What is your Religion?

I must have been a small child when I first heard this word, Religion. The only line that I had heard & picked up about religion was, Religion unites and never divides. However as I went to educational institutes, I again saw this word Religion in the line “What’s your religion?” Every second form that I have filled since then asks about my religion. To be honest, I always felt perplexed. Not because I never owned a religion, but the fact that I could not differentiate one from the other. I always questioned myself, what makes me more of one religious background and not of any other background?
Well about my actual background - My spiritual had guide introduced me to a formless friend to play with, to study with, to fight with, to laugh with, to cry with and to do everything with. Knowing this formless friend has been the only reason that unites me with other beings on the planet. So the religion that had united me with rest beings was the actual religion I tried to follow. And as far as I am aware all religions speak of unity. So in nut shell I tried to follow all the religions or call it one single religion of Universal Brotherhood. Hence were the confusions while filling those paper forms.
These days I am in UK. I again hear the same question when I sit with client representatives. Amidst other talks this topic often comes and I generally face this question, “So what is your religion? “ Same happened last time when I was sitting with Steve, an expert on one system. I was again confused to answer. The reply he expected was something like Hindu. However I could speak, “I am trying to follow religion of Universal brotherhood.” He wasn’t sure what I meant. Going further, something slipped out of my mouth “I am trying to follow your religion “. He heard and smiled.
I too smiled after his smile. I had found the long awaited simple answer which everyone would understand. I have had people around who were keen on their religion being the only religion. Then there were some other friends who were okay with others even if others had some different religious faith. And here comes the final lot who understands the real meaning of religion and treats other’s religion as its own.

You are Lucky !

I remember once this sister from US sent me this comment. Probably she had commented this after reading one of the emails on Divine Souls. "Sunil ji, You are Lucky because you are in India".
Well the same moment, I felt that she had written this coz she had been out of India for quite many years, and was missing her family back in India. However, I didnt ask her what made her say this. Today, when I met this small girl's mother in Cambridge. She was mentioning how the society had laid restrictions on her so that she doesnt harm her children in any form. Post this she also praised Sheetal for the upbringing that Disha has. And Sheetal spoke the same thing many a times, Its because we are Indians.
We are Indians, You are lucky you are in India. India, the nation I was born in. With pride for the nation, I always felt its some thing else also which has made Sunil a Sunil. I cannot skip mentioning teachings what mission had laid in me. Thanks Babaji, for giving me birth in India where my childhood didnt have any 999 to dial for a rescue operation incase my parents gave me a slap to teach me how to differentiate between right and wrong.

Listening

I am very often reminded of the conversation that my roommate and I had some months ago; It went something like this – ‘Sunil ji, its 10M pixel’ ‘Sound Quality should be okay’ ‘Optical zoom 6x, hmm..Not bad’ ‘Will Apple be a good deal?’ ‘It’s quite cheap, Canon is nice company’ ‘How about getting speakers along with this?’ I had asked my roommate to find some deals for buying a good camera. While he was telling me various options available online, I was asking him to search for some iPod deals as well. To be honest, I remember this incident every time I see pictures clicked by friends with their cameras. I wish I had listened to my roommate and finalized some deal that day ! Active Listening !!

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 ?”.

4 mins

I was sitting with saints after sangat got over for today. I did realize in between that time for my bus' departure was getting closer. However thinking that saints are going to drop me in their car to the bus stop I took a loose stand, and kept enjoying the chit chat that was going. Just some time before the departure I got up and got into saint's car. Saint mentioned that he cannot drop me to the bus station for some reasons however he would happy to drop me at a convenient point from where on I can continue traveling to Bus Station.

I had already got late, and had no option other than following what saint had to say. I reached Bus Station but a little late. I had got late by 4 mins. I checked the next bus' timings. The one where I could fit in was 4 hours from then. I really regretted getting late by just 4 mins which made me wait for 4 hours. A sheer wastage of time.

At the same time, I remembered my friends, my dear ones who have heard about the message but for some reasons, may be not fully convinced are ready to risk their futures for some chit chats that keep them busy at present. 4 mins delays caused 4 hours wait time. This is not with the life though. I knew next bus would be there after 4 hours and will have seat vacant for me. But in life, who knows when the breaths stop, and when is the next bus that would take them along...

Babaji, bless that your message gets heard and understood. May people understand that each 4 minutes slot, rather each millisecond counts. Let all understand that these chit chats wont have end, at one moment they all would have to rise and walk for the destination.

When blessings are being seeked for others, I cannot stand apart. May I also understand your message in real spirit. Let me also not forget that my life too comprises of these small small moments which I keep on wasting for some reason or the other.

14th February

Her eyes I still remember. Two glowing eyes, greenish in color, held inside a body that would be around 6 years of age. She had made a move to hug me but something kept me aloof. I kept my hand on her head as if giving my wishes to her; she accepted the blessings from her elder. And I moved from there after that. Later realizing what I had done.
I had gone to a Family Contact Centre here in Swindon on Saturday. It was advertised that volunteers are needed in Child Centre and those interested may visit the local branch office. During my visit to the centre, I came to know that a Child Contact Centre is a meeting place where children of separated families can enjoy contact with one (or both) parents, and sometimes other family members, in a comfortable and safe environment where there is no viable alternative. Well, I wasn’t much happy to see the kind of job I was being offered. But somehow, I gathered the basic details and then made a plan to make a move. Before I could I move, I recalled I had carried some chocolates in my pocket for children whom I expected to see there. There were no children but only volunteers who were aged 60-65, I offered them few chocolates. Before they could eat those chocolates, this girl appeared from nowhere. She was then followed by her younger brother perhaps and father. I was told that this divorced person was there to meet his children who were living with their mother. I offered one piece of chocolate to Elizabeth, the girl I mentioned earlier. She in thanks made a move to hug me but something kept me aloof. I kept my hand on her head as if giving my wishes to her; she accepted the blessings from her elder. And I moved from there after that. Later realizing I had missed an opportunity to reciprocate a sincere feeling of nothing other than love.
As I was moving away from the Centre, I was being reminded of my act again and again. How could I un-see an act of sincere love, which a small child was eagerly waiting to share?
However the story doesn’t start here. It probably began when I was born. Since then I have been continuing to do similar acts. For reasons known or unknown, I have missed many opportunities. Opportunities to offer my love for the people whom I have come across. Opportunities to reciprocate the love that others have given me. As people around waited for 14th February to express the love for their beloveds, I too was waiting to see if I can think of at least 14 people whom I have loved sincerely from the core of my heart since I was born. I fail to do so. Where every one’s expectations are for love thy neighbor, I am still trying to love the ones who have entered same roof. Seeking your blessings, to be able to sincerely love those around.

Satguru hi Ameer hai...

Just saw Taare Zameen Par. Somewhere how it relates to real life, and the setup as unveiled so far. Amir comes to rescue a specially blessed. Satguru, Babaji seems to be the special one who understands all of us though similar souls but still have been packed with different needs at the same time. Where people stand expecting all to be on similar grounds. He understands..all of us are different. He knows we wud die if not fed but some eat with water, for some oil has to be fatless to the extent possible.
But He's satguru, probably if people like me too wud have been broadminded, we wud understand elastics react differently to similar stresses. Bakshna Babaji.
Let me understand how special every one is to have been touched by you in your special way. Guess complete spirituality wud revolve around this learning, love ... wat ever we talk. It comes to one point soul and soul .... and soul... and the super soul.
One particular line also caught attention, It went something like baaki sabmein to usko sirf pass hona hai, uski asli manzil to kuch aur hai.