CONQUER YOURSELF

Nikhil found this really kool article and he's been kind enough to share it with us :).He's edited and added some of his own views as well... have fun reading it!

"The name of this post sounds like something you hear from every other person who has ever cared about or loved you. And here I am, telling the same thing over again. I can just hope you find patience enough to stick your bum infront of your screen and read this. Here goes...

Everyone has limits. But we never know our limits, until our skills have been put to test. How would you ever be able to understand the thrill of Para-gliding, unless you don’t dare to jump off the cliff? Life is short, by the time people understand this simple fact, that short life is over. So, never say: “This is all I can do”, unless you’ve tried to do it. Do you know that humans use only 10% of their brain? While much more you can do. You have the resources. You just need to find it and the first place to look into is within yourself.

Our skills double when we face danger. Then we see, hear, smell, and move faster. It shows that we are capable to act and do much more than we think. We are just too afraid at times. But what are we afraid of? Are we afraid, we may actually find our true strengths? Or is it, we just need to be pushed to find our true potential.
“What is the most universal human characteristic: fear or laziness?”

Some of us aren’t afraid. We just aren’t bothered. ‘So what’ are the two most dangerous accountable words. “So what, I’m weak? So what, I’m not using my abilities to my best?” These are the questions that can never be answered. But think about it a while; if everyone starts asking you the same questions, how will you feel? If all the great leaders fuss ‘So what, if the country is unhappy?’, if your grocer yells ‘So what, you’re hungry?’, if your garbage collector tells ‘So what, your home is dirty?’; pointing their fingers to you, how would you feel?
Replace that acidic “So what?” with the hopeful “What if?”
“What if you become someone great worth remembering?”
“What if you can make people proud of you?”

The thing that’s worse than quitting or failing is – being complacent. Believing you are weak and that’s all you are capable of. When you start saying, “This is the way I’m and there’s nothing I can do about it”, that is when you hit rock bottom. No one can help you in such a situation. Even the skills that you’ve mastered will be a waste with such an attitude. Believe in yourself, and only then you can expect others to believe in you.
Start to care. Even if no one else cares for you. The last person to give up on you should be yourself."

Jaigurudev
love
Nikhil(and rahul :) )

Defining spirituality!

Today only rahul bhaiya sent me d invite to join d blog as an author n here i m with my first post!
may be you all must b thinking by now why i chose such a topic for my first post....kind of debating i know...different people has their different views on that....but dont worry...i am here to give my own viewpoint and for you people the option of comments is always there:P
spirituality....for me.....i guess its all started when my parents first taught me to join hands in front of God.The part of spirituality which i got from my family... just a god gift for me .......(ofcoz...without any efforts:))were the 'sanskars' which i got from my parents....this is what i will say my parents taught me to walk on the path of spirituality.
Another most important part of spirituality for me comes from the teachers and the school....i.e. from my formal education(which includes the core spirituality subjects like moral science and also some of the holy books which were d part of d curriculum)....where i actually learnt d code of conduct for my social life....d manners ,d etiquettes(i guess i hav enough of them:P)...how to behave and how to talk with people....which i feel taught me how to practice spirituality(assuming my parents had already taught me whole of the theory part of it:))
n now comes the part which will be most fascinating for all of you i guess..... becoz now m entering BITS.....now m a yes!+ite.....n der is some unlimited stuff i can write about it......but in nutshell....which i think is the most important thing aol has taught me(n ofcoz...to all of us:)) is not only to develop a belonging to our ownself but also to practice spirituality rather i ll say to b strong enough 2 do dat in dis world full of chaos....where everybody is running around and implementing their own means striving hard for success.....and ultimately in a race 2 win the world ,they lose their own selves......so here spirituality not only helps you to achieve your own goals in life but it also makes u stronger within yourself.
n in d end i would like to tell you the most effective definition of spirituality i hav ever heard.....and that too from our VC LKMsir(i was lucky enough to b present there that day) in his words.....'spirituality is something which helps you evolve as a person.....which actually helps u urself to eliminate your shortcomings and to become a better human being'.

JGD!
sugandha

We are educated people!

This one's by Bhavesh bhaiyya...

we are educated people, or that is what we are supposed to be. But many a times I observer among ourselves, the student community on campus, that we, the educated people have to learn a lot. Here i am referring to the points, which affects all of us. In fact, being a student of one of the finest institutes of india, adds more responsibility on our shoulders. We are the brand ambassador of this place, which I think is close to everyone here, as it is for me.

There are several behavioral patterns which I notices lately. If you take a walk around the campus, at many places you will see garbage on roads, in the corner, and its we, the educated lot, who dump it anywhere we please to. We even don't feel bad while doing so, because we are just not aware of what we are doing. Because that is what we
have seen our elders doing, and we ourselves have been doing it for so long. But is it not the time that stop for a while in these rushing times of life, and ponder upon some of the things which affect us and society at large.

It is such a small deed of ours which if corrected can make a lot of difference,. If we just take care that we use dustbins for dumping the garbage, it will not only make our campus clean, it also inculcates some values in us. And I have observed these values make a big difference in life later on. I have seen people talking about foreign countries, they say governece is good there, it takes care of the people, they are so organized, properly managing day-to-day activities. And some of these very same people when come here, they will litter all around and then blame that we don't have civic sense, our culture is bad, our infrastructure is bad, nothing works here and lot many things.

I tell you these are the people who are also responsible for the present condition. I say so because if we take responsibility we can make things much better. Instead of blaming the system, which we are also part of, if we do our jobs right and see what are the things we can improve, the day is not far that each one of us will feel proud of our country(I don't mean that we don't feel so right now, but the feel would be more universal). And the same goes for our college also.

Another observation of mine: after the class gets over, in very few classes some one cares to switch off the power. At first place we just don't think and if some of us do, either we are too lazy to take corrective measures or just feel bad about it and do nothing. Feeling bad is not enough, we have to take action so that the situation improves and life becomes better. This way we not only make life better for us but for the people around us also.

So if you are still with me also have thought about these little things at some point of time, I wish that you take care two things, just two things

1. Throw garbage only in dustbins
2. Switch off power when not in use, be it your room, college or home.

Even if one of the person reading this becomes aware of these small responsibilities, i will feel grateful.

jaigurudev

love

bhavesh

Power of the MIND

Hey guys I've written a post on my blog on this... check it out @ Reach Out.

Just wanted to add something extra. Well not only mere qualities or few skill sets be it anything in life its just the play of the MIND! Mind is the most powerful instrument you've got!! Whatever you believe is true... If you believe you can you're right and if you believe you can't you're right!!All your thoughts, wishes and actions can attain the result you want if you've got the ability to handle your mind in the right way! :)

If all of this sounds strange to you... and you want to know more then YOGA VASISTHA is the book for you!(or you could simply watch 'the secret'!Its only at the surface though... ). But then don't tell me i didn't warn you, you can only complete the book if your appetite for knowledge is voracious!

jaigurudev

love

rahul

Short and Sweet :-)

Well... There are lot and lots of places you'll find quotes quoted by our very own Guruji.Here are some of them!

"Feelings cannot be change by effort but only through intention."

"If you can believe even in that which you cannot see,your reward will be much greater than what you can imagine!"

"How far from 'heaven'?Just open your eyes and see you are in heaven!"

"Much energy is wasted in trying to charm others and in wanting to charm I tell you the opposite happens!"

"It is time to spiritualise politics and secularise religion."

jaigurudev
love
rahul

The three sankalpas of meditation

Guruji says that before you sit for meditation just leave the whole world aside ... this will you help you go within yourself.There are three sankalpas(can be said as 'will') that will help you in the process:

1. Achaaha:
   RIGHT NOW I don't want anything. RIGHT NOW I want nothing!
2. Akinchen:
   I AM NOBODY, I AM NOTHING. Ask yourself 'WHO AM I?'. You are nothing and nobody.
3. Aprayatna:
   Effortlessness.To meditate there is nothing to do.Just be.

jaigurudev
love
rahul

Rishi Nityapragya Satsang

It was just last April when about 18 of us went to Jhunjhunu last sem for one of Rishi NityaPargya's satsang and I'm sure every single person who came would not have forgotten even a single moment of the event!

Personally it was one of the best satsangs i ever attended in my entire life(I've attended less than 50... not a big number :) ).And obviously between the energizing,dancing, soul stirring bhajans(i hate calling them bhajans for the ones in AOL don't sound like the stereo types! THEY ROCK) there was some amazing knowledge that he shared.... and obviously this one's about that!Its a summary of numerous things he'd spoken that day so might not be in continuity.

• The only qualification of knowledge is the willingness to learn!
• There are two worlds: Inner & Outer
  
  1. Outer constitutes people,objects and events
  2. Inner constitutes heart,intellect,Chitta and ego.
  Happenings and events in the outer world trigger the 'habits(Good or bad) of the inner.
  
• Way to a pleasant and peaceful mind:
  
  1. Observation of inner world and its happenings
  2. Insert the filter of wisdom and judge which habits are good and which ones are bad.
  3. Surrender the bad ones to the Divine.
• Life is actually of the inner world... since, experiences through emotions,thoughts etc., all of them are only in the inner world. This implies that the quality of your life is directly proportional to the condition of the inner world!
  

jaigurudev
love
rahul

Craving...

This next piece is again from Rashmin Bhaiyya's blog and in the very same words as the original...

"To every craving there is a beginning,middle and end.When the craving arises remember the end.It elevates the awareness to a higher level and that which seems uncontrollable to resist does not seem so!"

jaigurudev
love
rahul

Go beyond the opposites!

The wonderful piece of knowledge that I'm about to share is from Rashmin Bhaiyya's blog and is in exact same words as of the original.

"Is feeling unpleasant the problem (or) not wanting to feel unpleasant the real problem?Is there something called a pleasant sensation (or) is it just my craving that makes it unpleasant? Questioning the basic assumptions can help us go beyond duality,beyond the opposites."

Hope you enjoyed this one(cause i do every time i read this small yet powerful piece).

jaigurudev
love
rahul

Bhagavaan!!

This one has been picked up from Bawa's blog... many months back.Its on the five elements of nature and what you can learn from each one of them. The summary is down here:

• Fire: Burns away impurity,negativity and enhances positivity.
  
  
• Water: Adaptability!Adapts to every situation.
  
  
• Air: Is everywhere.Same way you too are everywhere ...not only in the body.
  
  
• Earth: Acceptance.Unconditional acceptance!
  
  
• Space: 100% involved yet 100% detatched.

When all of them are put together(i.e., when all these qualities are imbibed), check out what happens!

1. 'Bh'oomi - acceptance.
2. 'Aga'ni - enhance positivity.
3. 'Va'ayu - prevailingness.
4. 'Aa'kash - 100% involved 100% detatched.
5. 'N'eer - Adaptability

It sums upto BHAGAVAAN!!

jaigurudev
love
rahul

My first visit...and my first encounter!!

December 28th, 2007 the first time i set my foot on AOL bangalore ashram!! I went there for my first advance course :). The advance course(winter break) was fabulous and life transforming,BUT... that's not what this one's about!!

January 4th,2008... Sudden change of plans for everyone who wanted to leave on 4th because Guruji decided to meet the YES!++ participants,this being the first ever winter break and came all the way from Germany !! So, in a jam packed Vishalakshi Mantap with about 1500 young,dynamic, explosive bodies and silent minds was my first ever encounter with Guruji!!




After an indescribable process of meditation(20 minutes seemed like 10 seconds!!) Guruji unwrapped a box of chocolates(big yummy ones,given by an international) and in his usual stylish ways started throwing them one after the other into the audience. There was chaos everywhere as everyone was in pursuit to grab one!

Then, he said that from a group of about 20-25 only one should stand ... and when he /she manages to get hold of one, should share it with the group.The game had begun and was a lot of fun.

After a few throws he said that "the one who is catching should not eat but only share with the other members of the group". I was just wondering on the beauty of the thought and then came the golden words that got encrypted in my memory(and of course the silly little book :D).

THERE IS A JOY IN ACHIEVING... AND THERE IS A JOY IN SHARING !!.

jaigurudev
love
rahul

The Knowledge Game

When I started this blog one of my aims was to share Knowledge through it … I wanted readers to learn nice things from the blog :) … but then I realized … one who truly wants to learn (how to make his life better) can learn from anything and everything … !!!

I remember Saleel bhaiyya mentoning that Guruji says there is knowledge in each and everything … (Q : Guruji, if there is knowledge in everything … what can we learn from … chocolate ?!? Guruji : Chocolate teaches you to be, at the same time, both firm and sweet :) !! Guruji is Mind-Blowing isn’t He ?? :) )

Saleel bhaiyya encouraged us to play a game … look around us and try to take knowledge from everything … fans, lights etc .. :) (This game becomes playable if you are regular with your kriya and have done an advanced course or two) … Follwing this train of thought, I decided to try my hand at this … and here is some ‘knowledge’ I have gained from simply observing the things around me :) … here goes :

GROUNDNUTS (which I bought from ANC) : negativity (undesired part) is only the outer shell … people are very good (tasty :) ) on the inside … we should look only at the positives …

GUITAR : make noises only when required :) ... be a perfect instrument of the Divine … when not required, be totally inactive, but when needed … deliver 100% !! (Like for ex. , don’t worry or think about studies when not studying … but when studying, give ur 100 % … a guitar makes a sound only if it is played :) … this one has been quite useful to me !! )

TOILET SEAT : Accept whatever shit (garbage) people throw at you … and then … Flush it away (otherwise you will stink … so do your kriya regularly !! :) )

A TREE : hide your roots and share your fruits !! (kabir’s doha : as a tree bears more fruits, its branches bend lower, so as a man becomes more successful, the more humble he should be !! )

THE MOON : be cool, calm and detached … a quiet witness to everything …

Jai Guru Deva !

love,

vishesh