The Whispers Of My Heart

Death is not only unpredictable, it is also even-handed. Not only it catches one unawares, it also doesn't discriminate between a newly born child and an octogenarian! I have found that there are two ways in which one can bid goodbye to this world : (a) When one's body leave one. (b) When one leaves one's body. Try loving intensely anything belonging to this material world. Take it from me, you'll ultimately be a loser. You'll be deceived by the same thing on which you have showered your affection, in which you have reposed your utmost trust. I have discerned that any material thing, be it money or relation, that gives joy initially, would finally prove to be a pain in one's neck. King Midas was crazy for gold. The "yellow metal" brought ruin to him, proved to be his nemesis. The wealthy monarch finally died due to "starvation". Eminent business tycoon Vijaypat Singhania, the man behind the ultra - successful clothing brand ...

How can we attain the state of "desirelessness" by following Hinduism? asked a friend of mine, apropos of my last post.  Life is an arduous journey, it's always wise to travel "light". Still, amusingly, I find people overloading themselves with so many desires, possessions. Well, I have found that the ultimate objective of all the religions is to enable their followers to attain the state of "desirelessness" -- state of perfect bliss. The modus operandi may vary from religion to religion.  Hinduism follows a very unique way to eliminate the endless yearnings so that everlasting tranquility can be achieved.  Our learned sages knew that it's not possible for the ordinary people to decimate all their foolish desires in their very short lifespans. So they conceived and propagated the idea of "Ishta Devtaa" which means choosing a deity from among the gods, goddesses of Hindu pantheon. Subsume all your petty desires, have inte...

In Ashtavakra Gita, Sage Ashtavakra has very beautifully expounded the relationship that exists between the "beings" and the "Supreme" to King Janaka. "All the beings that are seen in the material world can be likened to the waves that emerge out of the Sea (God), remain manifest for sometime, vanish in the Sea. Again they arise in entirely new forms so as to merge once more with the mighty Sea. This process has been continuing since time immemorial, Janaka". Some questions arise: a) Why one becomes a "wave" frequently? Is there any way to stop becoming a "wave" repeatedly? b) How can we progress from "finite" to "Infinite"? Well, I have observed that today's world has become a strong votary of Epicurean philosophy. "Khao, Piyo, Aish Karo" (Eat, drink and be merry) seems to be the motto of general populace. But can one here remain happy, in high spirits, indefinitely? The answer is "NO...

I'm pretty convinced that writers are born, cannot be made. Training Institutes can, at the most, churn out second or third class writers. Due to the intense pain by foot sprain, I was not feeling sleepy. So I got up in the middle of the night, kissed my Old Monk, and started scribbling on the note pad, frenziedly, as if in a trance. In the morning, to my pleasant surprise, I found that something beautiful has been written.   Asadullah Khan Ghalib alias Mirza Ghalib had rightly written the following lines : "Aatey hai gaib se ye mazameen khayal mein.  Ghalib sareer-e-khama nava-e-sarosh hai". Translation : Topics for writing comes automatically, mysteriously to my mind. The scratching sound of my pen is in fact voice of the angels. Well, I want to share my new composition with my friends.  For the first time in English poetry, I have tried to use the same rhyme scheme which is popularly found in Urdu ghazals. Hope you like it. Persistently I ...