What is your Dharma?

 Look on! O Sanjay!

The life's battlefield is set forth,

Do be my eyes and tell me

How does it all unfold?

I, Dhritrashtra, your sightless commander,

Without my conscience by my side,

Like a blind force, blunders on,

For I know not of what is right.

My dharma is to, pleasure, seek,

And, I get many alluring beckons,

From organs - ten - that call to me,

From ten different directions.

Yet deep within, five voices rise,

The whispers of your conscience - wise. 

They hold me back, they plead to me, 

To free my soul from passion’s ties.

And thus a war ensues within my frame,

Desire and truth, each trying to reign,

So, Sanjay, do tell me if you can,

Who here will establish their domain?!

 

On 19 November 1965, Ernakulam, Shrii P.R.Sarkar, a great Indian philosopher gave this discourse : Blind Mind and Conscience which explains the starting phrase/shlok of Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta - 

"Dhrtaráśt́ra uváca:

Dharmakśetre Kurukśetre samavetá yuyutsavah;

Mámakáh Páńd́aváshcaeva kimakurvata Saiṋjaya?"

[Dhritarastra said: “O Sanjaya, now that my children and the children of Pandu have gathered on the battlefield of Dharmakśetra, of Kurukśetra, eager to fight, what is taking place?”]

This shloka represents the entire import of the Giitá.

Dhrtaráśt́ra uváca – “Dhritarastra said.” Who is Dhritarastra? Ráśt́ram dhrtam yena sah Dhrtaráśt́rah – “He who holds the structural solidarity”. Ráśt́ra means “structure”, “framework” – in Hindustani, dháncá. So ráśt́ra means “structure”; and dhrta means “holder” – so he who holds, he who maintains, the structural solidarity, is “Dhrtaráśt́ra” – Ráśt́ram dhrtam yena sah Dhrtaráśt́rah. Now, who maintains the structural solidarity of the human structure? The mind. Because the mind is there, its structural solidarity is maintained. When the mind goes away, the different limbs will dissociate, it will start decomposing. So the mind, Dhritarastra, calls Sanjaya.

Now you know, mind without conscience is a blind force. Dhritarastra was blind; Dhritarastra was janmándha [born blind], Dhritarastra could not see. Blind Dhritarastra said – the blind mind said (Dhrtaráśt́ra uváca means, “The blind mind, blind human mind, mind of a non-sádhaka, mind of a non-aspirant of spirituality, said”) – Dharmakśetre Kurukśetre samávetá yuyutsavah⁽³⁾ – Dharmakśetre Kurukśetre [“On the field of dharma, on the field of this universe”] yuddhártham [“for war”] samavetáh [“gathered”] mámakáh [“my people”] (mamapakśiiyáh [“my party”]) Páńd́aváshcaeva (Páńd́avá + ca [+ eva = “and the Pandavas”]) kimakurvata [“what are they doing?”]. Dharmakśetre Kurukśetre [“On the field of dharma, on the field of this universe”] yuddhártham [“for war”] samávetáh [“gathered”] mamapakśiiyáh tathá Páńd́upakśiiyáh [“my party and the Pandava party”] te kimakurvata [“what are they doing?”]. Bho Sainyaya kathaya ahaḿ shrnomi [“O Sanjaya, tell me, let me hear”].

Dharmakśetre. What is dharmakśetra? What is dharma? The root verb dhr plus the suffix man equals dharma. Dharma means “characteristic”; dharma means “property”; dharma means “natural wont”. And what is the characteristic, what is the natural wont, of a human being? To move towards the Supreme Self – to long for pleasure. To long for pleasure is the wont of each and every human being. And because He is the fountain, He is the home, He is the supreme abode of all pleasures, that’s why to long for Him is proper dharma. And dharmakśetra – one can practise dharma – where? Only when one is within this physical structure. After death one cannot practise dharma. So this human body is the dharmakśetra.

The blind mind said that within this dharmakśetra of the human body, and this kurukśetra –

In Sanskrit kuru means “do” – imperative mood, second person – “do, kuru”. Kurukśetra means the field always saying Kuru, kuru, kuru, kuru – “Oh, man, do something, do something, do something, do something.” The kśetra, the field, always saying, “Do something, you must do something, you will have to do something,” is kurukśetra. That is, this world is kurukśetra. Kurukśetra is not a town near Delhi. The entire universe is kurukśetra. Here everybody will have to do something, must do something. So it is kurukśetra. And this universe is also doing something; it is always moving. One name of this universe is jagat: gam (root verb) + kvip (suffix) = jagat; jagat means “characteristically moving”. Another name is saḿsára: the root verb sr means “to move”, so saḿsára means “moving on its own”. Everything here is moving, so it is kurukśetra – and this universe is always telling you to do something.

So the blind mind asked the conscience, asked: “In this saḿsára of kurukśetra, and in this human body, dharmakśetra, who did appear, who did assemble? My party and the party of Pandu. These were the two belligerent parties. What did these two belligerent parties do?” This was the question.

The blind mind asked whom? Asked Sanjaya. What is the saiṋjaya? Just now I said that the mind is a blind force, and cannot do anything without the help of the conscience. What is the conscience? The power of discrimination. Saiṋjaya: sam + ji (root verb) + al (suffix) = saiṋjaya. Saiṋjaya means “conscience”; saiṋjaya means “power of discrimination”. The mind is a blind force; that’s why the mind asked the conscience: “What did they do? What did these two parties do? – my party and the party of Pandu.”

Now, “my party – mámakáh, mamapakśiiyáh” – said Dhritarastra, the blind mind. Now, who are the agents of the mind? The mind says “my party” – who are the soldiers, who are the agents of the mind? There are ten organs, and these ten organs are the agents of the mind; these ten organs are the agents of that blind mind. Five external organs and five internal organs: cakśuh, karńa, násiká, jihvá, tvak, vák, páńi, páda, páyu, and upastha [eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, vocal cord, hands/arms, feet/legs, anus, genitary organ]. These are the ten organs; they are agents of the blind mind. And each and every organ can function in ten directions. In Sanskrit there are ten dishas; six are called pradisha and four are called anudisha. Púrva, pashcima, uttara, dakśińa, urdhva, and adhah – these six directions are called pradisha. And iishána, váyu, agni, naerta – these four corners are called anudisha. So a total of ten dishas.

There are ten organs – ten agents of the blind mind – and each and every organ can function in ten directions. Ten times ten is equal to one hundred. The agents of the mind can function in one hundred directions. So the blind mind has one hundred agents. Dhritarastra had one hundred sons – Duryodhana, Dushasana – one hundred in number; one hundred agents of the depraved mind, the blind mind, the polluted mind.

And the opposite parties are the fighting parties of the Pandavas – Páńd́upakśiiyáh, agents of Pandu. I think it is quite clear? – agents of Pandu. And who are the agents of Pandu? In Sanskrit pańd́ is a root verb; pańd́ means “Self-realization”. Yesterday I told you the meaning of pańd́ita. He who has acquired realization is a pańd́ita; pańd́ means Self-realization. Now this Self-realization is attained by whom? By the sádhaka [spiritual aspirant]. And in the process of Self-realization one will have to exalt one’s divinity in crude form. That is, the dormant divinity is to be exalted and brought to the sahasrára cakra⁽⁴⁾ for that Self-realization. And in this process, in this march towards the supreme goal of spirituality, it will have to pass through five stages. Just to acquire [pańd́á, absolute knowledge] one will have to pass through five stages – múládhára, svádhiśt́hána, mańipura, anáhata and vishuddha. These are the five stages, five controlling points of the five factors of this quinquelemental world. These five stages are the helpers of páńd́u;⁽⁵⁾ they help in realizing the Supreme Self. So they are páńd́avas. The Pandavas are five in number.

So it is an internal fight – the fight between the introversial tendency and the extroversial tendency. In the extroversial tendency there are one hundred agents, and in the introversial tendency there are five friends. The fight within yourself is a fight amongst, on the one side, those five introversial friends, and on the other side, one hundred depraving elements. This fight is the fight of kurukśetra. The blind mind asks the conscience: “What was the result of that fight? O Sanjaya, O conscience, I want to know.”

So in this particular shloka the spirit of the Giitá has been properly represented. And it is the order of Bhagaván [here, Krśńa] that one will have to fight this fight with proper courage and prowess. And this prowess will make one victorious, and those depraving elements will be vanquished.

So you are all sádhakas, you are all spiritual aspirants; I will ask you to follow, to adhere to, this principle properly. Be courageous and fight properly against those depraving elements; certainly you will be victorious.

A lucky chance!

 

 

 

The night stood still,
Suspense was deep,
Anticipation laced the air
Awaiting the start of a grand affair.

“Make a wish!”,
Whispered the shooting-star,
As it blazed across the midnight sea,
Fleeting past billions of bejeweled galaxies.

Slowly but surely,
The symphony started to play,
Rising higher and higher,
Across the cosmic dome, played the ballet!

Emerald, purple, magenta, blue,
My heart rejoiced seeing such magnificent hues.
Spellbound, I stood, watching that effortless composition,
Unfolding in front of my eyes were such magical superimpositions!

How can one witness this
And yet not wonder,
How such impossible precisions lie hidden,
In all of nature’s seemingly random renders?!

While we, enthroned in our lofty thoughts,
Try to grasp at truths, so finely wrought,
And struggle to parse this ceaseless dance,
Yet continue proclaiming it all simply birthed in chance!

Ah these double standards - what hypocrisy!
Rational beings rationalize their way into their own fallacy.
While humbly the singular truth continues to silently prevail,
Waiting for Modesty to lift Ignorance’s veil! 

A reminder - A positive spin on racism

A stranger asked me to leave 'their' country after I have stayed in the US for many years and then only a few blocks away another soul very lovingly praised the sweet intonation of my native language that I was chatting away in. All in all, that day was very bizarre and I cannot help but feel happily saddened by the whole memory. And with that memory, I penned down this poem on the encounters of racial slurs and added a positive spin to it as hate really has no place

 

 

 

"Go back to where you came from!",

He cried, turned around and fled away,

Even before that statement could sync in,

He was already on his way!

 

While I stood there, frozen in my footsteps,

Baffled, as to why didn't he pause to give more context!?

Like a soothsayer's end-of-the-world warning,

He obviously assumed his words didn't need any explaining!

 

Leaving me with many many questions

fleeting through my mind,

Like why, of all days, today,

Will anyone ask me to stay inside?

 

For it was a break from the usually overcast

Seattle skies,

Surely not one of the days to be lazily lost,

dozing off, with closed eyes!

 

'Go back to where you came from'

In my head, I reiterated,

'Whatever did it mean!' I felt so exasperated,

The time frame, at least, he should've clearly stated!

 

Surely, he didn't mean my apartment!

As, I started check-listing the places off, in my head,

Or maybe more precisely one of its rooms,

Kitchen, bedroom or bathroom instead!?

None of it logically made any sense

So I decided to broaden the scope instead.

 

Maybe he wanted to remind me,

to go back to nature,

To that beautiful lake I visited recently,

that sat atop the crater?!

 

"Back to the nature, back to the nature,

There only humanity will find its way"

Maybe he really was a soothsayer,

Trying to warn me of the otherwise impending doomsday?!

 

A good thought, what a visionary man!

My mind surmised,

But should I really discount his ruthless tone,

that reeked heavily of the negative side?!

 

Discontent, I pondered on,

Going deeper down the rabbit hole,

Surely somewhere things will snap in place

While, down the memory lane, I'm taking a stroll.

 

Maybe he meant, my country of birth,

But how could he possibly know about that,

A stranger to me - me, being a completely ordinary soul,

Why would anyone bother to keep a track of that?!

 

'Oh don't be so naive',

The suppressed voice in my head spoke up.

Obviously he didn't just mean "my" place of birth,

Rather the place where my ancestors took turf!

 

'Ancestors, Ancestors', curious thought indeed,

But again, how far back should I go?

To Aryans, Dravadians or Mangoloids,

Surely they all mixed up ages ago!

 

Or should I go back to ages of

Neanderthals and Denisovans!

Or the time when Sapiens established

That earth was only theirs to command?!

 

After exhausting the depths of my evolutionary pedigree,

Although, that's not where I earned my degree,

I thought of exploring my origins at a philosophical level

Maybe disguised in its details, I will discover the devil.

 

'Where do I come from?'

An existential question indeed,

Seems like I have been searching for that answer for ages,

And yet, haven't come close to any sort of victory.

 

Did he really know where I came from? Perhaps he did!

And if so I missed a golden opportunity to tell him,

That ever since my consciousness woke up,

From that mystic deep slumber,

I've been perpetually trying to find my way back,

It's just the how and the where that I can't seem to remember!

 

#Neohumanism #poetry #meditation #racism #spirituality #AnIdleMindIsAPonderingMind

Dear Princess

Dear Princess, let your dreams soar high,

Let them reach for the star-studded sky.

Don't let this world ever cast them down,

Don't get flustered by their contemptuous frown.

The world believes in judging a book by it's cover,

But remember, shallow opinions do not last forever.

You have all the qualities of becoming a great leader,

Don't ever be masked or be downcast by fear!

Failure will come, it's a part of life,

Falling down teaches us how to stand upright.

From every failure you can learn, invigorating new strengths,

So treat them like an opportunity, not to be wasted in lament.

Success is a journey, going along a steep slope,

And for the travelers on its mission, resting has no scope.

On the way, with all odds you will have to cope,

Just keep your eyes on the peak, for it will give you hope!

The secret of the closed door!

In our lives we come across various sets of doors.

Choosing a fancy one, we run towards it, head over toe.

For beyond it, there seems to be a perfect world to live in,

It feels like the only end that would help us win.

But oft it so happens that we find it closed,

No sooner do we reach it than someone shuts the door.

Making a hue and cry, we curse our fate,

Mocking the judgement of the overlords for leaving us, in such a pitiable state!

Dragging out of our misery, we learn to stand up again,

At each step recalling and reliving our poignant pain.

And strolling aimlessly we happen upon another archway,

Leading to an open door, with a brightly lit up alleyway.

Without more to lose, our footsteps are blindly drawn to the light.

And crossing over the threshold one is surprised to find

that this was the world that was more apt for us in every way,

Our fantasies it seemed were only leading us astray.

Looking back we are grateful to the One who shut the other doors,

For of all the things that may have been, of this we are pretty sure,

That whatever lay beyond those doors

It did not have this in store

Never alone!

Just because you are one of a kind,

Does not imply you are alone.

Remember the strongest arms of universe always surrounds you,

Although it's presence may seem unknown.

Seek you must, 

and discover you shall,

A gift it is that you are unique.

Don't let self-doubt shut you down.

Just pick up the baton

And take the lead!

Maintain your swagger!

All through the crazy

ups and downs of life,

Maintain your panache, 

Maintain your stride!

Unexpectedly it comes,

The turn of every tide,

Just take it easy,

And enjoy the next ride! 

Slipping though my fingers..

 

While I stay busy

Trying to make new memories

Unnoticed by me, 

Moments of old, 

Silently slip past me,

Fading away into the vastness 

of that unknown mysterious entity.

My big blue home!

Whosoever said you could only in the blue sky, fly?

Here in my big blue home, you can as well freely fly.

For in all it's vastness there aren't any divides.

Only the strength of one's spirit defines it's denizen's confines.

If swimming with turtles is your dear wish,

Or flying alongside with the schools of fish,

From shore to shelf you'll find it brimming with life,

All you need to do is in it's deep depths dive!

The sleeping lady

Under the rainbow colored sky,

Floating on that golden sea,

She slumbers, oh! so peacefully.

Here, on the shore, her footprints still show,

Now filled with the water that dripped off her bare soul,

As she came out after bathing in that sea, radiant with a golden glow!

Seattle, I love you!

After traveling the world

You come back to this place

Where everyday in the sky there'll be a different face,

Made from the sun's many scattering rays.

Here, the clouds, like huge cotton balls, soaked in rainbow's colors,

Fills the sky with whole new wonders.

Here you'll find the gentle waves, rocking baby gulls, back and forth.

As the incessant rains drapes all land in rich verdure!

Here, on one side remember to witness the majestic Olympic's expanse,

While on the other side Rainier would be stealing away everyone's glance! 

Here every moment you can witness a different landscape.

From the hustle of life it provides the perfect escape

Colorful Fall!

What colors do you like?

For I have got them all. 

Every season I bring out a few new ones.

Although my favorite ones you'll see in fall.

The morning glowed of pretty pink,
While Maple adorned a fiery red.
Aspen lit up with a bright golden yellow,
While Rainier stood blushing with a reddish glow.
At sunset, the sky set ablaze with fiery luminescence,
While all heart's felt rejuvenated by the fall's presence!

Mom

No safer place in the world than under the watchful eyes of a mother.

The magnitude of her love no scale can measure.

However one maybe, for her, her kids are the greatest treasure.

Ah to be cuddled in her arms, the source of the profoundest pleasure!

Light of the inner strength

Don't wallow in self-pity.

Don't wait for the world to show sympathy.

Don't fall prey to your own game of bluff.

Remember that you are made of sterner stuff!

See the future in a new light!

Your past is a mere reflection. 

The present will define your future projection.

Don't let your future be a mere shadow of the past.

Build something new, build something that will outlast.

Don't look back and over your follies, repent,

Don't live in the past for it is already spent.

Run towards the future, there are many things to invent,

Live, live, live in the present!

I wonder who solved the enigma of it all

On the surface it all looked so simple.

But the closer I got to it, the more it got me thinking.

For the undercurrent whirlpools seemed to go down towards a bottomless sink.

The enigma of it all seemed to expound deep beneath the brink.

Now my goal resided on the opposite bank,

And all who tried to cross this chasm, seemingly sank.

So how was I supposed to reach the other side,

Was to go under the only way to overcome the divide?

Wasn't there a ferry that could carry me hence,

Without me having to unravel this formidable suspense?

Didn't anyone ever cross over and decide to come back,

Riding on a ferry, providing us all with an easier track?

The mighty bear

Hear him gruff and puff and sniff around,

Finding the berries that are scattered on the ground.

Cliffs or trees or valleys be it, all with ease he surmounts.

Here is his home, where all about the wilderness surrounds!

God forbid that you should ever come across him, face to face.

For you can't even think about beating him at a race.

All you can do then is, silently, for your dear life pray,

So that he will, in peace, let you go away.

The Shyness of the Bold Peak

Majestic and unparalleled is her grandeur,

Only a few can boast of a similar stature.

Dressed in pure white snow, her persona's so captivating,

She leaves all heart's desires increasingly wanting.

Lucky are those who could capture,

Her tremendously evasive, ethereal feature.

For howsoever daunting her persona maybe,

Behind a cloudy veil, oft, she remains concealed.

Bold and beautiful, in all directions, her charisma pulsates.

Her exalting demeanour sets all beholding hearts to race.

The vigour of her vibrancy, all earthly realms, transcends.

She begets the fiery spirit for a climbers ascent!

The magic of it all!

When the sky was lit, such a symphony played,

I was by my feet, swept away.

There, under the firmament of the deep dark sky, I stood and I transfixedly gazed,

Along with millions of stars of the milky way.

As the show went on,

The ballerinas from the horizon rose.

And soon they were gracefully twirling overhead,

Mesmerizing me with their dainty pose.

Their enchanting magic was such

That will forever, in my heart stay.

And with their glow, they so kindled my soul,

That like a fiery spirit will eternally guide my way

My existence is significant

Every time I step out into the world

It makes me laugh at my own insignificance

But suddenly around some turn it reminds me

That without me, it too, will loose it's 

magnificence!