Did I Change the World?

Today being the birthday of Sri Ramakrishna, thought that I could share one of my personal experiences wih you.

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The year was 1996, when my mind was leaning more towards the search of God and spiritual answers. I was just introduced to the wisdom of Sri Ramakrishna through a college conference as well as an English supplementary reader. I met a monk who used to sell the books of Sri Ramakrishna Math and bought a book from him. I asked him for some basic clarifications about meditation and then brought out the cliched question of the inquisitive mind, "If God is present, why are there so many evil things happening in the world? How can I change the world?"

He calmly replied, "Boy, have you changed yourself? May be it is time you delve deep into yourself and focus on your own soul. The world is too big for you to change and there is a plan for everything. We are nothing in the vast universe. All that we can do is to strive and change our own selves, instead of boasting about changing the world."

Saying this he calmly went on selling his books. Being the young and egoistic mind mine was at that time - of course, I may not be young now, but I am every bit an egoist still - I decided to prove him wrong. I assured myself that I will change the world and prove him wrong and someday tell him, 'See what I have achieved'. But, in the past 16 years, Life has taught me so many lessons and one of the most important lesson among them is that each of us needs to work for his/her own salvation and purification. Changing the world is not at all a possibility. When the great souls like Jesus, Buddha, Krishna and Mohammed weren't able to raise this human mass, what would a wastrel like me achieve?!

The only realisation and effort that my mind is focused on these days is that, one needs to work for one's own salvation and that of those very close to him. Of course, those close kin and kith still remain responsible for their own salvation and all that we can do is to help them realise it. Changing the world? May be, we can all leave it to the Supreme Soul!

I don't know the whereabouts of the monk these days and not sure whether he is still alive - he was very old at that time. But, if at all Life gives me another chance to meet him, I am waiting to convey him my humble regards and accept my failure to change the world, happily and peacefully!

Book Review – Running From Safety, Richard Bach

Two types of authors always become very successful – one, those who speak about the simple concepts of day-to-day life in an esoteric way, and two, those who speak about esoteric concepts that we normal people don’t always feel or understand but nevertheless are so fascinated about, in a simple way. Richard Bach belongs to the second category of authors with inimitable style. Parallel universes, quantum theories, soulmates and more such concepts, which the mind of a layperson might find intimidating are dealt with deftly by Richard Bach.
 

‘Running From Safety’ is of a similar genre, a spiritual/philosophical fantasy, where the protagonist is none other than Richard Bach himself. Richard, while he was a scared child, made a promise to himself to come back once he grows up old and guide the younger Richard, by teaching him about the ways and wiles of the world. The grown up Richard forgets his promise to his younger version as he got busy with his own life. Someone comes into his life to remind him about his promise to his younger self and makes him delve deep into his mind to find and help the younger kid.
 

Initially, the child Richard gets all angry with his older version for abandoning him alone inside the dark corners of his mind. But later on, with conversations growing between them, they get to share the ideas and memories with one another. The child Richard – was he waiting to learn from his grown-up version or was he waiting to teach the grown-up version some precious lessons?! This book let you contemplate the answer to this question.
 

There is another special reason to like this book. With Life turning quite magical these days, with every question of mine finding an answer in some form or another, this book reinforced my recent realizations about some aspects of Life. There are three of my realizations that were supported by this book. They are:
1.    No matter how bad people appear to us, each and every one of us is special and serves a purpose,
2.    Not believing in only what the senses can convey – touch, smell, feel, hear and see, and
3.    Only we can choose to transform us into the person that we want to be.
 

If you are a person that believes in Life beyond the perceivable senses, if you find spiritual fantasy to be a fascinating subject, you will definitely love this book. Pick it up and be ready for some deep diving into your heart!

Ashok Krishna

Women and Moon: A Fair Comparison?

Dear Women,

For ages, innumerable poems and paeans have been written in praise of you, comparing you with the Moon. And, you all always feel pride and happiness about being compared thus. But is it really a fair comparison?! Should you really be feeling proud and happy? Is there any other possibility that your men might be implying something beyond all that obvious praise? Let me help you understand.

1.    For starters, the Moon is an ordinary natural satellite, filed with dust and stone, running around the Earth. What if the man is implying that the girl is lacking substance beneath all that attractive appearance and is always troubling him with her annoying presence?!

2.    The Moon looks so very good, so lovely, so near and YET, so very far. What if, the men were implying that as a sarcastic way of stating that you are playing hard to get?!

3.    Remember, the Moon does not have any beauty of its own. It shines upon borrowed beauty – simply reflecting the light of the Sun. What if your men were implying that you have no natural beauty of your own, but are shining only with the help of cosmetics?!

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4.    The phases of the Moon are legendary. It keeps waxing and waning, changing face/appearance every day. On some days she shines at all her glory, but on the others, she simply vanishes. What you should check is whether your man is giving you a backhanded compliment about your whimsical nature!

5.    Er… have you ever noticed the shape of the Moon?! It’s round, obviously. What if your person is calling you ‘rotund’, indirectly?!

6.    The Moon is bright, but not beautiful at all. OK, there is a common perception in countries like India that having fair skin and bright complexion is all that there is to being pretty. If you are fair, you are considered as beautiful by some people. What if your man says that you are simply bright, with no beauty to gaze upon?!

7.    Trust me when I tell you this. Not many people like the Moon. Really. As it is said by a learned person once, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So, one person might find the Moon beautiful, whereas the other person might not. What if (you know)?

8.    The Sun is always considered as a superior being than the Moon. May be you should cross check whether your man is suffering from any superiority complex and is indirectly telling you that you are next to him in importance!

9.    Take me seriously when I tell you this – some planets have more than one Moon!!!

And remember, men are supposedly from Mars and Mars has two Moons. TWO, do you understand that?!

10.    And, some men find the Moon’s friends, the stars to be very attractive too. Remember, the Moon is not always around, but the stars are. So, caveat, cherie!

The Fair Singer, by Andrew Marvell

To make a final conquest of all me,
Love did compose so sweet an enemy,
In whom both beauties to my death agree,
Joining themselves in fatal harmony;
That while she with her eyes my heart does bind,
She with her voice might captivate my mind.

I could have fled from one but singly fair,
My disentangled soul itself might save,
Breaking the curled trammels of her hair.
But how should I avoid to be her slave,
Whose subtle art invisibly can wreath
My fetters of the very air I breathe?

It had been easy fighting in some plain,
Where victory might hang in equal choice,
But all resistance against her is vain,
Who has th'advantage both of eyes and voice,
And all my forces needs must be undone,
She having gained both the wind and sun.