics would know this very well that energy can never be created or destroyed. So also, Consciousness can never be created nor destroyed. Any efforts to create or destroy that (primordial) energy will only fail.

See, if you look at it on the surface, it seems only like a story. But if you delve deeper, you will find such amazing knowledge hidden within it. Lord Krishna was born in a prison. When he was born, all the guards who were keeping watch fell asleep. Who are the guards? They symbolize our senses. When our senses, which are always focused outwards come to rest that is when we can go inward, and that is when we can experience the bliss that springs forth from going inward. So keep on contemplating and analysing these stories, and you will find that both, amazing knowledge and love become available to you.

Lord Krishna says, ‘You cannot free yourself of your own sins. I will liberate you from your sins.’ See, everything that a person does – fasting, visiting places of worship, feeling guilty, etc., all this one does it to free oneself of sins. So, Lord Krishna says, ‘Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma suchah’. He says, ‘You will have to do just one thing. You must surrender everything to Me, and seek refuge in Me’. He says, ‘Come and seek refuge in Me’, that is his first condition. And then he says, ‘I will liberate you from all your sins. That is my job.’ 

So, your only job is to come under his protection and seek refuge in him and he will liberate you of all your sins. With this he says it all. This completes it. I think we all should make these words of Lord Krishna available everywhere. Especially these words, ‘Come and surrender unto Me and seek refuge in Me. I will absolve you of all your sins.’ 

Let your devotion flower

 

You can’t take credit for your own devotion. You can’t say, ‘I am so devoted’. If you are devoted, it is a blessing. Devotion gives you immense happiness, deep love and siddhis. Siddhi means what you think happens and what you want happens, you bless somebody, and it happens; all this happen through that state of your being. In the yoga sutras, Rishi Patanjali said, “Devotion towards the Divine brings the perfection of samadhi. It makes your meditation so serene and takes you to the perfected state.”

So just pray that this stays with you forever. Let nothing else spoil it. Devotion is like a diamond; don’t trade it for mud. It is the small things, little desires where we lose devotion, like not getting what we want, say a job or relationship. You lose your job, and your devotion suffers. If somebody blames you, then your devotion is gone. If your work does not happen, then your devotion is gone. So we are losing our devotion over nothing.

See, if you are a medical professional, you give medicine to people, and most of the time, it works, but sometimes it does not work. Similarly, many things happen in your life, and some things don’t happen, but at least hold onto the devotion. Sometimes it appears to have gone or is going away; then also, you can’t do anything about it. Then just relax and pray for it. If you are devoted, feel grateful for being devoted, then the devotion grows every moment.

Now, if you think, ‘Oh, I don’t feel the devotion, what do I do?’ Do nothing, just relax. Don’t think you don’t have it. You have it, it has not manifested now, but it will. Be in knowledge, and it will come up. Devotion is a strong bond, a sense of belongingness. Everybody is born with it. It’s just like becoming a child again. No child or mother ask each other, ‘Do you love me?’ The baby and the mother have no choice but to love each other. Similarly, devotion is inbuilt in every one of us.

Sometimes it is covered with ignorance, hesitation, doubts and insecurity. It is only a matter of time for that strip of ignorance and ego to give way, and then the inner devotee will shine out. Devotion brings faith, compassion, and responsibility.

Let your devotion flower. Give it a chance to work. So have the depth of devotion, love, and confidence that the Divinity loves me. You should not ask for proof of the Divine’s love for you. Always know that the Divine loves me. Love with wisdom is devotion. The one who has tasted devotion knows.

Spending time with your own self

 

If you think nobody loves you, know for sure that you are loved. The earth loves you; that’s why it is holding you upright. The love of the earth is its gravitational force. The air loves you; that’s why it moves through your lungs even when you are sleeping. The Divine loves you very dearly, deeply. Once you realise this, you will never feel lonely.

Someone’s company cannot fill your loneliness. Even if it does, it is very short-lived. If you could be comfortable being alone for some time, then you will not feel lonely. If you enjoy being with your Self, you will not be a boring personality. If you are lonely, then you can be boring to others. And that will make you more lonely! Any kind of company looks very good from a distance.

Those who are in the company of others all the time look for the comforts of solitude and those who are in solitude feel lonely and want to be in company. Everyone is looking for a perfect balance. From time to time, keep a little distance from whomsoever is close to you. So sometime during the day, sit for a few minutes and meditate. Then you will not feel lonely even when you are alone.

One way to get over the feeling of loneliness is to do some seva (service) and be useful to people around you. The service you did will bring a revolution inside you. Every time you are lonely, you are just coming in touch with your own boundaries. It is your limitation and boundary that is the real cause of your unhappiness. Just be grateful and pray for peace. That very moment, you will start smiling and however hopeless the situation is, you will walk through it.

You cannot force enthusiasm and confidence to come back to you. When you feel useless, use that time to be prayerful and you will see that you will gain back your confidence and enthusiasm. Whether it is extreme joy or happiness or terrible misery, there is a part of every human being that remains untouched by that. Similarly, you can’t go on mourning all your life. Our wish should be that whomever we meet, be happy and radiate happiness.

A world without violence

 

Deep within, we aspire for that which is our true nature and everybody wishes to be happy and joyful. Yet, the world is caught in the grip of violence. Nearly every nation is affected by violence and terrorism today. In order to bring peace to our world, we have to understand what the root causes of violence are. When our joyful nature gets covered with stress, our thoughts, speech and eventually our actions are distorted. In extreme cases, this distortion becomes a disorder.

Most of the incidents of shootings that we hear of, including suicides, involve people with such a disorder. The need today is the methods to relieve stress from society and many studies indicate that yoga and meditation can help. Apart from individual incidents of violence, another kind of violence happens on a larger, more organized scale, which arises out of religious fanaticism.

They are not open to any dialogue and violence is their only tool. To restrain this ideology, puritanism among religious leaders must be shunned. Instead, they must play a role in imparting multi-religious and multicultural education. When people are given a healthy exposure to the wisdom in other religions, especially from a young age, they will not harbour prejudices against them.

The third kind of violence involves rebel groups fighting for independence or other rights. Wherever there is a lack of social justice and humane leadership, there is rebellion in society. It begins with a mission, a cause but eventually erupts as terrorism and terrorism is blind. It has led neither to economic progress nor to justice anywhere in the world. However, these so-called extremists are full of passion, sincerity and a fierce sense of sacrifice.

Their readiness to put their life on the line for a cause is commendable. I have met several extremist groups over the years with the intention of bringing them back to the mainstream. Our experience has been that if these people are approached with an open mind, they are willing to engage in dialogue and share their side of the story. When they gain confidence in the justice and humaneness in society, they can turn around and contribute a lot to society. Their rehabilitation and re-integration in the mainstream are quicker and more effective if the establishment supports it, like in the case of FARC in Colombia.

For 50 years, a civil conflict raged on in Colombia between the government and rebel group FARC which claimed more than 220,000 lives. In June 2015, with consent from the then Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, I met top commanders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

After a three day long dialogue, FARC announced in a joint press conference by saying that they would adopt Gandhian ways of non-violence and announced a unilateral ceasefire within days which was never breached after and went on to become a milestone in the Colombian peace process. The Art of Living Foundation has continued to work with victims of both sides of the conflict. In September, The Art of Living facilitated a forgiveness meeting between FARC leaders and the families of 12 deputies who were kidnapped and finally killed by FARC. 

The number of people who cause violence in the world is proportionately very small. However, news about their activities dominates headlines. I would say the silence of good people is more responsible for this than the violence of the others. Those who are at peace within themselves have a responsibility to bring peace around them. Sensible people everywhere must get together and empower each other to take greater responsibility to better the world. If there is a will, it is possible to have peace at all levels, from individual to global. Never before has the collective will for peace in the world been stronger and never before have the means been so available. A world without violence is a dream worth making every effort for.

How to return to your very nature, your self

Love is your nature. When love finds an expression, you often get caught up in the object. Your sight is caught outside. To return back to your nature, you need certain insights.

Pain is the first insight. It takes you away from the object and turns you towards your body and mind. Longing brings a sense of pain. To avoid the pain, you try to push away the longing. The skill is to bear the pain of longing and move on. It’s not the pain that is bothering us; it is the thought of the pain that bothers one. It’s not the situation that one is troubled with, but the fear of the situation that is troubling one.

Energy is the second insight. A bolt of energy brings you back to your Self. 

Divine love is the third insight. A glimpse makes you so complete and overrules all relative pleasures. Every form belongs to the Divine. When you adore the form, you adore the Divine behind the form. When you see the Divine in yourself, you will see the Divine in everyone. 

Ecstasy is the fourth insight. An elevation of consciousness with partial awareness of physical reality is ecstasy. 

Non-dual awareness is the fifth insight, the realization that all is made up of One and only One.

When love glows, It is bliss.

When love flows, It Is compassion.

When love blows, it is anger.

When love ferments, it is jealousy.

When love is all “no’s,” it is hatred.

When love acts, it is perfection.

When love knows, it is ME!

Limited effect of astrology

 

The planetary positions only give indications. You cannot say that what is predicted will happen 100%. They only give an indication because there is always an element of "grace" that can change anything, anywhere, anytime. 

This is the reason spirituality or sadhana (spiritual practices) are a step higher than the knowledge of astrology. Astrology is knowledge - it is necessary to know it. However, there is something more remedial. Sadhana, satsang (company of truth), devotion, are all remedial measures that help.

Astrological predictions are like weather forecasts. There is always a probability factor. The remedy for malefic effects is devotion and seva (service).

Saying "sorry" instead of being righteous

Often, in establishing your righteousness, you are insensitive to other’s feelings. 

When someone is hurt, arguing with them and establishing your righteousness will be in vain. 

In many situations, saying "sorry" is better. A simple "sorry" can uplift the other and takes away the bitterness. This one word of five letters, when said sincerely can remove anger, guilt, hatred and distance.