His Promise...

The first time I read this poem..was during Mahashivaratri celebrations (Feb 2006) in Delhi. Soon it slipped off my mind. Then suddenly some blurred text from this poem came to my mind a few days back and I have been searching for it since then…and see I have got it here.

A PROMISE

If I had to promise you something, what would it be ?

I can't promise that you'd always be comfortable

Because comfort brings boredom & discomfort.

I can't promise that all your desires will be fulfilled…

Because desires whether fulfilled or unfulfilled bring frustration.

I can't promise that there will always be good times…

Because it is the tough times that make us appreciate joy.

I can't promise that you will be rich or famous or powerful…..

Because they can all be a pathway to misery.

I can't promise that we will always be together…

Because it is separation that makes togetherness so wonderful.

Yet, if you are willing to walk with me,

If you are willing to value love over everything else

I promise that this will be the richest & most fulfilling life possible.

I promise your life will be an eternal celebration,

I promise I will cherish you more than a king cherishes his crown.

And I shall love you more than a mother loves her newborn.

If you are willing to walk into my arms,

If you are willing to live in my heart,

You will find the one you have waited for, forever…

You will meet yourself in my arms….

I promise….

--Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

So amazing, isn't it!

Any time you feel low, just remember His promise…

Jai Gurudev!

'Up' story

Wow…I can't tell how much did I enjoy writing this.

On Sunday (Sep 07, 2008), I reached home around 11:30 PM after 'Utsav' meeting/work, follow up and dinner with Yes+ group. Then suddenly thought of quickly jotting down a few lines in response to the competition that Bawa had announced for the past weekend. But once it started, it just kept coming until I realized that it was already 1:15 AM and I was also supposed to get up early for I need to go to Ashtavakra talks that I am attending these days.

I don't know how that 'Utsav' stuff (towards the end) manifested into words...but I am really enjoying reading that particular verse...:)

So here it goes the same 'poem'…(wow… I never thought I could write a poem…:)), with a small modification.

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Hurrying up, winding up office in his startup

Telling a story to his boss, he cooked up

Swirling his earphones that he hooked up

To his ipod that had back up of latest hits, he walked up

To the gym for some push ups

Chin ups and a few rounds of sit ups

Picked up the phone when his phone rang up

Someone he was soon to meet up, has called him up

While the call lasted, he was heated up & worked up

So charged up that not even able to speak up

Heart was split up after his break up, totally blown up

Thoughts messed up, emotions lit up and feeling stirred up

Enough of crying up after hours of digging up

Into the recent ups and down where he was caught up

Filled up with anguish, so stuck up & unable to open up

Covering up in his room what was his lockup

For he has stopped to turn up

Into the groups where he used to bottom's up

No way to cheer up and to buck up

No friend to mix up and no where to look up

Was finding nothing to boost up with thoughts rounding up

And rising up, in vain were all measures to cheer up

Almost given up, as if made up his mind to end up his life for he was up

To nothing and living a life screwed up and mucked up with goof ups

Suddenly a morning when he got up

With swollen eyes when he woke up

Saw a write up in a daily that was to make up

His life wonderful and live up

To what it deserve, for there was a photo showed up

Of a 'kid' who denies to grow up…:)

Mugging up that article, he mustered up

And lined up for 'Utsav' - a course he signed up

Four days four hours each were enough to shake him up

Bring things normal that were up

side down for him & to wake him up

Up front with 'reality', and sleeves rolled up

Up and running soon he was back correcting his run up

Ready to take up challenges again and geared up

To set up a meeting with destiny that itself has come up

To him to shine up and bring up smile of 'close-up'

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Sahaj Samadhi Meditation & Janmashtami Satsang with Chayanna

Past Sunday (Aug 23, 2008), I completed Sahaj Samadhi Meditation course with Swami Suryapad Ji (also known as Sri Chayapati, Swami Ji or even more commonly as 'Chayanna'). As Anand bhaiya had correctly quoted during our DSN, Swami Ji was simply wonderful…an epitome of calmness and serenity as appeared on Day 1 of Sahaj…:). As was already known and we were lucky for it being Shravan Maas, Swami Ji was also supposed to conduct three Rudra Pujas (Saturday, Sunday and Monday). To know a little more about Rudra Puja and Bau's experience of his first Rudra Puja read this article.

On Day 2 (Saturday Aug 23, 2008), I attended Rudra Puja in morning. We met again at 6:00 PM for Day 2 session of Sahaj which followed by a special Krishna Janmashtami Satsang with Swami Ji. And that's when we came to know how amazing singer he is. The passion, enthusiasm and energy with which he sings is mind blowing. 07:30 PM - 10:45 PM….total bliss (yes… 10:45 PM….satsang went on till 10:45 PM in the night and this was unarguably the longest and one of the most power packed satsang I have ever attended). And those meditation sessions between rounds of bhajans during satsang….wow….rejuvenated and pumped all of us for another rounds of dance. The hall was filled to its strength till end. How can anybody leave when Swami Ji is singing!

Day 3 I attended Rudra Puja in Kukatpally. After the puja my friend Sarvana took me to the place where Swami Ji was to have his lunch. While he was descending the stairs after inspecting the newly constructed AOL hall in Kukatpally, Swami Ji looked at me, smiled and gently asked "Kal ka satsang kaisa thaa (How was yesterday's satsang)?". He knew how much fun we all had in his satsang last night. I waved goodbye to Swami Ji and told him to see him during Sahaj session in the evening.

We met for last session of Sahaj at 6:00 PM. By the end of Sahaj I could clearly feel the connection with Swami Ji. The connection which we all or at least most of us feel with almost every AOL teacher. After gifting all of us three day full of knowledge and complete fun (...pure bliss), it was a little painful to accept that Swami Ji was leaving (though he was to conduct another Rudra Abhishekam next morning which I knew I couldn't attend).

But like almost all the things in Art of Living, this too is not an end, this is just a beginning…!!

Thank you Swami Ji and of course loads of thanks to Guru Ji.

Jai Guru Dev!

Hyderabad DSN

Past Sunday (Aug 10, 2008) was the last day of a wonderful course, known as DSN (Divya Samaj Nirman) by an another amazing teacher - Anand Rajendran. DSN course is an amazing course which focuses at taking you beyond your 'pappu zone' (thanks to Anand Bhaiya for this term) i.e. your comfort zone, breaking your so called 'boundaries' and making you stronger and unshakable than ever. What makes it even amazing that it is totally action oriented course which shakes you to the core....so shakes of day-today life look too small..:) Anand bhaiya's energy, enthusiasm and way of explaining things was simply 'jhakaas' (another key term from bhaiya's dictionary..:)). Guru stories towards the end of the course were breathtaking.

Apart from many things close to me, one of the biggest difference that I personally 'observed' between first and last day of this course was bhaiya's smile…:)

Anand bhaiya you rock....simply jhak jhak jhak jhak....jhakaas!!

JOY Gurudev...:)

Where There Is A Will...

This follow up (Sunday Aug 3, 2008) reminded me of the incident Dinesh bhaiya shared with all of us during my second advance course. Bhaiya was sharing his experience of the H'n'E meditation sessions in old meditation hall when VM was not constructed. Let me recall how bhaiya put it - "Don’t know how these red ants used to come to know that H'n'E meditation has started...". And you know what, exactly same thing has been happening with me and of course with all of us who attend long kriya on Sunday evenings at Begumpeth in Hyderabad since last couple of follow up sessions. Here mosquitoes have taken the responsibility to honor the task which red ants used to do in old meditation hall. Don't know how these mosquitoes come to know that long kriya has started; may be these mosquitoes also love to listen to those couple of words in Guruji's voice.

And I wonder where these mosquitoes keep on hiding during the satsang (we have satsang right before long kriya); it seems that these buggers are smart enough to know not to come near us while we all are clapping on the tunes of bhajans..:).

During my first encounter with these, I was wearing T-Shirt and Bermudas so I thought of coming prepared this times around and hence came in full sleeves kurta with pajama so that I can cover my body to maximum without suffocating myself. To my surprise these lovely friends were even prepared for that and apart from making their presence felt on my hands and feet (which were of course not covered), they also bit me on my arm after entering through the neck opening of my kurta (they clearly made me feel their movement and passage…:)); where there is a will, there is a way!!

I have been projecting love to these 'new friends' of mine but of no use; they seem to be more interested in my blood (its already so less here..:)) than in anything else.

Prank That Never Happened

While we were having our dinner on Saturday, a girl came to us (all of us including that girl were participant of same course) and shared her plan to play prank on Dinesh bhaiya on Sunday. She told that on Sunday when bhaiya would ask us to turn to our left side (at the end of sadhana), no body would move. And then she said that we would see how bhaiya reacts to this. Most of us happily agreed for this. But I was not game for this. As I expressed my reservation over this, the girl and other around me who had agreed for this asked me for the reason. My heart was just not allowing me to do this but I found it much easier to mention that we might just not do our morning sadhana properly if we thought too much into this. And I continued that lets do whatever we are up to in the morning without putting too much thought into it. While I came out after my dinner I saw the same girl asking others to be the part of her prank. I forgot the whole stuff in a few minutes.

Thanks God, I couldn't even recall this stuff the next morning. Dinesh bhaiya came for session and after explaining about Naadi Shodhan pranayama he asked us to close our eyes and get ready for sadhana. The sadhana finished perfectly and things started progressing normally as they had to happen. Suddenly a thought about prank came to my mind and it went blank for a few seconds. I could not stop sharing that thought with a friend sitting near by. And we were just amazed. You know what, that day, Dinesh bhaiya hadn't asked us to lie down after our kriya. You may call it a mere coincidence...I leave that to you.

Second Advance Course

I have been thinking of writing this post since the day I returned from course but was not actually writing it...:). But then I decided that I won’t write any other post until and unless I finish this one. So here I am to share explicable experiences of my second YES++ course (July 15-20, 2008).

If I have to state my experience in two words I would say 'Just amazing' and if I have to add another couple of words to it those will be 'yet again'. So the five days of the second advance course were once again the most wonderful days of my life. I was so happy that His grace made it possible for me to be there for this course…thanks Guruji…:).

Having done first course with Guruji, this time when we landed in the ashram, it was a little too silent. The shift that we all feel as we enter the ashram was certainly there but it seemed as if something was missing. But as soon as I attended first satsang of this visit (July 15, 2008) I realized that though Guruji may not be physically present in ashram, you can always feel his presence there and this experience becomes too easy and obvious if you are sitting in VM. The same was also testified by Dinesh bhaiya. So the feeling that something is missing in ashram started diminishing gradually. And I completely agree to Dinesh bhaiya’s statement that you would have better silence this time around because when Guruji is around he acts as distraction…:). So true but then who wouldn’t like to get distracted by Him.

This was my second advance course within one month’s time (28 days to be precise) still the experience was so new and refreshing. I, in fact, loved the meditation sessions even more this time. And I believe that by the end of this course I could feel hollow and empty a little more closely.

To be in ashram on guru poornima (July 18, 2008) was just bliss. That day, morning session started with a surprise announcement of doing long kriya in Yagna Shala. What a great start to a great day. After post-lunch sessions we all have to go for guru pooja. I was waiting for the evening. I attended my first guru pooja and second rundram (first was during 2006 Mahashivaratri in Delhi) that day. And I could actually feel what Bau meant here when I sat in VM for rudram that happened after guru pooja on guru poornima. That gush of energy…wow. It was just….I don’t know…:). I can never put that experience in words. Watching Guruji through live telecast was another wonderful moment of guru poornima. How much caring he is, he came live for all of us who missed Him in ashram on guru poornima…just amazing.

Bau was on as usual best during QA sessions. Coming out of silence was a little pain this time….don’t know why. But another QA session with Bau, watching ‘The Secret’ after that and then going to Yagna Shala to make arrangement for Sunday morning long kriya took that sweet pain away.

Sunday has to be busy and a little painful as it was the day to leave home. But then visiting Bau and Dinesh bhaiya’s room to see them and getting the privilege to have a few pics with Dinesh bhaiya, simply made it a wonderful day.

Leaving home is never easy but then leaving with a strong belief of coming back soon is another fun in itself. And the wait for that day has already started.