Here for writing

The more I delve into Vedanta, the more I like it. So many people I know feel that Vedanta is for people who are 50+ and have already lived their lives and done their duties. Many of my well wishers even feel that I should not be thinking/talking/writing about this, lest I get brainwashed into becoming a sanyasini. But the beauty of Vedanta study is, it really makes a difference in my day to day life. When I am keenly observing myself and my thoughts, I very rarely have negative thoughts about someone or something else. And I am becoming less reactive and less agitated. I don't know if it is a temporary effect or a lasting one, but I am immensely enjoying this. The worry factor -especially worry caused by unnecessary fabrication of hypothetical scenarios -has really come down. It is like as if, deep down, I feel that everything is ok...as if I don't have to worry about anything. Most importantly, I am so happy that I am writing so much. When I write, all the thought

Today was a wonderful day. When the mind is at peace, all days are wonderful days. Also, today was Ekadasi. Since new year, I am trying to fast on Ekadasi. Not only for religious reason, but primarily for self control. I have very very poor self control when it comes to food. I am so bad that, right after having my dinner, I will open the fridge and see if there is anything to eat. Seriously! And if you place any form of yummy food in front of me, I just can't resist taking a bite...no matter how full I feel. Another thing is, I can't control my emotions when I don't have food in my tummy. It is like as if I have a split personality. When I don't get food when I am hungry, I throw tantrums -anger, weeping, irrational decisions...uff. "Hangry" (Hungry + angry) is the perfect expression for what I go through during those times. My Guru tells that During Ekadasi, there is an abundance of energy around us, so that we can survive with little or no food

The plot of this book revolves around horse racing and it is written by an erstwhile star jockey. I feared that the book will be too technical for someone who does not even fully understand how the betting odds work. But Even Money was such a breezy book that I felt as if I was reading a Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew book for grown ups. The protagonist of this book is Ned Talbot, an independent bookmaker who sets shop in all major horse races in England. One day, a man turns up and tells him that he is his father..the father whom Ned was told by his grand parents that he died 37 years ago. And promptly, before the astonished Ned could exchange more than a few skeptical sentences with the new found father, the father gets murdered. Why? By whom? And what does Ned do about it? This is the gist of the book. The book has very limited set of major characters. Ned's wife, Sophie, who is battling mental illness. Ned's partner Luca, his apprentice Douglas. The relationsh

Verses 11 to 14 talk about the impurities of the mind and draw inference about what is the true cause of it. I imagine the impurities of the mind as those factors that does not allow us to exist in the state of bliss and oneness. So for me, they are primarily fear, insecurity, over expectations and I am taking the liberty of adding procrastination here, because, it has lead me to a lot of trouble. I am sure every individual have their own unique list of impurities that stops them from being happy. In Manah Sodhanam, Swami Tejomayananda lists likes, dislikes, anger, greed, ego, selfishness etc as some of the impurities. By listing the emotions, it does not mean that I must not get angry or I must not feel fear etc. Because, as a human, I am meant to experience these feelings and emotions. When I look at a lovely flower, I must feel a liking towards it. If someone abuses me unnecessarily, I am programmed to feel angry and bitter. But I must be aware of these emotions and not l

Yesterday, I was rereading Manah Sodhanam for writing this refresher. Verses 7-10 talk about various means of purification of the mind and about the importance of understanding our own mind. And incidentally, I happened to hear Swamini Vimalanda's talk about the  mind in YouTube last night. The talk, combined with my own Guru's teachings and the content of the book has helped in crystallizing what I wanted to type out here. According to the Upanishads, there are 3 types of manufacturing defects of the mind that prevents us from realizing the Truth or the Paramatma, The first one is the impurities of the mind -anger, lust, greed, jealousy, envy, fear, insecurities etc. The second is the distractive nature of the mind. The mind keeps wandering non stop and disturbs the innate peace and bliss, which is the true nature of our self. The third defect is, we don't know who we are. We don't know the nature of our own self. And because, we don't know who we are,

This has been the only week in more than 4-5 months wherein I have not run even for a single day. And I feel very very bad about it. But, since mid January, I have not been able to do so many things that I am supposed to do regularly. All  my mind space has been completely taken up by work, that I haven't even cleaned my table in my room! Starting from home at 9, then continuously working till 9 pm, then continue to interact with the client ...aarrrggghhh!!! I am absolutely hating it. I know I am whining, but I need to whine this out aloud, because only then can I even try to find a balance in my mind. Work has been so hectic that even when I was down with fever this week, I popped pills and rushed to office. Most of what I have been doing for the past one month is trying to take over an asset case from one bank to my bank. It involves a lot of documentation and processes. And most importantly, it involves constant appeasement of the client who is impatient. I spend most of m

Before I move on to verse 17, I want to take a small pause to reflect on what Manah Sodhanam has been teaching me all along. Written by Swami Tejomayananda, Manah Sodhanam is a Sanskrit text of 25 verses. This text is an observation on the human mind. What makes the mind tick? How to purify the mind so that we can walk on the path of seeking the Truth? What are the impurities that plague our mind? How to overcome them? These are some of the questions that Manah Sodhanam addresses. I want to do the recap in three parts. In the first part, let me focus on the ultimate goal that we must attain through the practice of purification of our mind. The text opens with the outright declaration of the truth that the supreme self is non dual and is full of bliss. We all are beings of supreme bliss. The self that resides in us is the same self that resides in all living things. And the nature of this self is pure unadulterated joy and happiness. This happiness is an inherent quality

I didn't know that Robert Galbraith was the pseudonym of JK Rowling until I had almost finished the book. And, since I have not read Harry Potter, Robert Galbraith is a completely new author for me. And now that I am finally sitting to write a review, I realize that I have been reading only whodunit novels for quite some time now. Need to read a different genre soon! Maybe some drama or history or some breezy chicklit? The Silkworm features Robert Galbraith's protagonist -Cormoran Strike -Afghan veteran turned private detective operating out of London. Tall, bulky, with a boxer's profile and tight curly hair, he is short of a leg knee down. Cormoran takes up the case of finding Owen Quine, a not so famous author. His wife approaches Cormoran to track the errant author, who has the annoying habit of going off by himself and returning after a few weeks. But instead of finding the Owen Quine, Cormoran finds the horribly mutated body of the author, who has been murdered