THE BHAGVAD GITA TODAY : A HANDBOOK FOR LIFE!

The Bhagvad Gita is one the most well-known scriptures, but not many know what it really contains, or the depth of the knowledge that it provides.

Besides being the most well read and significant Hindu text, and the summary of the Upanishads, it is the core of the deepest levels of spiritual knowledge.

It is also like a handbook for life; a manual that guides one through every step, every turn of life.

It also tells us what the purpose of this life is and how to use it accordingly. It provides the basic answers to the many questions that most people have about life, and the universal spiritual truths that can be used by anyone, anywhere, and at any time in history.

In this way it is timeless.

THE CONTEXT OF THE BHAGVAD GITA

The Bhagvad Gita, the 'Song Of God', is a part of the Mahabharata, a story of the enmity and ensuing war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas at Kurukshetra.

Just before the war, when Arjun's confidence takes a downward plunge on the battlefield, Lord Krishna comes to his rescue. At this point, we can understand and sympathize with Arjun’s agony at facing his own kinsmen and teachers at war, thus feeling the impulse to give up!

Krishna decides to make him understand the real meaning of life, and reveals to him the Ultimate Truth of Advaita (oneness with God). Krishna further inspires Arjun, telling him to go ahead, discharge his duty as a Kshatriya (warrior) and fight to destroy wrongdoers without having hatred for them in his heart.

Krishna explains the Ananta Prakriya - how the process of creation is endless and continues as a cycle in between birth and death. The human Soul (Jeevatma), which is but a part of the Universal Soul (Paramatma), is not affected by death and so, cannot actually be killed. Hence, Krishna says, what is truly important to achieve in life is only right action, without concern about the result.

After having related how the soul is permanent, immortal and never dies, Krishna asks Arjun to shed his anxiety and reticence that inhibit his duty on the battlefront and co-operate to reinstate the dharmic balance of the universe. Krishna warns him that if he were to leave the battlefield at this point of time, he would fail miserably in his duties, wiping out good from the face of the earth.

Krishna displays his Vishwaroopa (massive avatar) and reveals Himself as but one aspect of the Supreme Mahavishnu. He shows him the cycle of life and how souls live and die and pass through the various stages between the process, while in this mortal world.

The whole essence of the Bhagvad Gita lies in the various types and theories of Dharma it expounds. Additionally, Krishna talks of universal harmony and strict, unflinching adherence towards duty.

Everyone who reads the Bhagvad Gita finds in it a part which they can completely identify with, in his or her own personal life. All of us go through a dilemma at some point of time or the other. This is where the Gita comes to our aid, guiding us to do what is right and prevent us from treading the path of wrong or sin.

- RAJALAKSHMI JOSHI

WATER- THE DROP OF LIFE- EVERY DROP COUNTS!

Despite water being an existential need for humans, it’s also one of the most under prioritized but over abused commodity. Water is central to our lives but has not been the central point of focus in our planning while we rapidly evolve into an urban society.

Through time, early societies understood the importance and need for water and planned their lives around it. Civilizations were born and lost on account of water. Today, we have the advantage of this knowledge and we still fail to value it and plan our societies around it.

Let’s focus on India. The world’s oldest civilization grew around the Indus and the Ganges and is still thriving. But not for long. Post-independence, due importance was given to harnessing the power of water by way of controlling and storing of water through large Dams. That was the need of the hour. However, our cities and towns have subsequently grown without planning for water need vs water availability.

Reasons behind water scarcity in India

The water scarcity is mostly man made due to excess population growth and mismanagement of water resources. Some of the major reasons for water scarcity are:

Inefficient use of water for agriculture. India is among the top growers of agricultural produce in the world and therefore the consumption of water for irrigation is amongst the highest. Traditional techniques of irrigation causes maximum water loss due to evaporation, drainage, percolation, water conveyance, and excess use of groundwater. As more areas come under traditional irrigation techniques, the stress for water available for other purposes will continue. The solution lies in extensive use of micro-irrigation techniques such as drip and sprinkler irrigation.

Reduction in traditional water recharging areas. Rapid construction is ignoring traditional water bodies that have also acted as ground water recharging mechanism. We need to urgently revive traditional aquifers while implementing new ones.

Sewage and wastewater drainage into traditional water bodies. Government intervention at the source is urgently required if this problem is to be tackled.

Release of chemicals and effluents into rivers, streams and ponds. Strict monitoring and implementation of laws by the government, NGOs and social activists is required.

Lack of on-time de-silting operations in large water bodies that can enhance water storage capacity during monsoon. It is surprising that the governments at state levels has not taken this up on priority as an annual practice. This act alone can significantly add to the water storage levels.

Lack of efficient water management and distribution of water between urban consumers, the agriculture sector and industry. The government needs to enhance its investment in technology and include all stakeholders at the planning level to ensure optimization of existing resources.

Urban nightmare

The problem has been compounded with increased concretization due to urban development that has choked ground water resources. Water is neither being recharged nor stored in ways that optimizes its use while retaining the natural ingredients of water. In addition, the entry of sewage and industrial waste into water bodies is severely shrinking the availability of potable water. Marine life is mostly lost in these areas already. This is the genesis of a very serious emerging crisis. If we do not understand the source of the problem we will never be able to find sustainable solutions.

Solutions to overcome water scarcity problems

Every independent home/flat and group housing colony must have rain water harvesting facility. If efficiently designed and properly managed, this alone can reduce the water demand significantly.

Waste water treatment and recycling for non-drinking purposes. Several low cost technologies are available that can be implemented in group housing areas.

Very often, we see water leaking in our homes, in public areas and colonies. A small steady water leak can cause a loss of 226,800 liters of water per year! Unless we are aware and conscious of water wastage we will not be able to avail the basic quantity of water that we need to carry on with our normal lives.

ARCHITECTURAL IDENTITY

In ancient times, every civilization had their own cultural imprint on their architecture. If you study the traditional architecture of different regions, you will find that each of them had some sense of identity which differentiated one style from another, one civilization from another, but each amazing and incredible in their own right!

But today, that sense of cultural imprint is missing especially in developing countries who only look westward for their influence!They do not imbibe their technical finesse but merely "copy" the design aspects and features! Most of the structures end up as replicas of one another, and do not have anything to say about the local culture or its people..

I would say that the ancient traditional designers worked marvels with their limited resources and technology, but we with our advanced technologies have failed in that aspect! We may be building technical marvels, but we are building structures that do not relate to the local environment! These structures may be strong in foundation, but very poor in their cultural roots.

Architecture in its true sense is 'an image of the society at a particular point of time' ...therefore it may be in any form. Whether you call the form post modern or any other is a secondary issue in this case.For example, if after a hundred years, someone digs down and finds what has happened today...what will he think bout the people who live here today?...He'll probably think 'here lived some people who had the money and just did whatever they liked'. Wherever you look, you will find an image of chaos today. No culture, no IDENTITY.

Mohenjo Daro and Harappa tell us stories of a lost world. The lost civilization along the Indus Valley. Their ruins tell us about their people, their lifestyle,their adaptation to climate, their technological advancement,their life, their Gods, their means of entertainment.

WHAT stories do our buildings of today tell? How India has taken 100 years to master technologies developed in other countries?? How we have forgotten the vast oceans of knowledge buried in our ancient texts waiting to be recognised by some scholars of the "developed " countries?? It is indeed very very sad and highly ironical that today, on the one hand we rejoice the "technological marvel" labelled as RAJIV SETU and on the other, spending endless amounts of time and money on destroying the unexplainable marvel called as the RAM SETU.

STRICTLY AS PER DRAWING...:)))

STRICTLY AS PER DRAWING...:)))

I appreciate...

I appreciate my creativity and resourcefulness
they have kept me in the game and made me proud
even when it felt like I was David and the world was Goliath.

I appreciate my delicious sense of wonder and childlike innocence
and the fact that I still love teddy bears and puppy dogs and pizza.

I appreciate that I am an uplifter and an inspiration to others
and there are people on the planet still alive today
because of something I said.

I appreciate that I am uniquely human and magnificently divine
and some days I can't even tell the difference.

I appreciate all of my set backs, even failures along the way
I learned from them and see them all as blessings in disguise.

I appreciate that at times when I was sad and lonely in this world,
I thought I would die of grief, but I didn't.

I appreciate that I feel very deeply and by allowing myself
to move through the greatest pain I was then able to
experience the deepest joy right on the other side.

I appreciate that I didn't always get what I asked for
but I always got what I really needed.

I appreciate my incredible sense of humour and my natural ability
to laugh easily and heartily with others or even all alone.

I appreciate that I am a writer and a damn good one and that it
has taken me a lifetime to be able to say that and really mean it.

I appreciate my very strong will and those people in my
life who told me that something just couldn't be done.
They made me determined enough to prove them wrong.

I appreciate my sensitivity
there were times when I cursed it
and times when I blessed it
and times when I gave it away.

I appreciate my sense of style and love of beautiful things
and my ability to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.

I appreciate my ability to recognize the Angels in my life

I appreciate that I am amazing and brilliant and awesome
and remarkable and humble enough to know that so are you.

I appreciate me, with all my faults and foibles
there has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone quite like me
and that is reason enough to truly love who I am and I finally do.

A deal of Forgiveness..

You forgive me for liking you too much,
And I'll forgive you for not liking me enough.

You forgive me for missing you so,
And I'll forgive you for being so cold.

You forgive me for the loud racing of my heart,
And I'll forgive you for not hearing it.

You forgive me for playing your games,
And I'll forgive you for toying with my emotions.

You forgive me for finding you so attractive,
And I'll forgive you for not noticing.

You forgive me for raising you up so high,
And I'll forgive you for bringing me down so low.

You forgive me for wanting to be with you,
And I'll forgive you for avoiding me.

You forgive me for being so pathetic,
And I'll forgive you for taking advantage of it.

You forgive me for not being able to let go,
And I'll forgive you for never having latched on.

You forgive me for having hopes and dreams,
And I'll forgive you for crushing them.

Forgiveness brings inner peace.
Do we have a deal?

The Gift of Love

Proud of you my India..Vande Mataram!

Long ago, thousands of years before the Western World woke up to enforcing environment-friendly measures, Indian Rishis and our sacred texts took many measures for the protection of the universe. They were so close to nature; they knew, loved and worshipped Mother Nature. Today, our world is perceived to be headed for an imminent environmental disaster or destruction simply because the knowledge in our Vedas, Puranas and many, such priceless treasures have been buried under layers of ignorance, waiting to be discovered.

Today Ancient Indian texts have become a matter of ridicule to many “modernized” people, who are unaware of the relevance and significance behind them. Hindus worship cows, plants, trees, water, rains, mountains, the wind, the Sun and everything in Nature; Nature itself. Why? Because, our ancestors knew that if something is delegated to the status of God, it will never be disrespected or left uncared for. Hence they taught their descendants to worship and respect every single aspect of their life that affects them in some way or the other. One simply has to understand the medicinal properties of the tulsi herb, for example, to understand why Hindus love and worship Tulsi Mata and nurture her in their homes. Similarly, if someone tries to understand the relevance of our ancient Indian books and rituals, they will realize the deep knowledge hidden in them.

Our Vedas, Puranas, and Stotras are very relevant even in today’s times. For example, the Dashavatara or the ten Avataras of Vishnu, mentioned in our Puranas, can be equated to the concept of Evolution! Lord Vishnu’s avatars of Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parshurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki, can also be said to be the stages in which humans evolved. The first life forms were said to be aquatic (only living in water - Matsya), then amphibian (both water and land- Kurma), then land species – (Varaha.), then half-animal, half-human (Narasimha). The earliest Humans were short in build (Vamana), then evolving to stronger warrior-agriculturists (Parshurama). The avatars of Rama(idealist) and Krishna( strategist) signify mind development. We then came to an era of spiritual awakening (Buddha) and the avatar of Kalki in the Kali Yuga, the age we live in. Now doesn’t all this put more light on what Dashavatara symbolizes?

Ancient India's contribution to knowledge of Astronomy is also immense. Did you know that our Vedas and Indian Astronomical texts had proclaimed that the Earth is round? Or that Indians calculated with precision the occurrence of eclipses, Circumference and Diameter of Earth and the Speed of light? The Ancient Indians were highly advanced in the fields of Science, Alchemy, Philosophy, Spirituality and many more. They had mastered the art of Meditation and Mind Control too. Amazing!

Our epics and texts have within them, immense wisdom, we only have to discover them! Each one of us, EVERY INDIAN has to bring back to India the glory of the olden days! Proud of you my India! Vande Mataram!

-Rajalakshmi Kameshwar Joshi

(published as an introduction to the series called "National Treasures: An Amazing Journey to Ancient India" in August 2010 in the monthly newsletter SETU.)

TRY TRY TRY AGAIN TILL YOU FLY HIGH!

I was watching my little nephew's videos, when he was a lovely10 month old baby. It was such a pleasure to watch him take his FIRST steps.There are at least 10 videos of him taking a few steps forward.Initially he could go just a couple of steps ahead, but in a few days, he was able to walk a few metres, before he fell down.But did he cry? Did he give up? No! In fact, he was thrilled to have taken whatever few steps he could and got up and tried to walk again.

Every child has done the same in the process of learning to walk. We all fall, then rise, then fall again, and one fine day, are able to walk! We don’t even remember those struggles and they are just a part of our growing up. That is a part of nature. All animals, even birds have to struggle before they take their first flight.

Where and how, do we, as adults, forget this process of "Try, try again till you learn to walk/fly" and brand every faltering step as a "failure”? Why do we forget our own NATURE and get disheartened? As kids, we put our full trust and faith in our parents and loved ones, who lovingly guided us by the fingers to help us learn to walk. But they did let go of their grasp in order to let the child walk ahead. The kids too, do not blame or get negative feelings or feel cheated by anyone when they fall.They simply rise again, maybe shed a tear or two, if they are hurt, and carry on again. Why do we forget this attitude? Why can't people stop blaming others for their circumstances and why can't we sometimes let go, to allow a loved one to GROW? What causes this change in ATTITUDE, ENTHUSIASM, and SPIRIT OF LIFE?

It is so true, that one fails only when one stops trying! If every child were to give up every time he/she fell, no one would would ever learn to walk! I think there are a lot of things we can learn from children, especially babies, because they are unaware and untouched by the WAYS OF THE WORLD. Maybe we need to look for the child hidden in each of us, who has lost the sense of happiness without any reason or limits, and is closer to God!
-Rajalakshmi

What Is Love All About?

I was watching my daughter Shubha make wonderful caricatures and preparing masks as part of her play-pretend, all by herself. She was oblivious to the fact that I was watching her at play.It was fun to steal a peek into her world of make-believe.She never ceases to fascinate me, and when she caught me looking, she was all over the moon and I found huge kisses planted on my cheeks..

The joy our little ones bring is profound. You nurture love and watch it grow. It is a treat for our eyes to see our children frolicking around like there's no tomorrow. Sometimes ,I reminisce my time as a child and wonder if I brought that joy too. What I got I want to pass on and someday I hope, my child will be as proud as I am.

Here's a poem written by my friend, another proud mother, that I liked and wish to quote...

" I'll be your root, so branch out u little one.
the sky is your expanse, reach out to the sun.

spread your sunshine and I'll enjoy your shade.
time goes by but memories dont fade.

I'll hold every falling leaf.
in each a time frozen, happy moments some
and some of grief .

every step u take away,the deeper I'll go,
to the heartbeats resounding of the ones before.

sharing a leaf out of our lives......"

I think that is a beautiful poem!

For a tree to be able to reach out to the skies, it has to be firmly and deeply rooted. The roots may not show, but they are very much responsible for the tree's growth, the fruits they bear and the heights they scale. But the roots have to allow the branches to sway with the wind, enjoy the sunlight and brave the rains. If its leaves are always guarded from the forces of rain, sunshine, thunder and lightning, it will never grow. The harsh forces of nature may sometimes cause the tree to shed some leaves, but it will cause offshoots of new leaves too and make it even more beautiful!!! The roots also have to allow the branches to grow away from them and seek their own space in order for the tree to follow its rightful direction.

It must be more beautiful to watch my little one branch out and spread her branches to reach out to the skies, than be content in the smug knowledge that she is tied down to me. It will be even more beautiful to watch her fly high like a bird towards the stars.(when i let her go?)

Love, in whatever form, is so so beautiful !
They say, in real love you want the other person's good. In romantic or attached love you just want the other person.
The best and true way to love, I guess is to know how much to hold the others' hand and how much to let go. There can perhaps be nothing more beautiful than pure, unattached, unconditional love.

-Rajalakshmi

Lessons from Nature

A bunch of little sparrows in my balcony have taught me a lot about life, about nature, about love. I have watched with great interest this couple of sparrows make and set up their little home. It was indeed amazing to watch them carry straws, twigs, and strands of hay and grass for their nest. Their tiny beaks could carry just a small bit and this resulted in God-knows-how-many trips throughout the day. Every day till their nest was made. But they did it with great care and effort!! When I later peeked into the nest, I was spellbound to see how much material they had gathered to make a soft bed for their young ones. Sometimes the two of them just sat on the balcony sill, as if in deep discussion.

Then,when apparently the eggs had been laid (the nest was at a height, so I had to really climb up on a stool to get a glimpse of the interiors) the sparrows kept a close vigil. They were constantly hovering around the nest and continued to bring a twig or two. But they perhaps got used to our presence . If we happened to go to the balcony when they were around, they just shifted themselves a bit, as if to make way for us. They looked quite secure around us and made no attempts to fly away.

Finally, when the eggs hatched, we could hear them chirp from early morning to evening. and their parents were REALLLY BUSY. They made innumerable, unending, trips to get food for their lil' ones. They got whatever they could pick with their tiny beaks and went back and forth in a jiffy. I wonder where these tiny birds get all the energy from.... such efforts, so much love, so much caring...I put some crumbs of food for them on the balcony sill to make their task easier. Guess what? Everyday, at regular intervals, they sat at that spot and created a ruckus till we put some food there....I never knew sparrows are so intelligent/ sensitive..but this did not stop their trips for food ...they were at it the whole day..... and guarded the nest very fiercely....

In spite of all this love, care and affection they show for their young ones, once the baby sparrows are old enough to fly, their parents don't look back or hover around them or control them or show any concern...but I have seen entire groups of sparrows gather to maybe show solidarity, if a sparrow is hurt or dies.

Maybe this is a perfect example of Detachment. Of how we should live. They truly show genuine love and care as long as their loved ones need it,.( And they don't even expect anything in return).. then there is no bondage.. no holding back perhaps, but being there when they need support. How beautiful.

The sparrows I was watching also had to deal with a dead baby sparrow. They then discarded their old nest, and set out to make a new one...with the same enthusiasm and vigour!!...and started their family again.

This story of the sparrows showed me how life has to carry on with the same spirit even after one is struck by sorrows.

Nature indeed is very beautiful and the best teacher.

-Rajalakshmi

Planet Earth

“What is Earth Day all about, Mom?” Shubha was curious one day, when she saw me read about Conservation and Earth Day. I tried to explain to her, in simple terms, about Global Warming, Climatic Changes, and how “Earth Day” was meant to create awareness about it all. Her expressions changed, from that of inquisitiveness to terror, while we discussed about rising sea levels. I wondered if a child of 9 yrs would find this too much to digest. “Will we be faced with another tsunami??” she wanted to know. Seizing the opportunity to educate her a bit more, I went on about how Earth is in danger of many such natural calamities if we don’t take action NOW! By the end of our discussion, I convinced her that there were steps we all have to take to help Planet Earth.
Happy that I had instilled in my daughter a thing or two about caring for the Environment, I went ahead with my tasks. She continued her quest on the subject with the help of her “National Geographic”. She was back in another 10 minutes. “Can there be life on any other planet other than Earth?” Now in a hurry to finish my work, I brushed it off with a “No dear, we don’t know yet. But maybe one day we will find life somewhere on some other planet.” Nothing could prepare me for the horror of her next question. “Mom, if something very bad were to happen to our planet Earth, will we be able to live on any other planet?” Somehow I managed to overcome the big lump in my throat and tried to sound as calm as possible. “Hmm…Scientists are looking for a planet which may contain or support life, but have not found one yet. Don’t worry; we won’t face such a bad situation so soon!!”
She then made me an appeal “Please Mom, can you do something to save Planet Earth?” Her innocent eyes looked at me with great expectations. “Yes dear, we all have to do something. If we try, we can all help save Planet Earth, even you”. “But I am too small to do anything. How can I help?” “Why, you can avoid litter in your school, your surroundings and public places. Plastic bags choke the drainage lines and have to be burnt to destroy them. All this causes such a lot of pollution, which in turn causes warming. Avoid them. You can save electricity, water, paper, trees. Learn not to waste food. These are some measures even kids like you can adopt to help our mother, Mother Earth. Will you remember to follow all this?” That day we made each other a solemn promise to take all possible measures towards this goal.
This incident made me wonder what legacy we intend to pass on to our children. What will our next generations do with all the technology, abundance and wealth we create, if they don’t have a safe planet to live on? Humankind has exploited Mother Earth so much that she probably cannot bear the brunt any longer. Our religious texts mention a “Doomsday” or Mahapralay whenever evil exceeds the good. Nature is said to destroy everything whenever this imbalance occurs. Scientists have also corroborated this theory. According to one theory, the mighty dinosaurs apparently perished because they were too overbearing on other plant and animal species. They either ate or destroyed all other species thus resulting in a horrible imbalance, which also meant a shortage of food! Are we humans repeating the same mistake? Are we imposing our vulgar display of strength on the very plant and animal species we need to maintain the balance in nature? Could the mahapralay, which apparently involves the flooding of the entire world, be any different from the Rising water levels, the tsunami, climatic changes and cyclones that the world is now facing?
It is time we take action for our Mother (Earth), our children and the generations to come. We cannot wait for the government to make rules and regulations, or to take any measures. One Indian politician blames changing food patterns in certain parts of India for the inflation in food prices. Another leader of a superpower blames the Indian middle-class for the food and economy crisis! How effective can such leaders be in solving any crisis? Instead of looking for solutions they will only pass the blame on someone else. They will only attack or wage war on some unsuspecting nations, with some petty excuse, to make up for shortage of energy reserves. We, the people, need to do something for ourselves, for all for us. Some of the measures we need to take:

· Bring environmentally damaging activities under control.
· Design buildings and houses to have maximum natural light and ventilation. Give more emphasis on environment friendly construction methods and materials, and ‘intelligent’ buildings.
· Move away from fossil fuels to more benign, inexhaustible energy sources to cut greenhouse gas emissions and the pollution of our air and water.
· Give priority to the development of energy sources matched to third world needs-small scale and relatively easy to implement.
· Halt deforestation, injury to and loss of agricultural land, and the loss of terrestrial and marine plant and animal species.
· Manage resources crucial to human welfare more effectively.
· Give high priority to efficient use of energy, water, and other materials, including expansion of conservation and recycling.
· Stabilize population. Adopt effective, voluntary family planning.
· Teach children to be intolerant to any kind of waste.
· Reduce and eventually eliminate poverty.
· Ensure sexual equality, and guarantee women control over their own reproductive decisions.

Let us not forget that the crisis looking us in the eye will not distinguish between developed or developing countries. Everyone has to take responsibility in the endeavour against this grave threat. With our expanding population, our unending energy consumption, we have exploited Earth beyond her capacity. If we don’t stop the irreversible damage we are inflicting on our own home, our planet, soon the entire world will have to pay.

- Rajalakshmi Kameshwar Joshi