Down Chennai Mail

The down Chennai Mail is entering Visakhapatnam

Recently I went to Apollo Hospital, Chennai for an urgent orthopedic treatment of my wife. I had to stay there for fifteen days. When I was returning from Chennai by down Chennai- Howrah Mail, I took some photographs from the train. Really, the landscape of Andhra Pradesh is beautiful.

The palm trees

A Train from a Train

Beautiful landscape of Andhra Pradesh

The coconut trees

Green vs Green

Pray for others

An interview with my mirror

Sir, do you pray?

Yes, certainly. Everyday I pray for myself and for my family members.

Sir, do you pray for others?

No, no. I only pray for myself and for my family members. Why I will pray for others?

What you are praying?

I pray for my name and fame. I pray for money. I pray for my promotion. I pray for my success. I pray for safety and security of my family members.

Sir, do you pray everyday?

Yes. I pray everyday. Actually, I pray more seriously when I am facing a critical situation or I am in danger.

Sir, one more question, please, does God hear your prayer?

I don’t know. Sometimes my prayer fulfils, sometimes I feel dejected.

We pray

Yes, we pray. We pray to God for ourselves and for our family members. But, our prayer is limited. We only pray for ourselves and not for others. Actually, we pray to God to fulfill our desire. All of us are busy with our outer environment. We are not looking into our inner world. We must remember that we are not only a body-mind complex. If we want to make our life beautiful, want to make our character perfect, we have to pray sincerely to God to give us strength. There are different types of difficulties we have to face when we are going to reshape our life. We think we can overcome all the difficulties through our physical and mental strengths. But these are not sufficient. A sincere and regular prayer is essential.

Pray for others

Break your narrow boundary of limitation. Pray for others. Don’t always pray for yourself or for your family members. We are not alone. All the brothers and sisters are my brothers and sisters. Pray for their continued welfare. Swami Vivekananda said:

``Sit in a straight posture, and the first thing to do is to send a current of holy thought to all creation. Mentally repeat, ``Let all beings be happy; let all beings be peaceful; let all beings be blissful.`` So do to the east, south, north and west. The more you do that the better you will feel yourself. You will find at last that the easiest way to make ourselves healthy is to see that others are healthy, and the easiest way to make ourselves happy is to see that others are happy.`` (CW 1: 145-146)

When we sincerely pray for others, we will feel oneness as our heart gradually expanding. We can feel joy with the joy of others. We can feel sorrow with the sorrow of others. This is spiritual development, which develops us internally. €

Be Cheerful

Always try to be cheerful. It is a challenge in this present world, which is full of stress. Cheerfulness will come from our inner life. External environment can help us to some certain extent. Honesty in every work and in every respect is highly essential to be a cheerful person. If we are not honest, it is very difficult for us to be cheerful. Actually, it is impossible. If we are not honest in our family life, in our corporate life, in our social life, we will feel always tensed. Hypertension may attack us.

As a human being, we have different types of problems. As a head of the family, we have to face the problems of our family members also. While solving various types of problems, we have to solve these with honesty and truthfulness.

What is the position of our present life today? All we are want to purchase more, want to consume more. Our desires are unlimited. Literally, we are burning with desires. We are always restless. Peace in our life is like a dream. The desires for Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) are growing more and more nowadays. Our mind is restless. The whole world cannot satisfy us. One of the major problems nowadays is Demonstration Effect. We are always feeling unhappy when we are comparing with our neighbours. So, how cheerfulness will come?

An inner look: Take a look in your inner life. Human life is precious. Our life is our capital. We have a sound body and a sound mind. We have a brain, which can think. We have a heart, which can feel. We have our capacities. We have different types of human qualities. We can change our life.  We can make our life beautiful. We can make our own future.

Compare yourself: When you are feeling unhappy, please compare yourself with others. There are thousands of people who are not getting a square meal daily. They are not getting the scope of higher education. They are not getting even a glass of pure drinking water. They have to struggle hard for their existence. It is very difficult for them to come out from the vicious circle of poverty. Compare yourself with them. Gradually you can feel their pain and sufferings.

Use your opportunities: Try to use your opportunities (what you are getting today) for a positive end. God has given you everything. Just you organise these factors with an aim in your life. Always try to see the brighter side of everything.

Do not expect any return from anyone: We give Rs 5 to a beggar and demand a big Thank You from him. Do not expect any return from anyone. Just continue your duties with purity and honesty. If you expect something from anyone as a return, certainly you will feel unhappy.

Swami Vivekananda said: ``The first sign that you are becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful. `` (CW – 1:264)

When you are cheerful, your whole surroundings will be cheerful to you. In every step, you will feel encouragement and can encourage others. Your positive way of life can inspire others. 

4th July 1902

`` It may be that I shall find it good to get outside my body 

– to cast it off like a worn-out garment.

But I shall not cease to work!

I shall inspire men everywhere, until the world shall know 

that it is one with God! ``

Swami Vivekananda

Rathayatra

``O Jagannath, Lord of the Universe!

O Friend of the world!

O friend of the poor!

I am not, O Lord, outside Thy universe.

Be gracious to me!``

Sri Ramakrishna

Desire

There is no end of desire in our life. It is increasing day by day. Literally, we are burning with desire. As soon as one desire fulfills another is alarming.  The desire of my son, the desire of my daughter, the desire of my wife and my own desire all is hammering on my head constantly as I am the head of the family. You can feel my pain, as you are also a passenger in the same train. The gist is: the desires are increasing day by day.

Increasing Desire: The income level of consumers has increased and as a result, the total demand of the market is increasing day by day. It is a good sign no doubt, but it makes our life restless. We want to purchase more, we want to consume more. Just we go to a nearby ATM, collect money, and go to market. Actually, we are purchasing more than our requirement day after day.

There are different types of desires growing in our mind. The desire for different types of commodities, the desire for money, the desire for name and fame, the desire for happy and peaceful life etc, etc. We are growing day by day and the desires are also growing day by day. There is no end of it. Literally, we are applying fuel in the fire everyday. We know the story of Maharaj Jajati. But, we never learn a lesson from the experiences of Maharaj Jajati and his conclusion.

Use Analysis Power: If we want peace in our life, we have to use our analysis power strongly and positively. As a human being, we have our analysis power to analyze anything.  We use this power rarely.

Positive Desire: Mould your desires in a positive way. We are running behind a golden deer throughout our life. At the end of our journey, we will feel that it is meaningless. Grow positive desire in your mind. Desire for a better life, desire for a perfect human character, desire for a heart that can feel for others. Human life is precious. It is a gift of God. Good and positive desires will make our life happy, peaceful and meaningful. It will also help us to develop both externally and internally. If we have no desires, then there will be no development. Our life will be like an unchanged wall or a simple chair. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) said:

``what makes us miserable? The cause of all miseries from which we suffer is desire. You desire something, and the desire is not fulfilled; the result is distress. If there is no desire, there is no suffering. But here, too, there is the danger of my being misunderstood. So it is necessary to explain what I mean by giving up desire and becoming free from all misery. The walls have no desire and they never suffer. True, but they never evolve. The chair has no desires, it never suffers; but it is always a chair. There is a glory in happiness, there is a glory in suffering. `` ¹

The will is almighty: ``What is the cause of evolution? Desire. The animal wants to do something, but does not find the environment favourable, and therefore develops a new body. Who develops it? The animal itself, its will. You have developed from the lowest amoeba. Continue to exercise your will and it will take you higher still. The will is almighty. If it is almighty, you may say, why cannot I do everything? But you are thinking only of your little self. Look back on yourselves from the state of the amoeba to the human being; who made all that? Your own will. Can you deny then that is almighty? That which has made you come up so high can make you go higher still. What you want is character, strengthening of the will.`` ²

Input – Output Ratio: Generally, we are taking more from the world, from our society and even from our family. But what is our contribution? We have to calculate the ratio. Try to take less and give more to the world.

A prayer for everyday:  `` O Thou Lord of Gauri, O Thou Mother of the Universe, vouchsafe manliness unto me! O thou Mother of Strength, take away my weakness, take away my unmanliness, and make me a Man! `` ³

References:

1. The complete works of Swami Vivekananda (CW) Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. 2:147
2. CW, 2: 356-357
3. CW,  4: 480

Desire to bloom

Encourage others

Mutual encouragement is highly essential in the present scenario. Your sweet words of encouragement or an inspired letter full of encouragement or just a phone can change the life of your near and dears. It is highly essential in family life also. As a head of the family, you have to encourage your tender kids, your growing children or other members of the family. Encouragement is also indispensable from seniors when you are going to make your life beautiful, want to make your character perfect. All we are struggling in this world to be good and do good. However, generally we are not encouraged by others, especially in our core environment. Some are discouraging some are indifferent. It is very difficult for a person to continue his journey without encouragement who wants to make his life beautiful. Swam Vivekananda said, `Upon ages of struggle a character is built. ` ¹

Encourage yourself first: At first we have to encourage ourselves. It is our duty. Always cultivate positive thoughts in your mind. Never allow any negative thoughts or ideas. Shun these like poison. Always think, I have a human life, which is precious. I have a sound body and a sound mind. I can make my life beautiful. I can make my character perfect. I am the maker of my life. I must be an honest citizen of our Motherland. I will manifest my inner potentiality by constant practices. I shall be a MAN.

Encouragement in family life: As a head of the family, you should encourage positively to your tender kids, to your growing children and other members of the family. Remember, you are the leader of your family (please take this in a positive way considering your responsibilities). Take the responsibility of leadership and encourage them by showing the actual path. Build your self-confidence and at the same time try to build the self-confidence of your children. The encouragement from parents can change the life of the children. There are many examples regarding this.

Encouragement in life making process: It is very easy to explain the method of character building. Very easy to give a lecture regarding this or write in the blog. But it is very difficult to make it in practice. Considering the present scenario, life making and character building is a tough job. But it is not impossible. I have seen many young men and women who are trying to make their life beautiful ignoring the Himalayan difficulties. Therefore, it is possible. But encouragement is necessary. Mutual encouragement will help in great way in this field. If we read the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ma Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, we will see that their lives and teachings are full of encouragements and inspirations. If you read the letters written by Swami Vivekananda or the lectures delivered by him from Colombo to Almora, I am sure you will get encouragement. Because these are full of encouragements and inspirations.

Sources of Encouragement: Sri Ramakrishna said, ``One should always seek the company of holy men. The nearer you approach the Ganges, the cooler the breeze will feel. Again, the nearer you go to a fire, the hotter the air will feel. `` ²

When the company of holy men is not available, please read from Swami Vivekananda. Instantly you will get encouragement. 

References:

1. Letters of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta. Page No. 146
2. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras -4. Vol. I, page No. 241