Who am I?

Who am I?
I would not be me if I can answer that, right?

They keep asking me, Who am I,
As if I can tell them
They keep asking about a me
Like I am a thing told to be.

Is my picture a description
Or my face a reproduction
Is it my name or my position
Is my body not a composition?

Well then, can one know me
By talking, living and communicating with me
Can a life be described, a smile be defined
When one cannot answer a simple "about me"?

Who am I then, if not a bubble
Transient, here today disappearing hereafter
Is there a me, beyond the mirage
Would I be me, if I answer that?

What then is the use asking through the voyage
If the ship is useless on the bank
There may be a me beyond all this,
Only one who is; can answer that.

humein maar dala

aadmi to the hum bhi bade mastane
bas is tanhaai ne hume maar dala
pyaar ke khayal se hi yun ghabara gaye
ki ikraar ke intezar ne hi hume maar dala

ghum rahe the asmaan me pankh lagakar
dol rahi thi har daali hume dekh kar
pyaar bhari nazar se usne yun dekh liya
ki uski us adaa ne hume maar dala

pyaar jo diya usne hume apna salona
ke haath liye pesh kiya humne seena
muskurakar phir fuul ne hume yun dekha
ki pyaar ke us mausam ne hume maar dala

hosh aaye to panchii wo ud chuka tha
jaag gaye to samjha wo ek sapna tha
dil hi ne dil ko humare yun tadapa dala
bas is tanhayee ne hume maar dala

na tha asmaan na tha koi panchi
na dikh raha tha ped na koi daali
mara na tha koi na kisine maara tha
apne hi khel me mai kho gaya tha
mere sivaa aur yaha, khel hi kaun raha tha?

(P.S. I actually dont remember fully writing this, but it is in my records. So for clarity's sake, I wont take credit for writing, only for being a messenger. :D)

Silence

What do you do with an old shoe
When all they care for is a golden one
With worn laces and a shine long gone
Who cares at all for an old rag?

I could give them smiles and laughters
And an occasional peace with eyes closed
But what should I do if all I have
Are tears, soft sobs and an unspoken lament?

I could write a joke or two
A funny poem, with a moral or two
But now I have only rants, with no listeners
And my own sorrows, to cope up with.

When I had flowers I shared; but my sorrows, I cant
My tears are mine, for no one to see
My sorrows are private, for me alone
To be buried, with a blanket of tears dried.

Grief I wont share and bliss I have not
Hence silence is the key, which is the resort
Close my eyes I will, where I can
To be opened, when comes the dawn.

Stillness

I was happy
When I wandered without a direction
Until you gave me a map, with a course to follow
And now I am lost.

I was happy
When I sung my heart out, in discord
Until you gave me notes to follow
And now I've gone mute.

I was happy
When I ran through the garden, from tree to tree
Until you showed me the basket, to collect fruits
And now I can swing no more.

I was happy
When I knew not what is love, or hate
Until you showed me pleasure and attraction
And now I smile no more.

For the sake of a goal, the freedom is lost,
For achieving a dream, the sleep is lost,
For the sake of love, the innocence is lost
For the sake of tomorrow, today is lost.

Vivekananda Vidyarthi Seva Prakalpa

No concerned Indian today can disagree about the importance of educating the Indian masses. Most of India's problems have their basis in a lack of proper moral as well as vocational education of the people. Often times, it is not the lack of will to study but the lack of proper facilities to do so, which is the problem for many committed individuals. Me and a few friends have decided to do a small part in helping such people achieve their goals by helping them in various means, mainly financially.

Vivekananda Vidyarthi Seva Prakalpa is an attempt inspired by the message of Swami Vivekananda for the education and upliftment of the masses of India. The basic aim of this Prakalpa or initiative is to be a medium of doing Swamiji's work of educating young Indians for the establishment of a stronger India.


Details:
http://vivekanandavidyarthisevaprakalpa.blogspot.com/

How you can help:
1. By donating to this noble cause. The details of the bank account are given below:
http://vivekanandavidyarthisevaprakalpa.blogspot.com/2007/06/bank-account-information.html

2. Come forward to find dedicated, committed individuals who are in need of support for support for education. Once the authenticity of such students is established, they can be served through the Prakalpa.

3. Spread the word for this noble cause.

More information/inquiries:
Mail to: sevaprakalpa@gmail.com


-"They alone live who live for others, rest are more dead than alive"
- Swami Vivekananda.

Let us all attempt to "live" through this or some other noble cause. There is no person in the world who has no worries of his own, and we all are no exceptions. But as much as we can, let us try to spare a thought for those who are not as fortunate as we are, let us try to alleviate their pain a little; by even a small act or even a thought, let us wish everyone in the world a better life.

May we all proceed on the path of service to other human beings, may we all learn to 'live' in the truest sense. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

From darkness to light

Thanks to the increasing age, or the silent call of the inevitable death, or simply due to a philosophical disposition or a life-shattering incident; almost every person atleast once in his life asks himself the question, "What is the purpose of my life?"

All religions, philosophies, greatest thinkers of all time have tried to answer this. Some say its salvation, some say its realization or nirvana, yet others claim it to be simply maximum enjoyment by maximum number of means and yet others claim it to be obtaining maximum money, power and fame. What does any of this hold for us on a day-to-day basis? How does it help us in making daily decisions, both small and big, about how we talk with people, how we deal with those around us and finally how we lead our life in general. Any of the above might serve as a guiding principle for those whose sole aim is to achieve the purpose as stated above, but what does it do for all others, who are still confused, still searching?

The contention of this blog is, although we might still be searching at the global level to find the purpose of our life, on a daily basis, we can still do little things in a directed way. We can strive for 'light' on a daily basis, whether we are doing as simple a thing as buying a vegetable or trying to talk someone on the phone? A little smile, a slightest nod of acknowledgement, a sweet word can do a lot to spread happiness in daily life.

The ideal is to not even hurt anyone in thoughts. People often take thoughts very lightly. They think that it suffices to have an emotion on the face, no matter whats in the heart. Often times this might be the prudent thing to do, but it is also true that thoughts shape our mental character. A constant flow of negative thoughts, even if they are for a right reason, spread negativity around the person. It is said that if a person has a good thought, and dies before acting or conveying the thought, that single moment he has that idea also works for the overall development of the world. One needs to act to curb the negativity, to reduce the bitterness and try to spread love and positivity around themselves. The idea is to not simply display positive attitude and a lack of any negative feeling towards anyone, but to actually feel it inside. Fake affection, care or concern might help soothe some wounds sometimes, but a true feeling of love, even temporary, can go a long in building a relationship and actually helping a person.
Someone like a Buddha or a Christ was capable of such a thing. They knew who was going to kill them, when and how, but still had absolutely no malice for anyone. This love, this positivity is the real 'light' of life.

One needs to find this light in the heart. True, one cannot be the Buddha or Christ, but THAT should be the ideal, there should not be a compromise in THAT. Absolutely no malice, no jealousy, no anger, no hatred, that is the goal. This does not mean one should not do stern things when they are right, but they should be done in a detached fashion, like Arjuna was able to kill his kin for the right thing. One might have any of the lofty ideals listed above as a global view of life, but in our daily life we can ask ourselves, 'Is my act, speech or thought spreading love and good will, is it going to help a person, and is this coming from me with a feeling of selfishness or selflessness? That is the light we need to spread, only that light will remove all the darkness and misery in the world.

Asato Ma Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.


Lead us from Untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from death to Immortality. Om, peace, peace, peace.

And there is God!

This is my answer to the question "Where is God?"

Look at the yearly rains, the daily flowers and the shady trees, and there is God.
Look at a smiling face, a contently sleeping man and a laughing baby, and there is God.
Look at a helping hand, a shoulder patted in support and a wiped tear, and there is God.
Look at the hungry, at the disfigured and the helpless, and there is God.

Look at those who kill in His name, and then who save in His name, and in both there is God.
Look at all the devastation and the prosperity, the haves and the havenots, and there is God.
Look at the night, He is the moon, look at the day, and He is the Sun.
Sometimes He smiles in prosperity and abundance, and other times He calls through pain and sufferring.

For those who wish to see Him, He is everywhere.
For those who close their eyes, He lives within.

Baba Amte: The Modern Buddha

(This is an attempt to make people familiar about the work done by Baba and Sadhanatai Amte for the leprosy patients in India. Those who wish to know more can visit the links at the end of the blog.)

About 2500 years ago, a young prince from the kingdom of Koshala saw a crippled man, a diseased man and a decaying corpse. The sight changed his whole life. This man sought to remove old age, disease and death from the world. He penanced, he sufferred and he meditated and found out the ultimate truth of existence. He declared desire to be the rootcause of all sorrow, and preached renunciation. This man became Buddha.

About 60 years ago, in a newly-independent India, a young lawyer and landlord saw a decaying man sufferring from leprosy, with hands and feet dacaying. So revolted was he by the sight and smell, that he simply turned his face away and left the place as fast as he could. But the memory of the incident will not leave him. For months, he thought of the plight of the leprosy patient and his own helplessness in the matter. That one sight changed his whole life.

"Would I have done the same had it been my wife or children?" was the only thought in his mind. So deep was the impact that he got trained to treat leprosy patients. He received formal training to treat them, diagnose, treat ulcers, administer injections, remove the decomposing bones and give drugs. From then, treating leprosy was his aim. He established a colony for leprosy patients named 'Maharog Seva Samiti' or Leprosy Relief Society. The first settlers were Baba, his wife Sadhanatai, six patients and a cow.

Baba, however, had a different approach towards 'relief'. His aim was 'Work builds, charity destroys'. His aim was not to simply treat the patients, but instead to make them self-sufficient. He not only made them well, but also taught them simple jobs which made the once-dying patients stand on their feet. The whole colony of lepers is self-sufficient in most of its needs. The patients intermarry within the colony, grow vegetables, make handicrafts and their Anandvan or the 'house of bliss' is a self-sufficient village.

What is most impressive about Baba's life is his outlook towards it. His initial 30 or so years of life are not different than many people. But it is the courage, the fearlessness, the love for fellow humans and the willingness to go as far as required for the welfare of those who need you is what distinguishes him from many other people. Apart from the Anandwan, he has been a great worker in many social fields and won numerous awards for the same.

At 92 today, Baba is a great inspiration. Not only has his wife, Sadhanatai, been at his side through all times, but both his sons, Vikas and Prakash, along with their families are involved in the same work as Baba.

Unlike Buddha, Baba does not claim to have found answers to life's questions. But he still shows a way. In his own words, "I don't want to be a great leader, I want to be a man who goes around with a little oil can and when he sees a breakdown offers his help." Baba has provided light to thousands of people and inspired millions others to atleast take a footstep towards the path of compassion.

Both Baba and Buddha teach love and compassion. Buddha taught the Four Immeasurables; Baba, by his work, has done the same. In the words which he says inspire him the most,
"I sought my soul, My soul I could not see.
I sought my God, My God eluded me.
I sought my brother, I found all three."

May we all be able to find our brothers. May we all follow the path shown by Baba in his life.



(This is an extremely short version of Baba's life and work. Follow the following links to find more about him.
http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Biography/BiographyAmteMur.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Amte
http://mss.niya.org/people/baba_amte.php )

Evolution and Religion

In the ongoing debate about the position of religion on evolution, this is the best position I have seen, and it comes from nowhere other than Swami Vivekanada and his teachings on Vedanta.
The video at the end does a superb job of explaining the confluence of Vedanta and evolution. I am trying to give a gist here.

Vedanta rests on 2 basic beliefs with regards to existence and evolution.
1. There is a continous all pervading Consciousness in the Universe.
2. The Conscious manifests itself in a cyclic manner.

With these two basic beliefs one can understand the whole of evolution as well as the formation of universe. The underlying Consciousness first manifests itself in the simplest, the most subtlest form as energy during the Big Bang. The formed energy becomes grosser and more complex and forms matter in the form of atoms, molecules and inanimate objects.

The next step of evolution is the combination of atoms and molecules into small, living organisms, which become more and more complex from microbes to small animals to mammals. Man, of course, forms the most complex of these, and has an added faculty of rationality as a result of evolution.

The common thread in the process of evolution is the struggle of the Consciousness to manifest itself in more and more complex form, starting with pure energy and ending in man. The view of Vedanta is not antagonistic to Darwin's theory of natural selection, but in accordance with it.

The last step of this process is the evolution of man. And it is not more at the macroscopic, gross level of body, but it is in the subtler, more complicated level of mind. Human mind has no doubt evolved over time, and become more complex. What is the end result of this evolution of mind? What is the next step in the manifestation of this Consciousness after the formation of a rational mind?

That step, is the realization of the human self, the understanding of the nature of the manifesting Consciousness, the realization of the unity of all existing things into that Consciousness. This is the attainment of Buddhahood, where no duality exists, where the understanding of Consciousness as the sole all-pervading entity dawns upon the man. That is the completion of evolution, the highest possible state of manifestation, the realization of the Unmanifest.

Thus, Vedanta has complete agreement with evolution and science, as far as the mechanism is concerned. But Vedanta goes a step ahead and generalizes the entire process as the manifestation of the Consciousness.
I hope the video, with Swamiji's teachings, gives a better idea of the same.