Monday, October 30, 2006

When I loved:

Every wrinkle was pretty, every imperfection, perfect.

I wanted to make up long before the fight was started, and to kiss him, not long after it had ended.

I ached a thousand aches when he wasn't nearby, and smiled like a thousand suns when he appeared on the horizon.

Even after we'd broken up, I held his image in my heart forever.

Homo sapiens

When God created Earth, and all the creatures in it, he gave some unique skill to every single living being. To the cheetah, he gave the gift of speed; to the elephant, he gave strength; to the dog, he gave the gift of smell; the cat, the gift of keen hearing, and so on...but to man, what did he give?

Most animals' young can walk right after they are born. But the human baby is one of the most vulnerable, and has to be taken special care until it is old enough to look after itself. Compared to our animal friends, we have probably the worst sense of smell, the worst sense of hearing, the worst sense of sight,...so what is this unique skill that makes us so `superior' to all other living beings?

It is the gift of conscient thinking.

We can act with the knowledge of what might possibly follow, we can choose to show kindness and mercy where we needn't, we can reflect on what went wrong and decide to live better, we can invent and destroy, we can even choose to take our own lives - a choice if exercised, would go completely against Darwin's theory of the survival of species.

Our unique gift has even caused us to ask the question - are we really children of this soil? Or did we come from another planet? But what about liquid H2O, magnets, sulphur, mushrooms - do they belong here too? Or are they too `alien'?!

It is this sense of doubt/curiousity to better understand the world around us and all naturally occurring phenomena, that has brought us this far. It holds the key to our future.

I am, and I wish to be, optimistic about our future. I hope that our intelligence, `conscient thinking', will help to solve the problems of world poverty, war and violence against our own kind, and destruction of nature. Join me in lighting the flame that will help to dispel all darkness in our beautiful planet.

Friday, October 27, 2006

First steps

My feet barely touched the ground
When I began to tremble
For what immense luck has dawned upon me
To give me this Divine Opportunity?

The tingling sensation began with my toes
And moved up my legs to the pelvis that supports my body.
Warm tears flowed down my cheeks
And wet the ground, as if preparing it for this very moment.

Ten years ago I was running
With the speed of light, in a blur.
Life moved likewise, with no time to slow down;
But today I'm reborn and I'm taking my first steps again.

I hold on to things beside me,
I feel aches and pains I've never felt before
In various parts of my body.
But somehow they coordinate;
They were trying to recall a lesson learnt many years ago.

I look clumsy, most akward.
No more the graceful eagle but an ugly eaglet,
About to fall off the precipice and forced to fly.

But I don't care,

This is the time,

And I am here.

I walk, and tis a miracle.

- Jaishree

Picture Courtesy: Vasundhara Shankari Sellamuthu (CR)

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

On relationships

Relationships most often give you what you expect out of them - if you want to be in a mature relationship, then treat it like a vegetable that will slowly turn into a fruit. Eat it too soon, and it will be bitter, wait too long and it will rot - best to wait for just the right time. `Right time for what?', you may ask. The right time to trust, the right time to understand each other and become the best of friends, and the right time to let go and allow yourself to be held and protected in all aspects (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) by another human being. If it wasn't right for you, it will melt away in the very beginning, so there is bound to be less hurt involved.

A relationship you enter into for purely the `romance' (or sexual) aspect is bound to be fluffy for as long as both partners are happy with just the fluff. The moment either one thinks that there ought to be something `more', the relationship takes its next only available course. It's like a rollercoaster - thrilling while it lasts, but one can't be on it forever!

Here, we must mention intelligence. As conscient beings, we are blessed with the ability to shape the direction of our lives, applying our own learnt and intuitive wisdom in the process. So it is intelligence to let go of a partner who you know in your heart will never fulfil you, a relationship that may never make you happy. It is also intelligence to stay in a relationship that in your heart you know is now raw but has the potential to turn into a sweet fruit later.

Words of advice for the broken-hearted: some people come into our lives for a reason - they leave behind some wisdom, some joy, and more often than not, lots of pain! How to deal with this pain? `Everything happened for a reason'. Bless his/her soul, kiss them one last kiss and wave your last goodbye. If he/she was meant for you, they may come back, but it is best to move on with the river of life. Never hold a grudge, it is completely meaningless..

Anyway, there is no fixed formula. Simply follow your heart, different persons in your life may have taught you different things - each relationship will add a new colour to the rainbow of your soul. This, I promise.

God Bless!

Picture Courtesy: Vasundhara Shankari Sellamuthu (Copyright)

Sunday, October 22, 2006

On tending towards consciousness...

I believe there are 2 very different paths that human beings can take in their lives -

1) They may choose to tend towards light: become increasingly aware, so conscious of everything that they dissapear into pure nothingness or a `no-mind' state, the exact opposite!
Or

2) Spiral down into intense darkness and despair, a bottomless pit, a mind full of confusion.

Perhaps this is what our fore-fathers called `Heaven' and `Hell'? The different resulting states at the end of the path we consciously or unconsciously take?


Picture courtesy: Vasundhara Shankari Sellamuthu (Copyright)

Tribute to c.a.t.s

If you've ever have had cats, or own one/some, you know one thing's for sure - they are completely retarded and beyond beyondness. Little buddhas, crazy omen kids, I mean whatever you wanna call them, you know you're gonna love `em no matter what. So, here's a few pictures of the beloved furry ones we have/had at home -
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"It's a hard life in the trenches bro.
The cover just about keeps our heads from getting blown."













Coat of Arms

Zorba the Buddha

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The Original Cliffhanger

Friday, October 20, 2006

Biznez Woman

- The business is a part of the environment in which it exists. It is like a person. Aren’t we part of the environment we live in? Similarly, it is a living, breathing entity, constantly relating to its customers, its employees, its suppliers, and the government officials in that environment.

- We decide how we want these relations to be. Do we want to be personal with them? Do we want to care for them? As caretakers of the business, we decide!

- I have decided that I’m going to keep it personal, but keeping in mind that the business ought to make money as well. It has to be profitable. And it has to care.

- I believe I’m a very creative person. And I want to apply this in my business as well. It has to be creative, dealing with creative people, and innovating creative solutions for the customers it serves.

- The business has to relate to the land in which it is located. It has to relate to live things – people, animals, plants, earth. We must not lose this connection. So associates should spend some time “growing things”, “relating to children and animals” and "painting/dancing/singing”, and “library time”. These activities are very important I believe. I want my business to be alive. If I can get my customers and suppliers to do this as well, it would be even better.

BE PROFITABLE, BE CARING, BE CREATIVE, BE ALIVE.


p.s. if you're reading this, I would love to know your thoughts...leave your comment!

Time for explanations

For the curious who don't understand Sanskrit...
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The word `jyothishakti', the name of my blog, can be explained as follows:
`Jyothi' can be best translated as radiance/illumination/the light that holds the power to dispel darkness/ignorance.
`Shakti' means power/strength.
Together, they may be interpreted as the `power of light', or `light and strength'.
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The quick ones may notice that jyothi is spelt with an `h', while shakti is spelt just with a `t' - although both are pronounced as `th' (as in `apathy'). I don't know, it just seems more right to me, because when you spell jyothi with a `t', you tend to say jyoti like gotti. You know what I mean...In books, commonly shakti is spelt with just the `t', and readers pronounce it as it ought to be (shakthi).
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Now, I ask forgiveness from all readers who pay attention to grammatical correctness, and require more exhaustive explanations. After all, I do attempt to answer big questions such as the meaning of existence and what not! Such a huge task calls for more detailed explanations...which I haven't given. And many times my writing pleads for mentally filling in the blanks yourselves. The best way to describe my blog would be - random ramblings of one besotten with life and contemplations of everything contained in my world of perception.
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But, thank you for viewing!! God Bless.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Life on Earth

Assumption: Human beings are bestowed with free will. And so are all other creatures on the planet, although they may not exercise it quite as powerfully as we may be able to.

While we may do as we please, we must understand that we have the power to influence others, their lives and beliefs. Every choice we make has repercussions; they are like pebbles thrown into a pond. Hence, what we do, can and will affect others (their paths of existence). Our very existence on this planet is so profound because of this very power. (We are all in the same dance together, in the same “cosmic soup” as my mother playfully put it).

It is we who decide whether or not we want to plant more trees and save the earth from deforestation. It is also we who decide if we want to consume more and more of the earth’s resources, not giving enough time for growth and sustainability. It is we who decide what is important and what need not be given priority in our lives. The power resides in our hands. So whatever choice we make, it should be a conscious one. Thus, every being and creature is important.

Our time on earth is a very important one. So we should make it good. Make it good!
Picture Courtesy: Vasundhara Shankari Sellamuthu (Copyright)

My theory of unified consciousness

Months, and months of mulling over the idea has yielded the following theory. It is based on an intuitive type of thinking, and readings I have done in the past on the subject. What is the universe, God and everything else? Why do we exist? Where do we go henceforth? These are the questions I have attempted to answer here.

Assumption: everything in the universe is made up of particles of light (gazillions of it).

The light particles are in a state of disarray/imbalance, and this is the phenomenon we know as `existence’. Thus we have creation, destruction, evolution. All of existence `happens’ in an attempt to put all these light particles back into array.

We can hold hope that, eventually, when all these light particles merge back with the Divine (or unified) light, one cycle of existence is complete. Until all the particles attain this “consciousness” or “realisation” or “enlightenment” or “balance”, they will continue to live themselves out, that is, experience existence.

It is also possible to believe that there can be many such cycles. It is nothing but a cosmic drama, a play. In truth, there is no need, in the sense of utility, for beings to start their lives, go through intense confusion, and finally attain realisation. Yet it has been occurring for ages. Until all beings attain Divine consciousness, they will play in this game. And even if they attain it, that is all the pieces of the puzzle are put back together, the nature of all is that the cycles may begin yet again. It is all a grand dance – the dance of the Nataraj. It may also rest in the whim of God/Existence/Unified Consciousness...He decides eventually, perhaps. Or perhaps we just dissolve into pure nothingness.

Picture Courtesy: Vasundhara Shankari Sellamuthu (Copyright)