Aloka

Recently, a story of an unknown young street dog attracted everyone's attention.
He became famous by joining a group of yellow-robed Buddhist monks on a peace march through the crowded streets of Calcutta. Nobody could persuade him to go back. Even those kind monks tried to secure a place for him, where food and shelter would be provided. But he decided to remain with them. So finally those monks adopted him, and named him “Aloka “, which in Sanskrit means enlightenment. Now, like a little peace ambassador, Aloka is travelling with those monks all over the world and spreading the noble message of peace and harmony, especially where people are being victimised by racial discrimination and hatred. Across newspapers in India, their peace march through the busy roads of Washington and other important cities of America are being reported on. And of course, Aloka’s presence there attracted special attention.

Aloka reminds us that unconditional love is found in nature and in the animal kingdom. In silence, rivers give water, trees give fruits, the sun gives light, and flowers give fragrance. In the Indian epic Mahabharata, we find a unique story. It says that after the final journey of the Pandavas, Yudhishthira, the epitome of ethical correctness, reaches the gates of heaven, accompanied by a loyal dog who stayed with him through his travails. And when told that he was of course highly deserving of heaven, but only if he entered alone, Yudhishthira declines, saying he would rather sacrifice his own place in heaven than abandon his faithful companion. Upon which, the gates opened as this was the final test of his values - one that we passed with mastery, demonstrating his clarity and compassion.

This simple story can teach us and specially children, not to grow up as a self centered individuals.
Psychologists say that by taking care of pets and dogs, from early childhood, children can grow up to be more compassionate human beings with loving empathy, which in turn helps live happy and fulfilling lives. Purpose found in something other than ourselves is the starting point of a meaningful life.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the word dog is an anagram of God. If only we might see one in the other.

The miracle of light and life

Like a morning sunrise, the new year brings new hopes and aspirations to the human mind. And we try to welcome it with lights, decorations, and parties, etc. But what we need most is to develop a sunshine state of mind, which will dispel the darkness of our mind, and will light up our souls with love, peace, and harmony for all. These precious lessons of living in harmony, we may learn from the plant world. The process by which plants nourish themselves and the rest of the world is known as photosynthesis. All plants become active with morning sun rays. They absorb nourishment from the morning sunlight and convert it into organic energy to sustain themselves and then nourish the whole world with life-giving oxygen. This unconditional loving gift from plants to the rest of the world is fascinating and a great lesson to learn. To sustain life on earth, they also provide medicinal herbs, crops, vegetables, fruits, and nuts all through the year. Big trees are ever ready to give shade and shelter to any tired soul without any discrimination. Colourful flowers bloom in different seasons, fill up the air with unique fragrance. The rustling sound of their leaves tell us of the merciful nature of nature. This unique support system in the whole of nature is not only amazing, they present a deeper reality of life to us. As the sun nourishes life on the earth, the clouds burst into rain, rain brings plants that make the world green, while the soil gets fertile with dry leaves and the cycle of life on the earth.

Sun, the glorious light of heaven, also inspired Surya Yogis of ancient India who learnt to draw vital life energy from the morning sun rays through special techniques. The Sanskrit word for sun is Surya, which is also called as Aditya and Savita, which means cosmic intelligence and cosmic consciousness Long back I was fortunate to get an opportunity to learn this special technique of Surya Yoga for breathing in light, from an young globe trotting Surya Yogi - this practice still helps me to stay active in my ripe old age. This New Year, I pray that we all may learn to open up our hearts to embrace the valuable lessons from nature and with cooling breeze of  our love, bring peace and harmony around us. The principle of life supporting life is a universal truth resplendent in all of nature and one that we humans need to realize sooner than later.