These days with Morrie!

My old professor, meanwhile, was stunned by the normalcy of the day around him. Shouldn’t the world stop? Don’t they know what has happened to me? But the world did not stop, it took no notice at all, and as Morrie pulled weakly on the car door, he felt as if he were dropping into a hole. Now what? he thought.

Tuesday’s with Morrie …hmm…

While watching Morrie's videos, my ears did hear this line without any extra attention. As soon as Morrie came to know about his illness and approaching death, this was the first reaction he had.

And story at this end

Travelling back to India for wedding…Shouldn’t England come to a halt? Don’t they know what is going to happen to me? But seems everything is same around…Earth rotating at same speed... Sun rays approaching at same speed… The world hasn’t stopped.

It appears that in last few days, I have been too demanding for people around. I need to remind myself often that its “I” who is getting married or shifting places, not everyone… while I gear up for a change in my life, the life around will not stop. It has to run with same speed!

But then why did the lyricist write – lagta hai saare sansar ki shaadi hai :-) ?

Questions and Jokes apart, I have been wondering about His setup. In one sense world doesn’t change with changes in your life, but at the same time, world and you are undergoing same experience – kya Jhakkas setup hai !!

इक नुक्ता यार पढाया ऐ !!

Two days ago I was sitting in the project update meeting and all of a sudden something happened. My thoughts shook me - where am I sitting? White skin, blonde hair, different tongue, strange dresses ... where am I? My eyes went around in all directions - I am surrounded by people who are so different. Who are these? Natasha, Matt, Mike, Bob ... each face seems so different from mine. Skin texture, Hair style, Dialogue delivery...nothing is common between the people I see here and myself. Oh my God !!
I wasnt seeing those faces for the first time. For past 600-700 days, I have been seeing the same faces again and again but never ever realised these are so different from mine. Oh my God ...

It took a moment to return back to my senses - thank you Babaji. For all these days I have lived with these people, and never ever felt out of place. Natasha, Matt...all of these have been members of my family. I still can't digest when Natasha tied Rakhi to me. Natasha, my reporting manager from client side, has been sharing love of a sister. Friday only we were sitting together where she mentioned - Sunil, you never have been a contractor for us. We have worked with you as a permanent member of staff.

Babaji - thank you ! You and your strange ways are beyond my intellect and thoughts. People fight for colors of the skin, but with your eyes there is no different color only color that matters is red. People fight for every second difference, but with your understanding there is no difference big enough to create a wall between human and another human. I don't know what have you done to my life and thoughts but still thanks. The love that you share is often taken for granted but still its your grace that you continue pouring same love on me. Thank you Babaji !

Rightly do they say, Ek nukta yaar padhaaya ae, Ek nukte wich gal mukdi ae....

Anna Lake - Meet at 9:10 AM

I had this last minute meeting request from Anna L today morning. Anna L is on senior management side and is often talked when there are discussions being held on key stake holders of the project. Almost a year on this project but I never came across her in person. Not until today – but today I did.

As soon as I entered the meeting room, I could see both familiar and not yet familiar faces – Matt, Sam, Natasha, Brian, lady with whom I have shared smiles and jokes, gentleman with white beard, another lady with curly hair, elderly gentleman and others. As meeting started I was introduced to Anna L, and here she was – a person whose name I had been hearing for past one year was in front of me. Thank you Matt for introducing me to her! We shook hands and smiled – You are Anna! Sunil this is you! No one could understand what was going on. This lady I have known for past two years now- we have exchanged smiles, culture talks, sweets, PJs. Never did I dream that she would be Anna – I have met her so many times before this meeting happened but never realized who she was. After today’s meeting too, we met again but honestly this time meeting her was more pleasure – pleasure beyond words!

Aaha ! Bulleh Shah –

“Bulleya Rabb Da Ki Paunna, Aedheron Puttanna Tae Oudarr Launna.”
“O Bulleh Shah, what’s the big deal to Attain God, simple as plucking from here and planting there.”

I quoted Bulleh Shah’s lines to Naveen other day. Naveen was asking do souls who don’t believe in God achieve salvation. As usual I began – “This depends on the giver of salvation, I am no one to comment. It’s the decision that lies in hands of the giver but if you ask me I don’t think that the non-believers are any different.” Our discussions went further thereon, “Whether we realize this is God or not, God is God and He is what He is. People might use one name or the other, accept or reject religion, may believe in God, or don’t believe in God, call Him consciousness, call Him unknown, call Him energy, call Him supreme, or do whatever – nothing is changing. He meets and governs me every moment irrespective of whether I acknowledge His presence. It’s the same journey we all make – you may see me different from yourself but who knows you would experience today what I’d do tomorrow. As I understand, paths are not parallel- they are very much serial. Things are so simple, complexities are just because we haven’t known the Entity we are worshipping or hearing about. Knowledge of God is the answer to all delusions and its not that tough at all. If attaining God was so tough why would saints like Bulleh Shah speak like this? Probably one hasnt come across this simple solution or is not ready to pick it up, probably because its human nature not to accept Simple things.”

Not sure if Naveen understood what I meant but now I have something to speak with him tomorrow taking Anna’s example. Being non-believer doesn’t mean one hasn’t dealt with Anna….oops I mean God. To me a non-believer interacts with God equal number of times as does a believer - it’s just that one might not have realised who and where God is. Once someone like Matt becomes the way, Anna would no longer remain just a name and then soul will definitely sing – “ Bulleya Rabb Da Ki Paunna, Aedheron Puttanna Tae Oudarr Launna”.

Guru Vs Guru

As time nears my wedding date, I have started giving more ears to what the experienced have to say. Not long ago, we were sitting in Hayes at Soniya Di’s place where she was mentioning about the pride a wife takes in her husband. “Bhaiya, irrespective of the caliber that her husband carries, a woman considers her man to be the crown of her head. Things change after marriage, earlier you can make fun of your friends but as soon as they get married, you’ll notice the difference. You crack the same joke as before, husband might not feel offended but wife won’t be able to tolerate that because her husband is her pride”.

I did notice this behavior thereafter. So beautifully this pride rests in women that I couldn’t resist relating this to my spiritual journey. I feel this is also true to every human. Irrespective of the level of correctness of my belief system, I am so attached to my beliefs. Like a wife who takes pride in her husband, I too take pride in my beliefs. The only friends wife has made are the one’s who have accepted wife with her husband. This behavior I think everyone understands, but don’t know why this doesn’t get replicated in spiritual journeys? A lady might take pride in her own husband but at the same time is cautious about understanding the pride woman opposite her is taking. Don’t know why people fail to implement this spiritually?

X who believes God is everywhere can’t tolerate Y who is trying to see God in his Guru. I cannot accept or offer respect to someone’s Guru but doesn’t mean my God is absent in his Guru. Don’t know why this gets missed, If I admire my mentor similarly does he admire his mentor. I believe this simple thought can prevent Guru Vs Guru fights going around.

Come In

I watching Madagascar other day and there came this scene which I
could relate to my life. There stood a Giraffe proposing Hippo, "Its
neither doctor's prescriptions nor any medicine that has kept me
alive. I am alive just by seeing you." Mr. Giraffe seemed to describe
my story too, not love story but my soul's story.
I don't know how you have decided for others but for me I can sum up
it's just you. It's just your presence that has kept me alive. Neither
any caliber nor any understanding of the texts I had but thy grace
still surrounded and surrounds me. It is your grace that life
experiences what seems to be enclosed in those unread texts.
Often when I hear these lines, thoughts connect to you again-

Tujh bin jeena, bhi kya jeena
Teri chaukhat mera Madina
Kahin aur na Sajda gawaara

Enlightened ones wrote somewhere for you, "Mainu yaar manaudo fursat
nahi, dasso rab nu manaawa kis welley" Not different from the
expressions that came in "Gur Gobind, dono khadhe, kaake laagu paaye.
Balhaari Gur aapne jis Gobind diyo bataaye". Such is thy grace.

I don't deny when people speak that teacher appears when student
becomes ready but for my life I would say that when teacher had to
appear, he got student ready. I don't know when I made sincere knock
at your door but what I recall from this birth, I have seen you
standing at open door and asking me to come in.

"I do not choose the best, rather the best chooses me. Had it been
upto me, I surely would have missed thee."

Cześć Kochanie

Today morning, I opened Facebook to send birthday wishes to Aga. Then a thought flashed of doing this in Polish instead of English. I looked for translation and then sent it to her - wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin ! I was a bit skeptical if it conveyed the exact message but somehow sent it across.

Few hours ago I returned from dinner and saw her thanks note! Surprising indeed ! She wrote - aapakaa bahut bahut dhanyavaad :)

After reading her reply I am sure that my wish did convey her the right message - message that you as a person are more valuable to me than my own language !

She's Jhalli .. Guru's Jhalli !!

Days ago, I caught hold of this sister at B'mgham bhawan. I just had come out of the Namaskar line after seeking Babaji's blessings. 'Did you do Namaskar?' I checked with her.
To this she humbly replied - 'Bhaiya, I did not do Namaskar, I have had enough chances.'

I was thinking perhaps she had done it on Monday so didn't want to it again on UK trip. But later she clarified that she had done namaskar in Austria, and even after getting 4-5 chances in UK to do namaskar she had let go those opportunities. Sounded a bit strange to me - I would have understood her refusal on 2nd, 3rd or 4th opportunity but couldnt digest her refusal for all the opportunities even the very first. The mystery seemed to deepen when she said - 'Bhaiya, by doing namaskar here I didnt want to spoil the memories of the blessings I have had in Austria'.

Not sure if I could show any signs of confusion before she started unwinding her thoughts - 'Bhaiya, when I was standing in Queue in Austria, dont know why but all of sudden my thoughts changed. Earlier I stood there, thinking of some tasks, assignments but dont know when my thoughts just changed to gratitude for Babaji. The change that my life has had after His teachings. The only thought in my mind was to thank Babaji, and it seemed that Babaji too approved those thoughts because the memories I have at present are still afresh. But here in UK, I have had these many chances to do namaskar again, but every time my mind is full with some other thoughts, not experiencing gratitude for Him. And I feel this would be a wasted opportunity, if I bow down to Him thinking something else. Doing Namaskar like this would make no difference than me standing still watching Him. I dont want to spoil those memories where my mind was in complete surrenderance, to which He too reciprocated.'

Then we changed the topic of discussion, but inside I knew my thoughts were held. Her talks were not complete non-sense to me for they reflected something which I too have experienced. I dont know how she achieved this state, or is it required to copy this style of namaskar....but more than that I do need to copy this art of doing things and enjoying them at the same time. I guess this is a human tendency to do things at times even though when one is not fully present ...but art is to learn how to BE THERE.