Frugal Healthy Indian

post from my other blog…

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With the west turning frugal, frugality has gained momentum. Over the past few years, everyone had been talking about living frugally. Today there are books on frugality, bloggers are writing about it, frugal ventures are happening, frugal entrepreneurs are born and frugal innovations are on a high.

While it was not yet a fad in the West, East Asians believed in following a frugal but healthy lifestyle. My grandparents who celebrated 58 years of their marriage stand as a model to that lifestyle. They don’t pop pills like we do today instead they believed in following a healthy Mind and a healthy Diet.

My grandmother even today follows her schedule that she did when she was in her teens. She says it has done her only good. As a homemaker, wife, a mother and now a grandmother she never compromises on our health and ensures we get a balanced meal. Mind you, all this…

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Worship The Fearless, Formless Shiva

Happy Maha Shivaratri to One and All. During this day, we should at least make an attempt to understand one word of the many Shiva Stotras.

My favourite has always been Shivoham by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. Jagat guru Shankaracharya has put everything that we could ever know of Shiva in a platter.

I believe we could enjoy Shivoham more if we knew its meaning.

I have found a link with its meaning. If we can soak ourselves even in a line uttered by one of the greatest teachers about the greatest Yogi, we would be blessed.

http://vedicyagyacenter.com/wp-content/themes/vedic/pdfs/NirvanaShatakamLyrics-withtranslation.pdf

Things to ponder-

Who does the Adi Yogi, Shiva meditate upon?

Is Shiva just another picture born out of someone’s imagination?

What does Shiva Linga represent?

What are we to remember when we look at a Shiva lingam?

Is it not necessary we Know him to worship him?

How many of us truly try to understand the meaning of any Shloka we recite?

We venerate him without knowing him. We should teach our kids the meaning of the prayers they chant. This small change will allow the children to Connect with the Divine out of Love and not Fear.

Destiny- Never Blame God

Nobody is lucky here, God says.

Everything we gain here is nothing but the fruits of our actions( Karma phala) of this life or the previous lives, i.e. Karma through our Thoughts, Speech and Actions.

Although we have no control over the karmic fruits, we are given the choice to choose our actions. Every moment in life is a choice and we are allowed to make a decision. Then, how can anybody be responsible for the consequences? Most of us make the decision based on our past alone. When each of us is given an opportunity to exercise free will then why should we repeat the same pattern over and over again.

Know that they are your actions and God is not to be blamed. He is not directing your life but has given you the freedom to both write and direct your own life. Gita strongly denies his involvement clearly in Chapter 5, shlok 14 and 15. He states while the Tri-Gunas are doing their job according to their nature, you out of ignorance choose to identify with their work and thus get stuck with the sense of doer-ship. He asserts firmly that both virtuous deeds or otherwise do not involve him.

Na kartṛitvaṁ na karmāṇi lokasya sṛijati prabhuḥ
Na karma phala saṅyogaṁ svabhāvas tu pravartate

Nādatte kasyachit pāpaṁ na chaiva sukṛitaṁ vibhuḥ
Ajñānenāvṛitaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ

This, of course, does not mean that we keep indulging in all activities without bringing any change in our behaviours and then debate that they are nothing but the Gunas in action. Spirituality is about purifying and transcending one’s mind and we should not fool ourselves in the process

And, Self-realization is hard to attain and definitely not a mockery. Now THE MIND has a biased stance towards the body. Until the MIND understands, acknowledges and identifies with the truth after conducting sufficient inquiry into the laws governing the human life, will ‘IT’ attain stability.

Image: On the way to Baba Mandir

Spiritual Stagnation & An Award

First, let me thank the beautiful Shivangi from Multitude Of My Thoughts for the Versatile Blogger award. Her posts depict her beautiful mind.

I am always excited and happy to meet people who have the guts to fight their own demons. It is not easy when you get down to understanding and channelling your mind because it will only serve the One who is worthy to be its master. I have great respect for those who dare to tread this path and blogging has allowed me to meet such fantastic people.

She is one among them. Trying to get a hold and looking inward for answers. You should visit her blog to see how a 20-year-old is striving to achieve a balance in life. Link below

https://multitudeofmythoughts.wordpress.com

While my posts always reflect what I am working on however that doesn’t mean that I always get the things right. I commit blunders on the way. Although, my mind is happily married to me but like any good marriage it took time and work. So, I thought sharing good times alone may not be right 😉

When we experience a ‘state’ that we are unable to maintain after a while, it gets frustrating. There would be an invisible battle between faith and patience and while that happens that state reappears yet wouldn’t stay. It keeps enticing us until we unbecome and attain spiritual maturity.

I am sharing what I learnt during those times and how to avoid it…

• When the disagreements are strong, it is better to listen. Do not suppress it or start meditating. OBSERVE and LISTEN to the blabber and you will see it coming back.
• Don’t try to talk somebody’s faith into IT if you haven’t personalised for IT during good times.
• If you want IT to follow a scripture, make IT fall in love with it. Only then, Shastras will work like conscious suggestion bringing it back on the path.
• Identify unhealthy patterns and work to overcome. Depending on the severity, I recommend not trying to overcome them overnight. Slowly but consciously build the desired behaviour and IT will be motivated when it sees small success.
• Teach IT to be flexible. It is absurd if we make IT rigid and narrow. IT should change to evolve. Whenever IT says, my beliefs, my opinions, I am always right etc.Understand who is saying it, and while IT is saying it, observe ..
• Lastly, if you feel stagnated then stop postponing and start rebuilding. Remember YOU are THAT and nothing can take that away. You are just learning to be YOU.

If we stop observing others and start observing our Mind then ultimately IT would take us to its source.

We are visiting Gangtok, Sikkim. The image is the breathtaking view on the way to the mystique Tsomgo Lake.

JAYA Quotes…

In this cauldron fashioned from Delusion, with the Sun as Fire and Day and Night as kindling Wood, the Months and Seasons as the Ladle for stirring, Time (or Death) cooks all Beings.                                      ——Mahabharatam