Whats to write about our (very short) trip to Alibag... Here are a few pics... the sea was warm and the pool was hot! The hammocks were lovely to sleep in, the food was terrible :)
Upasana hanging around:
Me with cap and me without the cap:
Vishu the Bathing Beauty (?)
Dinesh in (well actually out of) the sea:
In the Pool: Me, Dinesh, Vishu and Pooja
Please do show this post to anyone who says Art of Living Teachers dont have fun! :)
A rosogolla is a very goeey, drippy, sugary, yummy Indian bengali sweet... here is another gem from suparna... read on about the mystery of:
WHO ATE THE LAST ROSOGOLLA?
Suparna Chatterjee
“WHO ATE THE LAST ROSOGOLLA?”
My mother-in-law let out a scream that made all of us jump out of our skins.
I could instantly sense accusing eyes turn toward Sita di, their maid of twenty years, and then toward me, their bahu of a month and a half. On issues of credibility, there was no doubt who, between the two of us, would emerge a triumphant winner. A somewhat uneasy feeling ran through me.
“I was saving it for Babu,” my mother-in-law lamented.
This made matters worse. For in this house, anything meant for Babu (a name by which my mother-in-law often fondly called her dear son and my husband) was strictly off limits for the rest of the household.
My reputation was at serious stake here. I decided to probe a little, and some casual queries later, it was established and well accepted that I was nowhere in the vicinity of the aforesaid delicacy, and apparently Sita di, was not even in contention here. It was soon blamed upon my mother-in-law’s forgetful ways.
Over the next few days however, the inexplicable disappearance of a sweet here, and a roti there left all of us perplexed and eyeing each other with suspicion. Every time a new disappearance was announced, we would immediately narrow our eyes and steal furtive glances at one another, hoping to identify the culprit by the sudden change in his/her facial expression.
The alarming rate of disappearance prompted Sita di to keep a daily inventory of the number of sweets bought, eaten, and distributed. She even made a passing comment on how beautifully marriage had suited me, and how I looked ‘better nourished’ in my present home. I was not quite sure if it was a compliment or an insinuation, but given the circumstances, I was more inclined to think it was the latter.
Late one night, when the rest of the household was deep in slumber, I thought I heard a clamor in the kitchen.
“Amit, wake up,” I whispered anxiously. He didn’t make a sound. I always envied this about him. Me, I would be woken up by the sound of the wind, but he could sleep right through a Bon Jovi concert!
Putting aside for the time being thoughts about Jon Bon Jovi, I decided to investigate the matter at hand. My heart throbbed with excitement at the thought of discovering the thief (Ah, if only it was Sita di!). The sound got louder as I neared the kitchen, and then a sinister thought struck me. What if it really was a burglar?
“Who’s there?” I asked mustering as much courage as my inadequately geared nervous system would allow under the circumstance.
No answer.
“What’s that?” I repeated.
I was greeted with more silence.
Without further ado I headed to the kitchen and switched on the light, and in a flash, something grey and furry, whizzed past me and through the outlet of the drainage pipe into the darkness outside.
Meanwhile, all my attempts to exchange pleasantries with the supposed intruder had woken up my in laws. Now seeing me in the kitchen in the dead of the night, my mother-in-law let out a gasp which had “i-knew-it-was-you-bahu” written all over it.
“IT’S A MOUSE! IT’S A MOUSE!” I blurted, before matters got dangerously out of hand.
With this new revelation, the very next day my father-in-law launched “MOHPES” or the Mouse and Other Household Pests Elimination Strategy. Some of us were pronouncing it as a bi-syllabic ‘moh-pes’, when we were promptly corrected. The sound was similar to ‘mopes’. The H was silent.
Markets were surveyed and the very latest in mouse traps were bought. They were placed in strategic locations with a ball of flour inside to attract the rodent. We all went to bed that night feeling a sense of relief at the thought of having finally solved the mystery.
Early next morning, our relief turned to sheer joy as we stared into the eyes of the grey furball sitting inside, looking at us with expectant eyes as if to say, “What’s for breakfast?” Sita di, promptly decided to take care of it, and the rest of us got on with our daily lives.
A couple of days later the disappearances started again.
Upon questioning Sita di, it was revealed that, she had taken the mouse to a nearby dumping yard, and had set it free. For to kill a mouse was to foolishly invite the irreversible curse of the Lord Ganesh, and she for one was not ready to have a dead mouse upon her conscience.
That night the trap was set up again, but the initial success story was not repeated.
My infuriated father-in-law and my exasperated mother-in-law launched Stage Two of MOHPES. Mousetrap plus Bholu. The neighborhood feline, which had hitherto been shunned and shooed, and who was guarded from the daily arrivals of fresh fish and packets of Mother Dairy milk, was now shown uncharacteristic warmth and generosity, which Bholu eyed with as much suspicion as the rodent had eyed the flour ball. The end result was that we (all of us except Babu) parted with a fair share of our daily quota of fried fish and milk, but Bholu being assured of a free meal on a regular basis, did not have the inclination to chase a mouse round the block just for the exercise.
It was time for Stage Three. My father-in-law was now a man with a vengeance. A recent survey of his closet had revealed gnaw marks in several of his belongings. Important documents had tethered crescent tears in their corners. But what made matters worse was, when early one morning he was getting ready for his walk, he put on an old pair of sneakers and promptly discovered what the rodent had been using for its toilet lately.
That did it! There was only so much Retd. Col. Proshanto Banerjee of the Barrackpore Cantonment was going to take!
HE DECLARED WAR.
MAN VS. BEAST (err…pest).
Having no faith in the readily available pest repellants, he decided to manufacture his own. I’m not quite sure what exactly went into it, but I think charcoal and dried cow dung patties formed a large percentage of the product composition.
The concoction produced a stench revolting enough to drive the entire neighborhood away, leave alone the enemies of MOHPES. The smell and the fumes made me frequently nauseas and giddy, which I soon learnt was a deadly combination, if you are a newly wed, especially at your in-laws’. My mother-in-law, whenever she dared to risk permanent lung damage, removed the perfumed handkerchief from her nostrils and inquired about the possibility of “good news” in the near future. I had to give her credit! For in spite of the obnoxious stench now omnipresent in the house, she would even force a facial contortion equivalent to a smile, when the prospect of a future grandchild presented itself.
I was well on my way to another throw-up when my father-in-law spotted the culprit scurrying along the wall. “QUICK EVERYBODY”, he shouted. “AMIT, GET THE DOOR. SITA , THE MOUSETRAP. ASHIMA , THE GARDEN RAKE. I‘M GETTING MY REVOLVER. EVERYBODY READY”.
The next few minutes were a blurred super-fast sequence of actions straight out of a Charlie Chaplin movie. My in-laws and Sita di were running in circles in a desperate effort to arrest the rodent. My mother-in-law kept banging the rake hard on the floor hoping to hit the mouse. Instead she hit my father-in-law in the foot.
“OW, OW, OW, ASHIMA, NOT ME. THE MOUSE. FORGET THE RAKE, GET ME SOME ICE. NO, NO GET THE MOUSE FIRST. ICE, ICE, MOUSE, MOUSE.”
The series of conflicting commands left my mother-in-law perplexed and paralyzed, not knowing which way to move. Amidst this pandemonium, I got nauseous again, and my mother-in-law deciding that neither mouse nor foot was more important than an heir, came running towards me with open arms, to be the first one to congratulate.
I HAD HAD ENOUGH! THIS HAD HAD TO STOP! I located Amit standing guard on the doorway and tried to give him a scornful look. The fumes were making me giddy. I caught Amit’s attention, but am not quite certain I managed the look I was going for. For Amit looked at me quizzically for a few seconds, turned to his mom and said, “I feel like having alu paratha today”.
“With scrambled eggs,” he added as an afterthought.
I passed out soon after, and upon recovering my consciousness, was informed by a beaming trio, that the mouse had indeed been caught and ‘taken care of’.
Well, that settled, we breathed a huge sigh of relief.
A couple of weeks later when the entire household was deep in sleep, the familiar clamor of stainless steel woke me up again. Who was it now? I wondered in my sleep.
I put on my slippers and groggily limped my way to the kitchen to shoo away another rodent.
“Amit? What are you doing here?” I asked pleasantly surprised. “Did you hear the noises too?”
Amit stood there, silently chewing a rosogolla for several long seconds. He then replied, “Go back to sleep…I drove the mouse away.”
You can write to Suparna and bug her to write more of these... her email id is sue195chat@yahoo.com
Amongst a lot of other things that Guruji talked about in the last 2 days, here are 2 things that really stood out :)... He said it all in hindi, and i am freely translating into english from what i remember...
Q: Guruji, one looses their innocence when one gains Knowledge, so shouldn't one simply remain ignorant?
A: Do not confuse innocence with stupidity (bevakufi is the hindi word He used). and then He added, but you should be wary of any ego that may come with Knowledge.
A young guy got up and said Guruji, do sanyasis fall in love? (Kya sanyasis prem kar sakte hai?)
A: yes, yes... but instead of being in love with one person, they are in love with everyone!! There is a difference between being in love and having a relationship. Sanyasis love all and have relationships with none... (sabhi se pyar karte hai, lekin sambandh kissi se nahi)
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
Here is a superb perspective about a Billion...
The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend... Lets put it into some perspective...
A. A billion seconds ago it was 1978.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate the US government is spending it!!
While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans.
It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division...
Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu, is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans .
Interesting number,what does it mean?
A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.
Washington, D. C
Are all your calculators broken?? Do you use them at all?! :)
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax.
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago in the US, and the US was one of the most prosperous countries in the world.
They had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and yes, Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What happened?
Can you spell 'politicians?!'
Indians, PLEASE don't copy the west :)... I do have a feeling they have failed :) :)
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
Guruji recently wrote an article which was published in various parts in many newspapers around the country... however not one newspaper published it in its entirety... I dont like to edit anything Guruji says :) so here it is, complete and unabridged... By H.H. Sri Sri Ravishankar Fraudulent and unethical practices committed by Swamis or religious authorities should be condemned unequivocally. When a religious/spiritual leader commits a crime, he not only harms people, but also brings disgrace to the spiritual tradition. If proven guilty, stringent action should be taken against them. In fact, the severity of the punishment should be many times more than what would be given to normal people. While Islam is blamed for terrorism, and Christianity went through child abuse scandals in some parts of the world, it is now Hinduism which has gotten a jolt in Kerala due to malpractices. During these moments of crisis, one would think that Hinduism needs an authority that could check these malpractices. Since there is a lack of hierarchy, and no authority to install a Swami or Guru, or dethrone them, the Sanathana Dharma is more vulnerable to being misused. On the other hand, Sanathana Dharma has always believed that religion and spirituality is an individual’s choice; it has allowed people to find their path and lead others as well. That is why in India, no prophet was ever crucified, and the freedom of thought, expression and propagation of faith is inbuilt in to the system. While a few miscreants have misused the system, religion per se should not be blamed or ridiculed. There are possibilities of innocent people being caught in the trap and blamed for nothing. I would advise them to take this as an opportunity to go inwards, especially on the spiritual path. History has shown that many innocent people were accused and had to bear the brunt of society for quite some time, but finally the truth prevailed. We must remember that society has not even spared people like Kabir, Adi Shankaracharya, Jesus Christ, and many of his apostles. Adi Shankaracharya was excommunicated. Gnanadev, Buddha, and many spiritual and religious leaders were considered as heretics and traitors in their time. Today, close to one third of the humanity are followers of Jesus Christ, but during his time, his teachings were considered blasphemous. It was the same with the Sufi Saint, Mansoor, who was eventually hanged. Not so long ago, a Swami from a prominent Mutt in Karnataka was accused of child abuse and was imprisoned for 20 years; he was later proven innocent by the Supreme Court and all charges against him were dropped. Another such victim of conspiracy was Swami Omkarananda, who does not even know how to lift a gun; but he was accused of illegal possession of arms. He was put in a jail in Switzerland for 27 years, and later proven innocent. Religious and spiritual people are there to propagate dharma, knowledge, self-confidence and emotional and spiritual upliftment of people. Any deviation from their goal is bound to boomerang on them. A religious seat should be considered a seat of service and higher knowledge, and it is unfortunate that these institutions are sometimes used as seats of power. Prevalent hypocrisy in religion, spirituality, politics and business is the most harmful thing for a society. The media has a responsibility to expose those who are fraudulent. However, the media should restrain from sensationalising such incidents; even if one innocent image is tarnished, it causes a lot of pain and suffering. Before the charges are proven, public humiliation and ‘bashing’ of the accused should be avoided as it can cause irreparable psychological damage. We have seen this in Iraq where, in the name of extracting the truth from the culprits, thousands of Iraqis have suffered enormous mental anguish. In case of charges being proven false, the irreversible psychological and emotional damage caused is unpardonable. Media and zealots should be aware that in the name of catching the culprits, they should not cause humiliation and psychological harm. Unwarranted negative portrayal of spirituality and prejudice will only lead to more suicides and desperation in society. We must not create prejudice against any section of society, or any religion as this can be dangerous. For example, after 9/11, Sikhs and Muslims were tortured as terrorists. American troops have killed thousands in Afghanistan and later apologised for mistaken identity. In the Middle Ages, many women and scientists were dragged into the streets of Europe and burnt alive. The police cannot play the role of the magistrate. In the past, wise people would take pride in admitting their mistakes. People should have that level of consciousness to admit their mistakes and walk towards the truth. Admitting one's mistakes will enhance one's character. A safe and secure space should be created for people to come forward and admit their mistakes. This cannot happen in an atmosphere of fear and blame-culture. When too much shame is associated with making a mistake, then people will shy away from admitting them. Mistakes happen, knowingly or unknowingly. In the past, when spiritual masters realised their mistakes, they would do their own Prayaschitta (personal attempt for atonement for wrongs committed), sometimes even harder than the stipulated punishment. Religious and spiritual institutions should expose the injustice within their own religion if any, rather than shield it. If this is done from the outside and by those who do not believe in religion, it is likely to be perceived as prejudiced. In the case of the Communists, while they are absolutely right in denouncing age-old dogmas, they should not forget that both Stalin and Mao Tse Tung eliminated close to 10 million people – scientists, socialists, journalists, men of literature - to stay in power. In today’s complex world, to escape from mounting stress, people look for easy ways and go to anybody who offers magical solutions. Instead, they should turn towards pranayama and meditation which is the heart of Indian spirituality. Millions worldwide have taken recourse to it. Sanathana Dharma has laid out some of the best principles for humanity to achieve equality, social justice, a violence-free society, and a prejudice – free mind. Let every Indian strive for educating oneself and the society in these golden principles.
A Super tasty greek dip, i absolutely love... Its extremely simple to make, but needs advance preparation...
Spread a thin and big hankerchief over a medium sized vessel. Empty a full tub of Nestle yogurt (dahi) into it. You could of course use home made dahi or any other dahi really... We are putting about 400-500 ml of dahi on the hanky.
Gather up the corners of the hanky and tie a rubber band . Hang this. It will drip steadily for some time, and then peter off. Let it remain hanging for about a day (15-24 hours). When you open it up, it will have formed a nice soft ball and it will look very like very fresh cheese.
Now peel a medium sized cucumber and chop off the ends and rub the ends of the cucumber with the chopped off ends. This removes any bitterness in it. Then cut into long thin slices and scoop off the seeds with a spoon or a knife. The remaining cucumber, dice it into small cubes.
Add these cubes to the ball of dahi in a glass vessel and mix throughly. Optionally you can heat up a bit of olive oil, add a finely minced clove of garlic to it and brown it. Add the whole tadka to the cucumber-dahi mixture and mix throughly.
Put in the fridge for atleast 2 hours. Eat it as a dip... with sticks of carrots or toasted wheat or multigrain bread or krackjack (salty) biscuits or simply dip your finger and lick it :) remember not to bite (your finger) though :) :)
Will add photos once i am out of silence...
Here is a very nice little real life story:
Hello Bau!
I work for the Clean Up! Mumbai program at Dadar Agar Bazar area. Even Mtv has covered our activity for the MTV Wassup program. It feels really great doing this Seva.
On the last Sunday, while doing the Seva, one fellow came to me and really thanked me for doing the Clean Up! But he was really pissed off on the BMC. He was very angry and stared abusing BMC. I was simply laughing on him comments. He asked me one question. He asked, "Is it your job to clean this city?". I answered yes. But he wasn't convinced. I told him that BMC is helping us in this program. All the material we are using is provided by BMC. But he wasn't convinced.
Then I thought let's convince him the BAWA WAY. The way you convince us, simply by giving some small, stupid but really wonderful examples. I told him, " If I will come to your place and will find your place full of dirt, I am not going to say HEY MAN! YOU HAVE REALLY LAZY MAID AT YOUR PLACE. I will say YOU ARE LAZY AND DON'T CARE FOR YOUR HOME."
And Believe me Bau, next moment that fella started cleaning up the road with me. Unfortunately we were not able to capture him on camera.
I have learnt the style to make people listen and understand my point of view :)
Jai Guru Dev!
KOLA :)
and here is some superb Knowledge from Guruji... and a question as well...
Jai Guru Dev! Bawa
This is what Guruji said:
In Park City, Utah, when Guruji met about 70 of us from the Bay Area, he came out of meditation and with the backdrop of white snowy mountains, he spoke for some time on the last two questions, (from memory recollecting some of it below...)
Observe what is going on in your mind. The dialogue in the mind. Constantly there is dialogue in the mind. What somebody said, what you said, what you will say. Your mind is always busy - planning on what to say to whom...blah blah blah. Discard all the impressions that arise in the mind. Just discard all this. Discard your mind! Take some time every day to discard all these impressions from your mind. Take a walk - a nature walk. Be mindful. Discard the impressions. Every day spend about an hour consciously removing these impressions. It may be frustrating at first but continue. Don't get frustrated. Just calmly discard all the impressions.
Q: So are Sudarshan Kriya and meditation the vehicles to do this?
Guruji: I am giving you the goal and you want a vehicle! I am taking you to the goal! This is higher than Kriya and Meditation. This knowledge is good for lifetimes. Just discard all the impressions. Be free of your mind.
Q: If we are free of our minds, our impressions then will we connected to you?
Guruji: When were you not connected! What non-sense! (with a half-serious smile) You are always connected! Take some time, by yourself everyday - keep discarding all these impressions stored up. I'm saying in addition to the kriya and meditation. Some time to consciously discard all your past impressions.
My Question is: How to identify some thing as "Impression". For e.g. if I have Tea/Coffee Impression, I will only know it if I leave it and then all the head aches start and after few days I come out of it. But how would I know for the rest of the impressions?
How to identify impressions in me?
A: Everything is an impression ☺. Don’t try to figure out what is impression and what is not, because everything is an impression. So whatever experiences you have had during the day, simply go thru them, and kind of wash them off… As Guruji says "simply discard them..."
This is not something I can even begin to explain. You will know it when you do it. Don’t think about it, or rationalize it or anything. Here the trick is to be simple about it and simply do it.
End of discussion! ☺
Hi Bawa and Dinesh Bhaiya!
Jai Gurudeva!
How are you both doing? Bhaiya, I finished the basic course recently and now doing the sudarshan kriya regularly at home. It gives me a good feeling. I am happy.
I have something to share with you. Bhaiya, I am going out of Bangalore for higher studies. I have to stay in hostel. Till now I have never gone anywhere leaving my parents, brother and my pet. I have just been to my cousin's place for a maximum of three days. Now, I have to stay on my own leaving them for three years. It scares me. I'm very attached to them. I don't know if I can actually go there and study when my loved ones are away from me. My parents and brother are very supportive and tell me not to worry and study well. They say its just three years and it will pass soon. But I feel its THREE YEARS. They are my world. They are like my best friends. I am totally confused if I have taken a good decision. Bhaiya, I don't know how do I stay without them. Tell me something Bhaiya....What do I do?
Looking forward to heard from you two…
A: Hostel life is great fun! You will suddenly have a family MUCH bigger than just your parents and a brother and a pet. Go there with an intention to enjoy it and love it… and you will... i still very fondly look back at my time in Hostel 5 at IITB... and watch out for the ragging ☺. Dont get perturbed by anyone ragging you, join in and have fun with it :) that's what i did :)
Q:I am crazy about Guruji. I do lots of Sadhana-Seva-Satsangh, etc…Me, and many of my friends just wanna meet Guruji, wanna hug him, talk to him for sometime.
Its been a dream for us to see him. I would consider myself blessed even to meet him in my dreams. In short, meeting him is such a great thing for us, we consider it fortunate.
I sometimes feel low seeing how easily people meet Guruji, that too very often!
Big big people, corporate leaders, leaders of the world, etc. shake hands with him, talk to him, etc. without even completely knowing him. They don't even know who he is, some of them may not even respect him, and such people get to meet him that easily? I just feel jealous of such people. What can I do?
These people meet Him for few minutes. You meet Him everyday when you do your Sadhana. Close your eyes and He is there... He walks with you everywhere you goto do Seva. He talks through you everytime you speak Knowledge. For a sadhak, He lives in your very core! Wouldn’t you rather have that, than a few minutes smiling, shaking hands with Him and making superficial conversation with Him?
If at all, these people need to feel jealous of all of us! ☺
I simply feel utterly blessed!
Q: I am really frustrated with politicians. At times, i feel like killing them. Its irritating to see how they throw their weight around.
A; So instead of sitting there being irritated. Do something about it. Make many people do the course, so people can get together and be heard, become a good politician yourself…
Killing someone is never a solution… Use your intelligence and your strength to win over corruption. Understand that corruption happens not because the public service is corrupt, but because, we the public allow it to continue, by paying bribes, etc and encouraging the very corruption most of us claim that we are so disgusted with!
You stop. Make others stop. When many stop, corruption dies naturally!
Jai Gurudev Bawa and Dinesh Bhaiya,
I was a volunteer for Utsav Bangalore Act 1. Few of my friends participated in Utsav and have really liked it. To my surprise, I found that one of them went for party (pub) on the 4th day of the course with friends and enjoyed booze. I am not sure how to react or what to tell them.
Bangalore is hub of so many spiritual gurus and still it has so much of Pub culture. Though you have spoken something, that they are losers but what as youth can we to encourage them to have more satvic life.
Oh all the spiritual Gurus are very grateful to the pub culture of Bangalore. It very effectively separates out the weak and stupid from the sincere and intelligent!
If after the course, people still choose to go and get drunk, there is simply nothing that can be done. Like I always say, there is absolutely no cure for plain vanilla stupidity!
I have done Basic and DSN course in Nagpur. My question is, I already have my guruji (sant rajinder singh ji maharaj,Delhi) and I used to follow him and his practices before joing AOL. After joing AOL,my whole attention is on AOL and I am not following my guruji's practices and I am also not attending my guruji's satsang because in the local ashram of nagpur , there is the poor management though I like him.
I am very confused what should I do? if I attend to satsang of AOL , I think that I am not following my guruji and I attend his satsang ,then I don't attend AOL satsang. Sir, I respect both the guruji( sant rajinder singhji maharaj as well as sri sri ravishankar ji) I am much attracted by AOL as it has transformed my life but the same way i do not want to change my guru, please suggest to me what I should do to have success in this path.
See Sri Sri in Sant Rajinder Singhji and Sant Rajinder Singhji in Sri Sri. Why are you making differences where there are none?!
Any Guru will want His devotee to be happy… By doing all these mental gymnastics you are only making a mess of your own self!
And then with full respect and reverence you choose one path and follow it. We respect all and follow one! You cannot cross a river in 2 boats can you? Feel respect and love and adoration for all, follow one! And also see all in the one you are following so there is really no conflict at all!
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
Here is a fairly complicated recipe to keep you guys busy while i am in silence :)
You will need:
for the white sauce:
3 heaped tablespoons whole wheat flour
100 gms butter
1 litre milkat room temperature
1/2 tin of cheddar (amul, brittania, etc) cheese grated
In a fairly large vessel, heat the butter till it melts. Add the flour to it and cook on a low flame. The flour should get cooked, it changes colour slightly and starts to smell real good. Dont overcook, if the mixture turns dull brown or starts smelling like its burnt, it probably is and you will need to start over.
To this add about half the milk slowly at first, stirring vigourously and continuously so that there are no lumps formed. Don't worry too much if lumps do get formed we will tackle them later :) Once you have a smooth mixture add the rest of the milk and stir gently, seeing to it that the sauce doesnt stick to the bottom of the vessel, until nice and smooth. Keep it on low gas. This takes a bit of time. If there are lumps, i just whirr the mixture with a blender, and then return it to the gas for some more time. It should have thickened considerably.
Add 3/4th of the grated cheese to this and stir it in well. Let it boil and bubble for a while. Let it thicken to dropping consistency. Remove from gas and keep aside.
For the veggies, you will need
Handful of french beans, chopped finely into thin long pieces
1 medium carrot, chopped into thin juliennes
1 medium zucchini chopped into thin round slices
1/2 a broccoli (dont use too much broccoli otherwise it completely takes over the taste), chopped into small florets
1 packet of mushrooms chopped into biggish chunks (optional)
a small bunch of spinach hand shredded
a handful of green peas
10 fresh basil leaves
1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)
Olive oil 3-5 tablespoons
a small lump of mozzarella cheese
In a pan heat the olive oil, add the garlic and brown it a bit. Add the basil leaves.
Next add the french beans and let them cook for a bit. Then the carrot and broccoli and green peas. Once its all cooked (the veggies should not be overcooked, they need to remain crunchy), add the zucchini and mushrooms. Finally add the spinach and remove from heat in about 30 seconds.
Add the white sauce to the almost cooked veggies.
Now grease a baking tray with butter. Add the white sauce + veggies to the baking tray. Garnish the top of the tray with the remaining cheese, you may also add bits of mozzarella cheese.
Bake in an oven for about 20-30 minutes or so at 200 deg, until the cheese on the top has melted and turned a yummy golden brown. Do not over bake, coz that makes the whole dish loose its moisture. It should be golden gooey brown on the top and soft thick moist whiteness below with crunchy bits of veggies...
Serve immediately, nice n hot with toasted whole wheat bread or multigrain bread. Some people love to eat this with tomato ketchup... not me! :)
... is the name of a very nice little book by Ann Downer, which i picked up in the children's section in Crossword recently with its sequel The Dragon of Never-Was. The first one was a really nice fun read, the second dragged a bit in places.
If you have kids, these are perfect read aloud stories... there is a lot of humour and good bits of scary parts and some very nice action as well :)
Somehow i have completely lost the taste for "normal" fiction... who wants to read about people who kidnap and murder and stuff when you can let your mind wander about... hatching magic!
The other book i have almost finished recently is Dark Alchemy, a collection of fantasy stories... Nothing dark about it at all :)... There is a short story in there called "naming day"... do yourselves a favour and read it! :) its superb!!!
A lot of people have started up their blogs... I will publish their links after they get to more than 20 posts... i will leave the quality of the content for you to judge... So all you bloggers out there, get your blog to 20 posts or more and tell me and i will definitely add a link here on this blog...
Also, many many people loved suparna's story, so if any of you have some nice short stories that you have written, that are wise, intelligent or just plain funny, please send them in and i will publish them a few times every month...
Finally, I have learned a lot about blogging from amanda's website www.bloggerbuster.com
If you have questions about stuff related to blogging, please click your way there and read up... i will shortly start up a new series of articles about the basics of blogging... after which i think amanda's blog can take you further... There are many other blogs that i used to create this one, but blogger Buster is the one i still use most extensively...
Guruji lands in Bangalore tomorrow night...
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
ps You may wonder how this post appeared if i am in silence... well... i scheduled it! :)
Tomato Rice
This is a very gentle, subtle flavoured rice... i love it!
Take 5 generous handfuls of rice and soak in water for about an hour. Wash the rice well and bung it into a cooker.
Puree 7-8 tomatoes and optionally cook it for a while in olive oil. Add this to the rice. I find that cooking the puree before adding to the rice in the cooker somehow enhances the flavour.
Add to it some green peas (depends on how much you like them, I add about a small cup full of them). Peel 2 carrots and slice them into medium roundels. Add to the rice. You could also add a chunkily chopped potato (don’t remove the skin). Add a finely chopped chopped tomato as well. In the photo below i have also added a few chunks of mock meat that shilpa got for us from singapore... This is absolutely optional :)
Next add 10-15 fresh basil leaves. Also add lots of olive oil, I just let it glug out of the bottle for a bit ☺. Finally add a small blob of butter. Add salt to taste. Add water so that it completely covers the entire mixture. And pressure cook for three whistles and simmer for 10ish minutes after that. Wait for the cooker to cool down before opening it.
Serve piping hot. Tzatziki (recipe coming real soon) will go really well with it. As well as fresh dahi.
You could also change the flavour by doing a garlic tadka. (Heat Olive oil and add 2 mashed or very finely sliced garlic cloves. Add to the rice and mix it up well).
There is a variation to this. I call it cheese peas Pulav.
You don’t add the tomatoes and carrots to the rice. Just add lots of green peas and 2 chunkily sliced potatoes and depending on how many calories you want to watch out for heaps of grated cheese. Cheddar works best. And follow the recipe exactly as above.
Lemme introduce everyone to Suparna. She is a volunteer for the Art of Living in France. Lives in a small lil town called Fontainebleau with her hubby and daughter. She also writes short stories and is currently working on a full length book.
I loved this story that she sent me to read and with her permission have uploaded it on this blog, coz it definitely sounded interesting... If you like the story (and i am sure you will), please email her with your praises and comments at sue195chat@yahoo.com. I would love to read your comments on this story as well...
Tomato Rice and Alibag tomorrow :)
The E-mail
by Suparna Chatterjee
Ashimesh reads the e-mail for the third time.
It is written in multiple shades of blue and green. An invitation to a birthday party the following Friday. Ashimesh hesitates a moment or two before deleting the mail. He is unsure of the proper etiquette for misdirected e-mail, and besides, the intended recipient will not receive the invitation unless he points out the mistake. He clicks the Reply button.
Dear Sam,
I think you have made a mistake in sending me this mail, as I’m quite sure that you are unknown to me.
Ashimesh
Ashimesh Banerjee is a pucca Bengali. He attended Scottish Church School, and later graduated from the prestigious Presidency College, with a First Class degree in Geology. He joined the Geological Survey of India as a trainee and retired as a General Manager after thirty-eight years of dedicated service.
Like most Bengalis of his generation he mistrusted those who found their way into the city from the east of the border. He wholeheartedly supported Mohun Bagan in the local football league, and when it was time for the World Cup, the undisputed favorite was Brazil. He bought sweets only from Dwarik’s, one of the few establishments in North Calcutta that hadn’t yet compromised on quality, and fish from Hatibagan, where one was always sure to find the freshest.
The past few years, however, Ashimesh has been a shadow of his former self.
His ancestral home at Baghbazar, where he has lived all his life, is beginning to show its age. Walls are in desperate need of plastering, the leak in the roof is a constant menace during the monsoons, and the exterior has not smelt fresh paint in over a decade. Ashimesh rarely steps out of the house these days, yet he barely notices the decay.
The PC (a gift from Arnab on one of his visits) is the only living thing in his life now. He reads the daily news at the CNN website, and runs a Google search on classical music or FIFA. Occasionally on something more academic.
Ashimesh pops in a couple of valium tablets, and switches on the computer again.
There are ten emails lying in his mailbox. The usual solicitations…tour companies selling vacation packages, life insurance schemes, mobile ringtones. He reads them all, and re-reads them before deleting them one by one. He pauses at the last one.
Hi Ashimesh,
Sorry, I was sending the mail to a bunch of friends and in a hurry I must have made an error. If it wasn’t for your reply, Ashley Benson wouldn’t have received her invite. Thanks so much!!
I attend middle school in Richmond, Virginia. Where are you from? Your name isn’t American.
Bye for now,
Sam
Dear Sam,
I live in India, in the historic city of Calcutta. I am 67 years old. My son too lives… (He starts, pauses for a minute and shakes his head. No point in bringing up Arnab and his family).
Tell me about Richmond.
Ashimesh
People who knew Ashimesh ten years ago fail to recognize him these days. Ashimesh was a jovial man, the life of any adda. An enthusiastic participant in the local Puja Committee during the autumn festivities and a meticulous sport critic during the cricket and football seasons. Ashimesh and a few close friends regularly met at the Club House and discussed Satyajit and Jyoti Babu over a few rounds of Bridge, the innumerable cigarette stubs and the unending cups of tea from the local tea shop bearing testimony to their debates.
Dear Ashimesh,
Richmond is a historic place too. It was one of the first settlements of the British in this country, so Calcutta and Richmond have something in common after all. The weather here is temperate. The leaves change color every autumn to red, gold and orange and winters frequently cover the landscape with snow...
Ashimesh runs a Google search for “Richmond” before retiring for the night.
He wakes up with a start and a headache the following day. The doorbell sounds for the third time. Ashimesh opens his tired eyes to look at his watch. 9:30. He puts on his glasses and answers the door. It’s Subala, wiping her forehead with the tip of her once white sari.
“Have you been sleeping late today? Been standing here for almost 10 minutes”.
Ashimesh walks to the bathroom as Subala gets ready to sweep the floor, all the while continuing her soliloquy in an authoritative tone. “I see you haven’t eaten any dinner last night. How long is this going to continue? Why don’t you ask Dadababu to come back? He has been to college; he will surely find work here. Or else, you go to live with him. He is always asking you to. Why spend old age alone when you can be enjoying your grandchildren, I ask…?”
Ashimesh endures this everyday, and it has now reached a point where it does not bother him anymore.
The emails from Sam soon become a certainty in his otherwise lackluster existence.
Sam loved school but hated Math, had a pet fox terrier called Woofy, spent Christmas with grandparents in Charlotte, and went to D.C. to watch the 4th of July fireworks each year. Does Ashimesh have any kids? Sam wants to know.
Dear Sam,
I have one son, Arnab. He graduated from IIT, Bombay, the best engineering college in this country. He then received a full scholarship to pursue a PhD in UCLA, and thereafter has chosen to settle down in your country…
He tells Sam about India. About its people. About Ramayana and Mahabharata. He talks about Durga Puja, the Christmas equivalent of his religion.
“…the whole city is bathed in colorful lights. Thousands of people throng the streets all night long, dressed in their best, limping from the discomfort of their newly purchased shoes, to pay homage to the Goddess in every corner of the city, munching egg rolls and fish culets purchased from industrious street side vendors…”
Atop the showcase in the living room are old black and white photographs in rusted silver frames. Pictures of Arnab in his neatly pressed school uniform, bag in hand, oily hair combed in place by his indulgent mother. Others show a family vacation in Puri or Darjeeling. Ashimesh picks up a photo and wipes out the dust with his thumb. It’s a photograph of Arnab with his new bride. He clearly remembers the day Arnab had announced his wish to marry Susan, an American school teacher. The news had left Ashimesh and his wife shocked and disheartened. Tanima had been bedridden for days, and finally succumbed to a heart attack. The day before she died, she requested her husband to make a place for this photograph, among the others in the showcase.
Dear Ashimesh,
Durga Puja sounds awesome! Wish I could be there.
We brunched at IHOP’s today. They make the best blueberry pancakes ever!!! Do you like music? I love N’Sync and Backstreet Boys, but mom won’t let me listen to Eminem.
Btw, my phone number is 080 234 5689.Do you want to chat during the weekends?
Dear Sam,
My favorite dish used to be prawn malaikari, prepared lovingly by my wife. No one could make it like her. I used to listen to music too, though the names you have mentioned are not familiar to me. I loved K.L. Saigal, and every winter, during the classical music festival, Barun (a close friend) and I would stay up all night at Singi Park to listen to the great maestros…
It is one year since the emails first started. To his own astonishment, Ashimesh remembers to send an e-card on Sam’s birthday. He has never sent a birthday card to anyone before. Not to his wife, not to his son, not even to his own granddaughter.
Ashimesh has trouble sleeping that night. The valium doesn’t help any. He gets out of his bed and starts penning down his long overdue apology. To Susan and to Arnab. But most of all to his grandchild, his own flesh and blood, whom he had chosen to disregard all these years. When his pen finally stops, it had covered eight sheets. Ashimesh seals the envelope and couriers it first thing in the morning.
Later that day, he makes a trip to Hatibagan and buys some of his favorite prawns and a coconut. He would have to give clear instructions to Subala on how to prepare it. On his way back, he picks up a couple of tickets to a Ravi Shankar concert, scheduled for the following month.
That weekend he calls Sam.
-Sam, I have some good news for you.
-Really? What?
-I might be visiting your country soon.
-Yes, I know.
-You know? How?
-Dadu, I’m Samhita.
It is the first time the little girl addresses her grandfather as Dadu.
A lot has happened in Narnia, 1300 years of it... and the old Narnia is threatened by the humans who have somehow managed to get there...
An evil uncle, a good doctor, a prince, 2 Kings (one of them is a high King, as edmund says its complicated), 2 queens, dwarves and the Godly Lion Aslaan along with a potpourri of talking animals and some pretty angry nature make a nice movie with good morals...
There is very good acting from all the 4 children, though Prince Caspian seems a bit jerky and uncomfortable. The Location is fabulous. Made me feel that we really have to halt this global warming so more places on the planet can become like it again...
Enjoyable fare, worth watching once...
Oh yes, there is also a torchlight... :)
We are off to Alibag from Poona for 2-3 days at the beach... will post photos and other stuff once i am back in Bangalore... no idea if there is internet connectivity there...
Will write a few things out to be ready to publish in the time i am there, maybe poke dinesh to write as well :)
Also, I am thinking of inviting guests to write a few articles for this blog... We know so many really interesting people, and what they write will fit right into our theme... Sounds Interesting...
Tomato Rice Recipe coming up soon...
Also QnA 10 and maybe a Guru story or 2
I have scheduled my review of the movie Prince Caspian to be published tomorrow morning at 10:30 am... it s a new feature on blogger, lets see how well it works :)
Will see all of you in a few days... Keep Breathing
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa (and dinesh)
Very easy and extremely tasty!!
Get together:
5-7 Potatoes small to medium size
Olive oil
Butter (a generous tablespoonful)
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar is best), you could use lesser if you wish
Mushrooms (1 packet)
1-2 Carrots medium size, cut (dice) into very small pieces
1 clove of garlic, peeled and squashed or diced finely
6-7 fresh basil leaves
Fresh Cream
Juice of 2 Lemons
Salt
Trim your nails, wash your hands :)
Pre heat to oven to 250 deg
Throughly wash the potatoes, do not peel the skin... If there is some mud stuck on them, looosen it and remove it. Poke the potatoes 7-8 times with a fork. Stick the fork right in, dont do it politely :)
This allows the steam to escape while baking... i have been told that they may explode otherwise!
In a Pan melt the butter and add some olive oil. Remove from gas.
Now just put each potato in the butter and oil mixture and with your fingers spread it on the entire potato, dont put too much. Put the potato on a baking tray. Do for all potatoes. Sprinkle some salt on them. Put to bake at 250 deg for about 30 to 40 minutes. When they turn a delicious golden brown they are done.
Meanwhile, put the pan with the olive oil and butter mixture on the gas and add 1 pod of garlic that has been peeled ad squashed or cut into fine pieces. wait until it browns a bit. Then add 6-7 fresh basil leaves. Add the diced carrots and just saute them. They should be crunchy. Add the Mushrooms and cook for about 3 more minutes, add grated cheese to this and stir well until the cheese has melted. Remove from gas.
Add the juice of the lemons to about a cup of cream and beat it well till it is nice and thick.
Once the potatoes are done, slit them along one side and open them up a bit. be careful they will be really hot. Spoon in some of the mushroom carrot cheese mixture. Add a dollop of the sour cream and decorate it with a basil leaf. Serve immediately. It should be eaten piping hot...
You can be creative with what sort of toppings you put on your baked potatoes: Just sour cream with finely chopped chives, grated cheddar cheese with a dash of red chilly powder, finesly shredded spinach with sour cream... the list is almost endless :)
Q: What is Courage?
A: A story to illustrate it: (not mine, plagarised shamelessly from somewhere on the WWW)
A psychology professor at the University of Miami knew his students expected a terrifyingly long final exam. To play with their minds a little (what do you expect from a psychology professor?) he only put ONE question on the final exam.
He watched the reactions of the students as they all opened the exams and saw the one question. Initially they all looked relieved, but as the difficulty of the question began to sink in, those relieved faces sagged to confusion and consternation.
All, that is, except for one student. He read the question, tapped his pencil into his palm a few times, then jotted something down on the test paper. He walked up to the professor, handed him the final, and walked out. The professor blinked in surprise, looked at what the student wrote, and smiled. The professor wrote "100%" on the top of that student's test.
The question: What is courage?
The student's answer: This is.
Q:WHAT IS INNOCENCE? Jai Gurudev Bau .. Guruji sometimes keeps telling this - best combination is that of intelligence and innocence .. and always for innocence a child is taken as an example .. But I'm a 29 year old guy and I know and do all those that are expected of a guy of my age .. so what are the qualities that can be classified under this term "INNOCENCE" for ppl of my age ..... Thanks for your time .. waiting eagerly for your answer or something better :)
A: A child has innocence but no responsibility. An adult looses innocence as he gains intelligence and takes responsibility. Maintaining child like innocence while being intelligent and fulfilling your responsibility is quite an Art. That’s what Art of Living courses do for you. Bring back that wonder and amazement and curiosity of childhood… do not confuse with being childish ☺.
Q: Joy Gurudev! bawa... Hope you are doing good!I have 2 Qs
1. If i am good at something and terribly bad in some other thing should i continue trying to be better in a thing i am bad @??
2. Since when and y are you called Bawa Just wanted to know!? Do take care. say Hi to Dinesh Buddy!
A: 1. up to you. Depends on what those things are… its too general a question to answer.
2. Since my days in IIT. It’s a pet name for parsis (zorastrians) and its stuck since then ☺. WIll post a story about that sooner or later :)
Q: I go to college. Guru Ji says, make one friend everyday. How?
A: Umm… go upto someone introduce yourself, smile a bit, talk about yourself, ask them about themselves… most importantly stop asking dumb questions! ☺
Q: Who is your absolutely favorite US teacher?
a.) Patti Montella
b.) Miss Montella
c.) all of the above
A: so many choices. I just cant make up my mind!! :) :) :)
Q: YOUNG GENERATION TODAY Problem 1: It has been observed that young generation are addicted to computer games and cell phone to the extent that they do not know the time. They go on playing till 3.00 or 4.00a.m. They keep talking till middle of night. It has adverse effect on them. It has effected to the extent that they do not get sleep, they are irritated at every small thing. They get late for every thing and they also loose interest in studies.
A: The earlier younger generations used to be addicted to books and other hobbies with approximately the same effect☺
Q: Problem 2: They are readily available for seva at any call from any volunteer of Art of Living. But when it comes to do any work at home they avoid (including their personal work). It is really bothering me the attitude of young generation. Inspite of doing various courses and regularly doing kriya how they do not understand that what they do is wrong. How to handle them please guide. JAI GURU DEV
A: Instead of berating the entire younger generation, maybe you should be talking about a few specific examples of kids? And why does it bother you that your children are going out wanting to make a positive difference to the planet? They are not wasting their time in a pub getting drunk or senselessly partying… they are standing upto their peers to do something positive! You need to be more proud of what your children are doing… and possibly they might start doing what you would wish them to do too?
btw, younger generation please note... doing stuff outside the house and making parents freak at you is not a good idea... why not have a whole group of friends come over to one persons house every 15 days or so on the weekend and help with all household stuff in that house? good idea? Implement it!
Remember happy parents = better seva
Q:Hi I am trying very hard to get a job(almost for the past three years) but the result is zero. What should I do now ? My qualification is MCA (annamalai univ 2007 correspondence course passout, BSc electronics regular mode)
A: Why not start up some business? Or do some e commerce? There are plenty of options out there if you really want to get gainfully employed other than doing a job… You can email rashmin: rpulekar@rediffmail.com for more details if you wish for alternative sources of income and employment.
Q: Jai gurudev bhaiya, tell me how to get rid of fear of failure
A: by succeeding!
Q: i want to be the best. How is that possible?
A: Its impossible if you want to be the best. Just realize that you already are!
Q:Was reading Yog Vashishtha... everything it seems is conjured by my mind...so if I am experiencing you or Guruji or for that matter anybody or anything, is it my mind which has created you all? So where is the You? So whatever you answer would be what my mind already wants to hear and so I am conjuring it to come from you? So whatever you are(or anybody is), is it also my mind? SO when things dont happen the way I think I want them, it is actually that in my mind somewhere I didnt want them to happen? Then why I am feeling sad? Is it that the mind wants to feel sad? Then you seem to be things at your own will, I didnt see you become you - just read ur posts now (;-)) but all the while is it me who is creating you? And so Guruji? IF all is MY mind then what is YOU? (Dont take YOU literally :-)I mean what is the Other)
A: Read the Yoga Vasishtha again! And again and again… its not a book to be taken at its face value. Remember that it’s a dialogue between Lord Rama and the Rishi Vasishtha. It talks about very intricate and profound realities… Do your Sadhana and read it. It will slowly seep into your consiousness and questions like the one you asked above will simply drop away…
Q: TAKING OTHER PEOPLE'S KARMA I was thinking about this today - I have heard Guruji say that if someone "yells" at you or "criticizes" you then be grateful because they take away some of your Karma. How does it work? Any convenient explanations for the intellect :)?
A: Since He is in charge, He should know ☺
Just know this: There is perfect justice in the Universe. So if someone yells at you for no reason, he will face the consequence of it. It would not be fair for you to take another birth just so that person’s karma can get finished with yours… so they simply take your negative karma away. My extremely intellectual interpretation ☺
Q: JAI GURUDEV, bawa bhaiya,i have done part-1 course,did 2 advance course also,DSN,i do seva also(though not much,what i want to ),but from last 3-4 months i mt not at peace,i m doing Kriya regularly but one or the other thing keeps on troubling me,it seems as if i m forgetting the art of surviving in ups and downs,please help me what should i do? Also bhaiya i m engaged and most of the time my fiance never supports me to whatever i say, very recently i have made a decision of having a break in my career/professional life for 4-6 mnths as i m working for 6 years in bank and i m totally frustrated, and he is opposing this decision of mine, what should i do bhaiya, i m in a fix, coz i want to do my TTC-1 also in this time and get involved in spiritualism more. Please advise,m eagerly awaiting ur answer..please guide me and help me.
A: Look for a new fiancé?
If you are seriously interested in doing Art of Living work, and he is already opposing you and challenging you, married life will be hell for both of you… unless you can sit him down and explain your priorities to him and listen to what he would like from you and both of you can come to a mutual consensus…
It’s a tough decision that you have to take… but the sooner you take it, the easier it will be for both of you.
Q: Question on Faith I have one question on Faith. Firstly, I had a breakdown in US two months back and then followed a break in my faith in me and Guruji altogether..... So, somehow, I got to instill faith in myself..... Now, in one of the knowledge sheets, Guruji mentioned that God is not concept for your security or protection. Your faith should not diminish even if death happens to you. Your faith should not be based on events or happenings....And also it is told that you are being taken care of....since faith is based on a concept of security...can you pls explain in little detail....
A: You are being taken care of, doesn’t mean you will have no problems. It only means that problems that may be very difficult to go thru, will be made easier… Knowing that even when you are in deep deep trouble, Guruji is there… this is faith.
Q:QUESTION ON TTC I am a student and i want to become a YLTP teacher. I want to know if the eligibility for YLTP and YES!+ TTC are same or not. Age limit is there or not? I still have a long way to go before becoming eligible for YES!+ TTC itself! But i want to plan now itself for the money for the courses etc ! Thanks bawa...
A: No idea about YLTP. YES!+ TTC eligibility is on the application form you can download from www.yesplus.org
Q: QUESTIONS THAT IRRITATE ME I want to ask sometimes some questions irritate me and i have no ans those questions. about career, my parents are also worried for me but i have no ans. without art of living i do not like anything and this is the reason why i am upset. plz tel me solution
A: Make a career in Art of Living. Become a teacher! :)
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
You learn meditation and suddenly,
You have lots and lots of mirth
Your life becomes heavenly,
that too, right here on earth!
You surely will have:
Time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows: (if thats what you really want to do!)
Time to see, when woods you pass, (lil tough if you live in mumbai, but what the heck)
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
All the time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, see how they can dance:
And time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began!
A super life this, when full of Grace,
you start coming first in almost every race!
When i was in the third standard, i had some disease called rheumatic fever... supposedly very bad and stuff... mainly for me it meant i didnt have to goto school for almost an entire year, i was passed to the next standard by Don Bosco for which i think i will be eternally grateful based on my performance in my first unit test...
So for almost a year, i had to stay home, be with my grandma, and a few friends who would pop by once in a while... dad introduced me to books then. Almost every evening when he would return from work, he would buy me a new Enid Blyton and i would read it up in a day... fortunately for me and dad Ms Blyton had been a prolific writer and so well into the next year i read books by her and kept wanting more...
Dad then got me other authors for kids, i liked the hardy boys and nancy drew series and other stuff that was then available but never really loved them the way i had loved enid blyton...
So, one day when we were at a party at my uncle's home who is also an avid reader, he gave me my first "fat" book: Hotel by Arthur Hailey. I had refused to read anything so fat so far, but i couldnt say no in front of all the adults there, so i took it with a grimace
... vowing not to read such a monster of a book!
Then after reading all the books i had a few more times, i was finally left with Hotel. Dad refused to buy me more books util i at least gave Hotel a try... i settled down with it, and i remember being blown away by it!
i quickly read up everything that Arthur Hailey had written so far and along with that gobbled up some Sidney Sheldon and Jeffery Archer as well... Hotel, Airport, Shall we tell the president?, Not a penny more, not a penny less (that was hilarious and it was not even fat!) were i think my absolute favourites...
By the time i was in college i had read many many fat books :) and loved most of them... As a residue of that illness i was not allowed sports till my 10th standard and so while everyone woudl be outside playing, i would be inside reading... and they would be feeling sorry for me, and i would really feel sorry for them! They had no idea in which worlds i was in when i had my nose in a book...
Hotel is still one of my favourite books... if you have not read it, please do :)
More exotic authors coming right up in a few days time...
Keep Breathing!
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
I found this on my stumbles on the WWW... and just had to share it with all of you!
The Squares marked A and B are exactly the same colour!!!
To check this out, just copy paste the image into any image software... then cut paste a tiny part of square A into a new window, and then copy paste a tiny part of square B into another window... check out both the colours, you will see that amazingly, unbelievably they are the same!!!
Seeing is Believing? Not quite huh?! :)
3 months ago, Guruji called me and dinesh and told us, that we should be teaching thousands of people, that we were wasting our time teaching small courses of a few hundred :)
and so was born the Utsav Phenomenon!
We put together a course, which could be taught to thousands of people at a time, modified a few of the original games heavily and decided to include rocking satsangs as part of the course...
The result? Pure Magic!!
I have always wondered what to give Guruji on His birthday every year... i think this year from the entire YES!+ Team, we can very proudly give Guruji His B'day present!
On the eve of Guruji's 52nd B'day, 10,000+ new people have done the Utsav course. 10,000+ new people will bask in His Grace! 10,000+ new people have got this precious Knowledge!!
In just 3 months since Utsav was born, the YES!+ Team of India (joined by Phillip and Amanda from the US and Alex from Brazil) has managed to teach 10,000+ young people. Dinesh and I taught 7 Utsav Act I courses: 2 in Mumbai, and 1 each in Akola, Amravati, Nagpur, Jalandhar and Bangalore. Saleel and Nanda rocked in Indore...
Our collective Sankalpa had been 10,000+ till July, but i guess Guruji wanted His B'day present earlier than that :)
Happy Birthday our dearest Guruji!!
love
bawa, dinesh, The YES!+ Team...
and all of us...
Bangalore Utsav:
On the day one of the Utsav of Bangalore, 2 hours or so before we were ready to begin, the election commissioner suddenly decided that we cannot hold the program in the ground that it was scheduled to be held... They got an order from the Bangalore Municipal Corporation canceling the course... Turned out that the ground was adjacent to the National College where all the ballot boxes of the upcoming Bangalore Elections would be kept, and such a huge gathering was a "security" threat or something like that...
Police were not allowing any workers or volunteers to do anything on the ground, so the pandal was not completed, sound was not ready, stage was in a shambles... All those last minute things that are to be done, couldn't be done... We had close to a 1000 registrations on the course, our team of volunteers and teachers had been working day and night, really hard, for almost 3 months to get the show together and it was about 10 minutes to 5:00 pm , the time Utsav was supposed to start and people were streaming in...
To top all that, the skies were overcast, and there was a faint drizzle of rain as well, threatening to turn into an all out shower... This is the middle of summer... 8th May!! Some confusion with the Bangalore weather Angels for sure! :)
At 5 minutes to 5:00 pm, after a flurry of useless phone calls to "concerned" authorities for the past 2 hours (and 1 phone call to Guruji explaining the situation), Dinesh(?) managed to convince the BMC people at the ground itself to let us do the course for 3 days, Thursday, Friday and Sunday (suggestion from Guruji), we thought we will do Saturday at the Ashram... Saturday being the day of the election.
In 15 Minutes miraculously, the stage, the pandal, the sound, the video... everything simply came together, everyone was registered in and seated and ready to begin... and we started the course only 10 minutes late, at 5:10 pm!
The Election Commissioner had somehow been appeased, how about the Rain Gods? A steady drizzle, very gentle continued for some time... Dinesh mentioned its the God's who were showering their Blessings on all of us... Dinesh and i were fervently praying to Guruji to make it stop raining... It never turned into an all out shower... BUT, it did keep drizzling off and on...
Then it was time for Sudershan Kriya. We told all the participants to pray that it would not rain while we were doing Kriya and meditating... As soon as we chanted Om to get ready to start Kriya. All the rain stopped. Completely. And stayed stopped throughout the hour long Kriya and meditation!
The pandal was in the huge Basvangudi Grounds. We had not cordoned off the entire ground to save costs :). We had just a 1000 registrations, so had cordoned off an area to seat the 1000 comfortably...
For the entire hour of the Kriya, it was not raining at all in the cordoned off area. Just a few feet away, on the grounds, on either side of the pandal it was raining... and about 500 meters away from the pandal it was raining heavily!!
When everyone had finished the Kriya and were read to go home, they found the ground surrounding the pandal to be wet and sticky with mud... just the pandal was absolutely dry...
I remember once Guruji saying that when you are doing something good, nature will bend to cooperate with you... I have a feeling, Guruji gently nudges nature to her bit... by doing His bit!
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
Finally!! a no sugar, no white flour recipe that works really well!!
This recipe really gets your hands dirty... you have been warned :)
You will need:
4-5 medium sized ripe bananas
1 cup Maple Syrup (You could even experiment with honey and let me know the result)
1/2 cup butter (cold butter from the fridge is best, or room temperature is ok too, dont melt)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Essence
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp fine salt
2 tsps baking powder
1 cup pecans (chopped), you can replace with walnuts if you wish.
1/2 cup dried raisins
Clean your nails, preferably trim them :) and then wash and dry your hands,
Pre heat the oven to 250 deg
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder at least 3 times through a fine sieve. Keep Aside.
Mash up the bananas really well with your hands, so little pieces are still there. Add the butter and again mash it into the banana mixture, add maple syrup and vanilla essence, and with your hands blend the whole thing properly. It should smell gorgeous: bananaey and mapley with a hint of vanilla...
Now to this add the flour, baking powder and salt mixture and again with your hands mix it really well.. Do not use an electric blender or a spoon. Use your hands and squeeze and blend and make the flour and banana mixture into a nice homogeneous mass. It will be smelling delicious, and will be gooey and will have dropping consistency...
Add the chopped pecans or walnuts and raisins to this mixture, reserve a small handful to garnish. Mix the nuts and raisins in well.
Lightly grease with butter a baking tray and pour the mixture into it.
Put to bake for 40ish minutes. See below.
About half way through at approx 25 minutes, when the mixture has firmed up a bit, you can optionally give it a milk bath. Using some a liquid which is 1 part milk, 2 parts water, just brush the top of the cake lightly and quickly and replace into the oven. This just gives a very nice glaze effect to the cake. It shines when it is done :)
Remove from the oven. Let it cool just a bit before cutting it up and serving. We had it just like that, with chocolate sauce, with it drenched in maple syrup, with some honey, and with french vanilla ice cream!
Its a really simple cake to make and we had lots of fun to making it! This cake is enough for about 5-7 people...
This is in response to the question asked "Q: I go to college. Guru Ji says, make one friend everyday. How?"
Guruji's advice about making a new friend every day can be counterproductive. It must be stated with some caveats.
There are lot of unspiritual people in this world. If you make friends with such people, they will drag you down into drinking, teasing, smoking, sex, etc.
What is the underlying desire in making a new friend? We must be friends only with those who fulfill our ultimate spiritual goals (Satsang). Lot of people spend time chatting away with so-called friends about silly things [I am like this, you are like that]. Real friends are those who teach you good things, who have good character.
If you exist in a state of silence, you will automatically discover the people you need to make friends with - those who match your spiritual desires.
Make new friends... no caveats... if they are "unspiritual", make them spiritual!!
Along with being spiritual, you also need to really strong, then the environment you are in doesn't make any difference to you, but you do have a super impact on the environment!!
Of course, there are few people who will simply not learn, or refuse to learn, we keep our distance from them, but always have our doors open, in case they wish for Knowledge...