Everything is one!

I find only one similarity between right & wrong, God & ghosts, different religions - all of these exist but as one.

Just like everyone else, I have my principles, discipline and opinions. I, of course don't like it if someone questions them nor do I like it if someone says they are wrong! I won't give up on my principles nor will I rebuke someone who doesn't think the same way. But is there something called "wrong" in the first place? Why can't two people with different opinions be right at the same time? Or actually why can't they be wrong at the same time?! Why should we be highly opinionated? Can't we stop to give others the benefit of doubt?

I am a person who believes in God and ghosts. One of my friends stated that it's easy for people to believe in God but not ghosts. But how is it possible to believe in one and not the other? If Gods exist in the form of spirits so do ghosts. Babaji is said to be a great saint residing in The Himalayas. He left his body but his soul is supposedly still present. Shirdi Sai lived as a great saint and millions of people are still his devotees and they experience miracles till date. All these miracles that are experienced are the acts of the spirits of the Great ones. When people can believe in the spirits/souls of these Mahatmas who were mortals, why can't people believe that there can be spirits/souls of ordinary mortals as well?

Being an Indian, I am proud of the fact that only in India, one can find diversity in the form of religion or caste or language. It may sound weird to people who are against the caste system. But why can't we see the beautiful side of it for a change? Each of the religions/castes has a very unique tradition. The food, the dress, the functions, the language, everything is unique. For that matter, every state in India has people following unique traditions. I don't think I would be able to learn and understand even half of it in my lifetime. Amongst all these diversities is a unity -unity in the belief system. I can't help but notice the fact that there is a common belief in all the religions - peace and love. "Serve humanity", "Love one another". Isn't that what is taught in all religions? Religion came into being to establish a code of discipline and to bring peace to humanity. Lord Krishna preached about God being one and he restored peace in Brindavan. Muhammed Prophet preached that God is one and also restored peace by eradicating slavery. Jesus Christ preached about Love for humanity and it's told that he was a miraculous healer. All these religions have different customs but don't they all send the same message? Didn't they all come into being for a cause? Why is there a conflict between religions? What is the point in fighting for caste/religion/state?

Being right or wrong is very subjective and what is right to me may seem wrong to somebody else. They exist in only one form, the form which one would like to take. I haven't seen God nor have I seen ghosts but I do know that there is no good or bad ghost, just like there is no good God or bad God. Its how one perceives spirits. As Bhagadvad Gita says, everything comes from God. Whether great souls or ordinary spirits, they all come from God. All religions have a basic and an underlying message- to extend peace and love to humanity. The people who have got the preaching of Bhagadvad Gita, Quran or The Bible all distorted will never be able to appreciate or understand the beauty that exists in all religions.

In the chaotic race of different people with different opinions, principles, beliefs, cultures, languages and religions, we can find a ray of hope - the ray of unity in diversity, the mutual love and respect for the human race. Nothing will seem wrong anymore because everything is one in the end.

The Chord of the Hearts

Sun shines in the warm golden fields,
Butterflies encircle, colored wings flutter.
Exquisite, gentle notes whisper to the heart,
Blissful faces share beaming smiles.
Eyes gleam, arms clasp,
Harmony and peace entwine,
Music and Love is in the air.
A release of soulful wanting,
Rhythmic beats and lyrical crescendos heard.
The skies unfold and Angels bless,
From Darkness to Light,
Sweet sweet freedom felt!
A new life, a beautiful path found,
To Him, She belongs. Forever!

Dedicated to : StarGazer

Echoes in the garden

The summer breeze brought in the fresh aroma of roses and violets. Bright rays from the western horizon fingered through the coconut trees and formed dark shadows of the woman seated on the bamboo chair. Her long hair turned a beautiful golden as the sun started to set, her legs tucked into the pleated silk skirt, her eyes reflecting pools of mixed emotions, she made a pretty sight. Miss G was oblivious to the beauty that she exuded. Nothing was beautiful to her anymore, not without him. She braced herself for the familiar ache of exhaustion to take over. Nothing was the same anymore. The water splashed softly from the small fountain in the garden where she had always been able to find peace when she had felt the need to seek life in a strange way she had never sought to explain or question. But there was no magic today and no answer. Peace seemed to elude her, despair set in, she squeezed her eyes shut and wished everything would just turn out to be a nightmare. Recalling the good times hurt too much. It brought back flooding memories, stunning and intense that threatened to overwhelm her response.

She saw a tall dark figure move on the other side of her house. She watched as he walked up and down the lawn of his house deep in thought. A dark shadow formed around her hiding her among the trees and he couldn't see her watching him. She sighed as she watched him. Had it all started when she moved to his neighborhood or was it when he introduced himself in the best poetic way possible or was it when they bumped into each other more often? The night was growing into her and the birds wheeled in the dark clouds and sang a strange song that added to her melancholy.

Meeting him everyday was inevitable. It was never difficult to spot him in the crowd. He would be there, a tall dark soul looming with confidence and attitude. She blamed herself for getting close to a man who has become a stranger now. A stranger who was her best friend, a stranger who taught her everything and a stranger who now reminded her of all the things that she wanted to forget. Just a few words away, a few calls away, so close but so far away, Miss G lost count of the number of times she wondered if her resolve was right. But she had made plans and she knew that she would get through this. She looked up at the dark sky and wondered why destiny had to play a cruel game in her life, her head fell to her knees hugging herself, she resigned to the fact that nothing can change destiny.

The distant sound of the church bell indicated the strike of the hour. She shivered and shifted uneasily. Her neighbor's illuminated home intimidated her more and she wondered what made him so happy. Miss G walked back to her home with a heavy heart still foundering in old emotions, darkness swept her into the world of loneliness.

Swim like the Bluegill

I feel like a Bluegill, sensitive to all the vicious things that happen around yet tolerate them and continue swimming through it all. Babyhood saw the Bluegill in a small tank, well protected with no worries. It grew up, got transported to a bigger tank that taught it to live with other species. Now its the ocean, where its learning to live with some real deadly creatures, treading carefully, not trusting easily yet swimming with confidence and expertise amongst many hurdles. It doesn't know how much bigger the ocean is gonna get, how many deadly creatures or friendly aliens its gonna meet.

Long time ago, a friend of mine told me that it's okay to get scared sometimes coz it gets your adrenaline pumping hard. That was such a crazy thing to say then but in a way it's true. The swimming will be fun, a risky sort of fun. Sometimes I wish the "Beauty and the Beast" miracle would happen that would turn the Bluegill into a Tortoise. The Bluegill would rise from the ocean as a Tortoise, jump to the forbidden land, hidden in a quiet shell knowing that there is much more to Life than just the Ocean.

To the place of happiness

Weekend comes and goes, Monday is the day typically filled with people feeling so blue. Naturally, Monday being Monday it can't be otherwise. One of the monotonous cliched rituals followed by people is asking "so how are you?" (I have never understood why "so" is used when everyone is just about trying to strike a conversation for the 1st time in the week or was it Friday a few seconds ago??) followed by "how was the weekend?" and the answer to that would always vary between two extremes "sleep, eat, TV" to "I was hanging out with friends". If it’s the latter, some would gush in saying "ooooh!! Where did you go???" Whether it has something to do with the phrase "hang out" or "friends" one never knows, but the "place" of meeting is of prime importance that kindles the interest to the listener. Well, maybe in a way the place does matter if the meeting is for a specific reason. It makes people who meet feel comfortable or, if its for the same cause it unites the group or, it helps in sharing similar tastes. But what I realized is, the "place" doesn't really matter as long as it’s with the person you like sharing (I refrain from saying spending) your time. The past couple of weekends have been good, meeting some old friends and some others who are dearest to me, catching up with gossips and nostalgic events or just being together for that moment on that day. I didn't for once care where we went, what we ate, where we sat or where we walked, everything just happened the right way at the right time. The very fact that we were meeting felt more exciting than anything else. So much to tell but so little told, hours of non-stop talking and giggling, sometimes silence speaking volumes, pleasant welcoming silence that. I would never be able to pen down the happiness that filled my heart, though I might try in the future, I know it'll be a long long way down the lane until I experience anything close to it again. But when the day comes, if someone asks me "Where did you go??" I would say, "To the place of happiness"....

Revolving minds

I remember reading about how people feel sleepy after lunch. Reason: there is an influx of glucose after a heavy lunch which prevents the nerve cells from sending alert signals to the brain to keep awake. This reason was quite consoling when I had a similar attack to my brain today. I was browsing through some of the mails I received with a groggy feeling when I found one of them really intriguing. It was about some of the famous skyscrapers constructed across the world. One of them would be the world's first revolving tower (A spinning Skyscraper) once its erected as planned in Dubai. Its no ordinary skyscraper for the fact that each of the floors of the tower will be revolving on its axis.
Of course this tower would be revolving at a speed that wouldn't be felt by the people inside. But wouldn't it be great if all the floors in a building revolve at a speed which would make people wonder where they were a few seconds back?? Especially if its utilized as a working place, it would make life more interesting with computers and cabins moving all around the place and if a person happens to move away from his seat for a second, chances are that he would have to go on a merry-go-round search to get back. With the architectural advancements, one wouldn't be surprised if a combination of "Leaning Tower of Pisa" and "The Revolving Tower" is constructed with everything and everyone leaning and revolving, and people still sane.

The Sky-Life

Today was a rainy day. The moment I got out of the coziness of my home, I was greeted by the cold breeze bringing the fresh smell of the damp sands, the tall wet grasses glistening with dewdrops hanging for life and not so willing to leave the slender tips of the green plants, roads filled with puddles of rainwater, small children wearing colorful raincoats waiting for their school buses, the sky so cloudy and gray, everything and everyone unusually quiet. If only today wasn't a weekday, it would have been a perfect day to relax with a mug of coffee reading my favorite novel watching the rain making patterns on the window panes, listening to instrumental music accompanied by an occasional bite on hot pakkodas. As I was unable to do any of these, I did what I like doing best, Sky-Gazing. They say that the universe is made up of five elements: earth, water, air, fire and space. It’s also believed that human bodies are made up of these 5 elements. Whenever I see the vast forms of these 5 elements, Mother Earth with dark brown soil providing the path for our footprints, seas and oceans with tides so high, the powerful winds, fire filled with rage, space the one that surrounds and provides a blanket for us, I can't help but feel small and insignificant. As I was gazing at the wonderful creation, what really caught my eye was the Sky. Sky, the vast, the infinite and the moody. Moody because she is the only one who emotes well. She rises in the morning, yellow, looking beautiful spreading the joy and happiness. Fresh and lustrous, gives the feeling that victory is in the air. She then turns to her much liked role of spreading tranquility, emoting intelligence and calmness by turning blue with patches of white here and there representing her innocence and purity of the soul. She gets ready to retire for the day, but before that becomes reddish orange and dances with joy, love and passion. The stage of mysterious disappearing happens next and Sky turns black and portrays the unknown fear. There are times when Sky gets pessimistic and unsure and those are the times when she is neither black nor white but just gray and cloudy. I see a close resemblance of the Sky to the behavior of humans and I guess that makes the Sky more human than any other creations in the world. Ah, doesn't it make the world a colorful place to live in? :)