PROSPERITY...!

 On the auspicious occasion of Laxmipoojan, let us try and learn about Laxmi and why and how to worship the GODESS OF PROSPERITY...!

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Also called Mahalakshmi, she is said to bring good luck, and is believed to protect her devotees from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows. Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from its elemental form lakS, meaning "to perceive or observe". This is synonymous with lakṣya, meaning "aim" or "objective". The Hindu sacred texts, the Vedas call Mahalakshmi as Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi which means she is the one who has the object and aim of uplifting mankind.

In Hinduism, Devas (gods) and asuras (demons) were both mortal at one time. Amrit, the divine nectar that would grant immortality, could be obtained only by churning the Kshirsagar (Ocean of Milk). The devas and asuras both sought immortality and decided to churn the Kshirsagar. With the devas on one side and the asuras on the other, the samudra-manthan commenced. Vishnu incarnated as Kurma, the tortoise, on whom was placed a mountain as a churning pole; Vasuki, the great venom-spewing serpent, was wrapped around it and used to churn the ocean. A host of divine celestial objects came up during the churning. Among these, was the goddess Lakshmi, the daughter of the king of the milky ocean. The last to come up was the amrit. With this, the avatar of Kurma, the tortoise, ended. Vishnu then took up the form of a beautiful maiden to distract the asuras and gave immortality to the devas.

Mahalakshmi has always existed. Her appearance from samudra manthan is her main manifestation only. Mahalakshmi was also born to the great sage Bhrigu, and she is therefore also called Bhargavi. Mahalakshmi is also the sister of the great guru Sukracharya as well as the great planet Chandra. Each time Vishnu descends on earth as an avatar, He is accompanied by an avatar of Lakshmi. The moon (chandra) also appeared from the ocean during the churning, making it her brother. Alakshmi, the goddess of misfortune, is Lakshmi's elder sister.

Lakshmi has many names. She is known to be very closely associated with the lotus, and her many epithets are connected to the flower, such as:

Prakruti - Mahalakshmi is the very personification of nature, the centre of all, the manifested and the unmanifested.

Vikruti - Mahalakshmi is the multi-faceted Nature, who assumes many forms, known by numerous names, yet is attributeless.

Vidya - Mahalakshmi is the very personification of Wisdom.

Padma: lotus dweller

Mahalakshmi is also known to preside over 16 forms of worldly wealth excluding Ashta siddhis, gnana and imparting gnana. They are as follows: (1) Fame; (2) Knowledge; (3) Courage and Strength; (4) Victory; (5) Good Children; (6) Valor; (7) Gold, Gems and Other Valuables; (8) Grains in abundance; (9) Happiness; (10) Bliss; (11) Intelligence; (12) Beauty; (13) Higher Aim, High Thinking and Higher Meditation; (14) Morality and Ethics; (15) Good Health; (16) Long Life.

Ashta Lakshmi

आदि लक्ष्मी Ādi Lakṣmī The First manifestation of Lakshmi

धान्य लक्ष्मी Dhānya Lakṣmī Granary wealth

धैर्य लक्ष्मी Dhairya Lakṣmī Wealth of courage

गज लक्ष्मी Gaja Lakṣmī Elephants, symbols of wealth

सन्तान लक्ष्मी Santāna Lakṣmī Wealth of continuity, progeny

विजय लक्ष्मी Vijaya Lakṣmī Wealth of victory

विद्या लक्ष्मी Vidyā Lakṣmī Wealth of knowledge and education

धन लक्ष्मी Dhana Lakṣmī Monetary wealth
 

 
So now, as we are a little more aware about Laxmi and HER incarnations, let us get into the worship wholeheartedly...!
 
Stay tuned and seek overall P-R-O-S-P-E-R-I-T-Y...!

Diwali...!?!

 

For some 10 to 12 years now, whenever Diwali is around, my mind gets preoccupied with thoughts that may sound weird and may be baffling to some but I can’t help but think of those…! With all my childhood memories of Diwali that includes new clothes, creative lanterns, decorative rangoli, roaming around to feel the celebration fervor in the air, meeting and greeting of friends, relatives and all the near-and-dear-ones without prejudice and total Diwali budget of 500 Rupees for the family of 5… I stand almost startled with nostalgia on the verge of Diwali these days…! Some might find the reason of this in AGING and others might settle for their all-time favorite analysis of my-self as WHIMSICAL. But that is not the point…

A well-to-do gentleman was washing his car in his front yard when he saw a man sitting on the bench across the road who seemed to be hungry, sick and penniless. After quite an analysis of the situation the gentleman decided to offer some help to the man on the bench to show his generosity and feeling a little good about himself. The moment the gentleman asked the drifter ‘Do you need any help…?’ three magical words from the believed beggar came…

Don’t We All…!?!

That’s the point… Don’t we all need to think about, hmmm… everything…!?! Like –

Why do we study for results and not the joy of learning and bliss of enrichment anymore…?

Why have we become so aware of our rights and ignorant of our responsibilities…?

Why do we need a house that is twice as big for even our distant family put altogether…?

Why have we become sensitive of our material prosperity and indifferent of spiritual poverty…?

Why do we feel need to buy another car before the warranty period of first one is not over yet…?

Why it is only the time with family when we take them to doctor or some obligatory formal function…?

Why do we still think our children as our long-term investment plans and treat them like Debentures…?

Why do we need old-age-homes as many as picnic spots around and even populated exactly like those...?

Why do we watch the so-called entertainment that we do and what do we inherit from it… I, Me and Myself…?!?

Why do we need portability for everything from mobiles to relationships when we know that nothing is permanent…?

Why do we need to pay thousands to learn something that could have been learnt with open mind and awaken senses…?

Why we have six lane and eight lane broad expressways and a mind that is too narrow to accommodate a fourth person…?

Why do we select the program to attend by skimming the audience and not quality of the program or pleasure we may get…?

Why do we spend most of the time with them for whom we are just an option and keep those alone and waiting for whom we are the world…?

Why do we offer a tip of 100 bucks to the waiter at restaurant but hesitate to take out a 10 rupee note instead of coin for a needy and helpless beggar…?

Why do we keep on doing things that are not gratifying and work with people that we don’t like and keep ourselves busy depriving of quality times to earn the money that is never enough to pay for the things that we don’t need as we don’t have neither the time nor the energy to enjoy them…?

And finally, Why don’t we feel the same joy that we used to get in 500 bucks upon spending say 50,000 nowadays…? I am not talking about inflation here, mind you…!

The list could be unending but I have to stop somewhere. What I intended with this was there could not be more apt occasion than the Festival of Lights for this enlightenment and I wish on this auspicious occasion we, at least start thinking about those questions and practice to take away everywhere my two favriote questions for at least the rest of the life starting from today…

‘Is it worth it…?’ and ‘At the cost of what…?’

Wishing you all a very Enlightening Diwali and Enriching New Year…!

Stay tuned and BE A-W-A-R-E…!

WHY...!?!

It’s not about me, it’s not about you. It’s about the place we stay in, the society we live in, the systems we have!!

I often wonder… when a mosquito bites us why do we think of a repellent, a mosquito-coil or racket instead of questioning the municipality...?

Why should we pay a toll tax on every single black, nice looking road? Why a basic road is not our right...?

Why do we buy an inverter or dream of a generator? Why don’t we get power flowing in our wires...?

Why do we call the private schools 'Public Schools'... when schools run by the government should be called public schools...!

Why- the cricketer who sold the ethics of game sits in parliaments or come as experts on channels...?

Why someone known for beating his wife and had charges of holding drugs is a celebrity to judge dance shows and all of us watch and clap too...?

Why is it that the so called high profile tainted journalists still run public shows and we all watch it...?

Why don’t I know the fine on jumping red light or for not wearing a helmet but am very well aware of power of 100 rupees, the cost of duty of most of the traffic guys across the country...?

Why is a girl raped in a roaming car in the capital of the country almost every month and all that the government says is that girls should be careful...?

Why does the trial and judgment of social activists just takes a few weeks but Raja, Raju, Reddy roams around...?

Why even after killing hundreds of people on road the blue line buses remained on roads? Do you know any city apart from the capital of your country where the city buses crushed people on a daily basis...?

Why didn’t we come on the roads when someone made elephants of stones for thousands of crores rupees in U.P. where people still dig pits to sleep or die of hunger...?

Why a tainted, corrupt minister is called to IIM and Academy for IAS and applauded – unstopped on his desi style...?

Its so easy to call someone corrupt but have you ever thought; 

The act of bribe starts by giving not by taking… 

It starts from me not from him or her… 

so why don’t I look at myself first ?

I strongly believe that the Logic is always for NOT doing something… 

Doing does not need logic, doers don’t believe in logic...!

Just a couple of years back some people came and played with us, killed our pride and people. We were angry… some people thought that the attack in Mumbai was on rich people and therefore something would change…

Nothing happened… we all go to Gateway of India on every anniversary in November, burn some wax, sing some songs and come back. Nothing changes- the government is back, Z security is back and people are back at the Gateway of India…

It’s time to Come Out, Stand up, Move, ACT… Do something… Sitting in drawing rooms or discussing over a mug of beer will not solve anything…!

Please remember this country does not need thinkers any more, enough of them…What we need is action…!

Stay tuned and stay A-C-T-I-V-E...!

You Can Do It...!

You Can Do It

You aren't the first to fall.

Everyone, no matter how successful,

suffers pain, loss,

and disappointment.

And no road to a dream is

smooth or paved in gold.

But some qualities separate

the winners from the losers:

The winners may not be smarter

or more talented,

but they have faith that

great things are ahead.

They stay calm when the

tempest beats at their shore

They know that storms never last long,

and they don't let their dreams dissolve

beneath a bit of rain.

Don't give up!

You can do it!

Concerns...!?!

Following is the excerpt of my response to some of questions and concerns from members and readers, sharing them for the reason that anybody with similar concern might benefit from it. If anybody has any queries, comments or suggestion, please get back to me. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated...!

How to set SMART goals, attain them and measure them?

• Apart from TARGET, knowledge, skills, abilities and attitude are instrumental when it comes to setting goals. What you want to achieve – TARGET – should be set in accordance with what you have learnt, what you’re expert at, what you have mastered and what you enjoy to do and not what you just desire or wish. If even one of these criterions is overlooked while setting the goal, you might start losing the interest initially and focus eventually when it comes to attaining it.

• For measuring your performance in attaining the goal you need to define steps and milestones by breaking a Target into small daily tasks. A timeline with headers like ‘What, How and When’ can come handy to achieve this. Whenever a task is completed you can review you performance with its status and score your performance accordingly like – Poor, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Good and Excellent followed by appropriate action.

How to handle stress effectively and maintain work/life balance?

Probably the most popular buzz word today is ‘Stress’ and the person claiming to teach you ‘Manage Stress’ is nothing less than a superhero or Hancock! Would you accept me as a sane person if I tell you that there is nothing like handling or managing the stress? Why do you need to treat Stress as a disease or a negative state of mind? Stress is just another natural phenomenon of overload on body, brain, mind or soul. If I asked you to lift a glass of water and hold it in your stretched hand for 5 minutes, piece of cake. For one hour – it’s getting heavier. Three hours and it’s the heaviest object on the planet and six hours – it will become a medical emergency! If the objet was same why it got heavier with every passing minute? Because of my structure, posture, capacity and reaction to that particular object. Now can I say that this object was wrong, bad or negative? Stress is nothing but nature’s alarm to make you aware that you need a break if you want wish to retain and regain your strengths and capabilities. Simple, take a break and put all the loads down for a while, rest and rejuvenate! Accept and overcome stress rather than trying to handle or manage it.

How to deal with conflicts in relationships?

 

Conflict in relationship is generally referred as a disagreement through which the entity involved perceives a threat to its needs, interests or concerns. In a marriage or live-in relationship this is more common as in this type of arrangements, two entirely different individuals that have a diverse language, persona, background, culture, life-beliefs, or even ethnicity, are more or less obligated to live with each other almost 16 hrs a day. The first step towards resolving conflicts is to understand this very nature and character of this relationship and agree to disagree with regard to their respective roles. To achieve satisfaction in marriage, both partners must continue readjusting their understanding of what they can reasonably expect of each other in their respective roles. Adapting to new emerging roles in relationship with faith, flexibility, sharing and caring supported by open communication and democratic decision-making can prove fundamental in the long-lasting healthy relationships.

I hope this proves useful for at least somebody in some situation...!

Stay tuned and Be Interactive...!

This is word-to-word speech by the Former President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam at Hyderabad. This is not a 'lecture' but an 'appeal' to Indians if they sincerely want to see the CHNAGE that they relentlessly chat about...!

Why is the media here so negative?

Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse acknowledge them--- Why?

We are the first in milk production.

We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.

We are the second largest producer of wheat.

We are the second largest producer of rice.

Look at Dr. Sudarshan; he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit.

There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.

Why are we so NEGATIVE?

Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T. Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say... What do YOU do about it?

 

Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road ) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity... In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?

YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai.

YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.

YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'

YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.'

YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand

Why don't YOU spit Pan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston???

We are still talking of the same YOU... YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay, Mr. Tinaikar, had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said. 'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.

We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.

We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.

This applies even to the staff that is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, and girl child! And others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home.

Our excuse...? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbor's, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU.

When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a greatdeal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing J. F. Kennedy 's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians...

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA

AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA

WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

Thank you,

Dr. Abdul Kalaam

Stay tuned and Be I-N-D-I-A-N...!

Criminal...!?!

I have shared a story of a Bronze Statue of mouse at this place earlier which was very well received and appreciated by the readers. Today I want to share a Lao Tzu story by OSHO which makes a profound comment on the political situation and fight against it in India Today…!

Most of the criminals are created by situations. Most of the politicians are created by their own ambition. Hence they are the most dangerous people in the world. And if the world wants to be at peace, politicians should disappear entirely from this planet. And once they disappear, criminals will disappear without much effort. They are simply shadows of the politicians. The politicians have created a society which is basically criminal.

Lao Tzu was made the chief justice by a Chinese emperor who thought that he was the wisest and the most respected human being in the whole empire. He could not find a better chief justice.

Lao Tzu told him, “It won’t last long. If you say so, I will accept the post. But you don’t know me, you have just heard about me.”

But the emperor was stubborn as emperors are supposed to be. He said, “No. You have to accept this post.”

The first case that came before Lao Tzu was about a great thief who had stolen a lot of money and armaments from the richest man of the empire.

The man was so rich that he was lending money to the emperor. He was far richer than the emperor himself. And naturally, he had never expected what happened. The man – the thief – was caught red-handed. So there was no question that he should not be punished. Lao Tzu heard the whole thing, both sides, and gave the judgment that, “The thief and the rich man, both, should be sent to jail for six months.”

The rich man could not believe his ears. He said, “What is going on, what kind of justice is this? I have been robbed and you are sending me to jail?”

Lao Tzu said, “According to me, you are the real criminal. He is just your shadow. You have accumulated the whole wealth of the country; you have left everybody poor, beggars. You have exploited so much that now it is a natural consequence: people will steal from you. I cannot send your shadow to jail without sending you also. The shadow alone cannot go to jail. It will go only with you.”

The rich man said, “Then I want to have an audience with the emperor before you implement your judgment.”

And he told the emperor what kind of madman he had chosen: “Just try to understand. If today he is sending me to jail, tomorrow you will be my companion in jail, because we belong to the same profession. I exploit people, you exploit people. Our whole profession is to be parasites. And you have put that crazy guy who…Never in history has such a judgment happened.”

Recognize the real parasites and original criminals…

Stay tuned and A-W-A-K-E…!