Finding Balance in Purpose

In my childhood days, I always looked forward for our annual sports day. The event I liked most was a balance race. Balancing a boiled egg on a spoon held between the teeth, we had to run. Of course if you used your hands to adjust it, you’d be disqualified. It was good fun but required perfect balance, alertness and focused mind, steady steps and confidence. Later in life, I realized those qualities which were required to succeed at the balance race were also required to bring success in life. A focused mind with steady steps and confidence are required to reach any goal. The Indian Gurukul system of education imparted knowledge in much the same way. Children grew up in close proximity to the teachers, learnt to love and care for nature, developed ethical values to respect elders, extended helping hands towards families and others in need, learnt to bring peace and harmony all around. Great Gurukul institutions, like Nalanda, Taxila gave world famous scholars. The aim of education was to bring harmony, peace and well-being to all, and never aimed to attain personal fame or fortune. Pleasant or unpleasant things which came in life were accepted as blessings of God, and to clear karmic accounts. Today information is universal, and easily available through technology. Information alone does not teach us to be a better human being. Though we can send our thoughts to any part of the world in a second, we have forgotten the art of establishing loving communication even with our near and dear ones. Tender minds are receptive - if seeds of good values are planted in young minds through right education, then they can bring heaven on earth – otherwise, as an intellectual giant C.S.Lewis said, “ education without values can make a man a clever devil.” The truth of his predictions are coming true and are seen all around us in the world today. The time has come to bring a change in our approach to education – perhaps a better balance between gaining information and learning through play. Life is well lived if we learn to walk our path as if we were balancing an egg on a spoon clenched between our teeth. Balance and purpose.

The Power of Simplicity

Last September, when my son Prodeep visited me for a few days, Delhi was hot and sultry. So without wasting any time, he made a quick plan for us all, and that was to visit Ramgarh, a hilly area in Uttarakhand. He booked an Innova taxi, and we left Delhi early next morning. Driving through forests, hills, and crossing the small rivers was a thrilling experience for us all. When we reached Ramgarh, it was past noon, the sun was ready to set on the western horizon, and our rest house that stood on the edge of a mountain glowed in the rays of the setting sun like a temple of gold. We rested peacefully at night, but my adventurous son quietly slipped out early morning to the jungle to have a feel of the forest. He returned safe, and was lucky to hear a tiger’s roar from a nearby hill amidst the chirping of scared birds. We did not have any fixed plan for the day, so when our young tourists guide suggested we visit Kainchi dham, a temple of saint Neem Karoli baba, we all got ready. Soon we started our journey through a jungle road and reached there much before noon. After having Darshana and Prasad, I settled down in a quiet corner to hear the whole story of that great saint from a local guide. Neem Karoli baba was not much known, and once, when he was travelling by a local train without a ticket (being a renunciate), the ticket collector came and asked for the ticket, which he could not show. So he was forced to get down at the next station named Neem Karoli. After that a strange thing happened. The train could not start, and with all the efforts of mechanics and engineers, they couldn’t fathom what the issue was. Finally, it dawned on one of the railway authorities that something wasn’t quite right. He went and apologised to the (then) unknown saint, and brought him back to the train, upon which, the train promptly started. Later that place became famous, because that saint made his Ashram there and he became famous as NeemKaroli Baba (named after the train station). Famous people from all over the world visited that place, met him and had his blessings. Steve Jobs, many writers and musicians were much influenced by his teachings. In 1970, when the hippie movement was strong and westerners were much confused with materialistic culture, they came to him, got guidance, and many of them went on to do great things. Ram Dass is one of his students who is famous in spiritual circles in the west. Many have been influenced by his teachings – Mark Zuckerberg, Julia Roberts, Larry Page (Google), Jeffrey Skoll (eBay) among them. Neem Karoli baba’s message was simple and profound. He said “ Love every one, feed every one and remember God always.” This message is the gist of Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Here “feeding“ has a bigger meaning. It may mean to take care of elderly, or to write a book, or make a movie with a spiritual message, which can feed people with positive thoughts. In whatever way if we can help a needy soul, that can be our true prayer to God. This simple and sacred message was conveyed to us all through the ages by all great saints. As Swami Vivekananda said “He who serves the poor, serves God”