Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

Buddha Poornima- a special day for introspection..

Gurudev shared with us- that it was on Buddha Poornima day that Lord Buddha was born, he attained enlightenment and he also took Samadhi. Today being such an auspicious day of Buddha Poornima, thought to myself to treat my mind with some spiritual knowledge. And revisit my Bhagavad Gita chapter-6 notes, I had taken during the live discourse of Gurudev in Arosa, Switzerland in May 2019.
After all every single moment of life is an opportunity to learn, express and celebrate , isn’t it…Para 3

English Book translation-To the contemplative soul who desires to attain Karmayoga, selfless action is said to be the means;for the same man when he is established in Yoga, absence of all ‘Sankalpas’ is said to be the way to blessedness

Para 4

English Book translation-When a man ceases to have any attachment for the objects of senses and for actions, and has renounced all ‘ Sankalpas’, he is said to have attained Yoga.Gurudev explained -For the one for whom the journey on the spiritual path has just begun, effort is the way. For example- If I have to take a train, I have to go to the station, buy a ticket, and sit in the correct seat. This much action is needed. But once on the seat I must relax. knowing that the train will take me there. But generally either we do nothing or we cannot relax. Like some people who do rosary day and night without any break. After the stepping stone one must let go. So one requires to put effort to do Pranayam and drop all efforts for meditation to happen. Love and Happiness is given as a gift to us. It’s a gift for the merits we have earned. Merits are earned through good gestures. Charity has been a part of our tradition.

We are fortunate to be provided with so many opportunities for seva in the art of living organisation. And it’s our experience that the meditation becomes so much deeper when seva is done, isn’t it:)

Para 5

English Book translation-One should lift oneself by one’s own efforts and should not degrade oneself; for one’s own self is one’s friend,and one’s own self is one’s enemy.para6

English Book translation- One’s own self is the friend of the soul by whom the lower self (consisting mind ,senses and body)has been conquered;even so the very self of him, who has not conquered his lower self, behaves antagonistically like an enemy.Para7

English Book translation- The supreme Spirit is rooted in the knowledge of the self- controlled man whose mind is perfectly serene in the midst of pairs of opposites,such as cold and heat, joy and sorrow,and honour and ignominy.Guruji explained -“Whether your mind is acting as a friend or an enemy to you would reflect on your life’s direction. Work on your own mind so that it becomes your friend, unwavering. If mind is bombarded with multiple impressions it becomes your enemy. Depression is result of that.”

On the poornima days(full moon), I have observed that the mind can be more restless than other days. Have you observed this too? Instead of blaming myself or others for the conflicting situation that may arise due to this restlessness, I am being able to witness the effect, knowing that it’s the full moon’s affect on the mind and no one person’s fault. And so now the mind does not go on a blaming trip, either blaming myself or others for the same.
Guruji has given us the three fold path ‘Seva’/Service, ‘Sadhana’/practice, ‘Satsang’/knowledge to be able to befriend the mind. Yes, It’s almost like “Taming the dragon”. But even a dragon can be tamed with effort and practice, and so can be our mind be .. 🙂

Gurudev further explained- Almost 30% of the population is said to be depressed in the world. This is alarming. We are simply moving outwards. It’s the mind which perceives through the senses. Inward journey is Yoga outward is Bhoga. Unless inward journey is taken you cannot even enjoy the outer. Nothing appeals to you. When union with inner being happens, mind becomes your friend, otherwise it can be your greatest enemy. “Save the mind at any cost” is the message of Bhagavad Gita. If the water is still reflection can be seen. In that mind the universal mind reflects which is still. And because you are anchored within, ‘the opposite do not touch you’.

Wow! That’s quite a revelation – Opposite do not touch you. One remains centred no matter how good or bad the situation may be. And that possibility is within each one of us. Like Gurudev shared in Ashtavakra Gita, only the husk has to be removed from the paddy, the rice is already there in it. At this point I have a question for Gurudev i.e how much more husk is there to be removed 🙂 😅😅😅

Guruji with Art excel kids at Arosa. YES!! that is Shashwat in the center, the youngest art excel student in his class:)

How does he manage to look soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Good in every headgear!!

Our dear teachers Bawa & Dinesh Dada.

Wishing all a Happy Buddha Poornima 🙏

Bhagavad Gita chapter-6, live from Arosa

8th May 2010, here I was, surrounded by yet another crowd gathered in Arosa, a town which would best represent the heaven. In the midst of snow covered mountains, was the meditation hall called Krishna hall (by AOL people), where the modern day Krishna, our Gurudev, was sitting, for a discourse on the 6th Chapter of Bhagavad Gita.

Gurudev begun by explaining-
Gita means a song. Krishna sung the Gita to Arjuna .
Unimaginable isn’t it! In the middle of a battle field, live in greatest war ever witnessed by mankind at that time, surrounded by war weapons, bravest warriors ready for blood bath, tensions, nervousness…. & our dear Krishna right in the middle of all this singing the Gita.

Only one who has mastered the five senses, the intellect, the memory & the ego, who rests only in the self, for the one for whom all is a play is capable of such ease, such poise, such strength of mind.

When I look at Gurudev I see all of these divine qualities express in him effortlessly. The ease with which he carries himself through one role to another, whether it’s addressing a conglomerate, a group of students, politicians, Homemakers or his own devotees for whom only love & no reason exists… He is completely rested & so aware. A quality which is to aspire for.

He continued to explain as babies we were free, but as we grew we were surrounded by conflicts. Conflicts between choices, and sometimes these choices can be very Very VERY confusing (like being in Mahabharata yudh) that is where having an enlightened master, who demonstrates the highest possibility of human consciousness through his actions, can help in showing the right path.

Chapter-6 Dhyana-yoga

Sanskrit:

English Book Translation: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no work.

Krishna says – One who acts without expecting fruit of action is a Yogi. Gurudev revealed how exactly one can achieve this. There are two attitudes while performing any action. 1. Performing an action expecting joy out of it. 2. Performing an action as an expression of joy.

I have observed this many a times in myself. It’s a very thin line but makes a big difference to the quality of mind and how one feels while in midst of that action. As in the 1st case the mind may become feverish, restless, sometimes greedy and as a result the speech or the action may become pervert & leave you empty handed.

Yogi is one who’s actions are an expression of joy.

He explained, you do care about the result “Thats why you are performing” but you are not dependent on the result to give you joy.

An action is fruitful in both cases- An action giving adverse result can help you in improving or enhancing some skills in you. And if result is of your choice it gives you satisfaction.
That’s like a double edged sword! Never thought of it, this way. Meaning if we perform our duty its only win win no matter what the results may be. So Chillax and perform yaar ☺.

Para – 2 Sanskrit:

English Book Translation: Arjuna, you must know that what they call sannyasa is no other than yoga; for none becomes a Yogi, who has not abandoned his “Sankalpas” (thoughts of the world)

Sankalpas keep coming to our mind, that is natural. But holding on to it does not let us rest. Before sleeping you anyway drop all sankalpas, So that you can rest. Golden principal of meditation – which is wakeful rest is 1. I want nothing 2. I do nothing 3. I am nothing. This is mental renunciation, running away from the world does not make one a Yogi. The actions become effective when you are centered.

“What a great management principle, no B- school could deliver this point so effectively, and impact-fully.

Signing off with some pictures now, for more on Bhagavad Gita notes let’s remain connected with this space as more is awaited soon…

Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

Photographs courtesy -Siddharth Jhunjhunwala

The Power of the MIND

If you think “its” possible, You are Right.
And If you think “it” isn’t, Even then you are Right
The Power of the Mind can make anything possible or Impossible.

To most of us the words above are not just words but an experience at some point or the other in life. Isn’t it? Just close your eyes for a moment and look back, at some point or the other in life you for sure have surprised yourself by what you achieved.Something that your experience said is impossible for you to achieve…

I will tell you a short story from my own life.
I was in my 7th standard then and was an average student. But I was damn scared of Maths. It was like a torture for me to even open the book and do my homework. I would procrastinate till the last minute to complete my math studies. Till the moment when, if now I didn’t put some efforts, another red line would come in the report card.
A terrible thing about the Red line in the report card was it gave your enemies one more chance to mock at you. Which was the worse feeling a teenager can go through.
The one whom I considered my greatest enemy at that time was my cousin brother who had this awefull expertise in making others feel lower than him. We had had several exchanges including some outrageous ones because of which we maintained a healthy distance between each other.

One day I was sitting on the swing and as usual he decided to irritate me with his words.The exchange of words led us to a point where we were ready to bet lives to prove who was superior.
And then the challenge was thrown at me, If you out beat me at Maths in the 8th standard I will consider you more intelligent than me, he said. Without even weighing the possibility of a victory I just accepted the challenge to win the war at that moment.

What!!!! What did I accept, 80% or more in Maths in the 8th standard. My GOD!!!!! To someone whom the sight of this subject could create distress, scoring 80%, was like climbing Mount Everest without warm clothes or skydiving without parachute or reaching moon without a space ship…….
But the challenge was taken and there was no way that I could let HIM Win.It was like mater of life and death for me.
So I started studying.Studying morning, studying noon, studying evening, studying night, I gave myself no choice. I decided I had to do it! My parents were is a state of constant wonder seeing me studying so hard.As the drastic change was completely unexpected by them.
The whole year I studied,like engineers do just before there exams, taking no rest at all. What drove me i think was the firm decision that I had made to reach there.
And the exams came and the paper went good. But I was not sure and was waiting for the results desperately…….
I scored nothing less than 99% in Maths that year:) 🙂 🙂
WOW! I could do it. It was the greatest feeling ever for me .Everyone around me was equally surprised and I gained a new respect in the eyes of all. Also I experienced a new confidence in myself that If i decide I can achieve anything.

I am sure we all have had experiences like this in life. But what stops us often in life is our memory. Memory which has this weird habit of sticking to the negative. As, if we let that one excellent experience govern our life, every moment would bring a new possibility for us.

As kids we were gifted. As we had a short memory. We tried to walk and fell,got hurt, cried and yelled. Then forgot..And again walked, and this continued till we learned to walk.

But while growing up we kept accumulating the impressions in our memory,and the memory kept governing our present. With the result the goals that we set for ourselves of reaching the moon,being in the air-force etc looked like a distant reality. And we settled with being an engineer and working for Infosys.

This is where the Art of living course helped me. Practicing the Kriya over the years cleared a lot of clutter in the memory. And new possibilities emerged in me. The MIND said yes and the memory did not obstruct my way any longer.

Today when I saw this video ,the power of the MIND came alive in front of my eyes.

http://video.in.msn.com/watch/video/unbelievable-acrobat-performance/1junqe9xd
(Must watch****)

If you think its possible, You are Right
and If you think it isn’t, Even then you are Right
The Power of the Mind can make anything possible or Impossible.

I would like our readers to share some of there inspiring life stories on the blog. It may help the mind to open up to newer possibilities:)

Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

This video sent by Jainil , inspired me to write this article.

A whiff of wisdom

The wise ones say, a limited sense of attachment in the mind is a reason for misery.

When I opened my fist, I realized, Infinity was mine…There can be no sense of loss or gain now, as when you remove or add anything from the infinite,what remains is Infinity, isn’t it!

Like the waves in the ocean rise and fall, different creatures take birth and dissolve, one we call birth and other death. And the play continues……

The magician plays a trick and puts a veils on the mind.The mind hooks itself to the Good or the bad! Look back and see all has come and all has gone, the good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. The only thing constant is change itself. All is dissolving right now, except for the one who is experiencing this.

Remove the silk cloth from the thorn skillfully and reach for the rose, fragrance alone is…..

Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

‘Not just Diwali cleaning’

We all are well aware of this term called ‘Diwali cleaning’ isn’t it? Diwali which only meant crackers, sweets, new clothes, glittering lights, loads of fun till yesterday, suddenly got a new dimension to it. Around the tender age of 6-7 a new term was introduced to us, by our ever loving compassionate Mom. Whose single mission of life was to make us perfect individual, cleanliness being the number one in the list of ‘must have’ moral values. The more we differed with this idea of her’s, the stronger her intent the harder the drill. 🙂

Hah….With a lot of reluctance I have finally understood that even in this noble mission she was right!

Diwali cleaning can teach us secrets to enlightenment, you think I am kidding, hold on to your opinion until you hear me out.

And so let me take the liberty to recoin this term for future generations, it should now be called ‘Not just Diwali cleaning (NJDC)’. So that no one in future can under estimate the greater significance of this fundamental act. :))

Allow me to share some revelations.

When I started with ‘NJDC’ this year the only purpose of my life was to disturb the peace of every object lying in the state of inertia of rest and bathe them properly so that they could feel proud of their existence and I could feel the same for them too! And so I started on my holy mission… With a heightened state of awareness and a single aim of achieving my mission I started with NJDC.

Deeper (I mean it literally) facts started revealing.
So much garbage was getting accumulated and I had no clue what so ever. Old worn out clothes, shoes, isolated perfume bottles, broken clips, used pens, expired chocolates and medicines etc etc. The list is unending. And so they met their destiny, Trash! This part was pretty easy and fun too, but what was this? Along with this trash, there were also objects which were very new but I think, were ‘non attention seekers’ and so they were all hiding in dark corners. I realized I was completely ignorant of their existence, which was not fair on my part, and so I resolved to use a few. Yes just a few that seemed to continue to have a future with me.Rule ‘A’ of NJDC

Something that I haven’t used for a few months and I think has very little chance of changing it’s destiny in near future should be strictly given away to someone who finds it more worthy. What did I say, ‘Given away’!

Yes and this takes us to rule ‘B’

No matter how pretty this thing in front of me looks and no matter how expensive it is, giving it away is important because it is occupying my precious SPACE!
You may debate and ask why? SPACE, because nothing in this world is more precious than empty spaces. Let me prove this practically to you with some examples. A cup is valuable for the empty space inside it, or the bucket or the jar or the cupboard or the house we live in. Infact, you may recall paying an extra few bucks for some extra SPACES! I definitely do, recently I-Store sold me a 30 GB phone at a 1/3rd price more for the same reason. Just think what would that fancy item in the show window mean, if it wasn’t for the empty space in your cupboard, or eating your favorite brownie without the empty space in your stomach. I am sure by now you agree.

Give it away, even though with a heavy heart and in exchange get a room full of infinite new Possibilities! 🙂 🙂

Rule C

Sorting things is an integral part of NJDC. If sand and sugar are mixed neither can be useful, but that’s exactly how things are generally placed in the house, all jumbled up. Everything has an assigned place in our lives. Whether it is a pen, a pair of scissors, a pair of socks or our relationships, isn’t it! Take your mind back to the instance when you were with your mother but were busy whatsapping the girlfriend, and when you were with the girlfriend, you were planning a football match with another friend, so obviously everyone seems to be complaining!

Our whole world seems to be unhappy with us, only if we can learn to place things in their respective places they will be at peace and so would we be in the long run. So immediately attend to the medical file and keep it in place..

Rule D

New utility can be created of the most unwanted things. We created a candle stand out of a broken lamp that was lying in a dark corner, unnoticed for years. And beautiful Diwali card out of old wrappers. Our attention has the power to convert dust to gold, and rekindle new life in the dead. Call that forgotten 1st standard friend now and see for yourself!

Rule E

I noticed that all that I wanted was already with me and I never ever realized this, because I was so busy accumulating new things that I did not even notice that ‘I was a billionaire of my own world’. So, make a list of things that you already have, count your blessings, I am sure we will have many reasons to smile.

Helpful free tips– So wake up and shake up those filled spaces, it’s never too late to get started, clear all the garbage and become brand new this Diwali.

Let our world shine like a lamp. And when the lamp is lit, Goddess Laxmi can proudly be invited to maintain the old and fill the new spaces with peace and prosperity, isn’t it! It would be worth a thought, ‘why Vishnu married Laxmi!’ 🙂

In my limited experience Vishnu’s portfolio Is to maintain, if we do his job well, Laxmi will follow, even an atheist would not be averse to Laxmi for sure 😉

Just for Fun

Meditate daily, because it equals to NJDC for the mind. Meditation clears the RAM and can make the processor, the mind, speed faster. And the hardware empty space in us, is ready for new downloads the entire day 🙂

To me enlightenment would mean not creating any garbage and putting things in right place every time, and that’s why we call it NJDC – ‘NOT JUST DIWALI CLEANING’ 😉

Wishing all a very Happy Diwali.

Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

THAT- “One Energy”

In the Vedic lore it is said that its only one energy expressing itself in millions of forms around us . And in the more modern times; the string theory, which says “the entire world is made of strings” and these strings are nothing but vibrations (energy). One can only wonder and ask really! Because what meets the eye is a completely different reality, isn’t it. Even when we wake up, every morning the first feeling can be so different .The same cycle of morning, afternoon, evening, and night can have millions of different experiences to offer, again and again.

And this “one energy” and its infinite forms is what is worshiped during the festival of Navaratre. Navratre the nine- days & nights, are celebrated every year. Each year this celebration has opened up to mean something very new. And a deep feeling of wonder, seeing this magnificent play of “one energy”, is growing every moment ,within me.

I was standing in front of the most beautiful Deviji’s idol at Lokhandwala, my heart filled with reverence by the beauty expressed by the artist. As I looked up carefully at all the idols placed around Durga.

Ganesh, Laxmi, Saraswati, Kartik, the lion, Mahishasur (the demon) and the magnificent Durga herself in the most abhorrent and angry mood. The anger which is always looked down upon, the sign of ignorance, the symbol of the unwise. And this form is being worshiped???

But even in the state of outrage, with her eyes convulsing, her tongue sticking out, and venom pouring out of each and every cell of her being, she looked so beautiful, so very full…..

The most ‘cruel expression’ of the Goddess(energy) in which she is doing the heinous act of killing was being worshiped with great reverence!

To me this meant, that even the opposite is a sacred part of that “one energy” and it has its place in the creation. Every aspect and every expression of the Devi is to be accepted because it is for a purpose.

Opposite is a part of the whole and the circle is incomplete without it, Good /bad, truth/lie, peace/disturbance etc; all a part of the whole.

For what would be the value of RAMA, if it wasn’t for the great RAVANA.

Would we remember Krishna after thousands of years , if he just came and played with the Gopis? Isn’t he also remembered for the great Mahabharata war. Would the Bhagwat Gita be given without the confusion in Arjuna’s mind, or the confusion in yours and mine.

If Jesus were not crucified so cruelly, some of us wouldn’t have believed that he was God, isn’t it?

The same energy takes different roles of the villain and hero, and plays and leaves a moral to direct the lives of the generations that are to come. Taking different roles again and again only to establish Dharma (that which upholds life) to give a direction to the life force and protect its creation.

For the first time I can feel great grateful towards, Ravana, Duryodhana and so many others who by their presence gifted us such moral stories to learn from.

Gurudev says, the ignorant at their own cost teach us lessons, by the mistakes they commit.

And as I stood , worshiping the Great Durga Idol ,the entire story looked complete with the presence of Mahishasur in it. And that’s what this Navaratri revealed to me.

That every particle in the creation is permeated with the divine energy of the mother, the one who protects, nurtures, destroys, and creates and so it is sacred and respectful.

Today I am all geared up to be a part of such a war for the sake of dharma but with a small difference , instead of hatred for those on the other side I have compassion for them.

|| य देवी सर्वभूतेषु भरन्ति रूपेण संस्थित नमस तस्यै नमस तस्यै नमस तस्यै नमो नमः ||

|| ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शन्तिहि ||

|| Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu bhranthi (doubt) rupena samsthita

namas tasyai, namas tasyai, namas tasyai, namo namah ||

|| Om shanti shanti shanti ||

-Vasudha Jhunjhunwala

Jai Gurudev!

Beginnings..

And this is just the beginning… 🙂

Jai Gurudev.