Some exerpts from Ashtavakra Gita

I have already absorbed Bhagavad Gita (BG) in my blood, right since I first read in after 12th class. So majority of my decisions were based on the methods suggested in Gita. Its a good book for reading from everyone's perspective, from person of any religion, including atheists, provided that they assume that the things which they consider unbelievable or false can be true or right for someone else. Anyways, that was not the focus of my post here.

I was told about Ashtavakra Gita by Veni, my senior in Samsung. He accidentally met me in Andamans where I and my wife had gone to celebrate our new marriage. He told me that Gita is told by Krishna who was a 'Kushal Rajnitigya...Kushal Kutil Rajnitigya" (Expert Politician, Expert, cunning politician". So Whatever he says is interpreted by the readesr in their own ways, and while reading,  the readers find the solution in their own ways for themselves. Then Gita becomes a very relativistic book, meaning to say that the content of the book are likely to be interpreted differently by different people. So if I want to read an unwavering content that is expected from Bhagvad Gita, I should read Ashtavakra Gita(AG). Ashtavakra was Janak's Guru. Janak was Sita's father. Whatever Ashtavakra told Janak about the Truth, has been mentioned in Ashtavkra Gita.

The content of the AG is almost the same as what I remember in Gita, though the scientific and moral part mentioned in Bhagvad Gita are not mentioned in AG version of what I read.

In AG, the state of a free man has been mentioned. More or less it is the same, except that it does not mention about God. It says that even the God is nothing. And whatever God is, it is in everyone, so when nothing is there, an enlightened man does not go to anywhere in seeking God. He is content in himself. It mentions that even the mind is not a person's. It changes with the environment, and so does the nature of a person. An enlightened man is least interested in all these variations but remains peaceful with all these fluctuations going on around him.

The thing about mind, and the thing about God is what primarily looked to me different from Gita. May be because these two entities are not physically observable, hence in Gita, Krishna did not give any definition about them. Though he said that the mind has to be controlled, and that focus on God is necessary for enlightenment. So they were  open to interpretations, the definitions.

Overall, the new thought that I gained about God, that he does not have to be looked outside, something which many teachings already do, this thought has brought peace. I think it is a matter of time and age that this thought struck me at this point of time.

I would suggest that for a quick extract of BG, AG can be useful. But TO be in that state of mind so that one could understand AG, he has to read BG. :) ;)

तेरे जग का आभारी

नमामि नमामि अहम्

न ते देखा ना हि सुन पाया
पर मन से न तु निकल पाया

बाद में खुद से मिल लीजो
मैं तेरा घर न जान पया

या ते खुद से रसता बता दे
इंतज़ार रहेगा तब तक तेरा

कि भरोसा खो गया हूं
तेरा घर पाने का 

Supernatural powers

I am always attracted by them. Powers which are more than our physical beings. The very idea about them excites me immensely, though I am yet to see any power without body. in this page, a dead friend appears in a metaphysical realm to gift his friend something needed by him.  Pretty exciting!

I wish I come across such powers some time in my life. It's not an unrealistic wish, is it, God ?

noor

There was a small quote in the starting of "Delhi 6". It was like
zarre zarre mein usi ka noor hai
jhaank khudmein, wo na tujhse door hai
ishq hai tu sabse ishq kar
is ibaadat ka yahi dastoor hai

these lines changed a part of me. I started looking at zarra zarra.
And even now, when I remember God, or feel somehow happy internally, these lines appear to mind often, further giving me joy.

It's blissful sometimes, being at peace and observing the world. :)

My girlfriend

One may not agree to this post completely. But this is what i feel. Majority of us (humans) are born unaware and mostly unwilling to be aware of the fact that the end is certain for their body. I can not say which way to think is a better one; thinking that one can die any moment so live every moment to the fullest, or thinking that there is no death, no end- a plain continuity exits -so there is no need to be weary about anything.

For me, the second choice was easy to accept. In the first one, I had to accept the fact of death every moment, which would have made me meaningless right away. I don't want it, as I, like everyone -aware or unaware - have some unfinished business to do. So life is not meaningless. However, the thought would have certainly made me more willing and daring than the second belief has made me. In this second thought, I have no value for victory or defeat. As everything is coming and going away just like that, nothing is holding me much, except for the promises that are making life purposeful. So fighting spirit doesn't come naturally, as there is no result to hold on to for long time. And the results also show this disadvantage. During face to face competitions, I do not perform up to my potential. But when there is no thought of opponent, the competition is nothing but a playground. More often than not, I do win then. The best part about the impact of this thought line in its purest form is that even if I lose, I will not hold on to it. It just comes naturally. But when the thought is mixed with emotions from others or environmental disturbances, it creates trouble, as then the defeat is not forsaken. Even if I let it go, the disturbances will remind me of the loss. The negativity arising out of it can press a person, slowly and slowly, heavily enough that he would no more be able to throw the weight away and again be light with the pure thought. In a competitive world that it has become now, survival is the word for majority, and 'living'  had to take a back seat, unfortunately, if not unwillingly.

For people like me, face to face competition is acceptable only with a large reluctance, as competition requires a fight, which will mean need of a strong will to win, which will imply a strong belief related to the winning of the fight; a strong belief which will eventually 'fade away'!! So impermanence of things would not let me attach myself to any object, I feel so, (but can't say about future).

It does look such a loserly thought line; not preferring to fight and achieve, not inclined to possess greatness and fame, Not Holding On To Things. However, this thought line is very peaceful when it is in its purest form. I can then become one with the flow of the surroundings, as all are essentially swinging with the flow, flow of the sea, seas of thoughts, air, water, photon, boson and so on.

With the flow, I also accepted my physical, mental and emotional requirement of a girl. She is a sweet, happy girl and is of a cheerful nature.

Her being in my life adds one more purpose. Some may accept this purpose with the greatest cheer on their faces. Some may be afraid in the start, with start of a new phase in their lives, while some others will still be trying to go on with the flow, and keep their focus on their pending tasks.

A girl friend is a long term companion. Ideally speaking, she will be your part, only in a different container. Just like a normal person, she would also be contaminated with the environmental bondage, either knowingly or unknowingly. If given due attention to her, a person can understand how the self of a person is affected with his surroundings and how simple it is to form a shell against the world's obstruction to free flow. As I've observed this I've also learnt in my girlfriend's company that trusting myself is the most important belief I can set myself to.

I am not yet a fully-trusting-myself person, but I am practicing now, at least.

How to connect this event to religion ?
Honesty to oneself is a great requirement for mental peace. Belying oneself of his own deeds/thoughts etc would trap the person. A free mind would have to be honest to himself. For me to be closer to the purest source of the world, I believe I also have to be as pure as I can, hence trying to be honest to myself and accepting and working on improvement in my deficiency-areas.

(But I still don't know if we would be together for long. Only time will tell.)

Courage

It is an outcome of a conflict. 

Sacrifice

I rate sacrifice as the biggest virtue in the world. I do not think I follow any religion specifically. I just follow my instincts and feelings, but sacrifice is also written in Gita. It says that sacrifice leads a person instantaneously to peace.
There has not been a single incident where an incident of sacrifice has not moved me. Letting go of one's own interest without any selfish reason (but just out of love, possibly); this definition of a Sacrifice has touched me ever since I became conscious that feelings are a big constituent of me.
We are selfish in essence. Survival is a general instinct of any creature, if he is not bonded to anyone otherwise. Meaning to say that we are our first lovers. As we grow, our circle of love widens. There are bigger groups which we have to take care of. The story does not remain of just our selves. In order to continue being a part of the bigger circle happily, we sacrifice at times our smaller circle's (selves) desires.

Being in continuity with the bigger group, we keep our peace intact, but we had to sacrifice a selfish desire.

In the long web of life, we all constitute a big, very big group, the biggest group; a Gawd group. Everyone's desires look so meaningless when viewed in collectivity. Peace appears there by default. As if the biggest group did not have to sacrifice anything at all, as it was already at peace.

A selfless sacrifice gives me a glimpse of that biggest group! Because that person had no selfish interest in any smaller group. He was as meaningless in desires after the sacrifice as is the biggest group. Small incidents of selfless sacrifice can be seen every now and then. Brother giving his cherished phone to his younger sister, father selling away his land for education of his daughter, a boy waking up all night to attend to  a friend's ill dad because the friend had night duty which he could not miss, a girl giving her everything so that her friend forgets the pain. A lot of incidents can be seen!

I often feel that some highest being shows his quietest quality through them.