Spirituality

PROGRESS ON THE PATH The material world generally accepts quantitative evaluations as measures of prosperity and success:  How much have you earned? How much did you save, produce, sell and acquire? Material success depends on how much, how many, or how often. Spiritual seekers habitually apply the same quantitative measures in estimating their own inner achievements. Automatically they congratulate themselves on the quantity of their “glorious sadhana”. However, quantitative measures are false indicators of spiritual progress. In spiritual practice -  It is not how much we read,  But how much we understand and  Reflect and meditate upon the concepts that assures success.  The quality, intensity, sincerity, devotion, understanding, and enthusiasm of the heart with which we do our sādhanā determine the true heights to which we rise in our self-mastery. Spiritual seekers often suffer chronically from lack of progress on the path. Fro...

In the body these Kapha qualities project as grosser energy in the form of the body’s framework and substance as opposed to Vata and Pitta which are more subtle energies and which govern motion and transformations respectively. Kapha makes up a large proportion of the body’s fat, muscle, tendon, skin, etc. and is responsible for the body’s stability, immunity, strength and firmness. It is sometimes called the “water humour”and is also the main component of bodily fluids such as plasma, saliva and intracellular fluids which give the body fluidity and lubrication between joints and also between organs thus ensuring their smoother interactions. Kapha also gives smoothness and natural oiliness to skin, lustre to hair and moistness to eyes.  Kapha-predominant types tend to have a large physical frame. They are slow but have a great capacity for hard, sustained work; and smoothness in their relationships makes them the carers and peace-makers of their societies. Bearing in m...

Worshipping God and seeking His grace seems to be a mere blind belief meant only for escapists and failures. However, true worship is not a mere ritual, but an attunement with the ideal, that one invokes through one‘s thoughts, words and deeds. Our Hindu culture has provided for us great ideals in the forms of idols and heroes we look up to invoke their qualities and live like them. Thus, not only can we make our own lives successful and happy but, by spreading peace, harmony and joy around ourselves, we can transmit them to others. There is one personality that shines out as an ideal for all dynamic youngsters and that is Shri Hanuman. Each one of us is today what our mind is and this mind of ours has been compared to a monkey. Unlike a self-disciplined monkey like Hanumanji, we humans have a mind like a monkey, unsteady and restless, very often not capable of much. At the same time, a creator of innumerable mischief, creating sorrows for ourselves and havoc in the world...

Why don't you try an interesting exercise? Sit down with your back straight, relax, keep your hands in your lap and close your eyes. Now simply watch your thoughts floating in your mind as you would the moving pictures on a TV screen. Do this for just two minutes. Did you notice how many thoughts flitted in and out?! Did you also note how your mind jumped from one thought to another? This shows that it is not only the body that works.The mind also does a lot of work (thinking, picturing, judging, planning etc.) Think for a moment... Even if we want the mind to stay on a single thought, it keeps leaping from one thought to another. Can you name something that jumps around restlessly all the time? Yes! A monkey. This is why sages often compare the mind to a monkey. Disciplining the monkey mind... Firstly, why should we discipline the mind? Let us take the example of watching TV. We enjoy watching TV because it has lots of channels; and we can watch one o...

A company is nothing but a collection of processes and people. Companies go to great lengths and spend countless hours and funds to improve their processes, making systems mare efficient, cutting costs and maximising its margins. But ask any successful businessman and he will tell you that ultimately, a company succeeds and fails because of its people. Efficient processes certainly help, but a worker who feels fulfilled in his job and works with inspiration is a company's most valuable asset. Vedanta ultimately provides us with knowledge of who we are. But it also tells us who we are not. We are not limited BMIs (Body, Mind, Intellect) and in explaining so, Vedanta provides us with a perfect understanding of these equipments, how they work and what their limitations are. Vedanta declares that happiness does not lie in the fulfillment of desires. Rather, we feel happy when we experience our Higher Self. Satisfying desires creates a temporary tranquillity of...

"Live dynamically, think positively , plan out deliberately, pray ardently, meditate regularly, read daily, correct minutely, grow divinely." Swami Chinmayananda The world is your clay, mould it as you desire… If you were handed back a mock exam with the letter F branded on the front in thick, red ink, would your teacher tell you that you couldn’t achieve an A? When you are asked to talk or sing in front of 300 people, does your best friend tell you that you will not be able to do it? So who is it that forces us to run away and give up? If you think about your class at school, you will see that some kids seem to get the best of life; their list of achievements is never-ending! On the other hand, there are those who do what they have to, and that’s that. So, what is the difference? If they are all taught by the same teachers and given equal opportunities, what is the cause of this gap? The achievers have unwavering faith in their ability and never lose s...

Narada Muni, the sage of the Gods, was once approached by old Jara, the daughter of Time. She wanted to marry him, but he refused her. Greatly offended, Jara cursed him that he would never have a fixed place to live. As a result he travels constantly, playing on his stringed instrument, the vina, as he chants the holy name of the Supreme Lord Narayana. During his travels, Narada once came across a proud brahmin priest who had just finished his fire sacrifice. Seeing the famous sage, the brahmin greeted him, “Namaste, my dear Narada.” Narada replied. “May your life be successful, my dear brahmin.” “If you are going to the spiritual world,” requested the priest, “then please do me a favor. Ask Lord Narayan when I am going to join Him there. I think it should be very soon, but I’d like to verify it anyway.” “All right,” agreed Narada, “I’ll ask him.” The next day Narada passed a humble cobbler, the lowest of the castes, repairing shoes by the roadside. “All ...