Choose right..

 Every day we are faced with hundreds of choices, Do we choose the right or the pleasurable.

If we could choose the right more often, we can transform ourselves and the world.


श्रेयश्च प्रेयश्च मनुष्यमेतः
तौ सम्परीत्य विविनक्ति धीरः ।
श्रेयो हि धीरोऽभि प्रेयसो वृणीते
प्रेयो मन्दो योगक्षेमाद्वृणीते ॥ ॥ कठ उपनिषद् – 1.2.2 ॥

Translation:

The preferable and the pleasurable approach man.
The intelligent one examines both and separates them.
Yea, the intelligent one prefers the preferable to the pleasurable,
(whereas) the ignorant one selects the pleasurable
for the sake of yoga (attainment of that which is not already possessed)
and kshema (the preservation of that which is already in possession). – Katha Upanishad – 1.2.2

Raavan as Sita's father

This is a version told to me by my mother.


Sita was a reincarnation of Vedavati (an avatar of Lakshmi), an orphan lady. Sita as Daughter of Ravana – The Story of Sita Born as Daughter of Raavan


Legend has it that Vedavati, a very pious woman wanted to marry Lord Vishnu. She was meditating on a river bank when Raavan was enamoured by her and tried to violate her. To escape from him, Vedavati jumped into the fire meant for yagna and before dying cursed Raavan that she would be responsible for Raavan's death in her next birth.


In her next birth Vedavati was born unto Raavan and Mandodari. As she was born, there was an 'Akashwani' stating that she would be responsible for his death. She was bundled and threw into the sea whereupon sea Goddess Varuni in turn gave her to Prithvi, the Goddess earth. She was given by Prithvi to Janaka who was performing a yagna for a child.


We know the rest of the story.


There are 2 stories to her abduction.. one which is common knowledge. The other is that

as she was Raavan's daughter, upon knowing that she was suffering due to Vanvaas thrust upon Ram by his father, Ravan took Sita away to Lanka to save her from the suffering. He tried to persuade her to stay with him, but did not reveal that he was her father, since he was ashamed of having abandoned her.


There is another version saying that Raavan was unaware of Sita being his daughter and since he lusted after his own daughter, though unaware of this fact, it was one crime too many, and that was the reason of his total destruction.


Whatever the story, my intention is not to hurt anyone's sentiments..


Whenever I pray before the Lord in the temple I visit every week, the beautiful idols of Raam Laxman Sita..I never fail to feel the agony of Sita.. for all she went through.. even though we each idol of Ram is incomplete without that of Sita.. they hardly enjoyed any life together.


Same true for Radha.. Since after having left Radha and Vrindava, Krishna never returned.


I feel the pain and agony of Radha.. forever waiting for her beloved..


Maybe it is their selfless unrequited love which have made them immortal.

An Interesting Debate

Twin Babies were talking in the womb of a mother..

Here are some excerpts --

-- Do you believe in life after birth?

-- No I don't. There is no such thing as life after birth. Life ends with birth. Period.

-- I feel there is life after birth. Perhaps we are here to prepare for that.

-- Don't be ridiculous.. There is no such thing. How do you know?  has anyone returned to tell us about it?

-- Think there is light after birth..I feel we will be able to walk with our feet and eat with our own mouths. There will be plenty of space and we will move around. There will be many like us and we will laugh and play!

-- What rubbish are you talking? Be quiet!  how could we move about? What about the umbilical cord? It is too short. We could kill ourselves if we tried to move about or play!

-- I think Mother will take care of us. She will make sure we do not kill ourselves.

-Mother? I don't believe in Mother. I will believe her only when I see her.

-- You don't see her now, but you will, after birth. Even now, I can feel her around me, loving me, caressing me, protecting me.

-- Ah well.. I give up.. No point in arguing with you.. Live in your dream world.. Let me sleep...

Adapted by Hetal Thakkar

Rambling on a Saturday morning..

There are those who are dynamic and those who are static,
There are those who are forever in quest and those who have found peace..

The search of knowledge of the outside world
and that of the world within..

But I am too greedy..
I want both.. to be tranquil and to be dynamic..

To work and yet be at rest

To know the world within
the world without..

To be popular yet truthful.
To be proud of oneself, yet without ego..

To love and not to hurt..
To be loved and not hurt..

Life is full of contradictions..
and there is so much to achieve
in so little time.

Too Many Options ..

The young are so smart these days, younger daughter talking about relationships and how to make marriages work ! I can not find fault with what she says, but the confidence with which she says it all!!  As if she has been in and out of a thousand relationships already..

The crux of the matter is.. sometimes we need to have a child's perspective on many things.. including marriage. For a child, marriages are meant to last forever. Period. No matter how much pain one causes or suffers.. it is all worth it if the family is together. There is simply no other way.

Now if we had  no other option, it would have been so much easier. But we do. Life offers us so much choice. Everyday, alternatives are being invented, since discoveries are exhausted. Adam and Eve had no choice but one another. Then came civilization.. communities, religions, races. One can chose the right person.. may the spouse be of any community, caste, religion and now you can chose the sex too!! With each passing day you are offered so much choice !! There was a time when kids were married off in childhood.. and such marriages worked fantastically. In fact the success rate was 100 percent. Until death do us part indeed !

Now you choose your own partners. And the more the choice, more break ups. For God's sake.. you have made the choice yourself.. stick by it !!  Yet they find ways out. On trivial matters. What is lacking is tolerance and options.  If you find it tough to make it work, you can choose divorce. Or separation. If there was no other option, you would have somehow found ways to make it work.

Same can be applied to many other day to day choices we make. From the era of B/W to todays 3D, Television has come a long way. So have the networks. Years ago, we had to be content with Door Darshan. Yet I think enjoyed whatever they showed us. Today, half the time is spent on flipping channels to make a choice!

I have a smart phone.. agreed it is not the smartest. But it still is my phone ! Yet  I am looking for a new phone for the past 2 months.  And then again, I have the option to choose now or wait a few months for a smarter phone. Cant seem to settle for one because of so many options!

So today my daughter has taught me a lesson. It is easy to run away from a given situation. There are solutions to problems which give you choices to opt out; and they are attractive in the short term. But in the long run, it is best to look at fewer options and make the best of what you have. May it be your relationships, your job, your home, your friends or your phone.

Loyalty goes a long way. For everyone.. and for everything. !

Tribute to My Mother

When I was young,
I took my mother for granted.
She cooked, cleaned and looked after us.
 Even the birds and bees do that..
 As I grew older, found fault with everything she did.

As she started to grow older,
And could not cope with the work,
too egoistic to accept her inadequacies..
I was her worst critic.

History repeats.. tables turn,
you realize her worth when you go through the same..
And as the years roll by,
I realize her greatness..

I salute her relentless duty
her unique never accept defeat attitude..
In all the hardships she had endured
I wonder what made her tick?

We never celebrated 'Mother's Day' back then
She never received a word of appreciation
nor any certificates, nor accolades
nor a remuneration for her round the clock duty

Now I see what makes her tick..
Its Faith.. Religion.. Geeta Gyan
She regularly reads Holy scriptures..
Advises me to do the same..

Now I feel, it is the need of the hour
Thank you Mummy..
For creating me, and
For being what you are!!

At the Cross Roads..

Life brings me regularly,
to many a cross roads..
Its the choice I make..
Which leads me to my destiny.

So is it me who chooses
By choosing the right Path..
Or is it God Almighty,
Who offers me the choice?

Is my life my doing,
A result of my choices?
Or it is the choice of those around me
Whom I care for,
and choose accordingly?

There are many who consider this
and some who do not
And those who do..
end up living in the shadows
and those who do not.. shine bright !