Law of Opposites and Yoga Nidra

How are we affected by the law of opposites. Prince Ram in the Yog Vasistha said to Sage Vashisht that he did not long to live and he did not long to die. He remained neutral about life as well as about death. Duality exists around us and there is uncharted space which Krishna describes as being free from opposites.

The karma yogis, who neither desire nor hate anything, should be considered always renounced. Free from all dualities, they are easily liberated from the bonds of material energy. – Gita 5.3

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To be a Sthithaprajna

A person steady wisdom.

Sthithaprajna means one whose intelligence is fixed on self-realization or one who is fixed in wisdom. It describes a state of inner calmness, equanimity and detachment from external influences. In the context of the Bhagwad Gita it means one is not affected by the ups and downs of life. One is detached from the fruit of action. One performs one’s duties, only focusing on the action itself.

What are the qualities of a Sthithaprajna?

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Understanding Anger and managing it

The Bhagwad Gita gives the best description of Anger, and chanting a mantra is the cure.

Krishna says:

Anger leads to
Complete delusion or loss of judgment.
From delusion, memory is bewildered.
When this happens, intelligence gets lost.
And the person falls in this chain of events.
When we act in anger, Krodha vegam,
we do things that we regret later.

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Food and its impact on us

This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this aint normal. – Joel Salatin, a farmer who lectures on food.

What is our takeaway from this? Food must be partaken with awareness. We must respect it and must not indulge in waste. I have a story for you, dear ones. It is the custom in India in some of the villages to seek the help of the local villagers. Continue reading

My distracted mind

Those who collect strings of attachment
With mother, father, relations, sons, wife,
Body, wealth, house, friends and family,
Make a rope out of them and tie it to my feet,
Those who are impartial, having no desires,
In whose heart there is no place
For happiness and sorrows, courage and fear.
Such bhaktas reside in my heart,
In the same manner as riches
Reside in the heart of a greedy man. – Ramacharitamanas

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The earth laughs in flowers

How do flower colors influence us? There are different interpretations for colors.

White flowers are associated with weddings and funerals. In China the white blossom of the orange tree is the traditional wedding flower. The orange blossom flower is also used in the wedding bouquet and crown in Italy and Spain. The orange blossom flower is singled out because the orange tree bears flowers and fruits at the same time. Continue reading

Be in the moment and laugh

Examine yourself if you are serious and unsmiling. Why are you like that? Observe a child playing a game and shouting, or just laughing. You can do the same. Stop trying to understand everything around you. Look at the magic, a spider’s web with dew drops in it. Sunlight going through them, and you can see a rainbow. Continue reading