What Now?

The worst is over...What now? Everyone is asking this question. Politicians are busy defending themselves or trying to gain mileage with the election around the corner. News channels and officials are finger pointing at the flaws in the political system and crying out for non interference and more facilities. The economists are assessing the impact on the economy and share market and the common man is asking if those who have the power will do enough to take care of his security.

But what can we as individuals do....

In Guruji's words...
The Remedy for terrorism is:

* Inculcate a broader perspective of life -- value life more than race, religion and nationality.
* Educate people in human values – friendliness, compassion, cooperation and upliftment.
* Teach methods to release stress and tension.
* Cultivate confidence in achieving noble aims by peaceful and nonviolent means.
* Create spiritual upliftment which can weed out destructive tendencies.

Yes it is definitely not a quick fix...but if we do our little bit, we can make a difference.

Om Namah Shivaya

Om namah shivaya

Om namah shivaya shivaya namah om

Shiva shiva shiva shiva shivaya namah om

Hara hara hara hara haraya namah om

Hara hara mahadeva

Duma duma duma damaru bhaje

Dhimike dhimika dhim mridhang bhaje

Tough times

Just as the terror strikes left everyone dumbfounded, here is a gem from guruji...

THE day you feel hopeless, horrible, and worse, on that day get out of your room and ask people, What can I do you for you ? that service you have done that day will bring a revolution inside you. It will change your whole gramophone record.' - Sri Sri Ravishankar

Date with Guruji

Friday night - CNN IBNlive -10 pm

Guruji is on air....sharing his wisdom and answering question

All of you not having access to television can catch the show on web as the channel is easily available in web tv sites.

Be on time for your date!!

Volunteer

Who is a volunteer? One who comes to help, without being asked to help; one who is self-motivated, inspired, becomes a volunteer.

There is the possibility of the inspirational motivation going down in a volunteer, which could bring frustration.

Usually volunteers come from the space of demand rather than humility – this dilutes the quality.

Another slack that could happen to a volunteer is that they could slip away from commitment, thinking there is no 'boss' – "If I like it, I do it; if I don't like it, I don't!" It is like the steering wheel of a car – if all the tires say they do not need steering, then the car cannot run smoothly. If you want to construct a building, you have to accept the authority of the structural engineer.

All these can only be overcome by being more grounded in spiritual knowledge. A volunteer devoid of spiritual dimension is utterly weak.

1) A volunteer needs to stick to his commitment.
2) The integrity in a volunteer comes from spiritual practices.
3) The authority needs to be acknowledged.
4) The strength of a volunteer comes from the challenges he is ready to willingly face.
5) A volunteer moves beyond boundaries as he finds he is capable of doing so many things he never ever thought of doing.
6) A true volunteer does not expect appreciation or reward.
7) A volunteer has such a joy – that joy, itself, comes as the reward.
8) If a volunteer thinks he is obliging somebody, he is thoroughly mistaken. He is 'volunteering' because he derives so much joy out of it.

The joy is immediate – it does not come on the first of every month in the form of a salary!
When a volunteer realizes this, he is filled with gratitude.

Posted by Karthik Balasundaram

The reward

A millionaire kept alligators in a pool in his mansion. He also had a beautiful daughter. One day he threw a large party and during the party he announced, "My dear guests, I will give one million dollars or my daughter to the man who can swim across this pool and emerge alive." As soon as he had said this there was a huge splash in the water. There was one guy in the pool swimming across and screaming for his life. The crowd cheered him on. Finally he made it to the other side with a torn shirt and minor injuries. The millionaire was impressed.

He said, "My dear boy that was incredible. Do you want my daughter or the money?" The guy said, "Listen, I dont want your money nor do I want your daughter! I want the person who pushed me in."

Shakti

Consciousness expresses the three shaktis - Kriya Shakti, Gyan Shakti and Ichcha Shakti. Kriya shakti is power to act. Gyan shakti is power of knowledge or wisdom. Ichcha shakti is desire. When these three shaktis are co-coordinated, life is very smooth.

Many times you say that, you will do certain things. However you never do that. You simply keep postponing the action. Excercise and yoga are best examples. You know that it is good for your health and you also want to do it, but you dont do it. This is lack of kriya shakti.


Some people have lots of kriya shakti and become restless. They keep working round the clock or keep wiping the same window again and again, but there is no knowledge in the action. This is due to lack of gyan shakti.

Lack of ichcha shakti means lack of strong desire. Such people keep changing their mindset all the time. Lethargy is also a lack of ichcha shakti. Some people have lot of knowledge but there is no desire to share with everyone. This is due to lack of ichcha shakti.

So a perfect balance of these three shakti is very essesntial and worth having. Take stock of yourself and make a balance.

To transform

When employees make a big time mistake what would a CEO do? Suspend them, dismiss them, cut their pay....or he could send them to the Banglore ashram to do a Basic course. Well that is just what Dheerajj Agarwal, CEO, Shiv Sai Infosys Private Limited did. The result.....

“Seven days at the ashram changed us. The course has given us a new purpose. Earlier, our idea of enjoyment was to drink and make merry. Now, we are more focused and motivated towards our job,” said Nikhil Baddap, one of the three employees sent there.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081120/jsp/nation/story_10136188.jsp

Lights! Camera! Action!!

Got some creativity and wit? Here is a chance to say light, camera,action!



Check out www.xtranormal.com. Make your movies and send them. The best ones will get posted!

A call for unity

Sri Sri was invited to address the 29th National Meeting of the Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind, the largest Islamic body in India on November 9th. He urged the audience comprising 6,000 clerics to prevent youth from treading the wrong path of terrorism. He also appealed for unity between the Hindu and Muslim communities. He also appealed for unity in the Muslim community itself. The Shias and Sunnis are like two eyes of Islam and both should remain united. Unfortunately, Muslims are being branded as terrorists and this attempt can be fought only when the community remains united, said Sri Sri.


Here is a story he narrated: There was a tailor who was respected by people around him for his wisdom. One day a young man came to the tailor for some advice. In reply the tailor took the sewing needle and put it on his head. He took the scissor and put it under his foot. The confused young man asked him what his message was. The tailor replied, " The needle sews things together. So I have given it importance and put it on my head. The same way any person or suggestion which will unite people should be kept in your head with respect. The scissor cuts things to pieces. So I put it under my foot. Any thing that attempts to divide people should be banished away."

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1754388400615090277

Solution to puzzle

Here is the right solution sent in by Chanti:

17 * 4 = 68 + 25 = 93

for the puzzle

Daily Show episode

This Daily show episode aired in mid july is something that will get you cracked up for sure. Check it out.

bush et l'économie par le daily show
Uploaded by raphnet1

Countdown to Brahmnaad

A stage set to carry around 1500 people, recreating Mukteshwar temple in Orissa is under construction in Delhi. With 1200 sitarists playing at the same time, this never before event will enter the Guiness book of records. The entire area for the program covers about 12 football fields. Be there to be part of history.

Cat stretch

Cat Stretch is an easy exercise by which you release all that tension and stress you're holding onto in your shoulders and upper back. Check out the video and get going.

Get the right numbers

With most of you busy with your final exams, here is something to flex your grey cells.


This cryptarithm is built in such a way that first you multiply two numbers and then add to the result one extra number to get the final result. Every asterisk in this cryptarithm means some digit from 1 through 9, and every digit is used exactly once 0r isn't used.

The object is to replace all the asterisks with digits from 1 through 9 so that the whole calculation is correct. The solution is unique.

Kick the ball

From the moment you wake up in the morning you are always with people and your mind is caught up in worldly thoughts. So sometime during the day, sit for a few minutes, get into the cave of your heart with your eyes closed and kick the world away like a ball.

But as soon as you open your eyes, hold onto the ball because you need to kick it again in the next session. During the day be 100% attached to the work; do not try to detach yourself. But when you sit for meditation, then totally detach yourself. Only those who can totally detach can take total responsibility.

Eventually you will be able to be both attached and detached simultaneously. Kick the ball and be in the goal! This is art of living, skill of living.

Grad school

They sang our song

In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that — to help people see themselves in others — through the power of film. The first-ever Pangea Day took place on May 10, 2008.

Kenya sings our anthem!

Hari sundara nanda mukunda

Hari sundara nanda mukunda

Hari narayan hari om
Hari keshav hari govinda
Hari narayan hari om

Vanmali muralidhari govardhan girivaridhari

Nit nit kar makhan chori gopi manhari

Aao re Kanare gokul ke pyare

Aao re nacho re ras rachao re

Nanda nanda ananda nanda nanda

Govinda nanda nanda gopala

Note it down

"Oh I do remember that interesting and useful info I chanced upon, but just can't recall where." If you sound like this very often and turn to google for the rescue or find your bookmarks folders growing in size, here is a cool solution.

Evernote. Download it on your system and sign up. Everytime you come across anything interesting just highlight a few crucial lines from the page and click on the Evernote icon. The lines gets saved into a note along with the website address automatically. When you need it back, there is a search option to dig it out for you. Life is much easier for sure. There is more to it...watch the video and get going.

De-stress??

In a shocking incident, an educated and well employed couple living in Gurgoan have tortured their 13 years old house help physically and mentally for the past 7 months. What is surprising is the reason they gave to explain their behaviour. They claimed to be de-stressing themselves by their brutal behaviour with the girl.



Wish they had done the Art of Living course to learn how to de-stress. The value of the knowledge we have and the need to spread it to more people just cannot be underestimated.

Meditate

The more we cultivate a seed, the more it grows. Similarly in meditation the more we practice it the more it cultures the whole nervous system and the whole body. Our physiology undergoes a change and every cell of the body gets filled with 'prana', the life force. The more prana there is in the body the more we are filled with bubbling joy and bubbling love.


Two things happen because of meditation. First it prevents stress from entering into the system. Secondly, already pent up stresses are let out. Both happen simultaneously and we tap the source and joy of what we are. We are then happy and fulfilled. As this state consumes us more and more we become happier. Anything we see, we feel becomes more intense and more beautiful.

A profound question

A little girl asked her father, "How did the human race appear?" The father answered, "God created humans." Two days later the girl asked her mother the same question. The mother answered, "Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved." The confused girl returned to her father and said, "Dad, how is it possible that you told me humans were created by God, and Mama said they developed from monkeys?"



The father answered, "Well dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your Mama told you about hers."

From Rajesh bhaiya...

The course was a remarkable success with our energy and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to see the change, the participation, the love blossom, the lips stretching into laughter and hearts melting. The last day was incredibly boisterous and yet it brought an amazing sense of serenity in its passing. The 'deep' involvement, the atomic(read parmanu) reactions, and the 'ultimate' avani effect. All of this sprinkled with Abhishek, Nishit & Chirag's satsang, Shubham's super management, Ankur's talks and Paliwal's sweet, cute presence loaded with your serving.

Want to share a small story which happened with me when I went for the 2nd time to the ashram. I was outside Guruji's kutir and He asked everyone who had not had sweets. As I hadn't I raised my hand and there were few more giving company. He threw big, huge laddoos from tirupati towards each of us and when my chance came, He told me you share. I didn't understand it then, but as He commanded so I did, went around giving the Prasad to the entire ashram. Though my mind was more focused on the laddoo seeing it diminish fast, I stopped and had my own first serving and I was filled to the rim, not wanting to eat anymore. I distributed more & more, & more to anyone & everyone & till the end I didn't see it end.

Later in my life, I understood that He wants me to share this joy from the course with others, & I am very sure this sweetness in my life will not end – ever.

With this I welcome all of you to this family-a family very rare to share & care.


Love,
JaiGurudev,
Rajesh

Satsang in course

The last two days of the course were an evening of dance and an introduction to music AOL style to the newbies. As some first time dancers discovered some new moves, everyone enjoyed the music. The last day everyone was fired up as Abhishek bhaiya, Nishit and Chirag sang the bhajans with full fervor. All the old timers shared their experience with the course and the advanced course. The day ended with “I belong to you”… Welcome to AOL to all the newbies. Your course has just begun.

Full Jakkas!

The present course is a real laugh riot. Yesterday after Kriya, everyone listened, laughed and enjoyed the evening. Bhaiya made everyone hold their ears and do sit ups while repeating the course points, saying “Now you won’t forget it!”. The course ended with Manick gimmicking all the teachers on the course and also a few film stars doing kriya and bastrika. The best was Ashok Kumar doing kriya. After the participants left, masti continued with bhaiya and the volunteers as we reminisced the course, watched the course photos while enjoying some delicious food made by Gunjan’s mom. Here is a Jakkas Video that had us laughing for quite some time as we wondered about a similar jingle we could have. Watch the video for a ekdam full Jakkas!!

Compassion Personified

Guruji was visiting the state of J n K recently. He went to a temple there. The pandit incharge of doing puja in the temple was oblivious to the fact that Guruji was an enlightened person. He was instructing Guruji about how do to the puja in a rude tone. The people accompanying Guruji were shocked at this and were about to take the pandit to the task. Guruji stopped them and patiently put up with the rude behaviour of the pandit.

After leaving the temple premises he told the puzzled volunteers, "As it is there are very few temple here and the pandit is doing service here inspite of the hostile atmosphere. We cannot afford to disturb his mind." Such is the compassion of the Master.

An evening with bhaiya

With Rajesh bhaiya in campus it is time for fun with knowledge. Yesterday evening we got to do Hari Om meditation with Guruji’s recorded guidance and felt like we had done a mini advanced course. Guruji explained the significance, “When we are in pain we say Ah! The sound which will remove the pain and stress is ‘Ri’. These two sounds put together sound ‘hari’ meaning the removal of stress and pain.” Though we had done this in advanced course, getting to do it in Guruji’s voice was a special feeling.

After that it was dosa time together during which the discussions ranged from the course to Ankur's taste of t shirts, as the dosas disappeared. Ofcourse ankur had to return back in Bhaiya’s t shirt as the one he was wearing was made unwearable in a bid to make sure he improves his taste of choice.