Faith

Faith is the bird
That feels the light
And sings when
The dawn is still dark.

-Tagore.

The sun
It shines on all.
Some feel hot,
Some warm,
Some not at all.

Dharma

The word "Dharma" is much used and abused in today's political and social discourse. 

This term, pregnant with meaning and of diverse interpretations, has become an integral part of the worldview of Indians ( Bharatiyas). And precisely because of its loaded undertones, it is seldom understood without being refracted through the colored lens of preconceived notions and religious underpinnings.

The word "Dharma" is derived from the Sanskrit root "Dhr" which means "that which sustains". 

One of the many meanings of the word is "property"- the dharma of water is dampness, that of fire is to burn. 

And so we ponder what is the dharma of mankind?

That is considered to be our Dharma that helps in sustaining humanness in Man and order in society. The fundamental difference between humans and animals lies in the former's relative freedom to "choose". While the animal is subservient to its inherent instincts; for every event he faces, Man has the ability to choose and decide from varied alternatives of reactions.

In most situations Man has to choose either that which is pleasant or that which is good. And because of this dichotomy and conflict that man inevitably has to contend with in its myriad forms, Dharma becomes all the more important! 


It is suppose to guide him to the "right" way to act. It is right as it has evolved over the collected consciousness of Man, tested and verified over aeons. It is not born out of individual fancy, neither is it the product of modernity's fad. It is right because it is the experience of Man that life when based on it, sustains.

The twenty-first century has brought man face to face with a reality that is unprecedented in human history. The common citizen of today's world, with all the information at his/her fingertip, with the four corners of the world only a click away, with his/her almost unrestricted connectivity, in many ways is far more powerful than the most powerful kings of history.


But with increased power, comes increased responsibility. Cleverness needs to be tempered with wisdom. Information should lead to transformation. In this era of unhindered possibility, if the human mind does not impose on itself a moral compass, an enhanced awareness of right from wrong, an increasing understanding of our fundamental humanness and the eternal values that has sustained our race over millennia, we face very real dangers. And it is here that a life based on Dharma becomes not only important, but gravely urgent. It becomes an imperative like never before. 

But what is this Dharma? When life is based on truth, lived for sharing love and joy, when it is obligated to maintain peace and harmony, when it is tempered with the spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness, eager to embrace and unite, it is a life based on Dharma. 


It has nothing to do with what form of Divinity one prays to, which house of God one visits or which custom or tradition one follows. It is that way of life which finds meaning for itself and adds value to others. 

To state in an aphorism, " Dharma is to live and let live".

Khayyam's Ruba'iyyat

Desire no gain from the world, with bliss you trade;
In good or bad times you need not wade;
Remain sedate so that the whirling Wheel
Would snap itself and blow us days it made.

Why wear our blissful heart in woeful ways?
And crush with stones of toils our blissful days?
Who knows what crops up from the hidden stores?
Hence we should love Him, sing our happy lays.

When yesterday is vanished in the past
And morrow lingers in the future vast
To neither give a thought but prize the hour
For that is all you have and time flies fast.

To seek and fetch what just you eat and wear,
Though not essential, may be thought as fair;
The rest is trash and needless, hence beware
You sell no life's assets to buy despair.

Remembering

The curtain with its intricate design :

I wonder at the mastery of the hand that made it

I almost forget, its only a concealment….

The bridge hangs with its stately posture:

Its so long, I almost mistake it to be a road.

But then I also remember, its only to take me to the other side…

I see the slender wings of the butterfly :

Colors splashed on them with so much care and thought.

It comes to my mind, not so long ago it was an ugly caterpillar.

The Fox

A fox looked at his shadow at sunrise and said, " I will have a camel for lunch today." And all morning he went about looking for camels. But at noon he saw his shadow again- and he said, " A mouse will do."

-Kahlil Gibran

Waiting for Heaven

The softness in the air, wafting heavenly bliss:

The roaring symphony of felicity draped in expectant silence,

Angels and gods astir, impatient to behold the sight most beautiful-

I will be a part of it soon, drenched in splendor most delightful.

It has been long, my soul is tired: I have been out in sun and rain;

Even the moments of pleasure without you have been but that of pain:

Like the shriveled flower at the day’s end, I have little fragrance to offer you now-

But the hour of day-break is at hand, the touch of morning pearls, once again, will make me glow.

As in my mind's eyes I behold you O Beloved:

Memories crowd; long hours of separation melts down in timeless union.

To hold you with my eyes, touch you with my prayerful whispers-

To hide my face in your arms and forget, let the moment freeze in time forever.

Going back...

As I ponder how to start my journal of this times visit to home, sitting on the chair, which if it was a dog wouldn’t let me be for at least an hour, catching the first sniff of his master after a long, untold hiatus, facing the table, which should be equally thrilled at my touch , in the room that witnessed my boyhood fantasies, adolescent impertinence, youthful dreams and aspirations, I am at a loss of words. My room has not changed, even the odor that is hanging on the walls and shelves, is just the same as I left it all those months back. The books neatly and trimly arranged, smothered with Danni’s care , is casting side glances at me, as if in half belief. With a feeling of an unfaithful lover’s guilt and hesitation of a returning expatriate I scan through my bookshelves, gently remove the curtain draping my music collection. The damp scent of my old books, the film of dust on my cassettes, the pictures of Swami neatly arranged and showering His world-charming smiles- are they all glowing in happiness like my brother, and mother, and Danni and father or is there beneath their silent welcome, the smile of sarcasm of an estranged friend?

Our voyage half way across the globe was neat and fairly uneventful, except for missing the Delhi-Kolkata flight because of an hour’s delay in our Air India flight of LAX-Delhi, a fairly commendable job with respect to Air-India’s official and unofficial track record. But we were put on the very next flight of Jet Airways, so it more than made up for an hour and a half’s anxiety. Indro was pretty much his usual self, light hearted and jovial, though at times he complained of his ankle pain. Smruti, was a bit reticent, but engaged in casual conversations a few times, was also very nice to travel with. Our other fellow travelers were mostly Indians or of Indian origin, all with expectant faces and a glitter in their eyes. The few Caucasians that were there, seemed uninterested and probably were hoping to get the flight over, as soon as possible. The service was OK, but the plastic smiles writ large on the faces of crews, produces in me the dual feeling of irritation as well as a desire to follow their faces to see how far and well they can carry this professional feeling of hospitality. Indro badly wanted to take pictures of the light bulbs for private reading, which were just short of dangling over our heads and the socket of buttons on my arm rest, for calling attendants or lighting bulbs, or listening to the TV or music channels, unapologetically lying at the edge of my seat, with no sign of performing any of its duties in the 18 hour flight.

Swami surprised me with his smiling face from the second page of Hindustan Times which I grabbed very joyfully from the strand as I moved forward to take my seat in the AI flight in Los Anageles. Spreading an Indian newspaper, getting enlightened about Modi’s chances of pulling it through again ( or rather his inability to do so) or delegation visiting the Delhi CM or the latest foray of activism by the judicials, was enough to fill my heart with a whimper of joy. But then just as I turned to the second page, there was swami, all smiles and sweet, I could not help but think, is He there to welcome me? It was an advertisement for the “Prema Jyothi” exhibition on Swami’s life and mission that they are putting up in delhi for 10 days from December 15^th. Advertisment or not, there was Swami, right infront of me, when I least expected Him. Then as if to tease any of my mind’s loitering doubt, as soon as we emerged out of the Delhi International Airport, for the prepaid Taxi stand to go to the Domestic terminus, there is He again peeping with smiles and grace from behind the man in the counter face all covered with muffler. In no other shops and counters that I glanced around to see Him again, was He to be seen. This second appearance of His, at least apparently, was more needed, as we were one and a half hour late, and the time then was 6 45 in the morning and we were yet to leave the International terminus, when our flight to Kolkata was at 6 20 from the Domestic terminus. Only He can conjure up something now in His typical way, to see to it that we are not harangued after this long and tiresome flight. And sweet and Apadabandhava that He is, He got us right up there in the very next flight itself, which I overheard at the counter, was over booked, 128 tickets sold for 120 seats, but still they had a couple of seats for Indro and myself. With these twin darshans, and being an obliging and helpful Lord, He has really put me in an expectant mode for the rest of the sojourn. Lets see, what He has in store for us!