Music -- Eternal Bliss

According to Hindu scriptures, a human being possesses 5 senses. These are seeing, smelling, listening, tasting and touching which are done by our eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin respectively or in a single word known as Panchendriya  ( 5 sensory organs ). We can feel this world through all these senses. If any of them isnot absent ( i.e. if a person is not blind or deaf or physically handicapped in any way ) then he can, not just feel the world but also enjoy it because the combined effect, which they produce is wonderful. 

These senses are a gift of the Almight, no doubt. We can realize this fact, when we think what would happen to us, if suppose one of them is absent... for example, what would happen to you, if suppose you were blind from birth ? Obviously, the world would not be as pleasant a place for you, as what it is with both your eyes functional and working in a perfect condition, as of now. Inshort, we should all thank God Almighty, for giving us all the vital organs and keeping them safe. 

One of the above senses is listening, which is done by our two ears, located on our two sides, left and right. Listening seems most enjoyable when we come across something that we like to listen to, for example, the voice of our beloved ones. Whenever my mother calls me on my cell phone its a great pleasure for me. Not only because I love her but also because her voice is soft and melodious. Another most likely thing that people like to listen to is " Music ". Yes Music. It has no regional language, it is an international language. You may have never gone to Africa but you may be loving the Samba Music tones of that place. An european may never have come to India but he may have fallen in love with the Classical instrumental music of India, like the one which flows from instruments like Santoor, Flute, Sitar, Sarod etc. In bried, Music knows no international boundaries. Its above the restrictions of " man-made restrictions " called boundaries. 

It is also " timeless ". If you listen to some old hindi film songs, sung by legends like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhonsle and Mukesh, you suddenly feel rejuvenated in your mind and spirit. You lose all the weariness and become fresh enough to go back to work. Why ? It is this magic of music. You didnot even need to sleep to get rid of your weariness !! Music helped you to recover your energies back !! Isn't this a miracle ? And although you listened to the songs of an era when you werenot even born, you enjoyed it fully. You just didnot realize how quickly the time passed. Whether the songs are from new albums or from old ones, if you loved it, they did change your mood from weary to fresh. Hence, music is " Timeless ". Old music doesnot becoming boring. It remains as fresh and enjoyable, as what it was when it was first produced !! 

" Music is synonymous to peace ", goes one proverb. Well, to a certain extent, I disagree here. Yes, Music gives a very pleasant peaceful experience to the mind. But only if it is melodious and worth listening like western classical music or classical indian instrumental music or some very good old and new songs of hindi movies. But if its making too much unnecessary noise like Rock music, Rap songs, etc. then its not enjoyable but its avoidable. There it isnot synonymous with peace but its synonymous with noise. Such music should be neglected and avoided. 

" Music is the language of the deities. It is Eternal." I agree completely. Yes, it is the language of the gods, the deities. Wherever beautiful melodious songs are being sung or wonderful music being played, that place gets converted into a " Heaven ". Don't you agree ? Afterall what is a Heaven ? It is supposed to be a place, where there is no sign of even the slightest bit of unhappiness or sorrow. Music has that strength to convert a sorrowful, lowly place into a heaven, a lovely paradise. Truely, its the language of the deities. 

As said above, a melodious song has the potential of changing a bad,ugly mood into a good, vibrant one. With the vibrations that reach our brain, it creates a soothing effect on the brain cells and changes a nasty mood into a good fresh one.Good music also sharpens the memory power ( proved scientifically ). Experiments of Jagdishchandra Bose, an indian scientist, showed that plants respond to melodious and quality music favorably and grow faster compared to noisy music. Some countries have "music therapy" in their hospitals to cure diseases. If you listen to a song " khwaja mere khwaja, dil me samaja... " from the 2008 movie Jodha Akbar, you will realize that the act of listening to music very intensely is equivalent to the act of remembering and praying to God wholeheartedly. 

Music is Life. Music is an embodiment of God Himself. 

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Peace - the most Powerful weapon

Yesterday evening when I was enjoying my leisure time watching TV, suddenly I felt the need to relax. Slowly walking towards my balcony, I started thinking about " Peace ". Yes Peace, the word which is going irrelevant in the human society gradually round the globe and the one which possesses a lot of importance, in the modern times. 

While watching TV, I saw the News that the French capital Paris had come under brutal terrorist attack and 129 people had been officially confirmed dead. The terrorists attacked 6 different places with Kalasnikov rifles and started firing on innocent people, which also included women and children. Later, ISIS claimed responsibility for these attacks and said they were in retaliation of the french campaign against them in Syria and Iraq. 

You open a newspaper in the morning or start a news channel these days, you will find mostly such news of violence and brutal killings by some terrorist group, somewhere in the world. The number of people getting killed in terrorist attacks round the globe has increased 10 fold over the last 7 years. Where has the word " peace" got lost ? Why is today's man so much worried and lacking peace entirely ? Don't we all deserve peace of mind also, alongwith all the prosperity and all the achievements for which we strive for day and night ? Ofcourse we do. For these some people starting practising Yoga and doing exercises. Yet they can't find " Peace" !! 

In today's age men have started losing hair or getting white hair on their heads at an age as early as 30. I have seen so many men in India, getting bald completely, by the age of 35 !!! Some look of the age of 60 when they are 40 only, due to their bald heads or white hair on the head and over the beard region as also due to the long wrinkles they develop on their faces due to constant botheration about money and status. And then this is an irreversible process. Once you lose your natural hair, you cannot regrow them, at least not by any natural way. Its gone and gone forever. You have only one option left - wear a wig. But those wearing wigs are immediately caught by the onlooker. People can easily guess, that you have gone bald, even if you make an attempt to hide your baldness by a wig. Same is the case of white hair and wrinkles. Once you start having white hair on the head and on the moustache and beard region, the black hair is gone forever. Now for the rest of the life, you will only see white hair growing there. Yes, you can blacken them with the help of hair-dyes and look younger. But in that you have to be very careful since these artificial dyes contain harmful chemicals and their over-use or mishandling ( like not washing the hair for more than 24 hours after dying ) can cause skin cancer. Inshort, your natural black hair growth has gone forever, once you start having white hair on the head and on the rest of the body parts like face and chest. Wrinkles too, once they develop stay there forever unless you go for some expensive face treatment like surgery or botox. 

All the above things which tend to spoil the looks of a handsome man into " an Old Uncle " cannot be reversed back but they can be prevented from overcoming your young face by one weapon, one tool. That weapon is " Peace of mind ". But unfortunately, this weapon cannot be bought by money or by trading wealth or property with it. You may be having villas and bungalows on the costiest roads like Colaba, Bandra in Mumbai but if you donot have peace of mind, then you are really very unlucky. You may be having millions of dollars in your bank accounts and living a luxurious life from dawn to dusk, but without peace of mind, you are as poor as that beggar on the street, asking for alms from the people moving around him. 

Luckily for some they do find peace of mind somewhere, somehow. But for so many others, it has become a rare commodity !! Some people even consult psychiatrists ( doctors curing insanes ) but then they come into the Chakravyuh ( doublecrossing techniques ) of the medical professional, who starts giving him " Tranquilizing drugs " to cool his mind down. This also fails. The person just cannot fathom whats going wrong with him !!! He searches for peace, as if his entire life is dependant on it. So let us examine how he can find peace, which has gone so vital for him all of a sudden. 

The answer is simple - it is within himself. Its like searching for oxygen on the earth surface keeping your nostrils pressed - you already have it all around you man, all you need to do is remove the hand which is obstructing the intake of the important " pran-vayu" ( life-giving gas ). Once you remove your obstruction, you start breathing normally and all your problems are solved. Similarly, if you want to find peace of mind, donot squabble around here and there. Find it within yourself. If you practise hard and on a regular basis, you will find it. And if you continue finding it daily, you will come to know that you have discovered " a rare weapon " which very less number of people have, on this planet !! 

This weapon not only balances your entire personality but also keeps you quiet and composed amongst the most tensed moments of the day. From dawn to dusk, you are " in control " of whatever you are doing and wherever you are. You can feel that you are finishing your daily routine tasks much easily and with greater degree of efficiency, than before. You are gaining reputation in your office and even at your home, as a quiet achiever. But then comes the million dollar question -- How do I achieve " peace of mind " while at the same time I want to achieve a better status in the society apart from more wealth and prosperity ? Is it possible to get all of them ? Or do I have to sacrifice one of them ? The answer is that you can get peace alongwith prosperity too. But only if you give priority to peace and not to acquisition of wealth. 

Let me be frank with you here. I myself am not a saint or any priest in this subject of having achieved " peace of mind ". Yes, I can atleast say that I have achieved some stage in this process and can provide you with some vital steps/ points, in your quest for peace. But for that, as I said before, you need to have an intense desire to achieve " peace ". Acquisition of peace infact should be your Priority Number One. If its not, please stop reading this blog here. If Yes, then you can continue with me ahead. Here are those steps /points, as per my knowledge, which can help you achieve "peace of mind " :-- 

( 1 ) Reduce your " Desires " :-- 
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Desire is the enemy of Peace. The more you desire for, lesser the peace of mind. The calmness and serenity of mind start evaporating into thin invisible air, as soon as you start wishing for more. They are inversely proportional to each other. You cannot have lots of desires and simultaneously have peace of mind. But then does it mean that in order to have a peaceful mind, you need to quit all your desires and start living the life of a priest or an eccentric ? Not at all. You just need to quit those desires, which are causing undue tension and stress in your mind. But then how does one determine which desire is causing tension and which one is not ? For that one needs to make some " introspection ", a phenomenon of looking within. Just sit quietly alone for about twenty minutes. Initially breath deep and regular, If possible close your eyes. Donot move your body at all. Just concentrate on your breathing. Feel the inhaling and exhaling process as closely as you can. Sit in Padmasana if possible or you may just on a clean floor with legs folded in the same posture as what one seats during meditation. 

Once you have sat in this position for about 15 minutes, you will feel very relaxed and devoid of any tension. Now your mind has become thoughtless ( or with minimum number of thoughts ). I call this particular state of mind as " the most powerful state " because here on you can think very clearly and without any ambiguity. Its like a big clean river flowing on its path. Nothing can stop it. Whatever pebbles, stones come in its way, the river denies to stop and just flows over it. Similarly, after that brief session of meditation your mind has now become powerful like that river. 

At this point, you should initiate that thinking process. Now is the time to solve that question - Which are those desires that are giving me unwanted stress and tensions ? Can't I remove them ? And you will see that there will be atleast one or two such desires, which were creating a nuisance in your mind ( like becoming the richest man in the fastest possible time period  !! ) Just tell your mind that I am quiting this desire. I donot want it rightnow. I donot whether I may want it in future or not. But as of now I am letting it go. Just delete those one or two desires and see how you feel after that. You will feel quiet relaxed, I bet. 

( 2 ) Meditate regularly :-- 
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After knowing how to get rid of those cumbersome useless desires, which were dragging your mental energy resources, let us now focus on another vital point -- Meditation. 

If you meditate regularly for 15 minutes, whether you are in tension or not, I can assure you my friend, that having a mind devoid of peace will never be a problem for you, in your entire life.   

For that the procedure is as described above. Sit with legs folded, close your eyes, focus at the centre of your forhead and breath deeply. After a few seconds simply focus on your breathing i.e the inhalation and exhalation. Do this for about 10 to 12 minutes. By that time, your mind will become " Thoughtless ". Sit in this condition for another 5 minutes, while continuing to breath as before and remaining focussed on your breathing. After that get up from meditation. This time of roughly about 15 minutes of such meditation practice, will make your mind very peaceful, balanced and cheerful. After that, you become automatically strong enough to handle any problem, which is in your reach, without any tension or stress. You willnot panic like what you used to, before you started regular meditation. 

So then, what actually happens inside your brain, when you meditate ? The brain cells also called as Neorons calm down. When in an active state for a longer period, they secrete certain chemicals which causes anxiety. But due to breathing and relaxation ( i.e. meditation ), these cells stop secreting such harmful chemicals. They get rejuvenated to be able to think in a more relaxed and balanced state and also to be able to think deeper. 

Peace also makes your subconscious mind stronger. You slowly get to know about things which are likely to happen seconds before and you can prepare yourself, with the help of that well-developed subconscious mind, to face that challanging or threatening situation, well in advance. 

Finally, let me reiterate here that " a peaceful mind " has got a huge potential. Its like water stored on the terrace of a building. On the face of it, it looks silent, without any force or movement. But once you open the tap, it starts flowing very fast and forcibly. Just as how you can change the intensity of flow of that tap, you can also change your gears of action i.e. you can either start working fast or you can work slow in whatever manner you like or whatever the situation is demanding at that particular time. It gives you the courage to handle any type of challanging or threatening situation well in advance. It also activates your mind to be able to choose from a variety of options within a very small time period ( perhaps a nano second ). Inshort, you become stronger physically and balanced and full of vigour mentally, if you meditate regularly and in the process attain a peaceful mind. Paradoxically, Peace is the most powerful weapon. 

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Go get it -- the inspiring true story of Sylvester Stallone

Legendary actor Sylvester stallone 

Back inthe day,Stallone was a struggling actor in every definition. At some point,he got so broke that he stole his wife's jewellery and sold it. Things got so bad that he even ended up homeless. Yes,he slept at the New York bus station for 3 days. Unable to pay rent or afford food. His lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store to any

stranger. He didnt have money to feed the dog anymore. He sold it at $25 only. He says he walked away crying.

Two weeks later,he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner and that match gave him the inspiration to write the script for the famous movie,ROCKY. He wrote the script for 20 hours! He tried to sell it and got an offer for $125,000 for the script. But he had just ONE REQUEST. He wanted to STAR in the movie. He wanted to be the MAIN ACTOR. Rocky himself. But the studio said NO. They wanted a REAL STAR.

They said he "Looked funny and talked funny". He left with his script. Afew weeks later,the studio offered him $250,000 for the script. He refused. They even offered $350,000. He still refused. They wanted his movie. But NOT him. He said NO. He had to be IN THAT MOVIE.

After a while,the studio agreed,gave him $35,000 for the script and let him star in it! The rest is history! The movie won Best Picture,Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious Oscar Awards. He was even nominated for BEST ACTOR! The Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies ever!

And do You know the first thing he bought with the $35,000? THE DOG HE SOLD. Yes,Stallone LOVED HIS DOG SO MUCH that he stood at the liquor store for 3 days waiting for the man he sold his dog to. And on the 3rd day,he saw the man coming with the dog. Stallone explained why he sold the dog and begged for the dog back. The man refused. Stallone offered him $100. The man refused. He offered him $500. And the guy refused. Yes,he refused even $1000. And,Believe it or Not,Stallone had to pay $15,000 for the same,same dog he sold at $25 only! And he finally got his dog back!

And today,the same Stallone who slept in the streets and sold his dog JUST BECAUSE he couldnt even feed it anymore,is one of the GREATEST Movie Stars who ever walked the Earth!

Being broke is BAD. Really BAD. Have You ever had a dream? A wonderful dream? But You are too broke to implement it? Too tiny to do it? Too small to accomplish it? Damn! I've been there too many times!

Life is tough. Opportunities will pass you by,just because you are a NOBODY. People will want your products but NOT YOU. Its a tough world. If you aint already famous,or rich or "connected",You will find it rough.Doors will be shut on You. People will steal your glory and crash your hopes.You will push and push. And yet NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

And then your hopes will be crashed.You will be broke. Damn broke. You will do odd jobs for survival. You will be unable to feed yourself. And Yes,you may end up sleeping in the streets. It happens. Yes,it does.

BUT NEVER LET THEM CRUSH THAT DREAM. Whatever happens to You,Keep Dreaming. Even when they crush your hopes,Keep Dreaming. Even when they turn you away,Keep Dreaming. Even when they shut you down,Keep Dreaming.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF EXCEPT YOURSELF! People will judge You by HOW you look. And by WHAT You have.But please,Fight on! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your glory. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Even if it means selling all your clothes and sleeping with the dogs,ITS OKAY! But AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL ALIVE,Your STORY IS NOT OVER. TRUST ME.

Keep Up the Fight. Keep your dreams and hope alive. Go get it !!

Who are we ? What is the objective of ourselves coming into this world ?

Yesterday I met a saint of Ramkrishna Ashram here in my city Rajkot. I asked him a few questions and he answered them to my satisfaction. My questions were generally regarding my daily life issues. Then, it was his turn to ask me.With a very quiet look on his countenance, he asked me, " Son, why do you think you have come into this world ? What can be the motive ? Who are you ? Are you just this body or something more ? "

Who am I? Why have I come into this world?Where am I going ? 

Who created me and for what reason ?

Obviously as an adult,I do have the ability to answer a few of his questions, but deliberately I remained silent as if I didn't know the answers, as I wanted him to answer all of them.After a few seconds, I asked him," Holy Saint, can you please answer the above questions yourself ? I would be very obliged, if you do so." He asked me to come in the evening during his daily 1 hour monologue. I went down to the Ashram again in the evening. His lecture started at exactly 7 pm. 

Swamiji, first talked about the condition of the country as of now, especially about the communal sentiment in the northern part of India. ( Generally, he picks up a current topic daily, in the beginning and yesterday was no change since Rahul Gandhi had raked up the Muzaffarnagar communal riots issue and accused his rival party BJP of instigating the riots in the city ).After talking briefly about communal harmony and peace, he gradually came up to the questions that he had asked me in the morning. He said, " Who are all of us? Take for example a person called Rahul Sharma. Who is Rahul Sharma ? Is he just his body containing all the bones, muscles, blood, water etc. which is always within him and also his thoughts that exude out of his brain ? Or is he something more ? "

Paramatma - The Supreme Soul 

Lord Vishnu -- The caretaker of this entire Universe

He continued, " Actually, we are much much more than that. All our external structure like our body, our looks are a very small part of what we actually are. We are all, an " Atma" or a "Jivatma" , a Soul which is directly connected to the Paramatma ( God or supreme soul ), in a manner that there exists an invisible link with HIM, every moment, every second - while we inhale each and every breath inside. He takes care of all of his souls, which are basically a part of Himself, every day, every night, every moment. "

" Yogis have said with huge assertion that we all are a part of a grand design made by that Supreme Soul, and even if do wrong deeds in our lives HE never STOPS taking care of us. HE loves all his creatures so much that He would not let wrong things to happen to us." After a small pause, he again spoke, " Being the part of this Divine Soul, the SUPREME BEING, it is our duty to act according to the laws of nature that HE has made. These include, never do anything wrong with others. Never behave in an unrighteous manner with anyone. Never hurt anyone, physically, mentally or in any other way. Never lie. Never cheat or steal or confiscate things that do not belong to us." The final objective of all humans coming to this world is to lead such a noble life that when it ends, we can attain " Moksha" or "Salvation" in which our soul would amalgamate/ mix with the Supreme Soul and we would be then freed from the "84 lakh Feras" ( 8.4 million births) which we are supposed to take from one Yoni to another Yoni ( yoni means species here ),before merging back with him. Inshort, if we behave in a righteous ( religious ) manner throughout the span of our life, then we donot have to again get reborn in any living form/ species ever after and we would be freed from the cycle of birth and death, which would otherwise go on and on. Hence, our final destination is " Moksha" / Attainment of the merger with the Supreme Soul. " After this much discourse, the Swami left and I came back home, pondering over these questions still. 

Science and Religion - do they conflict with each other or agree ?  

 Scientists have tried very hard since decades to find out the answer to these questions -- 1) From where do we come from before birth ? 2) To where do we go after death ? 3) Can death be cancelled or even postponed by a few hours ? 4) Why do all of us grow between the age of zero to 18 - 20 ? Who controls this growth ? 5) Why do flowers blossom after being a bud and then after blossoming, they eventually fade away ? 6) Why can't even a billionaire, who has gathered so much wealth for himself for a lifetime, have to die, when his end time arrives ? Why can't he prolong his life with the help of all his wealth and prosperity ?  7) Why does the Sun rise and set at almost the same time daily ? Who controls its timing ? 8) The earth has been moving round the sun since thousands of years in the same manner. Who controls this movement and why doesn't its timing or speed of its revolution or its slanted angle,change even in a span of a millenium ? The answer to all these questions is mysterious, when we apply our minds. However, when we apply our heart to it, the answer becomes very very simple ! " God does all the above things". He is the sublime,omnipotent force, which prevails everywhere - from a very miniscule atom to the huge heavenly bodies like the planets and the Sun. Even scientists donot deny the possibility of an invisible force / controlling power which acts under certain circumstances.( Higgs boson is known as "God particle" only due to this reason.) 

Even the greats like Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and Johannes Kepler
haven't been able to answer some basic questions related to humans !! 

Did God really make all these ? 

Inspite of the restless efforts made by physicists and other category scientists to get the " highly precise answers" to the above questions, they have failed partly, since they cannot answer exactly as to WHO is responsible for all the above phenomenon. As Science prefers to remain away from anything which doesn't have evidence, I think even after centuries it will keep searching for the precise answers to above questions, if the highly intelligent scientists keep thinking with their minds. They may come to some formulae and some derivations to reply to the above questions, but they will never be able to answer exactly about the identity of this WHO. The mystery about this "invisible force " will remain unresolved for centuries to come, it seems. 

There is as much of a mystery in this universe as its perennial beauty.

Real Patriotism -- clip from " Brave Heart "

Friends, what is Patriotism ? To die for your country fighting on the Border  ? Or to keep suffering the pain and agony for a lifetime, for your country ? I think its the mixture of both.

Today I present before you one clip showing patriotism at its best. It is from the film " Brave Heart ".The hero is about to be hanged. He is lying near the gallows. The chief soldier thinks that he wants to ask for Mercy. So he tells him, going near to him, " If you ask for mercy, you can live... if you donot ask for mercy, you will die.." The hero is determined about what he needs to do. If he asks for Mercy, he might get life which would be of NO MEANING at all. The cause for which he lived all his life has been Freedom of his motherland. Now he cannot compensate by asking life for that great Cause. The choice is clear before him. 
All the soldiers and the people supporting him wait for his choice. He gathers strength by a couple of deep breaths and then he shouts at the top of his voice -- " Freedommmmmmmmmmm " His is the right choice, I salute such a man. 

To such a soldier, my countrymen, I raise a salute
Who made our Freedom struggle reach a new Altitude.

Rahul Dravid -- A Cricket Legend

Rahul Dravid (born Rahul Sharad Dravid; 11 January 1973) is a former Indian cricketer, who captained the national Test and One Day International (ODI) teams. He started playing cricket at the age of 12 and later represented the state team at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels. Hailed as THE WALL, Dravid has been described as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.
He was named one of the best five cricketers of the year by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2000 and received the Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year awards at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony in 2004.In December 2011, he became the first non-Australian cricketer to address at the Bradman Oration in Canberra.As on today, he is the Third Highest Run scorer in Test matches with an aggregate of 13,288 runs in 164 Test matches with an oustanding average of 52.31 runs per innings.

Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity

The Theory of Relativity changed many concepts about Light,SpaceTime and Gravity. It is divided into two parts:-  1) Special Theory of Relativity 2) General Theory of Relativity.