A Beautiful Journey..
A soul full song & a Cup full tea
Have no meaning & that makes “me”
No flowers, no cherry blossoms, no twilight, no stars
Crazy is this moment, Is this not Mars???
Meanings there are, meaning there aren’t
Neither should nor woulds, no losses no grants .
The train blew a whistle, the heart hears a sound
CHUK chuk DHAK dhak, am “I” really bound!
No truth, no expressions, no laws, no ideas, no Vows
The “I” is freeeeeeed & flying NOW ..
đHow does one feel when GOD himself visits and adorns one’s home??
The heart celebrates along with the entire nature. Such was the feeling when Gurudev visited DeoNiwas. Our ancestors in heaven also celebrated with us:)
Blessed are we for this lifetime and more….. One of the most cherished moments of my life are captured in this film by AKHIL. A birthday gift that i will be grateful forever đ Sharing with all my dear ones..
I was walking out feeling grateful after an extremely eventful day which could ‘otherwise’ have been quite a topsy-turvy experience…
More than 9 hours had passed after the first delay of our flight to Nice was announced.We were whiling our time in so many different ways at the Zurich airport. Shopping windows , clicking pictures of the decorated Christmas trees a second and a third time, drinking tea,coffee, juice, water..
And all of the above again and again for last many hours …
After all, how creative can one be with the limited possibilities of entertainment at an airport and that too after having taken a long 9 hour flight and sleeping very little at night ..
We had arrived at Zurich at 6 am after a long flight of 9 hours from Mumbai on this Christmas Day(quite unaware of the series of events, Santa had in store for us)
Hoping that our flight departure will be announced soon as it was already 5 pm now, we continued making desperate attempts to keep ourselves entertained at the this hour.
Until that last ray of hope also turned down into a black hole – As we got up and started our walk towards the departure gate, we happened to see the information screen which said – flight to Nice delayed further.
Delayed further ..Oh my God, why again!!!
When we inquired at the information desk, we were told that the airport at Nice was shut because of bad weather. And they would  not guarantee the departure time until the airport reopens .
Without loosing a minute. We googled ( sincere thanks to Google, life would be very blue without google on the blue planet) and found that a storm had hit Nice. The same that had hit England few days back/travelled south of France/Paris was without electricity on Christmas Eve/storm hits Nice…
Do we want to be received by a storm on Christmas?? Ofcourse we are still young and adventurous  but getting stuck in a storm would be stupidity not adventurous , isn’t it..
And we are wise beings ..
But how about the hotel bookings.. And the air tickets.. The onward journey from Nice .. The rerouting charges.. Where would we stay in Zurich .. It’s Christmas Eve wouldn’t the hotels be damn expensive.. Etc etc ..
Within a second, the storm in Nice felt quite distant from the storm of thoughts that had hit inside us..
Though we all know that the only thing certain about life is that it is uncertain, Yet whenever we come across a situation when we come face to face with another uncertainty the mind is the first one to betray us. Like a best friend behaving like a stranger suddenly…
Took a deep breath In (to energise) and then a long deep breath out (to relax) -thanks Guru for this magic mantra a deep realisation is what followed- there was no use struggling.
Patiently taking one step at a time we started unknotting this challenging new puzzle. What is the best thing to do.. Let’s see
Number One….
Number Two….
Number Three….
The outcome that followed was a patient, well thought decision of staying back in Zurich. Took exact 10minutes to make all the changes, few calls and few online bookings and we were almost sorted..
Yes Almost.. Remaining was only the last mile to be covered of cancelling our booking and getting our luggage (which was through checked in earlier in Mumbai). Which we were suppose to only receive after reaching Nice.
This should be simple-
After visiting a few airport counters ( all of us are quite aware of these formalities aren’t we) we finally seemed to have reached the point where the destiny of our luggage would be announced by the airport ‘God’ (of course that was God for us, after all he had our luggage/ our life with him). The airport God announced- “I regret but it’s Christmas, we are short of staff today, no one to sort your luggage and so you shall only get your luggage after the flight departs to Nice, which is uncertain, we are hopeful may be after 4-5 hours from now’ Â .
Wow! such kind words from God! Just 4-5 hours more..
Siddharth immediately intervened and asked “Could you please send our luggage to the hotel” to which God kindly replied “Yes , but it will reach you only by tomorrow”
Have you seen Tom and Jerry, it’s Shashwat’s and my favourite cartoon. All my jackets are in the suitcase and it was really really COLD outside, I imagined Jerry’s condition after being abandoned in a freezing winter..
When nothing works one thing surely does and so, I just closed my eyes and prayed from my heart, a sincere/deep prayer .
YES!!! I saw ‘the airport God’ talking over the phone with his colleague – explaining something in German.
Yipee.. I knew the prayer was heard and something will soon happen. And I told this to Siddharth “he is getting our bag” Siddharth thought, I was hallucinating… No I was not đ
Within 20 min the luggage came, yes a miracle had just happened for us. A prayer had just got answered .
I removed our jackets and we were soon walking towards the exit, with a grin..
With gratefulness in our hearts and with a feeling of being taken care of , feeling warm and comforted, We walked out.
The Christmas tree bears so many colorful gifts. I had just unwrapped one, on this Christmas Day and so there was a big grin on my face.. After an eventful day like today the heart was full of a Gratitude for the care and love God bestowed on us .
What a beautiful Christmas gift, Gratefulness itself, I thought to myself….. đ
Don’t sleep yet,
Or you may regret…
The sight will be magical
When the first ray sings ‘that’ chronicle
Like a bride she walked
Of her wealth , they talked
Ancient was her pride
Glorious every stride …
A blanket of dust covers the truth now
To establish Dharma again, is Lord’s vow
Though the night has never been darker
And the goal has never looked further,
But morning is near
I hear the Temple bells, so clear
Few more hours of toil
A sacrifice, so worth for ‘my soil’
Bathed in sunlight
Shining so bright
Her golden chariot will pass by soon
As radiant and complete as a full moon
You want to watch it right!
I too, want to admire the sight.
Don’t sleep yet
Or you may regret…
For this vision will be a gift for those
Who kept awake until the last
ray of hope ..
Till the very last breath we shall fight
Dying for the nation is a delight
Living with might, living for the right
Is the very purpose of life ..
I won’t sleep yet
so that I find no reason to regret .
Working for Volunteer for better India has opened a new dimension in my life. And I feel, I am just starting to explore, what it really means to have a Guru and the strength that I carry, as a devotee.
As we all know VBI has been initiated by Gurudev with a vision for a JUST, Peaceful and Prosperous nation .
But why do we need a “Guru” to take us there?
We all know the law of marginal utility don’t we? Only if the senses could make us eternally blissful, gulab Jamuns would have been enough to do the job, Isn’t it đ
Such is the glory of being a devotee, of the one who has a master, a Guru. It is indeed the greatest fortune, the greatest gift and the only goal đ
And even after so many years of being on the path I still feel, that I am just starting to explore, what it really means to have a Guru…
The tribal community called “Bhils” found in this region is one of the oldest tribes in the world. It is said that this tribe claim belongs to the stone age.
This tribal community was as committed to the protection of their state as was the royal family of Mewar. The Bhil community people fought hand in hand with Mewari royal family for the cause of protection of their state. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that their unconditional support was one of the reasons why Mewar could maintain its sovereignty and could remain undefeated against some of the mighty attacks.
The city of Udaipur is surrounded by Aravalli hills (one of the oldest ranges in the world).
In those times a thick jungle sheltering wild animals surrounded Udaipur. The attacking armies would find it very difficult to pass through this difficult terrain to reach the city of Udaipur. Over these natural hurdles, the Bhils – experts in guerilla warfare, would shoot arrows of poison at these intruders to dampen their spirits further.
it’s said that destiny supports the brave! The kings and Queens who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause of their state and its people, it seemed even God extended a special umbrella of protection upon them by gifting Mewar it’s fearless tribal population in form of the Bhils..
Some Spiritual tales â
The Kings of Mewar called themselves the Custodians of Ek Ling ji. Ek ling Ji is the form of lord Shiva worshiped here.
The Kings official signatures read âDewan of Ekling jiâ .
By saying this they contributed all their wealth rightly belonging to lord Shiva. Being on the highest stature and still recognizing all belongs to God is a definite sign of deep spiritual roots,isn’t it!
Story of Prem Giriji–
King Udai Singh went hunting one night. He became curious seeing smoke rising at the top of a hill and he went towards it. Tracing it lead him to a mountain peak where he had an encounter with Saint Prem Giriji .
The sage blessed the king and intuitively told him that if the King choses to built his royal Palace on this particular peak, the Kingâs generations would rule for hundred years and more.
This is how Udaipur was founded by King Udai Singh. In the heart of City palace is located a temple of PremGiriji, even today, at the same place where the king was blessed by the sage.
Godâs direct intervention, thatâs what we would call this. Isnât it.. And so Mewar dynasty continues to be the longest serving dynasty in the world. The present King is Its 76th generation serving as a king.
However this clan claims itself to be from the linage of lord Ram. Lord Ram had two children Lav and Kush. They believe they are descendants of Lav. There will always be critics who would over rule such claims, but to me what makes this clan one of the most unique is their commitment to live or die for the sake of their state and people.
And these values seeped downwards in their subjects, and both humans and animals reflected the same emotions of sacrifice.
Let me explain by narrating the two talesâŚ
Sacrifice of Panna Dhai– Often among royal families would be found a sense of rivalry among cousin brothers for the greed of power to rule the throne.
Cousin Banvir wanted to be the uninterrupted crowned king of the Mewar dynasty and after killing Vikarmaditya elder son of King Sanga he also wanted to kill his youngest son, infant Udai Singh.
Blinded by his extreme greed for power, cousin Banvir planed to kill the infant while he was asleep. Panna Dhai, the princeâs maid got to know about his evil plans. To save the only heir of the throne Panna Dhai, quietly exchanged her own son (approx. the same age) with prince Uday and saved his life. At the cost of her own Sonâs life.
Such sacrifice of a mother for loyalty towards her state is unheard of before or after this episode … isn’t it! Where a mother sacrifices her own child for protecting the heir of her state. Simply amazing..
Sometimes even the Animals reflected outstanding Heroism, another rare tale of Chetak– Most of us may have heard about the famous battle of Haldighati. Ranapratap the King of Mewar refused to succumb to the pressure of Akbar and sign a treaty on his terms. Furious Akbar sent his large army lead by Raja Mansingh (king of Amber) for a battle against Rana Pratap.
This was the famous battle of Haldighati. Rana Pratap fought bravely against the mighty army of Akbar. Read more @ http://www.indiaonline.in/about/Profile/History/Wars/Battle-of-Haldighati.html
Rana Pratapâs loyal horse Chetak was injured badly and lost one of his legs during this fight. But he did not give up. But laboured on to carry his master, about two miles away from the site of the battle field where he came across a small stream. It was here, while trying to leap across the stream that chetak collapsed.A heroic end of Chetak , even today the cenotaph still exists at Haldighati in Rajsamand district.
Though we have heard some of these tales in our childhood, but the morals seem to have been long forgotten now. Aren’t these epics our true wealth and our real moral guide? And if so, shouldn’t we sing these lores again and again to re-kindle nationalism and our pride in our civilisation!
These Suryavanshi kings who would prefer to sacrifice their lives but not trade their independence, for small sensory pleasures or weaknesses, are true Heroâs in my eyes.
Other facts-
Maharana Bhupal Singh was the first ruler to merge his state with independent India (18 April 1948). India’s first Union Home Minister (Loh Purush – the Iron Man) Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel reprimanded the reluctant Hyderabad and other states saying that “…if any ruler in India had any right to claim of independence it was Mewar, which has gladly and readily merged with the Indian Union saying that it was fulfillment of 13 centuries of their mission…but for Mewar no other rulers has that right…”
Today Udaipur continues to be one of the most attractive cities in the world. A city hosting one of the most magnificiant palace hotels like Uday vilas, Leela palace, Lake palace etc. Attracting thousands of tourists towards its outer beauty.
But I am sure, at a closer look at the history of Udaipur, every visitor would agree âUdaipur is not just a city of lakes but its real beauty lies in its rich culture, stories of invigorating bravery, a legacy few states in the world have a parallel withâ. I think, It’s always the people and their values of a state which make it truly great. Udaipur in that sense is truly remarkable!!
Vasudha Jhunjhunwala
P.S- Special thanks to Ran Vijay Singh ji for being such a inspiring guide.
What was it that I found most memorable in the city of Udaipur? The grand and luxurious palace hotels, the seven lakes, the silence and serenity, the perfect weather, or the Full moon night… when the moon seemed to be shining bright as the glorious history of MewarâŚ.
Honestly the above experiences were only like cherries on the cake. What really inspired me most was the rich culture and the rare tales of the bravest people, that this land has gifted India.
âLocated on the south western tip of Rajputana (the name of Rajasthan before independence) the small area of Mewar is one of the only princely states which was never under the Mughal or the British ruleâ
Really? I asked Ran Vijay Singh ji (Our guide) as he continued…
I was bewildered to hear this information, and many questions followed in my mind .. how did the Mewar Kings have any chance against the mighty Mughal emperors and the modern British army ? And are there many states who can boast about such achievement in Indian medieval history ?
Ran Vijay Singh ji caught my mind and the rain of bewilderment that followed in me after hearing the information… And with a smile told me, you will know everything in detail by the end of this tour of the grand city Palace of Udaipur.
(Sharing with you a glimpse with a strong recommendation to visit Udaipur to experience the unparalleled glory of bravery)
City Palace of Udaipur is one of the few heritage sites of India, which have been restored and conserved like a world heritage site, and so rightly it should be. I have often walked into the most astounding pieces of architectures in our country, finding them in ruins now, feeling a sense of pain (including some of the forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) . Contrast to which was my experience of City palace Udaipur. Thanks to the commitment of Arvind singh ji popularly known as Sriji, the present king of Mewar dynasty, for his great efforts to preserve this invaluable legacy.
The city palace took more than four hundred years to be built and even till today some or the other construction work goes on in this palace. The continuous construction being considered a sign of growth and prosperity by the locals.
On the left of the Palaces’ main entrance is the private residence of the present king and on the right side the area open to public, now maintained as a museum.
(The Private Residence) (The Museum)
The Palace was designed in such a way that it would help the king to equip himself quickly for an emergency. A situation, which must have been faced very often, by every Mewari king.
At this point, Shashwat curiously asked, “Mummy why do all these city names end with a âPURâ JaiPur, UdaiPur, JodhPur etc etc”. Ofcourse I did not know, so I looked at our expert for a worthy answer.- To which he replied- “most of the cities which were ruled by Hindu kings have their name ending with a âPurâ and those ruled by Mughals with a âBadâ, like AhmedaBad, HydreBad ,FerozaBad etc etc.” I did not care to verify the information and I just nodded in agreement, after all one must believe an expert!!
The horse stables were located right across the palace in its courtyard. Like in Mumbai, now the Cars are parked across the multi-storied buildings. So that the ever racing Mumbaikar, who is always riding at the speed of a Ferrari, can hit the highway in no time. Just kidding! đ đ đ this was so that the horses could be made readily available to the kings without any delay at the time of an enemy attack . Also this is the only palace on planet earth where there is also found an official parking for the elephants. How organized and well planned were Mewariâs, I thoughtâŚ
Their planning was better than the modern day airports, for boarding their warships (horses and elephants) they did not require any special elevators, they had 2 Aerobridge (elevated extensions) built for the job. Which helped them board without any delay. The Mewari troops were often defending themselves against armies which were much bigger than their own size. And so needed much more planning to combat their enemies.
The palace had zig zag , uneven passages and shorter gateways ( Mewari kings were short and their contemporary Mughal kings where much taller) The soldier would hide behind the doorways and when the Mughal soldier bent their neck to enter, their heads would be chopped off..
(Rana Sangram Singh-1)
An emblem on the main entrance caught my attention. In the center of the emblem was the Sun and on its each side was a man. By their clothes one looked like a king and the other looked like a tribal.
A Tribal, next to a king, what did this signify?
To all the readers, share your thoughts on what can this signify.
For the answer, wait till the next post đ
– Vasudha Jhunjhunwala
In the past 10 years of my life in the Art of living organization I have observed that the Life of an Art of living volunteer mostly goes through a few stages described below:
1st Stage is what I call as the ENTHUSIASM (or New born Baby ) stage- This person has just experienced Kriya and completed the course and feels all elevated and High to go and share his experience with everyone. He feels like new born baby, ready to transform the world with his knowledge. His AOL teachers are like God for him and the volunteerâs are like angels. He wants to be like them.
2nd Stage is the LEARNING stage- He shortly realizes that there is more to learn than he thinks because his/hers enthusiasm is not being taken very enthusiastically by people of his world. So he becomes a perfect student. Ready to listen and do what his mentors want to teach.
3rd Stage is called the GRACE stage- This is the Best stage when the volunteer experiences Guruâs Grace flow through him. He is in a constant state of wonder about how nice he feels while doing seva . When people actually listen to him with open ears and words which he has no clue of come out of his mouth. He feels on cloud nine when he sees a person he registered sitting on a course and thanking him for the same. This feeling keeps growing as others start complimenting him and look up to him like a hero.
There are 2 kinds of people in the Art of living
1st Those who have gone through the 3rd stage
2nd Those who havenât
For the 2nd kinds I have an advice, You are missing the most elevating experience of life. So quickly become the 1st kind.
4th Stage is called the SVS (Senior Volunteer syndrome) stage- At this stage suddenly the âNew Starâ starts hallucinating. He in his own mind has imagined a position for himself and thinks himself superior now . He /she feels like a King or a lion/Lioness. You will generally hear such sentences from a SVS patient
â You know, when I give intro talks everyone listensâ
or
âItâs a small talk ask a new volunteer to give it, I just give BIG talksâ
or
“When I sing in satsangs people go so deepâ
or
âIn my last talk every single person registered, my talks are the bestâ
or
âYou know, Bawa and Dinesh know me by my nameâ
or
âYou know Guruji personally told me to sit on a TTCâ
or
âFor me a TTC is just a formality, I am ready to teachâ
etc etc.
They have an air of authority around them and whenever they find a Bakra they grab their change to exhibit there seniority.
 
This stage can last Really Really long in oneâs career in the Art of Living.
I think at this stage Master is having fun watching the show as he lets it continue for as long as he wants or until the 5th stage comes.
5th and the final stage is the Great Fall â One day you open your eyes to find that now you are in Ethiopia (A place where your existence means nothing more than a dust particle). No one knows you or your qualities here.
And the harder you try the further you move from your goal of creating an identity. This is the Great fall. Until you realize fully that you are only an instrument in the hands of the Master and he is the director of the whole show he keeps cooking you.
Our Master makes sure that we do not get stuck in any false identities and only aim for the highest and keeps giving us such experiences. đ
He is himself the epitome of humility and thatâs for us to learn from. He even feels the thirst of a plant ,so sensitive he is. His message of love is moving this world and as his messengers the 1st and foremost for us is to learn to be humble , polite , sensitive and loving to all.
If we have these qualities and none other, we are eligible to represent him but if the above are missing I think we missed the boat!
– Regards and Love
Vasudha.
Are you thinking of Watching the movie ‘Jolly LLB ‘? I would say ,Please do!!
I am happy that finally values like truthfulness , righteousness and honesty are being glorified again in movies like ‘Jolly LLB’ .
Movies have always had a very strong impact on me. I still remember the first time, I saw the movie ‘Gandhi’, Â for days it had instilled the Desh Bhakt feeling in me. Movies have the potential to form strong public opinions about different topics .
But I think , a new trend started around the late  80’s  wherein qualities such  aggression , violence ,revenge and anger were associated with heroism.
Are these qualities really life supporting and heroic ? Wasn’t tolerance,acceptance, honesty, love, compassion, forgiveness etc the values that were  propounded to us by elders in our childhood..
I think it’s nice to sometimes stop and introspect which way are we going, what are the seeds that we are sowing. Isn’t the society we live in today a make of our own choices..?!
And if the answer is yes, than should we not make more informed choices .
I was happy with the ending of the movie. ‘Arshad Warsi’ who was playing  ‘Jolly LLB’  ; the role of an ordinary small town struggling lawyer,  who took the courage of being different, and listening to his conscience and supported the truth , wins in the end. Over ‘ Bomen Irani’ who played an expert , reputed, super intelligent , well established , stinking rich and  manipulative lawyer .
Today, the world is not filled with the brightest shades from the palette that life can offer . And the picture looks grim and shady with very little hope. But a few bright hues,splashed on the canvas can take away the gloominess from the picture
I thought Jolly LLB is one such movie which re instills hope and positivity that change is possible… And truth always has a chance…
Congratulation to the whole team and director Subhash Kapoor for conceptualizing a story which reaffirms true heroic values .
P.S. There is more to the movie than it’s End, so don’t think I have revealed anything , just go and watch đ
Jolly watching ‘Jolly LLB’
– Vasudha
‘That’ keeps me fresh and  going ,
Like petrol keeps the scooter brrrr……..
* – = Â minus
– Vasudha Jhunjhunwala
A Beautiful Journey..
A Beautiful Journey..
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday! :)
The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.
Vasudha Jhunjhunwala 