What should be my question?

Few years ago, we got the news of Puri Sahib's tour in Bangalore. As an act of encouragement to the youth, we were offered a session where Puri Ji would answer any questions young children would like to ask. I could notice how excited friends were, who wanted to ask so many things from an experienced elder who was like a mentor to each one of us. 
I too wanted to use this opportunity to learn from this soul be it through a Q & A session. However there was a problem.

The problem was I didn't know what to ask - despite spending time in thinking, I could not get hold of any question that would be 'just' appropriate to ask Puri Ji. Most of the questions made no sense, some questions I wasn't sure if were appropriate for the gathering - I was just "question-less". 

I could not decide what would be better in this situation? To ask some question for the sake of asking or let go this wonderful opportunity. In this state of indecisiveness, I rang up a saint for consultation. I explained the situation to her and then asked "What should be my question?".

In her usual composed state she started, " Sunil Ji, You know now instead of thinking what to ask anyone else, I have started to wonder on what could be asked of me. I don't know how to answer if asked that Love was taught to you, why didn't you follow it? You were reminded that forgiveness is important, why did you ignore it? I get worried on what would I reply...."

Our phone conversation continued for another few minutes before call was disconnected.

She didn't suggest a question, neither did she discourage me from asking one but gave me another frame for looking at the same situation. Needless to add that I dropped the idea of asking any question.

I wonder if some day some one would ask me the same question, "What should be my question?"....but definitely this is how I would like to answer.

He introduced Dad!

One of the saints who had come to offer his condolences on Dad's passing away started talking of his experiences with Dad. He mentioned, that one day he requested Dad to accompany him for a satsang program in some distant village. To his surprise Dad refused. Saint tried hard to convince Dad to accompany, also tried to know the reason for Dad's reluctance in accompanying but Dad :), Dad gave some strange reasons. After too much pressure from this saint, Dad agreed to accompany however asked the saint to pray that in Sangat one particular mahapursh doesn't come.
This was second surprise to saint, why would anyone pray that some particular mahapursh should not come to sangat. Anyhow, both of them went to sangat. Surprisingly, the mahapursh that Dad did not want to meet didn't come for Sangat. On way back, the saint who accompanied Dad, again asked why Dad was initially reluctant? why praying for mahapursh's absence? Finally Dad opened his mouth that the mahapursh he didnt want to meet was his old acquaintance who had once borrowed some amount of money from Dad. Due to poor financial state, this mahapursh never had managed to repay the sum even in 20ish years. So Dad was intentionally trying to avoid crossing this mahapursh, because he didnt want mahapursh to carry an impression, that in cover of sangat Dad was there to ask for his money. Dad's reluctance and prayers were to ensure that the mahapursh doesnt spoil the bliss in sangat due to some weird and false assumption.

Listening the incident obviously there was a sense of pride; to be born out of such person. However, eyes had tears when the saint continued to speak "Paise jinhone wapis dene hote hai unko lendaaro se chhipte bada dekha hai, aise pehli baar dekhe jinhone paise lene the aur woh paise dene walo se chhip rahe the".

Thankyou Babaji for 'this' Dad!

CONTENTMENT

While reading monthly magazine, I came across this word few hours ago. Thoughts took me back to the trip I had had in 2007 to Pune Mumbai. I landed in Pune from Bangalore and after spending a day or so, I and many youngsters made our way to Mumbai to attend Huzur's program. We all were together throughout the day in Pune, in journey and also through out the samagam. However our journey's back home were not together. They had to return back to Pune and I had to continue my onward journey. As samagam got over and everyone started to disperse, I kept coming across more saints from Mumbai. However saints from Pune stood at one side. While I was trying to attend more and more saints, I couldnt remove my eyes from one of the saints with whom I had travelled to Mumbai. It appeared that all of the Pune youngsters were getting late for their return but seeing I was busy, they stood aside not disturbing me. Time passed but nothing changed, I kept meeting more saints. Finally I saw all pune youngsters started to leave without saying a word. I wanted to bid them a bye, but wasnt able to interrupt the discussions I was having with Mumbai saints. Eyes said bye to each other. After some time, when I got a chance I rang one of the saints, asking her, actually complaining her "You didnt wait to say me a bye". A humble and sweet voice replied, "Bhaiya, I too wanted to say bye but saw that you were meeting saints here. We all were together for past two days, I think we all have had chance to spend time with you, now its turn for Mumbai saints to have your company. Even they should get your time".

Not to talk of the respect she showed for a co-follower, her contentment has always touched my heart. Till date if someone asks me of contentment, this is what I share.

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”.

Onions

Just 4 days ago my roommate returned to India. These days it’s just me who has to cook for dinner and eat. With him I had to eat onions daily which I disliked. But he was fond of onions; in all dishes he would put onions. I don’t hate onions it’s just that for these 27-28 years I haven’t been able to appreciate onions. Today when I went downstairs for cooking, I was happy. After 4-5 months I would eat dinner cooked without onions. I had to prepare dinner just for self & now no one who would ask me to cut onions and use those chopped onions for dal/sabzi/rajma etc. I was happy. I couldn’t believe that the first thing I put in Paneer Sabzi was onions. All the taste developed in onion-less years changed in just 4 months. I felt that the dish won’t be as delicious if cooked without onion. My thought is not of onion but of my roommate. Rightly was & is said, company matters a lot. For these 4 months I kept company of someone who liked onion and I started liking onion despite the fact that I disliked them since birth.
I believe that’s what spiritual texts say when those mention, if you want to know about God, ask from the one who knows god. He would help you realize this Almighty which is hidden since these many years or even janams. It doesn’t matter how long one has lived without realization of God, but one touch from such God Realised soul makes you fall in love with God, with 24*7 hours contact. This Almighty has always been here and infront, whom to search then ? Search for the one who can help you realize this one.
Rightly said by the prophet, ‘Kismat’ means “Kis ki mat lete ho”. Company shapes your destiny. A perfume cannot give a smell of poison, so does the opposite. I now am able to appreciate my parents for their teachings, “choose your friends wisely”. All my friends have shaped my life till date, be it good habits or bad ones, I have picked all from the ones who were around me. For all those people who believed that earth was flat, earth was flat, but that didn’t change the shape of earth. Only once they made a company of person who said earth is round, did the reality come into existence.
I never knew what depth does word “love you” carried until I actually came in contact with someone who taught me what love means though I had heard about Love and often denied its existence. From this small life till date I have just understood all technological fundamentals I have learnt have come from the texts,teachers of that subject. However I should also add the practical experiments stood far ahead of what all I read in textual books. Only once I did experiments in practical , I understood what those texts were saying.
Well I remember solving questions in Mathematics. After struggling for hours, someone would share with me a simplified method of doing it. And thank God, I would then shift to the easier method. I think advisable is to do things in simplified manner. The longer method may be able to lead to same answer but chances of getting struck in middle are too many. Like the Nirma ad we saw in childhood days, “jab wahi mehnge daamo waali safaai kamm daamo mein mile, to koi woh kyun le, yeh na le ?”.