Open Mind

Mind is like a parachute….

Unless it is open - it doesn’t work.

The heart is like a flower -

Unless it is open it cannot release its fragrance.

A closed fist cannot give or receive -

Unless it is opened.

Nothing can be added in a closed, sealed container -

Unless it is opened. 

An open and understanding mind never assumes -

doesn’t jump to conclusions and won’t hold fast to any opinion.

Living with a closed mind is like living in a prison.

Only an open mind can discover new ideas, achieve new heights, 

and find new happiness and success.  

                                       'Rajan Sachdeva' 

निर्विचार या 'असीम विचार '

सुना है - कि विचारों से मुक्ति का नाम ही मोक्ष है।  
सोचता हूँ - क्या ये सम्भव है ?
फिर  ख़्याल आया - कि शायद विचारों से मुक्ति का अर्थ 'विचारों के बंधन' से मुक्ति हो ?

' निर्विचार ' होने से नहीं - बल्कि विचार की असीमता से ही मन एवं आत्मा असीम हो सकते हैं। 

                         ' राजन सचदेव '
   

विचार बंधन का कारण हैं

कर्म की तरह विचार भी बंधन का कारण हैं।  
जब तक हम किसी भी विचार से बंधे रहते हैं, या किसी विचारधारा से जुड़े रहते हैं, तो सीमित होते  हैं। 
जब मन में कोई भी विचार न हो - अगर हम निर्विचार हो जाएँ - तो असीम हो जायेंगे। 

विचार से ही तो कर्म पैदा होता है। पहले मन में विचार उत्पन होता है फिर वह कर्म का रूप लेता है।   
विचार चाहे कोई भी हो, अच्छा या बुरा - बाँध लेता है।  
जैसे एक शांत निर्मल सरोवर में हम चाहे एक पत्थर का टुकड़ा फेंकें या सोने का टुकड़ा, दोनों से ही उस सरोवर में लहरें उठने लगेंगी। और टुकड़ा जितना बड़ा और भारी होगा उतनी ही गहरी लहरें उत्पन होंगी। उतनी ही ऊपर उठेंगी और उतनी ही देर तक रहेंगी। अब वो टुकड़ा चाहे पत्थर का हो या चांदी का या सोने का उससे क्या फर्क पड़ेगा ?
मन रुपी सरोवर भी यदि निर्विचार हो, तभी पूर्ण रूप से शान्त और निर्मल हो सकता है। 

लेकिन निर्विचार होना यदि असम्भव नहीं तो अत्यन्त कठिन तो अवश्य ही है ।
बहुत मुश्किल है कि मन में कोई भी विचार न उठे - निर्विचार हो जाए। 
लेकिन इन्हें कम करने की कोशिश तो की ही जा सकती है। 
अभ्यास के साथ, धीरे धीरे मन को कुछ देर के लिए तो मौन किया ही जा सकता है।  
और सब से ज़्यादा ज़रूरी बात ये है, कि यदि विचार से छुटकारा नहीं हो सकता तो इतना ध्यान तो रहे कि कहीं किसी पुराने या निरर्थक विचार के साथ बंधे न रह जाएं। मन की खिड़कियाँ एवं दरवाजे खुले रखें ताकि ताज़ी हवा की तरह - नए और ताजे विचार मन में प्रवेश कर सकें।

              'राजन सचदेव '

Religion vs Spirituality

Religion means believing in some one else's experience.
Spirituality means having your own personal experience.

कैसे रफू करें

करेंगे कैसे रफू - चाक़ गिरेबाँ वो क़ौम का 
जिन्हें अपना फटा दामन अभी सीना नहीं आया 

Karenege kaise rafu - chaaq girebaan vo qaum ka 
Jinhen apnaa phataa daaman abhi seena nahin aaya 

Dr. A P J Kalam - An interview with Mr. P M Nair

See what Mr. PM Nair IAS, former Secretary to the late President of India, has to say about Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.

DD Podhigai telecast 

An interview with Mr. P M Nair, retired IAS officer, who was the Secretary to Dr. Kalam Sir when he was the President. Here is a brief summary of the points he spoke in a voice choked with emotion. (Mr. Nair authored a book titled "Kalam Effect")

1. Dr. Kalam used to receive costly gifts whenever he went abroad as it is customary for many nations to give gifts to the visiting Heads of State. Refusing the gift would become an insult to the nation and an embarrassment for India. So, he received them and on his return, Dr. Kalam asked the gifts to be photographed and then catalogued and handed over to the archives. Afterwards, he never even looked at them. He did not take even a pencil from the gifts received when he left Rashtrapati Bhavan.

2.  In 2002, the year Dr. Kalam took over, the Ramadan month came in July-August. it was a regular practice for the President to host an iftar party. Dr. Kalam asked Mr. Nair why he should host a party to people who are already well fed and asked him to find out how much would be the cost. Mr. Nair told it would cost around Rs. 22 lakhs. Dr. Kalam asked him to donate that amount to a few selected orphanages in the form of food, dresses and blankets. The selection of orphanages was left to a team in Rashtrapati Bhavan and Dr. Kalam had no role in it. After the selection was made, Dr. Kalam asked Mr. Nair to come inside his room and gave him a check for Rs 1 lakh. He said that he was giving some amount from his personal savings and this should not be informed to anyone. Mr. Nair was so shocked that he said "Sir, I will go outside and tell everyone. People should know that here is a man who not only donated what he should have spent but he is giving his own money also". Dr. Kalam, though he was a devout Muslim did not have Iftar parties in the years in which he was the President. 

3. Dr. Kalam did not like "Yes Sir" type of people. Once when the Chief Justice of India had come and on some point Dr. Kalam expressed his view and asked Mr. Nair, "Do you agree?" Mr. Nair said "No Sir, I do not agree with you". 

The Chief Justice was shocked and could not believe his ears. It was impossible for a civil servant to disagree with the President and that too so openly. Mr. Nair told him that the President would question him afterwards why he disagreed and if the reason was logical 99% he would change his mind.

4. Dr. Kalam invited 50 of his relatives to come to Delhi and they all stayed in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He organized a bus for them to go around the city which was paid for by him. No official car was used. All their stay and food was calculated as per the instructions of Dr. Kalam and the bill came to Rs 2 lakhs which he paid. In the history of this country no one has ever done it. 

Now, wait for the climax, Dr. Kalam's elder brother stayed with him in his room for the entire one week as Dr. Kalam wanted his brother to stay with him. When they left, Dr. Kalam wanted to pay rent for that room also. Imagine the President of a country paying rent for the room in which he is staying. This was any way not agreed to by the staff who thought the honesty was getting too much to handle!

5.  When Kalam Sir was to leave Rashtrapati Bhavan at the end of his tenure, every staff member went and met him and paid their respects. Mr. Nair went to him alone as his wife had fractured her leg and was confined to bed. Dr. Kalam asked why his wife did not come. He replied that she was in bed due to an accident. Next day, Mr. Nair saw lot of policemen around his house and asked what had happened. They said that the President of India was coming to visit him in his house. He came and met his wife and chatted for some time. Mr. Nair says that no president of any country would visit a civil servant's house and that too on such a simple pretext.

I thought I should give the details as many of you may not have seen the telecast and so it may be useful.

The younger brother of A J P Abdul Kalam runs an umbrella repairing shop. When Mr. Nair met him during Kalam’s funeral, he touched his feet, in token of respect for both Mr. Nair and Brother.

Such information should be widely shared on social media as mainstream media will not show this because it doesn't carry the so-called TRP value. 

                  (Courtesy of Col. C. S. Toor, India)

"Past is History"

The past always looks glorious to us. 
We usually try to glorify the great people, heroes and saints from the past but we usually do not have much regard for the contemporary saints, leaders or heroes. We worship the dead and tend to neglect the living ones. 
Have you ever noticed that you can cross through the red traffic lights if you are following a procession behind a dead body -without being stopped by police and getting a ticket? But you cannot do that if you are following a living person closely since you don’t have the proper directions. Strange, isn't it? 
It seems strange, but that's how it is.
And that’s the way we are in our day to day life as well. We praise and worship the dead ones, while we envy and resent the living leaders, Saints and even Gurus. 
                    आए  दी ते क़दर न जानन, दीवे  बालन  मढ़ियां ते                                     कहे अवतार अड़े  ने मूरख अज्ज वी ओहना अड़ियाँ ते  (अवतार वाणी 8)

'Aaye di te qadar na jaanan, Deeve baalan madhiyaan te

 Kahe Avtar ade ne moorakh  ajj vee ohna adiyaan te'

                                                      (Avtar Bani verse 8)

Though our past does have a great influence on what we are today but we cannot live constantly in the past to make a better future. By clinging to the past, we can neither enjoy the present, nor function effectively for a better future. 
As Baba Avtar Singh ji said:
                            "बीते  नूं  ललचाइयाँ नज़रां नाल तकाना माया ऐ "
                         “Beetay nu lalchaaiyan nazaraan naal takaana mayaa ae” (Avtar Vani 85)
            It’s delusional to live in the past. (Maya – deceptive illusion)
Strangely, it has become like a fashion these days to narrate a popular quote: “Past is history, Future is mystery, and the Present is a gift”. But at the same time, we are constantly talking about the past and admiring it - focusing and spending most of our time and energy to glorify the past. Which shows that we have not accepted the ‘present’ with open hearts – therefore we may not be at peace. 
In order to find peace and joy, we must accept the present as it is – wholeheartedly - and continue to strive to achieve the desired aim. 
Unfortunately, we cannot move forward unless we let go of the past. 

                          'Rajan Sachdeva'

Knowledge Knows Others

Knowledge knows others
But wisdom - the self.
Power conquers others
But strength - the self.

Only in Still Waters

Only in quiet and still waters do things mirror themselves undistorted.

Only in a quiet mind - there is adequate perception of the world.

Action Without Expectation ?

There is a general misconception about a famous and perhaps most quoted verse (usually in translated form) from Bhagavad Gita. 
The shloka or the verse is quoted as:
“Perform your actions well without expecting any fruit or reward
 As you only have control on your actions but not on the outcome.” 
And the emphasis is placed upon “without expecting any reward”

This obviously creates doubt in the minds of many. Many people find it ‘hard to follow, impractical and even illogical. 
Numerous times I have been asked “how can anyone work without any expectation whatsoever? How can any worker, working in any field or employed in any company can go to work without expecting any wages? How can a student study without expecting to pass the exams? Why would anyone cook without expecting to eat? Why would someone run a business or open a shop without expecting any profit? Why temples, Gurudwaras, Churches and other religious or Satsang places are built if there is no expectation of having visitors and seekers? And so on….
Such questions can arise at every moment of our lives, for every action; no matter how small or big it is. 

Did Lord Krishna really say this?

There are numerous books - translations and commentaries on Bhagavad Geeta available. They all provide their own interpretations – their own views - according to their own understanding. 
I must admit that I am not a Sanskrit scholar. My knowledge of Sanskrit language is very limited. But after searching for the real meaning by going through several translations and commentaries on Geeta by different authors, I found that mainly there are two versions of translation of this shloka. The most common translation is the one mentioned above – which seems to be translated by someone originally and then many writers of the later period simply followed the same.

Before going into the second version of its meaning, let’s see the actual shloka; actual verse in the 
Bhagavad Gita: 
             कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन 
             मा कर्मफल हेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोअस्त्वकर्मणि  [2 - 47] 

Karmanyevaadhikaarstay Ma phaleshu kadaachina
Ma karmphal heturbhurma Tay sangoastvakarmani”
                                                (Bhagavad Geeta chapter 2, Shloka 47)

Before trying to understand the real meaning of the whole shloka - it will be helpful to understand the meaning of each individual word - which I have confirmed from two Sanskrit dictionaries* and few books on Geeta by different authors as well:

Karmani (Action),  Eva (Only), Adhikaar (Right - control) Tay (You), Ma (no - not) 
Phaleshu (of Fruit, result, outcome), Kadaachina (Never) 
Ma (not) Karm-phal (Fruit, outcome of the action), Hetu (cause, reason), Bhu (Be or Become) 
Ma (do not) Tay (you) Sang (Attachment) Astu (let there be), Akarmani (into inaction or not doing any action)

Now…. By taking a different meaning of ‘just one word’ or rather leaving it out from the 2nd line of this shloka changes its concept and - in my opinion - creates the confusion in the minds of many.
That one important word is Bhu (bhoo). 
According to Sanskrit dictionaries*, it means ‘to become’. 
Therefore, the actual and literal meaning of the 2nd line of this shloka would be as this:

                 मा  कर्मफल हेतुर्भू  - मा  ते सङ्गोअस्त्वकर्मणि 

            (न कर्मफल का कारण बन  - न ही कर्म का त्याग कर) 

             "Ma karmphal heturbhu - ma Tay sangoastvakarmani"
- Neither become the cause or reason of the outcome of your actions, nor (you) be disengaged from action. 

In other words, do not think that ‘you are the reason for that particular outcome’ of the action you performed. Do not think that it happened the way it happened because of me - because I did it. 

This is a great psychological Mantra – and a hard-core reality as well. 
There are several problems with the notion that “it happened this way because of my actions”
First, it gives us a false ego – because there is nothing that can be done or achieved individually. A simple statement such as “I made a cup of tea” is completely wrong and ‘false ego’. All I did was – I put a tea bag in a cup of boiling water and perhaps added some milk and sugar. Neither I grew the tea plant nor processed it. Many people had contributed in growing the plants, plucking the leaves, processing and packing it. I did not make milk or sugar either. I could not have been able to make it if there was no source of heat or fire; a stove or microwave etc. 
If I covered a hundred-mile distance in a short period of time is not entirely because of me. I could not have done it without a proper mode of transportation or a proper road. I could not have done it if there was some obstacle on the way or if the vehicle had broken down. There are many factors to consider that help in the outcome of any kind of action we perform. No outcome – good or bad - is because of just one single individual’s action. Hence, "I did it" is a false sense of ‘ego’.

Not considering “I” to be the reason of the positive outcome or beneficial rewards of ‘the actions’ is a great management skill as well. There are several people who work and participate in the functioning of any business, company or organization. If the owner, manager or a leader claims all the credits for progress and certain achievements, then he or she alienates the other good hard-working employees and helpers who might have also played some important role in achieving those results. Eventually, out of frustration, many good employees or workers may leave. By taking all the credit all the time, and not acknowledging others, may leave us alone - isolated and even be detrimental at some critical times. 

Secondly – considering ourselves solely responsible for the unfavorable or bad results can also be harmful. It gives us a sense of guilt – makes us feel guilty and brings depression. We lose all motivation and do not want to ‘try again’. We become ‘inactive’ and don’t want to try anything new anymore. (The second part of the second line of this shloka says “do not become inactive either”)

In both scenarios, considering “I am the reason for the outcome”, regardless of whatever the outcome is - good or bad - is harmful. 

But, as mentioned earlier, many translators and commentators have translated this shloka either by leaving out the word ‘Bhu’ (become) and based their concept accordingly - "work without expectation" - or translated as “Do not let your 'actions be' for any reason (motive)”.  
This creates doubt – how can I work without any expectation? And why should I even work then?
One argument given by few highly revered saints and scholars is that “performing actions purely for the sake of performing and not for any reward will provide real happiness - Eternal Bliss and Moksha”. 
Again…… performing action to achieve ‘real happiness, bliss or Moksha’ is also an expectation – hope for some higher and eternal ‘after life’ reward. Nevertheless - regardless of ‘small or big, lower or higher, transitory or eternal’ - it is also indeed an expectation of some reward.
Therefore, I believe Lord Krishna did not say “do not expect results” – or “perform action without desire or motive”. Because no action can be done without desire of doing it or without having a reason to do. 
The real and practical message of Geeta in this Shloka - according to some other scholars and authors as well**- is “Do not ‘Become’ the cause of your actions – do not consider yourself to be the reason of the outcome of your actions.” 
At the same time, Do not become ‘inactive’ or demotivated either. Perform action well - to the best of your capability but remember – there are many other factors that can also have their impact on the outcome. 
This is a great spiritual and psychological message and an excellent advice for management as well. It's a great Mantra for keeping peace with our self and others. 

                                    ‘Rajan Sachdeva’ 

*Sanskrit - English Dictionary - by Vaman Shivram Apte
  "The Concise Sanskrit English Dicationary" by Vasudeo Govind Apte               
           
**Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta - By Geeta Press Gorakhpur
Bhagavad Gita as it is” By: A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada