Timeless Principles

INDIA became republic on 26th January 1950. A Republic is a sovereign country whose Head of State is an elected President, not a monarch.The supreme power is vested in the people."Satyameva Jayate" are the words inscribed below the abacus in the National Emblem proclaiming that " truth alone triumphs ". The quest for freedom can not be suppressed. Freedom is the measure of man's dignity and greatness.Freedom is not simply the absence of tyranny or oppression.Nor freedom is the license to do whatever we like. However the greatest paradox is, in this free world, people live with fear. We must rediscover a spirit of hope and a spirit of trust. Timeless principles will guide all of us and let us take some time to ponder over the topic:-

1) In Pursuit of Personal Excellence:-

There are four kinds of people; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, those who wonder what has happened and those who don't know that anything had happened. But, in pursuit of personal excellence, the one and only mantra that prevails is "YOU CAN DO IT '. Any fear in this regard is but an illusion. There may be seemingly some intrusion but actually there may not be anything. We must put our right step forward and take the difficulty as an opportunity for progress and ultimately achieving success.

2) Be and Do Good :-

Technology is the enemy of reverence as technology the worship of man-made. This limits our worship of the divine. There is something inside every one of us which dictates " That is wrong; this is right and so on ". If we do some thing wrong, we need radical forgiveness, a sense of cleansing from the sense of inadequacy, from the knowledge that we have not been the kind of person we should be.

I know there is a part of me which is not physical, a part that I call as soul or spirit. Among things which are not physical, to name the few, are my identity, my sense of humour, my values,my memories. As these are not physical they are not subject to death. My soul can not die is not a religious dogma but a scientific fact. So as long as we live , "Be and do good" should remain as our motto.

3) Quality of Life :-

People find more meaning, happiness and fullfilment often as way to improve the quality of life. We go by timeless principle that Rome was not built in a day. We can not reduce weight or rebuild our marriage or build up a farm etc. over the week end. Correct principles are like compasses which are always pointing the way. If we know how to read them, we will not get lost, confused or fooled by others.

4) Be Positive:-

Positive thinking is another way of talking about faith - the faith in God. When we have a positive frame work, we find zest in carrying out the tasks with commitment and fairness.Thus we can make each day a better day.

5) Get the ego out of the way :-

When I want a quick fix, I am operating out of my ego.When I can not walk the talk, and dictate others to do, I am ego-centric . Under these circumstances, I can not find a lasting solution. I need to have a problem-solving approach bereft of ego. To heal the ego, we must believe in some source much greater than ourselves. We should also believe we are a part and have come from the same source.

Paramacharya advocates "Sashtanga Namaskara where all our limbs/joints are totally spread and touch the floor" is a form of total surrender which only is possible when we shed the ego part from us. The sublime self is in the posture of 'Saranagathi".

6) Learn to Communicate well:-

Communication is a language by itself and a means for expressing one's wishes, ideas and thoughts to others. Even the pet animals understand the language of their masters. Success is a direct derivative of communication skills. But the world is in a mess as there is lack of proper communication. The students don't understand their teachers, the politicians mislead the taxpayers, suppliers fall out of their customers' demands. Marketing does n't understand the language of the finance and sales that of service.

7) How to get what you want out of life :-

Dr. Joyce Brothers is a renowned psychologist whose audience number in millions and who has authored many best sellers on the topic. She says that it was not luck she won the $64000 Question. She set her eye on 'Cadillac" first as she thought that is the best thing in life till she watched 'THE $64000 QUESTION" - the most popular TV program of the era. Then onwards she set up the goal " What must it feel like to be rich beyond belief ". And one night she won , she won the sixty four. That was a watershed experience for her. She was asked to appear in TV and radio programs many times to give lectures and to write. She had pushed her energy, brain ,emotions to the limit to the point where it hurts. And she faced them as challenges in a sportive manner like a duck takes to water.

The first and most important step according to Dr. Joyce is to find out what you really want. Not what you think you should, what someone else thinks you should, but what you, the inner you, really want out of life.

In these processes "The Timeless Principles" will come to help .

Republic Day Greetings to all !!!!

Best Of Friends

The best of friends
can always meet
along the way of memory sweet.

Heart to Heart
Though Apart
The friends
Will never depart.

The Union of the best
with the best
will be the best

a friend in need
is a friend indeed

Makarasankaranthi - Uttarayanapunyakala

Makara Sankaranthi Greetings -"Tamaso maa jyothir gamaya "

' Samyak kranti iti Sankaranthi ' - kranti means change and sankranti means a secured change. Sankranthi confers peace and heralds a welcome change. The Sun is the presiding deity among the planets of solar system.The life process exists only because of the Sun. Lead me from darkness to light is the message vibrant in Sankranthi.

The Sun starts His north ward journey in His stately chariot driven by seven mighty horses and enters the ' Makara', sign of the Zodiac. The north is considered as Himachala. Himachala symbolises a heart that is pure and cool as ice (hima) and steady as a mountain (achala). The message directs to enquire into the truth. Sankranthi signifies internal vision.

Sankranthi is a holy day and Adi Sankara took sanyasa on this day. It is customary to offer a mixture of jaggery and sesame (til) on this day. Jaggery is sweet and symbolises love. Til is also known as sneha which means friendship. Develop harmony towards everyone is Adi Sankara's message. "Sweet Pongal", rice cooked with milk, jaggery and ghee, is offered to Sun God on this festive day .We rejoice in resonating " Pongalo, Pongal " and greet everyone with respect and love.

Makara Sankaranthi Greetings to all !!

Ethics in Self Governance

Ethics in Managing Self :-

1) Being Considerate:-

Some may have more wealth, talent,knowledge,ability or experience. The excess we have , we need to be considerate to share with the less previleged. By imparting knowledge, we beget more . The timely assistance we render by sharing that excess, problems may get solved on a macro level. The excess will grow fast than we hoard it for ourselves. In simple words, give more to have more.

2) Be true to one's own values:-

Esteem need arises when basic needs, security needs and belonging needs get fulfilled according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. There is no need to act differently outside, to what we consider as values inside, just to create an impression. In course of time, friends may notice the bleach and one's true color or nature may get exposed. Had we been true to one's values and act in line with our true nature, we create good will and receive respect from outside.

3) Correcting Negative Beliefs :-

' The cup is half empty' can be reckoned as a negative belief as compared to the version ' the cup is half full '. The negative beliefs are vicious and may prove counter productive. In other words our actions will prone to be reactive than pro-active as the negative beliefs stand uncorrected.

4) Belief vs. behavior :-

There are definite indicators arise out of our actions. For instance, when our actions produce positive results, they meet one or more of our basic needs. We get assured that our attitude, belief or opinion is correct. Conversely when the results do not meet our needs, may be the beliefs or attitude of ours are not in the right direction. Hence it is imperative that we attack our incorrect belief and destructive behavior than attacking ourselves or others.

5) Take a look at the conflicting beliefs :-

Compulsions are common while at work or when we start doing something. It may be known to us what is real and what is deceptive. But due to compulsions that may arise for variety of reasons, we take sides with the unreal beliefs. We become guilty. Our behavior does not reflect a consciously stated opinion or belief. We have to take a look at the conflicting belief and correct ourselves.

6) What is your Life Time ?

We have no answer for how long we live. We have no control over our life time. But we can always have a watch over the events that take place. Instead of managing time , we can manage events except the unforeseen. We have to decide the priorities and set time to achieve them.We have to find the correct directions and no use in pursuing wrong routes. We know our strengths and weaknesses. It will be prudent to plan the events and make it happen and the results will automatically speak of the fruits of our actios.

7) Bring together what we do and what we value :-

A successful man will have some governing values. He or she will work in line with some first principles. But we will not always be able to work for our ideals. It may become necessary to filter and choose the priorities which we value. There will be a gap between the values what we cherish and what actually we do. We can minimize the gap as much as possible by some sacrifices and by weighing the priorities with some discretion. Ultimately it will be wholesome to bring together what we do and what we value.

8) Get Committed:-

When we work with a zeal we get ourselves committed. This means we become prepared to leave our comfort zones physical or psychological. There is a reward or prize when we perform as per the commitments made. Our self confidence grows and we become leaders. Others look up to us or follow the directions we undertake. The group gets committed. Productivity improves. The organization goals get achieved and in the process the important goals of the individuals in the group also get achieved.

In short, self governance is meaningful when it is identified with one's own governing values. The satisfaction that gets generated at the end of every action is immense and brings inner peace to the individual.

Tranquility of Mind ( Part 2 )

Peace of Mind

( part 2 )

As I had to finish part-I in a hurry, I am appending part 2 and thus take the opportunity to continue the subject. Please continue reading.

The Mother says 'A fire is burning there in the deep quietude of the heart.It is the divinity in you-your true being.Hear its voice and follow its dictates.'
We are conscious of only insignificant portion of our being, for the most part we are unconscious. Undivine forces hence enter into us and make us as slaves.

We can easily understand the forces hidden and apparent and that pull us down. To have peace of mind we should resolutely refuse the undivine forces to enter inside.

When we remain in peace, there is no space for desires which means there is no scope for repentance.

All human beings have the same basic wish to remain happy and not to suffer. Unfortunately, we are not aware of the real causes for happiness or for suffering. It is generally taken for granted that if a person acquires wealth, property, vehicles,and eats good food and have friends, he is happy. People spend time and energy in pursuit of these inorder to be happy. But, in the process they become more unhappy or suffer. Rich and more food causes indigestion. Unhealthy food served in hotels leads to food poisoning. Associates cause illwill and it will lead to strained relationships.Vehicles give problems and there are fixed costs in maintaining them. Accidents can prove fatal at times.Acquiring wealth causes worries and there are raids to expose the black money.

Happiness and suffering are opposite entities. The material which gives happiness should not give rise to suffering or trouble;but the illustrations above prove it to be otherwise.

Why? because happiness and suffering are states of mind and so their causes can not be found outside the mind.The real source of happiness is inner peace. If our mind is peaceful we could care less about the external conditions.

The remedy lies in avoiding oscillations of the mind. Prayers and meditations are the best undisputed tools in this direction.

MORE THINGS ARE WROUGHT BY PRAYER THAN THIS WORLD DREAMS OF.