Rose with thorns - See the Rose within you not the thorn

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom... it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential. Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them. This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into

your life... all the while recognising the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

Anatomy of Friendship: Most important part of human body

When I was a child, my mother used to ask me a very curious question.

She would look at me and ask,

“What is the most important part of the human body?”

Like any curious child, I tried to guess the answer.

When I was very young, I thought sound was very important for us as humans. So confidently I said,

“My ears, Mommy.”

She smiled and said,
“No. Many people are deaf. But keep thinking about it, and I will ask you again.”

Years passed.

One day she asked me the same question again. This time I had thought deeply about it. I said,

“Mommy, sight is very important. It must be our eyes.”

She looked at me proudly and said,

“You are learning fast… but that is still not the correct answer. Because many people are blind.”

I was puzzled.

But the question stayed with me. Over the years she asked me again and again, and every time my answer was wrong.

And every time she would say,

“You are getting smarter every year, my child.”

Then last year, something happened that changed everything.

My grandfather passed away.

The whole family was gathered to say our final goodbye. Everyone was crying. Even my father cried.

And I remember that moment clearly… because it was only the second time I had ever seen him cry.

As we stood there, my mother looked at me and asked softly,

“Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?”

I was surprised.

All these years I thought it was just a small game between us.

But she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said,

“This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in this world. For every answer you gave me, I told you it was wrong and explained why. But today… today you need to learn the real lesson.”

Then she looked at me the way only a mother can and said,

“My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”

I asked, confused,

“Is it because it holds up my head?”

She said,

“No. It is because it can hold the head of a friend… or a loved one… when they cry.”

She continued,

“Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life. I only hope that you will have enough love and enough friends so that you will always have a shoulder when you need one.”

That day I realized something powerful.

In life, we often think intelligence is important.

We think success is important.

We think being right is important.

But the most important thing in life is something much simpler.

Being there for someone.

Because in life we face many situations where we can win the argument… but lose the person.

And what is the value of winning a debate… if you lose the relationship?

Sometimes maturity means
listening more than speaking,
understanding more than arguing,
and valuing people more than opinions.

So the greatest lesson my mother ever taught me was this:

Protect the relationship… even when you could win the argument.

And if life blesses you with people who trust your shoulder when they cry…

then you truly have the most important part of being human.

Thank you.

Be patient & kind: Respect the invisible labels

A car ahead was moving like a turtle and not giving me way inspite of my continuous honking! I was on brink of losing my cool when I noticed the small sticker on the car’s rear! “Physically challenged; Please be patient.”  And that changed everything!! I immediately went calm & slowed down!! In fact I got a little protective of the car & the driver!!! I reached work a few minutes late, but it was ok!

And then it struck me.  Would I have been patient if there was no sticker! Why do we need stickers to be patient with people!  Will we be more patient & kind with others if people had labels pasted on their foreheads?  Labels like ——  “ Lost my job” , “Fighting cancer”, “Going through a bad divorce” , “ Suffering Emotional abuse “ , "Lost a loved one”, “Feeling worthless” , “ Financially messed up”..... and more like these!!!!

Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about. The least we can do is be patient & kind!!! Let us respect the invisible labels!!!!

Defeat the defeatist tendency: Sivananda & Kalam

Do you know what changed Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s life after his failure?

“Defeat the defeatist tendency” are the words from a monk which changed Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s life after his greatest failure.

“Motivation is temporary and inspiration is permanent because motivation passes away after some time, while inspiration stays for the lifetime.”

The lines proves true in respect of the real life story of Dr. Abdul Kalam which is also penned down in his book #WingsOfFire.

The mentor who changed Dr. Kalam’s life is none other than Rishikesh Swami Sivananda who was born at Pathamadai in Tirunelveli district, but settled in Rishikesh.

Kalam was fond of flying high since his childhood and wanted to become a pilot. He took up aeronautical engineering and graduated in 1957. Kalam applied to the Air Force and completed his interview at the Air Force Selection Board at Dehradun in 1958. Out of 24 applicants, eight were to be shortlisted but after four days of difficult tasks, nine were selected — the ninth being Kalam. Since the Air Force wanted only eight, Kalam was left out.

A highly dejected Kalam decided to take a bus to Delhi via Rishikesh and Haridwar. At Rishikesh, some intuitive force made him take a dip in the River Ganges, and spotted an ashram. Kalam sat at the last row as Swami Sivananda, the founder of the ashram, was giving a discourse on Bhagavad Gita.

After his speech, the Swami chose two persons from the audience to ask questions and Kalam was one of them. In his book Wings of Fire, the former President recorded the moment — I introduced myself to Swamiji. My Muslim name aroused no reaction in him. Before I could speak any further, he enquired about the source of my sorrow.

In a deep voice, the Swami said, “Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life… Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your destined path. Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God,” the Swamiji said.

Further, quoting ‘Bhagavad Gita’, the Swami recalled the advice of Lord Krishna to Arjuna when the latter was afraid of fighting in the Kurukshetra war — “Defeat the defeatist tendency.” That is a great message. The mantra “Defeat the defeatist tendency” is always with me and it comes to me whenever I’m in trouble, he wrote.

A Deadly Frozen Night (A True Story)

There was a Jew named Yankel, who had a bakery, in a town, Crown Heights, Germany. He always said, "You know why I’m alive today? I was a teen at the time in Germany. Nazis were killing Jews brutally. We were on the train being taken to Auschwitz. Night came and it was deathly cold in that compartment. The Germans left us on the side of the tracks overnight, sometimes for days, without any food. There were no blankets to keep us warm. Snow was falling everywhere. Cold winds were hitting our cheeks, every second. We were hundreds of people in that terribly cold night. No food. No water. No shelter. No blankets. The blood in our bodies started freezing. It was becoming ice. Beside me, there was a beloved elderly Jew from my hometown. He was shivering from head to toe, and looked terrible. So I wrapped my arms around him to warm him up. I hugged him tightly to give him some heat. I rubbed his arms, his legs, his face, his neck. I begged him to try to be alive. I encouraged him. All night long, I kept this man warm this way. I was tired, and freezing cold myself. My fingers were numb, but I didn’t stop rubbing heat into that old man’s body. Hours went by. Finally, morning came and the sun began to shine. I looked around to see the other people. To my horror, all I could see were frozen bodies. All I could hear was silence. None in that cabin were alive. That freezing night killed them all. They died from the cold. Only two people survived: the old man and me. The old man survived because I kept him warm... and I survived because I was warming him. May I tell you the secret to survival in this world? When you warm other people’s hearts, you will remain warm yourself. When you support, encourage and inspire others, then you will discover support, encouragement and inspiration in your own life as well. That is the secret to a happy life. When you are good to others you are good to yourself. When you make people happy, people will make you happy" 

Let's bear one another's burdens thus fulfilling the law of God. 

*Have a great day*

From some sources ....

Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life - APJ Abdul Kalam

A little up the hill from Rishikesh, sadhus at the Sivananda ashram will tell you a true story about APJ Abdul Kalam that not many have heard.

                   

After Kalam failed the interview for Air Force pilot in Dehradun -- he was 9th and the eight 
others before him got selected -- in sheer despondence he took a bus to Rishikesh and
headed to the banks of the Ganga. That would go on to be one of the most defining
moments of Kalam's life. In his words, he “stood at the edge of a cliff with a lake below”.
This was 1957 and his childhood dream of flying a fighter plane had been shattered.
Then, as he brooded over what direction his life would take, Kalam met the man he would
often call the 'Guru of my life'.

Swami Sivananda walked towards the man who would go on to be one of India's most
popular presidents and questioned him about the source of his sorrow. Later, Kalam was
read lines from the Gita’s eleventh chapter. Following this, Sivananda gave Kalam the
mantra of his life — ‘Defeat the defeatist tendency’.

Describing the incident, Kalam wrote in his book, “When the student is ready, the teacher
will appear — How true! Here was the teacher to show the way to a student who had
nearly gone astray!”

Sivananda told Kalam: “Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not
destined to become an Air Force pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed
now but it is predetermined. Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your
destined path. Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with
yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God.”

During a lesson on how birds fly in 1941, Kalam had decided to pursue aeronautical
science. Later, he completed his degree in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute
of Technology (MIT) and joined Hindustan Aeronautics limited (HAL) in Bengaluru as a
trainee.

The former president writes in his book ‘Wings of Fire’ that he got two interview calls at this time: one from directorate of technical development and production (DTD & PAir) of the Ministry of Defence in Delhi and the other from Air Force recruitment authorities in Dehradun. He decided to appear in both. The first one in Delhi went well, following which he proceeded to Dehradun.


“I was excited but nervous, determined but anxious, confident but tense. I could finish ninth
in the batch of 25 examined to select eight officers for commissioning in the Air Force. I
was deeply disappointed. It took me some time to comprehend that the opportunity to join
the Air Force had just slipped through my fingers. I dragged myself out of the selection
board and stood at the edge of a cliff. There was a lake far below. I knew that the days
ahead would be difficult. There were questions to be answered and a plan of action to be
prepared. I trekked down to Rishikesh,” Kalam writes in his autobiography.


After Kalam returned to Delhi following his meeting with the guru, he was handed over an appointment letter and he joined DTD&P-Air as senior scientific assistant in 1958.

“If this was to be my destiny, I thought, let it be so. Finally, I was filled with mental peace.
No more did I feel any bitterness or resentment at my failure to enter the Air Force,” he
wrote.

Thus began the journey of the Missile man


Dr APJ Abdul Kalam lived the message of Swami Sivananda, which was, 'Be good, do good, serve, love, meditate and realize'.


Story was published in TOI. 

Self imprisonment is worse than that imposed - Nelson Mandela

A very isolated place called Robben Island, in a concrete cell measuring 8 feet by 7 feet, with a straw mat on which to sleep, after spending 18 years in that Prison, the man came out of that Jail. Yes it is the great Nelson Mandela.

 He told "As I stand before the door to my freedom, I realise that if I do not leave my pain, anger and  bitterness behind me, I will still be in prison".

Self imprisonment is worse than that imposed. How many are in self inflicted pains today for lack of forgiveness. 

How many of us have imprisoned ourselves inside the walls of anger and bitterness. 

Holding grudges does not make you strong, it makes you bitter. Forgiveness does not make you weak, it sets you free.