FAITH

    We often talk about the Faith  and we have seen examples of this in life though most of us have GOD  as GOD of CONVINIENCE . So we offer something small like may be $5 and ask for combination of lottery numbers  or sometimes we are worse than that and offer things ONLY IF WE GET SUCCESS . e.g. If I get this job, I will do this POOJA .And then sometimes we ask God for simple things like God please let me get parking or get better sitting etc. But when we don't get what we want , we tend to blame GOD. Then there are others who have unconditional faith in GOD. So this is is short story of one such lady. 

   There was a small town in India  and there was a temple  and there was priest who was taking care of the temple . He used to do the daily worship and POOJA  and he was pious. There was a lady who used to bring mild for the Pooja daily . She used to live across the river  and used to bring in milk and offer to the God. One day there was a heavy rains  and so the lady told the priest that she could not bring in the milk as the river was flooded  and overflowing. The priest told her that she can still come -all that she has to do is do the chanting of the Lord's name  and water will not be a problem The water will recede with the name of the God . Next dat the priest was surprised when the lady showed up with milk. He asked her as to how she came  and she answered that she was chanting  and the water did recede  and so I could come. The lady offered the milk and left . The priest could not believe  and as soon as the lady left he went to the banks of river . He looked at the water which was overflowing  and he started chanting . He entered the water  and continued to chant  and as he went farther the water did not recede  and he feel in ths deeper water and had to struggle to swim and come back to the banks . 

  So what worked for the lady did not work for the priest as he did not have the FAITH in what he himself had told her  and she had FULL FAITH in the CHANTING  and so it worked.

??GENETIC

    All the Indians know the story of the Ravan from Ramayan..Many may have seen the TV serial from India. I have not seen it but I know it was there. Many know Rava but may not know about his parents. His father was a great sage named Vishrava . His father was also great sage Pulasty  and he was son of Brahma and one of the Saptarhushi. The Vishrava was married to Kaikeshi who was Rakshas family .The marriage between the sage and the rakshasa resulted in children ,one of which was Rava  and other were Kumbhkarna, BIBHISHAN , SHRPANKHA. . The Ravana was the main character in Rmaayan.

   Kumbhakarn was lazy and when he did penance, he asked to be in sleep all the time  and then Ravana asked it to be changed to 6 months awake and 6 months sleep - some say 1 day awake and sleep rest of the days of the year. The BHIBHISHANA was pious  and was on the side of the RAMA  nd advised Ravana not to fight with Rama . Shurpanakha was only sister . Kubera was the half brother of Ravana. 

   So here is the genetic explanation or the explanation based on 3 GUNAS. In Indian philosophy or theology we have 3 Gunas Sattvic, Rajasic  and Tamasic . We all have all 3 Gunas  and depending upon the proportion of the Gunas we have different nature  and behavior. So we have combination od SATWIC from the father who was sage  and Tamasic who was Rakshas. So pure Tamasic child was KUMBHAKARNBIBHISHAN was pure sattvic  and Ravana was combination of TAMASIC . RAJASIC  AND SATVIC . 

OMNIPRESENT

      We often say God is omnipresent. But when we are in trouble, we call upon God TO COME AND HELP! If the God is present everywhere, then how can he come , If he is everywhere then he can not COME  as he is everywhere. If I am HERE then I am not THERE, so I can go from HERE to THRERE. But if I am everywhere, then I am HERE AND THERE TOO. So the question of going there does not arise. So we do say that God is omnipresent but don't seem to act as we believe in our own statement. The story that I am going to tell is related to this principles. I don't know if this story is true or not  and also if there are people that highly evolved or not .

   In one of the temple in India at night a priest entered the temple  and found a man sleeping in temple  and he had it feet on the Lord Shiv PINDI which is religious symbol of Lord Shiva. This would be a great insult towards the God . The man was a great devotee  and so the priest woke up the man and asked him to move is feet . The man answered that he was too tired  and if priest could help him move the feet . The priest agreed  and he lifted the legs  and moved it away from the PINDI. But as soon as the feet touched the grounds another PINDI popped from the ground . The priest was surprised  and he lifted the feet again and moved them another feet away. But as soon as he put them on ground, another PINDI popped up from the ground. The  priest could not believe what he was seeing d looked at the man. The priest had told everyone of the devotes who came to temple that the God is EVERYWHERE, But had not may be believed it and certainly not experienced it before. 

    (I wish I will come across someone like that or I will witness something like this life  and that too outside magic show.)

THE DIFFERENCE

     There are many stories in Mahabharata  and Ramayana . The stories are good not only as stories where we see different characters  and also the human nature  and also entertain people or children . But sometimes a simple story may have bigger meaning. This short one is from Ramayana. When Lord Rama's wife SITA was kidnapped by Ravan and The lord Rama and Hanuman met each other, Hanuman took Rama to Sugriv . Instead of walking together to meet Sugriv, Hnuaman became HUGE (There kind of powers - to become huge or to become very small can be achieved as described in Patanjali Sutra Yoga. Hanuman became very small when he wanted to be not seen by Lankini  a demon who was watching the Lanka perimeter )So Hanuman asked Rama and Lakshman to sit on his shoulder  and carried them to Sugriv. 

    So for ordinary people this story is good as Hanuman became Huge . and one would not think much about it , BUT Rama asked Hanuman why did he carry both of them on shoulder  and not just picked  and  carried like mother or father carries a child . Hanuman answered that when a mother carries a child on her side ,she is going to carry as the child is dependent upon mother to travel to different or desired place. When you carry the GOD , the God is not dependent upon you and he is going to hold the HEAD So the one who is carrying the GOD can keep his or her head straight. And the God is not dependent upon Hanuman to carry them to go places .So Hanuman carried Lord Rama and Lakshman on his shoulders.

IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE

    I have known of many stories of great Saints  and religious leaders. I have often wondered what happened when they were alive  and how long did it take for people to recognize them. We have known of many people that were mistreated by general public during their life  and now we know how great they were . Even Budhha was not as popular when he was alive as he became after his death. Mirabai and Tukaram  and Dnyneshwar  and many others were mistreated b the society. So how come they were not recognized by the general public? That brings me to the story from Rmayan. 

     When Lord Rama was in Vanawas - and was at banks of river ganga (Ganges),, he wanted to cross it  and even though he was reincarnation of Lord Vishnu he was in Human forms  and was limited to the human body ability. So there was a boatman and Lord Rama requested him to take him and Sita  and Lakshman . The Boatman would not allow Rama to to get in the boat without cleaned his feet . His point was that he did not want even a single dust particle on Lord Rama's feet as he had heard that when lord Rama's feet touched a stone , it turned in to a lady - AHILYA.So he did not want to take any chance . So Rama agreed  and wanted to wash his own feet .But he would not allow Rama to wash his own feet . The boatman wanted to wash them himself . He said , he could not take any chance . -that was the excuse he gave. Then when Rama wanted to pay him for the boat trip, he stated that that is Professional courtesy- as the boatman help cross the river and Lord Rama helps to cross the Ocean of LIFE. 

    This statement tell that the boatman knew who RAMA was - it takes to recognize one!!  

KARAMA

    The LAW OF KARMA  has been mentioned  and is main stay of Hindu  theology. And there are sometimes questions that one may not be able to answer all the questions that may arise after seeing things that happens to ordinary people. So this is the story related to it. 

   This lady who had a child that was not doing  well as he grew older . He was more than 3 years old  and still the mother had to feed him and had to use diaper  and he was completely dependent upon mother. The mother was frustrated .Near her town there was a SWAMI who was learned  and so  she decided to go to him. She told him the situation and asked him as to what might have I done  that I am suffering ? the Swami was calm and answered that 'you may have been mother in law  and the child must be daughter in law in last life . You must have aske the daughter in law to do things for you like making tea or doing dishes or laundry etc. So you are paying back " The lady was smart and asked Swami, 'That seems logical explanation ,but if my child was my daughter in law in last life  and she as daughter in law did everything for me , then why she is suffering in this life  and needs help for simple things  and has developmental problems ?"

    The Swami answered, 'Yes she did everything for you as daughter in law , but every time she was doing it she was thinking that I wish I would get it back from her whatever I have done for her. So with that kind of ACTION (KARMA) and DESIRE(VASANA) YOU HAVE COME TOGETHER. She is getting back as she desired . You stopped thinking about why  and why me  and just do your duties as mother  and see what happens."

    The actions that are done with attachment or desires will always have effects and they will always sow the seed  and that seed will always sprout . Only way to not have seed is to not have attachment.

DO AS I DO

   We often see in our like many of us are willing to give advice or lecture as to what should be done by someone. We often see that in politics  and many a times in our personal life. I remember one time when someone had sleep apnea and I was talking to him on need for weight loss, his cosine and his wife came in  and joined the discussion. When I talked about the weight loss and diet, they also joined in 'giving' the advice. When I looked at them, I could easily see that both husband and wife were fat or obese  and they should have followed their own advice ,so as to lose weight. That brings me to the story for today .

Dnyaneshwar was one of the saints in India. I have told you some of his stories in past. This one is not for performing miracle but for common sense. He was giving lectures on Geeta One day at the end of lecture a lady approached him with small child - may be 5 years old. She told Dnyaneshwar that the child was eating too much of sweet especially jaggery. She was worried that that may cause problems in future She requested him to tell the child not to eat that much sweet things. Dnyaneshwar told her to bring back the child in 2 weeks . She had come from farther place  and she did show up for the visit. When Dnyaneshwar saw her with child , he asked to sit on his lap and then told him that it is not good to eat sweets all the time . He told him how there would be problems with health if he would continue to eat sweets all the time . The child listened  and then the lady was happy. She was sure thet when the message came from him, the child would follow the advice. 

    After she left , some of the people who were with Dnyaneshwar asked him as to why did not not say the same thing 2 weeks ago, when the lady had asked him to do  so. They also added that the lady came from miles away village  and she had to come again to listen to the simple advice that he could have done 2 weeks ago and saved her the trouble of travelling so far. Dnyaneshwar replied ,"I know that I could have I have told her this 2 weeks ago. But in theses last 2 weeks I have not touched any sweets . I wanted to DO WHAT I WAS GOING TO TELL THE CHILD !" 

    So he wanted to tell the child what HE HAD DONE . So it was not do what I tell but DO AS I DO!