What is giving, what is taking

The act of giving is a noble act when it is given with love, kindness and compassion. At the same time, it is also a very responsible task - things must be given to a worthy person who can be empowered by that gift and can lift their spirits, rather than drive a materialistic impulse. If money is given to an alcoholic or a pearl necklace to a monkey, the result will be disastrous. By giving, the giver accumulates good karma and also attracts grace and blessings from the receiver as well as the original source of our connected lives. On the other hand, by receiving the right gift the receiver can empower himself and gets an opportunity to express his gratitude to the donor. Gifts can be in many forms - food, money, clothing, teaching a skill or imparting knowledge. Sometimes adversities or challenges in life are also gifts that act as medicine that heals and transforms us. They inspire the sufferer to find out new avenues to encounter those challenges with courage, efficiency and dignity. A story that I know to be true from my own life goes something like this - I know a person who just had one arm and came to a rich person's house to get some monetary help. The lady of the house asked him to arrange some bricks in her garden. When he expressed his inability to do this with one arm, the lady folded her one arm behind her and demonstrated how she could do it. He got the point, did the job nicely, and was surprised to get a very handsome remuneration from the lady in return. As he was drenched in sweat, he asked the lady to give him a handkerchief, which she gave and asked him to keep it. Many years passed by. One day a swanky car stopped near her house, a well dressed gentleman came down and bowed down to her. When she could not recognize him he showed her that handkerchief and with great reverence said, " I have come to pay my respect to you. You taught me how to be self sufficient and how to live with dignity. Now I own a factory, where I give opportunities to others to come up with their own efforts." She was overwhelmed with joy. Every soul has immense potentiality and can be kindled when it gets inspiration and opportunities from other inspiring souls. It is said - what we give comes back to us ten fold. So while giving or asking for some thing one must be very careful. I will end with a story which is full with subtle humor and also warns us to be careful before asking for something. Two departed souls were presented before God. God asked them what they would like to have in their next lives. One said he wanted to get everything, and the other said he wanted to give away everything. God fulfilled their desires. The first one was born as a beggar - with his arms outstretched and always begging.The second one was born as a king. With his arms giving everything away to people with purpose. It is up to us to understand what is give and take and which path we prefer.

Where does learning begin - with the teacher or the teaching?

All over the world, teacher's day is celebrated on the 5th of September. Lovely cards are send to teachers by their students as a symbolic gesture of gratitude to their mentors. This special expression of love to our teachers, parents or our partners on special days is very significant. Unlike the old days, teachers teach to many students, most recently remotely so it isn't always possible to develop and maintain close relationships. In ancient India, the guru-shishya style of teaching was little different. Young students would come and stay with their teachers or the gurukul (the establishment). This was an entire phase of life guided by the teacher up until the students were ready to move on to the next phase as householders. In that process, students were influenced by the special style and personality of their respective teachers, not just their knowledge. This system, known as Gurukul (in Sanskrit Guru means teacher and Kula means family) is still prevalent in the fields of performing arts like music, dancing, fine arts, martial arts, or transferring spiritual knowledge through the lineage of gurus. Even today, before starting any performance the tradition of paying homage to the teacher is a common practice called guru vandana. It is believed that only through grace does one achieve greatness - and grace comes from the Guru and from God. In Sanskrit Guru means the remover of ignorance and it also means weight or gravitas - something that centers a person. Every year the full moon day in the month of July is known as "Guru Purnima " - when students visit their teachers, give them gifts, and touch their feet as a sign of respect to the guru and ask for their blessings. This beautiful gesture sadly hasn't always survived the modern world and it's somewhat more transactional model for learning. I had my education in Santiniketan, a center of learning that was established by the Nobel Prize winner Rabindra Nath Tagore based on principles of traditional learning. In every field of learning he tried to capture the essence of the traditional Gurukul system. Most classes were conducted in the open air under the canopy of the blue sky and under the shade of trees. In the nature study class children were encouraged to know the different characteristics of plants, birds, butterflies within their environment. Education is not only for money making or for self gratifications but the development of values and a higher consciousness to serve as a guide through life. It is valued because it also helps others to come up. Under the guidance of capable teachers, students would go to nearby villages, interact with villagers, understand their problems and help them in many ways. People from all over the world came to this university as teachers and as students. Tagore realized that education can create empowerment only when we develop the ability of the mind to go beyond rote learning to the realm of experience. That is why the motto of that university was "Here is the world in one nest." The nest signifies respect for and a relationship with the sources of knowledge - be they teachers, trees or butterflies. Peaceful co-existence and a harmonious relationship with each other is a result of such learning - an utmost necessity in today's world. Teachers who broaden our horizons are the great source of inspiration for us all. So even this token gesture of honoring them on teachers day seems to have great value in today's world.

Small moments, big insights

Often small things get ignored in life and we miss to see the inherent beauty of it. As Tagore once wrote,"I traveled miles, spent riches. I have gone to see the mountains and oceans. But I have not seen just two steps from my home, there upon a grain of corn, the glistening drop of dew". Passing through life, we all come across many such moments that usually go unnoticed. But they have the capacity to fill the mind with joy. Once when I went went to Jodhpur with my husband to have a glimpse of magnificent view of Thar desert. I never experienced such breathtaking beauty of a desert before. Where ever I looked, I saw only waves of sand dunes, which were glittering in the sun light. There was not a blade of grass in our vicinity. We came to know that, poor villagers stayed in far away scattered villages, devoid of all modern facilities and without eveb basic education.Young boys earned sustenance by driving camel carts for tourists. It was here that I met a simple village boy whose generosity and jolly nature has stayed vivid in my memory. After reaching there we also selected a camel cart for a ride. The driver was a young boy with chiseled features and a smiling face. While driving his car he was humming a folk tune. He seemed to be a very good natured person. While passing through the sand dunes I wanted to gather some informations about their lifestyle and so asked him some questions - "how far do you stay, how many family members, what is the source of income etc." But he was especially surprised when I asked him about his morning breakfast before leaving the house for the whole day. He answered, "Why? Roti and fried chillies of course". This innocent boy blissfully living in utter poverty had no idea of any other choice of breakfast. So again when I asked him about his dinner menu after whole day's work, his answer was the same, "roti and fried chillies". I realized that in that desert, where no vegetation can grow and far from the towns, there was literally nothing to eat other than bread and spices. The poor villagers had no options and this boy accepted this destiny with a smiling face. As I was thinking of this great disparity between the most fertile regions in the country just a few hundred kilometers from the arid lives of these camel drivers, all in the same country, his cheerful voice broke in - "Madam , will you please to my home and have a meal with us? We will be very happy". I was deeply touched by his loving invitation, and had no heart to say no. So I said ,"surely son, I will come next time around. He was happy to hear my answer and continued to drive his camel cart joyfully, while humming his favorite folk tune all the way back through our journey.

Life connects lives

Few days back, I was pleasantly surprised to get some soul touching photographs from my son Prodeep, who stays in America. Pictures showed, it was evening time, and near the road side bushes, he was sitting quietly holding the head of an injured deer on his lap. Both of them looked very peaceful,depicting the eternal bond of love between man, nature and animals. Later I came to know that an insensitive driver hit the deer badly and ran away leaving the severely injured deer near the road side. Prodeep was passing through the same road, and seeing that helpless animal, stopped his car, came down and called the rescue team to come immediately, though they took full three hours to appear there. They never saw this sort of scene before, where a wild animal can rest so peacefully on the lap of an unknown person. But this is nothing new. Animals can respond to loving energy very intensely. I also experienced this through my three legged dog Gujia. He was a stray dog and was hit by an insensitive driver. But he was rescued by an organization called 'Red Paws', where his leg was amputated and he was hospitalized for six months, before he came to us. He expresses his gratitude through his eyes, and modulation of voice or body language, which all animal lovers can understand very well. The great Indian Saint Ramana Maharshi could understand the language of birds. Once a bird's nest was removed from the garden by some of his disciples. Next day when the Saint was sitting in that garden, birds started chirping near him and he understood their complaint and asked his disciples to bring back their nest and put it where it was before. Like animals, plants too have their feelings of joy and sorrow. The great scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose invented a measuring tool "Crescograph" to track growth and feelings of plants by magnifying subtle electromagnetic measurements 10,000 times. Today's environmental problems are caused mostly by our ignorance about the lives of animals and planta. A life which we can not create, we have no right to destroy either. Being respectful and kind to all life, we can make this earth more livable and lovable place for all. Mahatma Gandhi said,'to my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being "

An ode to an old friend - Scrabble

Scrabble is a beautiful game, specially for elderly people like me. With limited physical energy, I love to play scrabble every evening with my dear friend Puloma. All games make us more fit, energetic and cheerful and Scrabble helps to increase one's vocabulary and sharpens the brain. But like chess, it has some special benefits - in that, it forces us to make the most out of limited options. For the elderly, this is a useful skill to manage everyday life. In early 1970 I was introduced to scrabble by an elderly English lady, named Crystal Rodgers. She went by Mishy (probably a mispronounciation of Missy in India), and was a pioneer in setting up Animals Friends - a sanctuary for the care of hurt, injured, and in general uncared for animals - from dogs, horses, and cows to birds and monkeys. Anything that struggled to survive the crowded streets of the big cities of India. Her organization did great work in Delhi and Jaipur and today lives on in Bangalore as CUPA - Compasion Unlimited, Plus Action. When I met her first she was 80 plus, extremely energetic, active and optimistic. Never thought of retiring and whenever she wanted some quiet restful time, she came to our Delhi University house for a few days. We used to play scrabble every evening. Our young children had great fun to see us absorbed in scrabble. She was also a gifted medium and was able to connect wtih dear departed souls who would interact with us through planchette. After my husband's retirement, we came out from secure university campus life to join the main stream of city life. When my husband passed away and children went abroad to study and settle down, I started feeling little lonely. Every difficulty brings some new opportunity in life. Now I am as old as Mishy and every evening, my friend Puloma comes and we discuss current issues, politics and otherwise with a hot cup of herbal tea in our hand, and then get immersed in playing Scrabble. Before we start the game, my efficient helpers keep the scrabble board and the heavy print version of the Oxford dictionary ready at hand to resolve linguistic challenges. According to the weather, they decide to serve us hot or cold beverage to stimulate our brain power. We like to make the game more collaborative, not competitive. So we focus more on making new and big words. Like a good old friend, Scrabble has returned to my life and brings great cheer. For the last year and a half the world has been passing through a very difficult time. We cannot change the situation easily, but Scrabble has helped greatly in making the most of our limited opportunities for socializing, and in remaining stress free. I have many hobbies, but the evenings are reserved to welcome my dear old friend Scrabble.

What is Yoga?

Early in my youth, I realized that yoga is neither a ritual nor a religion. It is an art which transforms life in a very subtle and positive way. I did not know much about yoga. But one encounter with it, in my early young age changed my approach and I wanted to embrace yoga as a part of my life. One that has persuaded me to continue to practice it at the age of 82. In middle school, I came upon a chance to see the famous yoga guru Mr. Bishtu Ghose, who mentored Mr. Manotosh Roy, the first Indian or Asian to be awarded the Mr. Universe title (in 1952). The lecture demonstration was on the power of yoga. Even today I remember two of the events performed by a young girl, named Reba Rakshit, that left a deep imprint on my young mind forever.This young girl, wearing a headband, entered the stage and lay down on a platform with a wooden plank on her chest. Soon after, an elephant walked in and stood still on her chest for quite some time and then walked off the plank. She clamly stood up and greeted us all with a smiling face. The power of breath, not muscle was what sustained the weight of an elephant standing on a girl's chest. The second event showed the intense power of concentration. Looking at the reflection of a row of balloons hanging behind her in a mirror, she systematically shot them down, one by one. I was stunned by her amazing concentration and aim. Then her mentor Mr. Bishtu Ghose said this power can be gained by practicing yoga and breath control systematically. I was so impressed, that leaving everything behind, I wanted to join his team immediately. Though that didn't quite happen, my deep interest in Yoga was kindled at that moment and has never since dimmed through my life. Yoga means union - between the individual soul and the supreme soul. Individual souls can truly progress when they realizes the divine connection, and Yoga helps to have that realization through constant practice of all the eight limbs (astanga) of Yoga, not just postures. This eight fold path is comprised of 1.Yama(restraints), 2.Niyama(observances), 3.Asana(posture) 4.Pranayam(breath control), 5. Pratyahara(withdrawal of the senses) 6.Dharana(concentration),7.Dhyana(meditation) and 8. Samadhi(stateless contemplation). On the auspicious International Yoga Day of June 21, we bow down to all yoga gurus of the world, specially sage Patanjali, who is attributed as the author of "Yoga Sutras" somewhere between 500BCE and 400 CE. Yoga which started in India over 5000 years ago today has reached every corner of the world, and like a flower, provides the world with nectar to quench the thirst of many souls. The western world which is mainly oriented towards external actions has embraced yoga and has produced many great yogis who are living proof of the path of joy, and the power of internal actions to create health, happiness and purpose. Let us remain lovingly united with the whole world and with all life through the divine connection we all share - experienced through the eight fold path that is Yoga.

The shine of gold comes from its melting

Nothing is a coincidence in life. Every thing happens for a cause. I realized it even more when recently after a restful night, I got up with a dizzy head, and was rescued timely from falling down by my helper. I tested positive for COVID. In my green house, I happily stay with a wonderful boy, and a three legged dog. My loving son is taking care of all my needs by remote control, and I have no worry at all. Every thing is truly golden in my golden years. But like a tsunami, in two consecutive years, I experienced two different blows. In 2020, my mind fell under the spell of fear, loneliness and insecurity. Luckily with God's grace, with all dear ones help, proper medication, and with my strong will power, not only could I break the spell of darkness, but I emerged as a brighter, happier and a more joyful person This year(2021) started very well, but one night covid came like a silent thief and tried to put me down. All my dear ones panicked, and rushed oxygen cylinders to help. With their timely intervention and with God's grace, not only have I recovered, but am thriving with boundless joy. Everything comes to us to teach us something. We just have to be alert, and see what life is pointing to. Here firstly I learnt the value of each breath which we get from nature, absolutely free of cost. We must respect it and be mindful to each breath. I must be always grateful to God to bless us with this divine life force. Breath expands with positivity, and shrinks with negativity. So as long as it is with me, in all possible way, I must be cheerful, mindful and positive. Secondly, life is momentary - like a drop of water on a lotus leaf. Make it beautiful with a smile and service for all. No enmity. So that at the time of departure, one can leave with a smiling face. Thirdly, suffering make us more understanding, compassionate and helpful to each other. As a beautiful gold ornament takes it's final shape after going through the melting process, human life is also the same. It shines only when it passes through suffering. Entertainment, social interactions, all are like spices, make life interesting. But how I experience my own life, is something I am solely responsible for and I have to work hard to make myself fearless, joyful and blissful.

Transforming the mundane to the sacred

In India we have a tradition - that before starting day's work, we often bow down our head to the supreme spirit and ask for blessings. In fact for every mundane thing in life, like buying a new car, entering in to a new house, or putting the first morsels of solid food into an infant's mouth, we do Puja - thereby consecrating the moment into a sacred one. I find this approach to creating sacred moments a beautiful tradition and think it has a deeper meaning. By adding devotional intent to a mundane act like eating or moving into a house, we can transform whatever we do into a sacred act. In learning to surrender, we draw on the supreme energy and can transform a mundane activity into a sublime experience. This faith has been built up in our mind through the ages. There is a sloka in old Hindu scripture which says, "he who makes the mute a fluent speaker and helps the lame to cross the mountains... his name be praised and blessings to be sought." This faith is rooted in our cultural consciousness. Of the many great saints who came to this earth and taught us to do all mundane work in the name of the Lord, Shri Ramakrishna -the great Saint of Bengal once said, "do your work with one hand and touch the feet of the Lord with the other. When you have no work in the world to do, hold his feet fast to your breast with both your hands." These great souls did not have material comforts like us but they absorbed all the sufferings of this world with a smiling face, and blessed us to be forgiven for our cruelty. I wonder what is the touch of that magic stone that made their life so sublime and smile so divine. Today we are living in much comfort but have very little mental peace. The time has come to learn from the lives of those great souls. We should open up our hearts, be humble and should remember that each life has come to this earth for a short time, to do some thing good. Every act of life can be turned from the mundane to the sacred if only through our pure thoughts and intent. The divine spark is present in every soul. We just have to light it up through our right understanding and right action. We are all capable of turning our mundane existence into a joyful creative one through. The 18th century poet Muhammad Iqbal once described the unique ability of men to transform the mundane into the matter of joy through his poem in which he wrote, "you created the night, I lit the lamp. You created clay, I moulded the cup. You made the wilderness, I cultivated flower bed. And from Poison, I extracted a sweet beverage."

The lives of seasons

Spring time has come. I feel so blissful to sit outside in my garden every morning and be bathed by the morning breeze. I notice red bottlebrush flowers that suddenly appeared in one corner of my garden and are swinging joyfully. Small birds are chirping and are hopping from flower to flower. Nasturtiums, dahlias and daisies all tossing their heads with joy. Looking at nature, I wonder and think what can be the unseen force, that changes winter into spring and spring into scorching summer. All these changes are so silent and subtle that they go almost unnoticed by us. Even on my own head, how and when my thick black hair turned into snowy gray cre[t up unnoticed by me. In nature, creation and destruction go hand in hand. When it brings the change in the form of destructions, it is sudden, ferocious and forceful. Often it happens due to an imbalance in nature created by human beings. Human creations, which can be a dam on a river, or a palatial building, or some thing else create so much noise and often disturb animal life by deforestation. I wish we could learn from nature, how to create change more harmoniously. Throughout the ages all saints, philosophers and thinkers have tried to connect with that hidden energy thst works through the nature unceasingly. Energy can not be seen, only felt. It's vastness that covers time and space extends beyond our comprehension. Realizing that, Newton had humbly said that he feel that his knowledge was akin to picking up pebbles near the sea shore. The great Saint, Sri Ramakrishna once compared our effort to know the unfathomable spirit as if a doll made of salt went to measure the ocean. It dissolves in the process and in losing it's identity becomes one with the ocean. I feel, we are all blessed to have a tiny spark of that divine light in us all. And life can be meaningful when we try to brighten that light with our own effort and with our good karma. Sorrows and difficulties have great relevance in life. I feel that every sorrow and hurdle I have passed through in life had inspired me more to come near this truth. As life is short, I feel life's energy must be invested wisely, so that the dividend is substantial and satisfying. I found a small quotation, which I liked very much that I think will be very appropriate to express - "Give love and care as a long as you can to everyone. That's the only thing that comes back with highest interest"

The magic of breathing

What reigns are to a horse, our breathing is to the mind. When our mind - like a horse without reigns roams about in all directions, only by proper breathing techniques can one bring back stability and peace of mind. I was lucky to get information from my nephew about an upcoming course on scientific breathing techniques by Sri Sri RaviShankarji. The name of that course was "Happiness Mahotsav" - which means celebration of happiness. I was very much attracted to the name and felt an intense desire to join this celebration. The duration of the course was 4 days, it was conducted online and by trained young teachers. They taught us different techniques of breathing. These classes were very enjoyable and were punctuated with jokes, discussions and question and answer sessions. The last day was very special, when Sri Sri RaviShankarji joined us online from Bangalore, and taught us "Sudarshan Kriya". It is also a breathing technique which is practiced in slow, medium and in high speed several times. It energizes body and mind. To be happy , we all need a healthy body and mind. But happiness is something that arises from within. It is like the fragrance of a flower that emerges from the inner being and emanates all around it. And in the case of human beings it is our positive attitude, loving and forgiving nature, that make us happy and help us to spread happiness all around. So Sri Sri advised always to maintain a positive attitude, even in adversities. Explaining this point further he said, "life is interesting, because it has many shades of opposites". They are two sides to every coin and they appear to enhance each others' values. As we welcome the warm morning rays of the sun after a long cold night, we must appreciate that the sun's rays derive their value because the night is there. When we encounter challenges with courage, we become more strong, innovative and empathetic. He also mentioned that since neither our nature nor external circumstances are in our control, we should not feel frustrated if we cannot change them, it is better to accept them instead of resisting and work to adapt our inner experience of it peacefully. It reminds me of a Zen saying, that by bending down, the marsh grass can survive in a violent storm, but not a big tree. We also must cultivate the quality of even mindedness, otherwise our key of happiness will be in the pocket of others and like a football, our emotions will be tossed up and down with the comments of others. Though we should be ever ready to correct our faults, we must cultivate inner stability, courage and a forgiving attitude. Forgiveness is a great quality. If we can forgive other's faults, we can be happy and can make others happy too. Finally Sri Sri reminded us, always to be in present. Being aware of the present, if we think and act appropriately, then one can build upon a glorious past and a bright future. Life is like a river that flows to be one with the ocean. Self-realized souls come through many ages to guide us on how to be one with the supreme. but our success depends on our will-power, good effort and good karma. Life is a puzzle but only till we find the key within ourselves.

Of new years and new beginnings

We all look forward to welcoming the New Year, with many hopes to be fulfilled .The year 2021 is also no exception. We were all tired of the previous year which brought despair, fear and death in human life. We were all looking eagerly to find a new way out of it. Some inspiring lines from Tagore came to mind, which made me ponder a little deeper. He wrote, "this incense of mine unless burnt does not yield any fragrance." I thought about it, and realized that the true changes come not with changing time, but by actually burning the incense, which is to say, actualizing our true fragrant potential from within. In changing our state of mind. Real change comes from within, not without and when the urge for change comes - to make life better, we can really do so by using that desire to force changes within our mind. Otherwise our insatiable mind tends to cling to small material comforts that constantly come and go and forgets about bigger duties towards life. This pandemic has surely made us better in many ways. It has been a shared challenge and we are more empathetic to each other now. Also it has made us more family oriented, we have relearnt to share house hold chores happily. Scientists have invented new vaccines. Children learnt to follow online classes quite successfully. Even at the age of 81, I learnt to follow discourses online and give interviews through zoom. These are all very inspiring achievements for all of us. On the whole, adversity has made us more inward looking, alert and creative. We all have stepped in to a new year with challenges, hopes and confidence. Time is like an unending ocean, through which we navigate with our little boat of life. When that little boat collapses with a strong wind, we become one with the ocean and learn to swim. Losing our small identity, we learn to embrace our large identity and accept life as a whole.As Swami Yogananda said, " your fulfillment lies not in obtaining the objects of your desire, but in the unfoldment of your soul qualities and in making the effort to succeed in worthwhile endeavors "

Old is gold...not always!

There is a saying, "Old is Gold". Life gets a golden touch of wisdom when it passes through a long period of time and the many ups and downs of experiences. Though in old age, everything does not always look very golden. Failing health and loneliness often catch up and demoralize the spirit of elderly people. In my life I also could not escape from these problems. When my children went away to U.S.A for higher studies, when my husband passed away, I also felt. very lonely. I tried to bring some purpose in life. I started doing some social work in an orphanage, also published my husband's unfinished book, and traveled a lot and so on. Now when I look back to my younger days, I laugh at my own immature ways. I thought old age comes to others, but will never haunt me. Every day I looked at the mirror, but did not know, when and how old age crept in like a silent thief, and captured the fort of my whole existence. I became slower in movements. I was alarmed when I first noticed a few gray hairs on my head. Now my whole head looks like a white snow ball, and I feel quite happy about it. I realized old age must be accepted gracefully. Luckily I have few good friends with whom I can spend hours playing scrabble, or discussing politics. Sometimes we plan to go to nurseries to pick up some exotic plants for my garden. Often I compare life with a river. Making a gurgling sound, the river flows down from the mountain top, and dances in the sunlight. But before it ends its journey by being one with the ocean, it nourishes all life on its two sides. It makes the land of its two sides fertile for habitation. Human life is also the same. When it proceeds towards old age, it becomes wiser, calmer, tolerant and forgiving. But sometimes suddenly like a tsunami, hard winds blow, and shatter the raft of our life into pieces. At the age of 81, I also experienced such a blow in my life. Last year , when I was happily touring in America, I suddenly fell ill, andwas admitted in an I.C.U at a hospital. I was treated well, but my illness shattered my confidence, and took away joy from my life. I came back to India, got wonderful medical treatment, and loving support from my relatives and dear friends, but I never lost my faith in God, and tried my best to come out from that dark period of my life. After a year of sincere effort, I could get back to my normal self. I became confident, and joyfully embraced life again. There is a saying, that every dark cloud has a silver lining. It is so true. I know sufferings come to teach us something. If we can learn that lesson, we become richer in mind. We never know, when and how our life will take a turn. We can only surrender, and pray to God to guide us in right direction I feel every moment is so very precious to me now. I have no right to be gloomy or sad in any situation. I try to share my joy, my knowledge and prosperity with others who are not so fortunate. That gives me enormous joy. I realize, life is to give, not to take.

Advice from a sage for a householder

I was remembering a story of a man, who was in search of a touch stone that could turn anything into gold. Once he picked it up, but unknowingly threw it away, and lost it for ever. It happens in our lives also. Moments come which touch our soul, inspire us, but we forget about them. Looking back, I find many such glittering moments, which are still now stored in my memory, and become a source of inspiration whenever I think of them. Long back, one such incident happened, when I met a sadhu in Allahabad who was hundred years old. From Delhi I went to Allahabad for a few days, and stayed with our family friends. It was a summer morning, and our friend suggested to have sadhu Darshan first, and then start our sight seeing. So next morning, we all got into a car, and drove towards Jhusi. Jhusi is situated just opposite side of sangam, which is a very sacred place. Sangam means Union. Three rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati unite in that spot, and people from all over the world come to have a holy dip there. But very few people know about Jhusi, which is quite barren and rocky When we reached there, one old lady (disciple of the sadhu) cordially invited us, served us a cold drink made from fresh lemons from the garden, and comfortably seated us in a porch. Another disciple of eighty years old came and announced, sadhu baba will come and bless us after we had our lunch and rested a while. I was amazed to see their loving hospitality. I realized that their attitude was very different from ordinary householders like us. Selfless service was the path, which they followed always. THe eldest sadhu, who keeps always silent came to bless us after we had our lunch and rest. He came and sat erect on a slightly elevated platform in the middle. I was waiting for this moment to ask him 'Baba we are house holders, we have expectations from others, and when they are not fulfilled, feel very frustrated. That frustration makes me more miserable, please show me the way out." He remained calm for some time. Then he said a few words, which changed my life. He said three things. 1. Do not expect any thing from any body. 2. Do not criticize others and third 3, you have a human life, if you can do some thing good, do it. These words seem to be very simple. But if we think deeply, we find all miseries and conflicts have their roots in criticism and expectations. If we can uproot these two evils from our mind, then peace is guaranteed. Now I am in my ripe old age of 81, and try to apply his instructions in my life. I believe, spiritual people can see the house holders problems better, and can offer better solutions to us.