Vyakt

इस नव वर्ष के शुभ अवसर पर मैंने सोचा क्यूँ न मै हिंदी में अपने विचार व्यक्त करुँ !? गत वर्ष क़ी विडम्बना यह रही कि चाहकर भी नियमित रूप से लिख पाना सम्भव  नहीं हो  पाया।  फिर आंग्लभाषा में लिखना सरल होंने पर भी आनंदानुभूति का आभाव सा रहता है।  अभी कुछ दिनों पहले ही यह देख पाया कि 'ब्लॉगर' हिंदी भाषा को भी सरल रूप से लिखने का अवसर प्रदान करता है।  सोचा क्यूँ न इसे परखा जाये !!

२०१३ की शुरुआत कुछ इस भांति  रही कि जीवन में एक बदलाव अवशम्भावी था और वह हुआ भी।  अनायास ही हुआ कहा जा सकता है ! मेरे विचार से प्रयास उस कोशिश को कह सकते है जिसे पूर्व निर्धारित ढंग से निर्णय ले कर किया गया हो।  पर जहाँ परिस्थिति जन्य सम्भावित प्रयास हो।  जहाँ हम सिर्फ रीएक्ट [.......] कर रहे हों वहाँ वास्तव में अपना प्रयास किस तरह क्लेम [.......... ] कर सकते हैं ? इसे तो अनायास ही कहा जा सकता है।  पर इसका श्रेय अवश्य ही अपने परम कल्याणमित्र और विप्पस्सना गुरु श्री भरत ग्रोवर जी को देना चाहूंगा जिन के पुण्य प्रताप से मेरे मन की कुंठाएं एवं भय २०१२ साल के अंत में दूर हुए।  २०१२ के अंत में गोराई धम्मपत्तन के १० दिन के शिविर से मन की भ्रांतियाँ  दूर हुई और साहस पुष्ट हुआ जिससे २०१३ के शुरू में हुए घटनाओं को समता में रहकर झेल पाये और 'कुछ न करने ' कि अपनी बलवती इच्छा भी पूर्ण हुई। पैर के घुटनो में लगे चोट के कारण उत्पन्न यह भय,  कि अधिक देर ध्यान में नहीं बैठ पाउँगा, पर सायास गुरुकृपा से विजय प्राप्त कर पाया।  कल्याणमित्र गुरु का आदेश था कि अपनी समाधि मैं पुष्ट करून और अब जब कि सेवानिवृत्ति हो चुकी है अधिक से अधिक शिविर में भाग लेकर समाधी और समता दोनों ही पुष्ट करून।  

साल के शुरुआत में ही पडोसी श्रीमती गर्चा  के स्वार्थपरक एवं  सीमित मनोवृति के कारण उत्पन्न परिस्थिति से मन विकल हो उठा था।  विभिन्न विकल्पों में फसा मन जाने क्या क्या कर बैठता अगर गुरुकृपा न होती।  अंत में सदबुद्धि विजयी रही और हमने सबको माफ़ करते हुए आगे चलने की ठानी।  सबसे विशेष बात यह रही कि इस क्षमा प्रदान की प्रक्रिया  पर किसी भी प्रकार की अहंजनित कुंठाओं का प्रभाव नहीं था।  क्योंकि जहाँ सिर्फ आप ही हों  और अपने ह्रदय के अंतरतम तलों में स्थित रहकर क्षमा प्रदान कर रहे हों तो ऐसी सम्भावना को आश्रय ही नहीं मिलता।  वह एक बड़ा ही सफल प्रयोग रहा जीवन में जिससे ध्यान भजन का मार्ग प्रशस्त हुआ और २०१३ के गर्भ में निहित  अन्य परिस्थितियों से जूझने का साहस प्राप्त हुआ।

जीवन की परिवर्तन शील प्रकृति हमें अंतर से निराश्रित होना सिखाती रहती है।  हम भी बदल रहें हैं।  परिस्थितियां भी बदल रहीं हैं तो कौन किस पर आश्रित हो सकता है? आश्रित होने की अपनी विवशता यथार्थ  में बड़ी ही बेतुकी सी लगती है। प्रश्न यह उठता है कि क्या हम वाक़ई आश्रित होने को विवश हैं??  बचपन में हम अपने बड़ों, माता-पिता पर आश्रित थे।  किशोर वय में भाई-बांधवों पर।  फिर पति-पत्नी का आश्रय पूर्ण जीवन।  वृद्धावस्था में बेटों-बेटियों  का आश्रय।  यह क्रम निर्बाध रूप से चलता रहता है।  अगर ऐसा आश्रय मन के अनुरूप हुआ तो सुख अन्यथा दुःख।  आश्रय मात्र सम्बन्धो का नहीं होता ! आश्रय विचारों का , मान्यताओ का , संप्रदाय का , और भी न जाने कितने तरह के आश्रय हमारा अहम् पाले रहता है जिसके कारण जीवन में सुख-दुःख का उतार चढाव चलता रहता है

My Cup of Tea - II

Life’s fulfillment depends on enjoyment of small tiny pleasures.  No need to wait for some big fortuitous moments  to start enjoying life.  As mundane as making the first ‘Cup of Tea’ every morning often presents an opportunity for enjoyment.  It always is a very humbling experience indeed.  The Japanese Tea Making ceremony surely comes to mind.  The elaborate formalities observed during such occasion by Japanese women are not without reasons.  It is born out of their refining the teachings of Buddhism. Actually the awareness present of the person during the preparation of the tea plays an important role in the taste, texture and aroma etc., of the final product.  It reminds me of a very beautiful reply given to an inquisitive by-stander by none other than the Lord Buddha himself.  The man, out of his curiosity to know about the activities in a Buddhist monastery enquires the master as to what exactly is being done by the inmates.  In his profound compassion the master replies  in his most inimitable simple manner  viz.  - “ When we sit we sit, when we walk we walk, When we sleep we sleep, when we eat we eat…etc.” .  The master’s emphasis is on awareness in every minute action.

So that is what I try to achieve when making the first cup of the Tea in the morning.  First remind myself  to “Bring the mind home”. Become aware of the kitchen space.  Notice the ready availability of all the required utensils. Thank silently my wife for keeping the space so neat and clean. She very well knows about my stickler-for- cleanliness-in-the-kitchen-nature and ensures that the kitchen is left spic and span before retiring the previous night.  Become aware of the stillness of the throbbing morning. But suddenly also become aware of the symphony of sounds that is being orchestrated all around. The chirping of  birds, the rhythmic Thang-thang of a hand pump drawing water some where down below,  a human cough, the screech of a vehicle speeding far away, a dog barking, a horn blaring and not to leave the rhythmic snoring sound from the bedroom… there is no way one can define all the sound and ascribe the same to the right source.  There is no need to do so either. Just let the sense of hearing pick up, like a Omni directional radar, all the sound that is playing around.  The exercise helps remain in present and just be aware of the vibrant present.   I try my best not to make any extra noise while readying the paraphernalia for the morning tea making experience.  Lest my wife,  who has a very sharp ear specially for the clatter emanating in the kitchen,  wakes up before the tea is ready.  Unlike the Japanese Geisha(?), I do not measure the cup of water that is required for a couple of cup of tea.  I simply  ‘let go’ of my little self.  It just happens that some inner force directs the exact moment to turn the tap on or off after the right amount of water is collected in the sauce pan.

Coming to taking water from the water-filter tap, I always  remember a Geeta Gyana Yangna session that I attended long back in Delhi Chinmaya Mission Center. The Guru ji expounded the declaration of Lord Krishna viz “ Rasohamapsu Kounteya” – “I am the ‘Rasa’or Taste of the water”[ Chapter – VI, if I am not wrong]. The Guru then declared that hence forth whenever any of those present there  parttake a drink of  water, they would remember Krishna because He is the taste of water.  It happens just the way he had predicted every time I drink water.  However, life’s experiences never cease to surprise.  I happen to meet a staunch Muslim friend of mine who would effortlessly squat on his toes whenever and wherever he prepares himself to  drinking water which he would do only after uttering the sacred “Bismillah ir-Rehmaan ir-Raheem”.  It has been very touching to observe people steadfastly remembering God in every action.

The sauce pan is to be kept on the gas stove and stove needs to be lit.  The sound of self igniting gas stove is a give away.  It always spoils the surprise presentation of a ‘Bed-tea’ to the dear wife.  I try not to operate the clanging gas knob more than once to trigger the gas flame.  It requires real timing and patience [ and awareness] to do so.   I allow the water to come to a nice boil.  I enjoy first the hissing sound of water acquiring the boiling point. It starts slowly, reaches a crescendo and then merges into  the sound of breaking of boiling bubbles.  The bubbles remind me of the various thought processes that start from nowhere and also end in nowhere. Exactly like the bubbles do.  No one can predict the point of emanation of the next bubble.  It just happens at random.

I used to follow a precise regime of adding tea leaves to the boiled water ,  no longer over the flame.  Heat the milk separately.  Put a lid on the tea pot to arrest the aroma of the tea and wait till the tea leaves sink to the bottom of the pot giving out all that they got to the water… their color, aroma, taste and of course the Lord Krishna…while the milk is coming to a boil. Filter out the tea decoction and add to the boiling milk. Add sugar and the tea is ready.  All these before I happen to meet  another fine gentleman who believes more in efficiency and less usage of utensils specially when the onus of post – tea-cleaning-the-utensils also falls on the one who prepares tea.  In such situation the second method appeals more and I always remember the gentleman with love for his constructive contribution to my life.  There is actually no loss of beauty there.  The Adding of sugar and tea leaves etc.  is again on the auto switch on-off mode.  I don’t ‘try’ to do it. I do not measure it.  It just  happens.  I just let go of the entire involvement.  It always amazes me to finally  find the divine  taste such a tea provides to the palette.   “ Rasah  Aham Aapsu  Kounteya”.  The Lord always fulfills his vows.

This awareness is required in every action that is expected of a living being.  Such an awareness takes one to the realm beyond the physicality of our existence. The awareness breeds equanimous witnessing of the very existence and leads to a timeless state in our daily life… A cup of Tea well served ???. hope all who read enjoy as much as i did writing these lines...

Sarvam Mangalam Bhavatu !!

Balasundaram

No Short cuts: My cup of Tea - I

No Short cuts: My cup of Tea - I: Transitions in Life’s journey occurs umpteen number of times. There is actually a need to reconstruct all that happened and connect the d...

My cup of Tea - I

Transitions in Life’s journey occurs umpteen number of times.  There is actually a need to reconstruct all that happened and connect the dots, on a hind sight, to know the exact path that has been tread so far.  It might not be of  any material  consequence  but may help resurrect one’s own belief in oneself and also lay a foundation on which to build ones’ next  instance.  At the current phase of life, post superannuation from service,  life seems to show various hues and vivid options and there is an urge to take a particular turn and proceed on a definite direction.  The challenge is imperative and implicit in the variety of available options.  A question then arises which may not have a binary answers perhaps. A very similar situation as  faced by the Indian Business managers indeed who it seems are equipped to explore the middle path of ‘May be’.    What is my cup of tea?

Long ago,  when still young, a naturally intelligent & brilliant student, naturally athletic, a born singer,   sky was the limit for me.  God has been very kind and there was nothing amiss in life.  There was health.  There was wealth [whatever little a supervisor class worker earns].  There was talent.  There was intention.  There was inclination.  There was most loving & supporting  big family.  There was bevy of friends.  There were large open areas to play.  The country was just 5 years young after independence.  There were no questions asked about the political leaders.  They were then revered as next to God Himself.  Their words were the command for the populace. It was an industrial town.  The populace was made of working class of people. They were content to earn and enjoy the various benefits provided by their company.  Unlike present times, the companies then were welfare oriented and used to do utmost to keep its workforce happy.  The cosmopolitan character of the society then presented easy and ample access to learn and imbibe the customs & languages  of various  Indian culture. The  social harmony was excellent and there were opportunities galore. Life was so absorbing that it never allowed a moment of introspection indeed.  It is with profound nostalgia that I always remember the childhood days  in Jamshedpur, the steel city. 

 Now on a hind sight, it may be said that there was just limited awareness toward life and that were the exact intentions of the industries of that time.  “Let them only learn to Lead the Life as it came and be so engrossed doing so that there was no need to think of the future.”  The future thus was pre ordained, already charted by the smart industrialists of the period.  They required semi literate working class for continuation of their business/industry and all those institutionalized infrastructures were just aimed at getting a continuous supply of the same.  Generations of Families used to work for the same company and no one then heard of jumping the companies in search of greener pastures.  But the trend, then unquestionable,  is only getting clearer now.  Son of an ordinary worker, joins as an ordinary worker,  son of supervisor may join a little up in the hierarchy and so on.  There were no questions asked.  Challenging the existing norms were taboo in the family or even in the society perhaps.   Families used to continue staying in the same allotted quarter.  A son used to join the company in his father’s service.  So it is always the first born who used to get importance and also a definite USP for getting married easily.  He or She would be groomed to join the company subsequently and take the responsibility of looking after the family.  Being the youngest in the family of 11 members,  it was, naturally and logically too, not my cup of tea.

The transition was thus inherent in the trend of the time.  Those who could not jump the queue then,  had  to stick to and make do with the existing opportunities.  They did not do badly either as with time the trends in industry also  took turn for better and subsequent generations  could find themselves better equipped to  grow wings and fly out on their own.  However,  It was most appropriately  designed for me to seek a career outside of the beloved steel city.  The transition was not self planned. It was circumstance-driven.  I joined an elite Central Government Organization in the middle of my Masters in Mathematics.  The nature of job suited my temperament.  Though I was completely unprepared for such a change in life, the inbuilt wisdom and strength of character groomed by the excellent childhood circumstances of the steel city made my adaptation to new challenges much easier.  It was my cup of tea, I thought.

Rest in the second installment please…. Watch this space all of you out there….

Sarvam Mangalam Bhavatu

Balasundaram

First Blog

It took me umpteen years to start a blog spot of my own. Now that it is in place i would not know what to fill the space with. I have different experiences with writing.  At times, the writing transcends my own little self and comes out effortlessly. But most of the time it becomes quite difficult and heavy.  The ideas would not find right expression and words just would not form.  Why this happens is also not a secret any more.  

The other day i happened to be  listening to the Narration of the  great epic "Shreemad  Bhagawatham". The topic was how the great epic came about and actually what it is.  When Naarada asked Guru Vyasa to take up the task of actually writing the epic, the Guru was totally perplexed.  He was not sure if he could do justice to such an uphill task.  The epic is not a story and it should not be taken as one. It is actual "Bhagawad Anubhooti"[ God Experience!]. Vyasa was told to just let go and write.  Not for any type of gain or self acclaim.  Not to show off his command over the Shashtra or Language, lest the epic find its appreciation only among Scholars. The epic must have an inherent appeal to the general mass. Let there be innumerable grammatical or syntactic errors in the narration of that divine experience. It should only bring out the true motto to the audience.. the divine experience.  It has to be easy enough to imbibe and experienced by everybody.


The answer to my dilemma lies there.  There is this little self always peaking its head up and fills up the inner space of  the divine inside, i guess [ there it is again.... guessing...]. Let this blogging become a spiritual experience.  Let there be no material expectations out of it.  Let it be for sharing and caring [ the phrase used by m/s Sushmita Sen while winning her Miss Universe Title!!]. Let the little self is lost in writing.  May the writing itself transcend the very being.
Sarvam Mangalam Bhavatu

Balasundaram