Love Bytes: Short Poems

Sri Sri, in his book, "God Loves Fun", says, "When a bud breaks, it becomes a flower. When a heart breaks it becomes divine." I think in the last one and a half years, my heart not only broken, but got shattered to several thousands bits. As I went through the bitter sweet struggles to gather the pieces, I felt that my heart opened up like - the pain, the longing, the bliss, the beauty, the fear, the anger, the acceptance, the quest to find meaning, for something higher - all intensified like never before. I was missing from my blog as there were, for once in my life, no words left inside me. As I slowly emerge from the darkness within me, and move towards that gentle glimpse of light, the words return. Not in the form of long stories, but in the form of short ones. And in the form of some form of poetry. After much hesitation, I decided to share these here on my blog as well. Togehter with the segment titled "Bytes of Insight" (which I started last week), through this new segment titled "Love Bytes" I hope to write more frequently again. Please do bless this space with your comments, likes and shares. Love and Peace.

The Light of Longing

"Keep your eyes fixed only on me, oh foolish one!" said He, "for I am the beauty in the beautiful, the charm in the charming, the intelligence in the brilliant ones, the perfection in everything. Don't move your eyes (sight) an inch away from me!" Said I in response: "Where are you my beloved? I long to be one with you… to be freed from this non-real duality. My eyes search only for you – as I walk into my office, as I walk through the aisles of the grocery store, as I enter the stillness of my home, as I smile back at the stranger on the tram, in meditation and in music, in love and in laughter, in arguments and in fights – you are what I long for, only you... "

Bytes of Insight

Today, I am starting a new segment in my blog: Bytes of Insight. Many a times, life brings a new realization (an "A-ho"moment) - perhaps it is knowledge (finally) turning into actual wisdom! I usually post these insignts only on Facebook. But will now also post them here for those who are not on my Facebook feed. Do leave me a note and let me know how you like these. And do also add your own insights/knowledge in the comments.

ANGER FACTS (A Retake)

Vishwamitra was an accomplished saint and was close to enlightenment so very many times - his one hurdle, repeatedly, was his own short temper. He would meditate and gain merit, and in one instance of boiling rage, shout and curse and come crashing down to square one. After noticing this repeatedly, he finally let go of his anger and after intense tapasya, attained enlightenment. His rage may have done the world (or some people) a great deal of good, but harmed him considerably many times. I guess it was, at the end of the day, all as per the divine plan. As Gurudev says, we are all souls working to help each other grow towards our higher purpose and our higher selves. It is strange that over the last few years, I have experienced the worse of my own bad temper (before that, I always thought myself to be rather mild!). What ever impact it may or may not have had on others, it certainly took a terrible toll on my health and on my relationships. As I spend another (happily) sleepless night in introspection, I feel grateful (again) for all the experiences life has brought to me to make me let go of this temper that had unknowingly taken root in me. Some bursts still occur - but the frequency, intensity and length of time for which they last have decreased so considerably! I can take no credit for this - I only watch in wonder and amazement - the rise and fall of the Gunas. Thank you Gurudev for this wonderful knowledge of the Gunas during your recent commentaries on Chapter 14 of the Bhagvad Gita. I feel like listening to you over and over again!

Bytes of Insight: Quick Cure for Cold and Sore Throat

200 grams of fresh turmeric (Kurkuma)
75 grams of fresh ginger (Ingwer)

Juice the turmeric and ginger (do not add any water). Add 1 large tablespoon of raw honey.

Drink two tablespoons twice a day for 2 days (morning-evening).

For best results, drink this as soon as you feel the earliest sign of cold/sore throat.

Remembering Ramanujam - the Man Who Knew Infinity

I have always been fascinated by the life and work of the great Indian Mathematician - Srinivasa Ramanujan. For my European friends who might not be familiar with his work, I recommend the wikipedia page and the movie "The Man Who Knew Infinity" - which provides a pretty accurate, and, in part, moving account of his life in India and then in UK, Cambridge.

What stands out in the life of Ramanujam is not (only) the fact that he, before the age of 32, had already compiled more than 3900 mathematical results, most of which have now been proved true, but the fact that these results were not a result of hard work or long hours of rational thinking. They were, in the words of Ramanujam, "the word of God." When his mentor in Cambridge, G.H Hardy, asked Ramanujam how he reaches these results, Ramanujam said simply - "they come to me." In reality, the results and theorems were revealed to him as flashes during states of deep meditative prayer. Ramanujam had no mind for proofs - his mentor, G.H Hardy, as well as other peers at Cambridge, had no mind for "flashes" - they wanted and needed proof.

I first heard of Ramanujam when I was about 10 or 12 years old - my parents took us to watch a play about his life. It was a particularly bad play - but a scene from it that remains with me even today, is the scene of Ramanujam seated in front of the statue of the Devi, first begging her to reveal the secrets of the Universe to him and then falling into a deep state of meditation. From the midst of this meditative, deeply blissful state, Ramanujam sprang up and scribbled notes on the floor right in front of the statue. The scene left a deep impression on me. Later, I also saw a TV series on his life - from which, I only remember the scene of his death - during which time also, he was "downloading" information directly from the vast consciousness, that in Hindu traditions is known as Devi (mother goddess) or Divinity.

It is often difficult for one who has experienced even a small taste of these "flashes" to engage constructively with those who are pre-occupied with proofs and logic. It is like a struggle between the left and right side of the brain. A strained interaction between the head and the heart. Undoubtedly, to survive in the world we need both - Ramanujams and Hardys.

As an acedemic in the Western world, I have come to understand, and even get a tiny glimpse of Ramanujam's struggle with the Western academia a little bit better. I have often struggled to explain to my academic "seniors" why I am 100% certain that a certain course of research will lead to fantastic results if pursued. I have been fortunate - I have met my own GH Hardy's who have permitted me to play my own tune, while also teaching me the rigours of Western logic and systems of proof. What I have struggled with even more, however, is trying to explain to them why and how meditation can help them more than it helps me. They have a fantastically trained logical mind. If coupled with meditation, they would surpass any Ramanujam and any Hardy of the present or past. But my longing to have these brilliant minds experience a moment of the "flashes", going beyond the "logical", is in actuality, not merely a longing to bring meditation into their lives. It is a longing to bring the great traditions of the world closer together in harmony, in mutual respect, in sincerety - so that each can be enriched by the other. It is a longing to unite the head and the heart. A longing for oneness.