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 |   As the first blog entry got exhausted. My second book |
| Evolution of Love Part 2 |
| Many many years ago, when I was in school, I heard the following story: Once Badshah Akbar' s army was engaged in a prolonged war. As a result his royal wealth ("shahi khazana") was nearly exhausted. He asked Birbal, "How to replenish my wealth." Birbal: You can get it from Dhanna Seth.(merchant). Akbar was amazed as to how a trader/ merchant could have so much money. Still he went to Dhanna Seth. Dhanna Seth offered: Badshah Akbar, I have huge wealth, take as much as you want." Akbar: Dhanna Seth, How did you accumulate so much wealth. Tell me without any fear of punishment. Dhanna: I earned it by adultrating grains & spices. Akbar got angry, he took all of Dhanna's wealth and ordered him that from then on he would collect the horse dung in his royal stable. Dhanna agreed. Years passed by. Again Akbar had to fight a long drawn battle. Again his royal wealth exhausted & again Birbal advised Akbar to go to Dhanna Seth for help. Akbar wondered : Birbal, I had ordered him to work in royal stable to collect horse dung, How on earth he can have such a wealth." Birbal: Badshah, you can ask him but only he can help you. Akbar went to Dhanna. Dhanna gave Akbar huge wealth. Akbar: Dhanna Seth, I had earlier taken all your wealth, How did you accumulate it again? Dhanna: From the stable - incharge & horse attendants. They used to underfeed the horses. I threatened them that I will complain to Badshah that they did not feed horses enough, hence the horse dung quantity was less. So they bribed me to keep silent. Akbar got very angry again & ordered Dhanna to start counting the waves at sea & returned to his Palace with Dhanna's wealth. As luck would have it, Akbar fought another war, royal wealth emptied out and once again Birbal advised Akbar to go to Dhanna Seth for help. Akbar could not believe as to how Dhanna could earn so much by counting waves at sea. Akbar asked Dhanna for the help. Dhanna: Badshah, Take as much as you want but this time around I will not change my profession. Akbar: Ok, but tell me how did you earn money by counting Water waves at sea. Dhanna: Very simple, I used to stop merchant's ships & boats far away from sea shore. I showed them your orders that I was counting waves & their ships & boats would disturb or break the waves hence their ships or boats should stay away. Badshah, these merchants then used to bribe me to let them reach the shore & unload their merchandise. So Badshah understood that Dhanna Seth can earn by engaging in manipulations & bribery from any profession. Demonetisation or no demonetisation, the Dhanna Seths of our society will always find a way to earn & accumulate black money. |
| Out of 9600 crores raised by Zomato ....9000 Crores went to early investors ...who sold their stake. Just 600 Crores went into Zomato. Zomato ....total losses 4600 crores....fully funded by investors money. Going losses....who will fund ??? Zomato story *TRADING OF LOSS - NEW PARADIGM* - Company X accumulated losses of over Rs 4,600 Crore Incurred Loss of Rs. 106.9 Crore in 2018 Loss of Rs. 1000 Crore in 2019 Loss of Rs. 2400 Crore in 2020 Loss of Rs. 800 Crore in 2021 Loss of Rs. 350 Crore in 3 Months Apr to June 2021 Aggregating Total Loss of Rs. 4600 Crore from 2018 to 2021 June With this Losses continue to mounting high, they managed to stand in their foot from 2018 till Today. Strange that it is not a Year old Business having Past years of Profit Accumulated which can set off their Present and Future Losses. Hence it is Quite evident that Netloss is funded by Capital and Debt. But Why the Investors keep pumping the fund in the Startup even when they see no Profit in 4 years. If the Business was running on Loss *Q) Were the Employee Not Paid ??* Answer is No, They were paid handsomely *Q) Were the Customer forced to Pay the high amount ?* Answer is No, they were instead given Meals at high discount *Q) Might the Founders and Top Brass was taking less Perks ?* Answer is No, Founder Basic Salary was Rs. 3.5 Crore Co-Founder -Gross Remuneration was Rs. 3.7 Crore CTO 1.5 Crore CFO 3.26 Crore *Q) Any Income Tax* A) Since the Company was running at a loss, there is no Income Tax payable So who was bearing the burnt of Heavy Loss ?? Answer is the Investor of X Company having stake in the company. *It is Proved here the Loss of 4670 crore is funded by External Investor* So Save this Word in your mind, It is the Existing Investor of X Company who are at Loss. Now How this External Existing Investor would gain if the Company is running Loss ?? Now here the Trick, there is a Trading of Loss. What If I tell You that Loss can be sold at a Profit !! Yes that is Possible Investors (Top 5 Investors were holding around 50% Stake) who pumped fund into the startup has already eaten up their fund with the losses.Yet in the books they were holding Numbers of Share and % of Stake. *VALUATION*- The Talking Point Now, The Company gone for Independent Valuation by *a Valuer* *The Valuer* valued the Loss Making Company for Rs.60000 Crore !!! Strange But True With this Valuation, Company went for IPO that means they are going to list their Shares in Stock Market making their Shares easily accessible for all Public to Purchase and further Sale. Strong Advertisement, Endorsement by *Some Experts*, News Channels, Social Media, etc created such a Hype in the market of Forthcoming IPOs that it gave the feeling for any Stock Market Trader a Cake 🎂 which no one going to give a miss to bite. With such a Marketing, Valuation and Expert Endorsement, IPO got over subscribed by whopping 38% with Listing priced at Rs 116 which was Valued at 72-76( which itself was questionable) The interesting point was that Company X went for IPO for Rs. 9400 Crore, Out of Which only 400 Crore will only pumped into Company, Rest 9000 Crore was Part of *Offer for Sale* by Existing Investor. (Did anyone Noticed that Subscribing to IPO means Purchasing Shares from Existing Investor which generally People reluctant to do, as they are more interested in funding the company then buying such shares from Existing Investor.) That means out of 9400 Crore subscribe and funded by Public in the form of Rs. 116 share, the 9000 crore will go into the pocket of *Early Investors* Now here we go !!!! *Who are these Early Investors ?* *These are the same people who funded the loss making Company and now they sold their stake at higher profits.* Now the Value of Share of Early Investor, is 1010 times higher than they Purchase the share at first. So, for 4700 Crore Loss Making Company, Everyone was Paid at value more than worth - Employee - Customers - Founders - Top Management - And at Last and at Higher rate - The Investors So who is now Handling the Loss ? Yes, We Public holding Shares of X Company !!! Right, The Loss has been Traded from the Top 10 Investors to Public at a Profit from 60 to 1010 times !! This is Stock Market for You !!!! Valuation, Media Marketing, Experts has made the Loss traded into pocket of Public at extremely High Value at the entrance Now, What is the use of fundamental, Even Loss making Company is beating Profit yielded organization just on the basis of Future perception which is made to be created by Environmental element (sponsored or independent is questionable) We see the way Stocks are traded in Stock Market are influenced by Promoted factors rather than Fundamentals and Scientific cause. *Burden of Actual loss of 4600 Crore + Now Additional Loss due to Over Valuation are into pockets of Public* |
Idi Amin forced more than 60,000 people of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and others of Indian origin, from Uganda in 90 days. A 14 year old girl was one of them in 1972. Working in a Saudi hospital in 2003, the same girl, now an M D, was called upon to treat a patient in a very critical condition: Idi Amin. Read her account. It started with a telephone call around 2:30 am in the night. I was on call for hemodialysis and the coordinator at the other end, sounding very frazzled, told me that she is sending a car to my compound and be ready to come to the hospital as one of our VIP patients needed an emergency dialysis. I got my bearings and got ready to be driven to the hospital by a male chauffeur. I had gone to work at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was a one-year contract. Females at the time were not allowed to drive a car. Plus, when out of our compound we had to don a long black covering over our clothes called “Abaya.” Women to this day have to be covered when out. It is the law there. I reached my department and got busy to ready my machine and equipment needed to dialyze a patient. I called the ER (emergency unit), to find out the history of the patient. The doctor at the other end was almost in a panic and was screaming, “the patient is on his way to the dialysis unit and needs to be dialyzed immediately and you have to remove at least 4 litres of fluid from his body. The patient is Idi Amin Dada!” I thought it cannot be the man of my childhood nightmares! It just cannot be him. Suddenly a very big man was wheeled in the unit by a doctor and an attendant from the emergency unit. His large feet were dangling over the gurney. He had an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth with the tubing attached to the oxygen cylinder placed under the gurney. It was the man who had forced over 60,000 Ugandan Asians to leave the country in 1972—accusing them of “milking Uganda’s money.” At that time, we, the Ugandan Asians, owned 90% of the country’s businesses and accounted for 90% of Ugandan tax revenues. The people from the Indian subcontinent and their descendants are very industrious, hard-working people. Our ancestors had made Uganda our home. It was the only home we knew and it was a paradise on earth. The country is situated on the Equator so the climate is very pleasant all year round. The lush greenery, the lakes and rivers, the fauna and the beautiful birds are just a part of that piece of earth once called “The Pearl of Africa.” Leave the country within 90 days or face the dire consequences, he had broadcast over the radio and television. I was about 14 years old when my parents decided that we had to leave. It was not safe at all anymore in our beloved country. Our lives were in danger. My father had directly witnessed the atrocities committed by the military personnel—the so-called goons of Idi Amin, the then dictator of Uganda. By October 1972, both my parents and the four of us children were in the UK. My elder brother was already in England; he had moved there 2 years before, for higher studies. We are five siblings in total. We were given refugee status and taken to a camp in a remote part of England. The British welcomed us with open arms. We were treated so well and with such dignity that even my father was impressed with the hospitality we were shown by the English people. It was difficult for my parents to adjust to a new environment, different language, an alien culture and customs but, for us kids, it was an adventure! Children are more resilient and adaptable to a new environment. We buried our turmoil, fears and anxieties somewhere deep within our beings and just got on with it. While taking a report from the attending doctor, I was also examining my patient. My heart had started to pound faster and I thought people around me could hear it! The doctor was very nervous and telling me to put the patient on the dialysis machine ASAP. I was very near the patient and could see that he was not doing well at all. His breathing was very laboured, his heart rate was very fast, and despite having oxygen, the oxygen saturation in his body was quite low. Suddenly his hand snaked over the gurney and he got hold of my arm. I was terrified and stood almost motionless. All the fears of what could have become of us flashed before my eyes. All the childhood memories and nightmares of what could have been. All my mind was saying to me was: Vasanti compose yourself! He is an old man who cannot harm you and needs your help now. *** In his feeble voice he said to me while holding my arm “Please help me … I’m very sick”. In the ER, he was told that once the extra fluid was removed from him via hemodialysis, he would start feeling better. So, seeing me at his side, he must have thought I was the one who was going to cure him miraculously. At that moment I got the courage to put my other hand over his and was able to reassure him. I told him: “Sir, you are in good hands, and we will do our best to help you get better.” I had attached him to our monitors and could see that he needed to be stabilized before I started his treatment, so I called an ICU consultant. He was from Canada too. It took him no more than a couple of minutes to arrive at my unit. He examined the patient and said: “let’s take the patient to the ICU and you can treat him there after we have stabilized him.” He was glad that I had reached out to him for help as he knew that I could not possibly treat this patient by myself in my unit—Idi Amin was very unstable physically and anything could have happened to him during dialysis. The Consultant informed the ER doctor that the patient would be dialyzed once he was stabilized in the ICU. We proceeded to wheel him to ICU. The doctor from the ER was visibly relieved and happily walked away from us—it was our responsibility now. As we wheeled him in one of the large ICU rooms, I was left alone in the room with him for a few minutes before the ICU staff came in to stabilize him. He kept on looking at me, as if pleading for his life. He was holding on to the words he had heard in the ER that we will dialyze him and remove the extra fluids pressing on his lungs and that will help him breathe easier. I only had a few minutes to tell him what I needed him to know and understand before he was intubated and attached to machines to help him breathe and perhaps put him in an induced coma until he was stabilized. I was virtually shaking, but I picked up enough courage to speak to him. This was the only chance I had to be able to speak to him one on one. I looked straight at him, into those frightened eyes, and told him very clearly: “Look at me. I am one of those Ugandan Asians you had thrown out of the country all those years ago.” His eyes widened. I could see his facial demeanour change as the fog of yesteryear started to clear in his head. The fear I saw in those eyes, I will never ever forget. That look he had is etched in my mind forever. It only took a split second but, at that moment, all my childhood nightmares about this man just evaporated and I had the power back. *** He was a pathetic sick old man fighting for his life and now he was trying to process that the person who was supposed to help make him better is someone he had wronged all those years ago in Uganda. I held his gaze, sighed, and very clearly told him: “Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you. I’ll help you get better. But I want you to know that my father lived in the UK for many years. It was never his home and he never forgave you. Despite having wronged so many of us by evicting us and stealing everything from us, most of us Ugandan Asians are doing very well.” Soon after, his care was taken over by ICU staff, he was stabilized and I was able to give him dialysis. His hemodynamics improved remarkably but in the following days he developed what is known as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). Most of the skin from his body was peeling away, exposing the underlying tissues, veins and parts of muscle. I saw the peeling of his skin from his legs; it came off his legs the same way socks come off our feet. It was obviously excruciatingly painful. Even in his comatose state, despite being given intravenous pain medications, we could see his body twitching and writhing in pain. Idi Amin died a very painful death on August 16, 2003. I can only imagine the pain and suffering he endured during those two arduous months. I would not want to wish such a painful death on even my worst enemy. From what I had witnessed, Idi Amin had paid his dues in full in this life. In his last coherent thoughts, he likely had the face of this Ugandan Asian etched on his mind! I believe that karma always catches up to you. Whatever goes around, comes around. Table of Contents ..... live life lovingly 🙏 ..... __________________________________ Vasanti Makwana was born Uganda, East Africa to an Indian family. Blessed with an early education in British schools in Uganda, she relocated to the UK during her teens, and again to Canada in her twenties, where she now resides with her family in Montreal |
A Bengali, a Punjabi, a Gujarati and a Hardcore Leftist Keralite were reluctant to take the Covid-19 vaccine. The Doctor called them in one by one. He told the Bengali , “You must take your vaccine.” The Bengali said “no“. The Doctor said, “Every cultured and civilized man takes the vaccine.” The Bengali took his vaccine. Then the Punjabi came in. The Doctor said, “Here is your vaccine.“ Punjabi said No. The Doctor said, “Your neighbors have all taken the vaccine “. So the Punjabi took the vaccine. Then the Gujarati came in. The Doctor said, “Take your vaccine.” Gujarati said “No”. And the Doctor said: “it’s an order from Prime Minister Modi.” The Gujarati took his vaccine. Finally the Keralite came in. The Doctor said “take your vaccine.” Keralite said, “No.” The Doctor said, “Every cultured and civilized man takes the vaccine.” The Keralite said, “Go away, I will never take the vaccine.” The Doctor then said, “All your neighbors have taken it.” The Keralite replied, “I don’t care.” The Doctor, now desperate, said, “It’s an order from Prime Minister Modi”. The Keralite replied, “ I don’t care.” Finally the Doctor asked, “Which state are you from?” The Keralite said, “I am from Kerala.” The Doctor said, “Oh sorry, you are not entitled to have the vaccine.” The Keralite said, “What!!? Who are you to tell me that I cannot have the vaccine? How dare you deny me my fundamental rights! Give me the vaccine or I will protest outside your clinic!” The doctor gladly gave him the vaccine and the Mallu proudly took it and said to his comrades," I fought and got the vaccination!” Our Incredible India...😂 |
| She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze. “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…” “No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.” *As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing".* *There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.* *You have to laugh and find humor every day.* *You have got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.* *We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!* *There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.* *If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.* *If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.* *Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.* *Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”* She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.” She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be . *REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.* We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give .. Have a great life ahead...🌹💫🌹 500 words Chosen Title: Written for "The Whatever Contest."  "The Whatever Contest -- Closed for Now"  Word/Line Count: IN THE PROMPT, ONLY INCLUDE THE 1 TITLE YOU CHOOSE, NOT THE ENTIRE LIST. Perhaps you'll fine inspiration for a future story or poem among these titles posted by NaNo member, Across_the_Stars. Wordless Fires Roses on the Breeze Witch’s Winter Running Toward the Flames Lost in the Rune Woods Hidden In Your Twilight Love Like a Dagger A Crimson Queen Will Rise The Absence of Light The Silence that Breaks Us No Saviors, Only Wolves Abound The Splintered Throne January Rain Night Visions Winter Thunder on a Wild Wind Faded Daisies and Fallen Petals A Fortune in Stars The Twining of Faith and Fury Twice Charmed Monsters Live Forever After Hours Devil’s Playground The Dying of the Light Carry Her Mark All the Dreams We Lost In the Shadow of the Storm The Forsaken Will Ascend The Path of Thorns A Flame Awakened Yesterday’s Ashes Secrets in His Eyes Always Smoke Before Fire By Any Other Name Long Past the Gloaming Rebel Moon In the Name of Nothing Blowing Kisses After Under a Wicked Little Spell Tell Me Lovely Lies Burning Slow A Beautiful Contradiction The Boy with the Car The Prince Made of Starlight Starforged Letters Never Written Whispered My Devil Princess of Diamonds The Burned Queen The Cedarwood Throne She Tames the Storm Within a Single Breath Lady of the Ashes Assassin’s Bride Origins of Blood and Ink Tiny Jagged Pieces of Us Killer’s Song Lord of Bones I See You in the Stars Blade of a Pale Moon These Savage, Shadowed Streets Once Upon a Darkness Between Dreams and Duty Games with a Devil Children of the Void In the Dead of December Intimate Strangers A Breath Beyond Redemption Unhealed Wounds Winter’s Wish A Storm of Light Moonlit Defiance Draw Myself to You Bridges Up in Smoke The Ruined Angel Disarm You If It’s Over, Kiss Me Traitor’s Magic. (Copy and paste everything above in bold blue into your item for submission. The ML code will appear correctly after you Save.) |
In September 1952 I got order for transfer from Calcutta to Bombay after a posting of four years, during which period I got more opportunity to be near Mataji than at any other time before. Both my wife and myself were, naturally, thinking all the time how and when we would again have such a wonderful opportunity. particularly because we were proceeding to a place absolutely on the other side of the country and far away from the region usually visited by Mataji those days. Many friends and office staff came to Howrah Station to see us off with many garlands and flowers the sight of which in such profusion carried our thoughts away to a different world. We were thinking of Mataji all the time, thinking how nice it would have been if these garlands and flowers could be offered at her lotus feet, instead of being given to us. The train steamed out and gradually the waving hands got out of sight, but our thoughts remained with Mataji and we talked of nothing else. We took the longer route to Bombay via Allahabad, because my wife had to get down at Allahabad. We had heard that Mataji was likely to be at Vindhyachal, near Mirzapur, and so my wife's programme was to go to Vindhyachal from Allahabad and then to proceed to Gorakhpur to see her ailing sister. Next day when our train reached Mirzapur, which is the nearest stop of the mail for Vindhyachal, there was such a strong urge to have Mataji's darshan, that I got down and looked all around to see if by chance Mataji was at the station. This was a futile attempt, since Mataji usually went by car from Varanasi to Vindhyachal. Soon the train lelt Mirzapur and in a short time it was passing over that portion of the Railway track which is seen from the Vindhyachal Ashram or from which the Ashram can be seen, far away on top of the hill. I was so excited that I opened the door of the compartment and stood holding the hand rails in order to have as clear a view as possible of the Ashram, as if the view through the window was not enough. Lo and behold ! a miracle happened. My earnest desire to have Mataji's darshan was fulfilled in most unusual and unexpected way. Right in front of me, on the lowest portion of the ridge of the hill and far below the Ashram, I saw as clear as day-light that Mataji was standing there facing my side with a group of Ashramites whom I could recognise. At this distance of time I don't remember all the names but Narain Swamiji, Bunidi and a few others were there. I was so overjoyed and excited that I forgot to do pranam but instead of that I rushed inside the compartment and picked up a towel that was lying on the berth and started waving it frantically in order to make my presence known to Mataji. This occurrence left me in a daze for some time. However, I hold a very clear darshan of Mataji, little realising at that time that even the lowest part of the ridge was so far away from the train that a clear view could not be had in normal circumstances. It was as if the whole group picture was magnified to a very large size, and even the hillside was, so to say, shifted close towards our side to enable me to have the darshan as if in a normal way. My wife had not seen anything and so I explained everything to her and at the same time I put down the entire episode in writing in a letter to Didiji. I gave it to my wife to hand over to Didiji. I also mentioned in my letter how grateful I was for Mataji's infinite kindness in blessing me with her darshan even in a most impossible and unusual situation in a most extraordinary way. Much later it became clear to me that Mataji in her great compassion had not only granted my wish to have her darshan but also had a KHEYAL to bless me with her Grace in all my endeavour in the new place to which I was going. I was going to the Head Office of my company to take up a new challenging job. By Ma's grace I proved my worth and was promoted to the highest rank. Another more important aspect in which Mataji's KHEYAL and Grace touched me was in regard to my services in respect of Shree Shree Anandamayee Sangha. It was almost against insuperable odds that I pressed for the Samyam Saptaha of 1954 to be held in Bombay. There were very few devotees in Bombay those days, such as Mooljibhai and Nandubhai Desai and a few others. It was absolutely and entirely due to Mataji's Grace that it became possible to hold the saptaha in Bombay. Subsequently this function turned out to be one of the most successful ones and till now many Mahatmas and others remember it so. Mataji stayed on for three weeks with us, and that by itself must be a near record as a stay in continuation of any Samyam Saptaha! Many new devotees came to Mataji as a result of this function, to name a few important ones, Shri B.K. Shah, Shri D.I. Kania and several others. The outstanding services rendered by this new group of Bombay devotees since then to Mataji and to the Sangha as such are unique and therefore it can be said that the Bombay Samyam Saptaha in the year 1954 was a very important event in the history of the Sangha, which ushered in a new phase and a new direction in the services rendered for progress of the Sangha and towards the furtherance of aims and ideals preached by Mataji. To me it dawns now that somehow Mataji in her KHEYAL picked me as an instrument to render some little service in this direction on that day when she accorded her Holy darshan to me. who was being carried away at sixty miles per hour in a mail train ! Now to complete the story I must relate what Mataji was actually doing at the time when my train was passing Vindhyachal. My wife wrote to me after going to Vindhyachal that Mataji came out to the verandah of the upper floor room of the Ashram on the Astabhuja Hills a little before the train was to pass, and stood there looking in the direction of the Railway track. The persons mentioned by me were with her at that time. The verandah has a sloping roof and the shade prevents clear vision from outside even at a shorter distance. From a long distance it was an impossibility to recognise a whole group of persons. Just as our tain came in sight Mataji remarked, "Is there any known person travelling by the train today?" Bunidi said that to their knowledge no one was going. Soon afterwards Mataji said, "Look some one is waving some cloth". In reply to this Bunidi said that some third class passenger must be drying his clothes. After that Mataji remained quiet. The significant and interesting fact is that Mataji intentionally provided proof of the fact that she knew that some one known was in that train and she had come out of her room specifically for that reason. Still more significant is the fact that out of infinite kindness she responded to some thought wave of mine that must have reached her and she gave me her darshan by projecting the entire image of her group to a point within my view, and at sufficient magnification, to be lifelike and normal in every way. I was pining for her darshan and the response from the other side was immediate and instantaneous, and so much so that out of her infinite compassion for her child she also lost no time in giving me not only her darshan but a view of all those who were with her. My own interpretation of this particular act on her part is that by my mentioning the names of all the others, an authenticity was attached to the whole episode. Otherwise my story could be considered as day-dreaming. This act of kindness on Mataji's part proves the oftmentioned saying that if you take one step towards God. God takes two steps to come to you, and pick you up in His arms. This is just what Mataji did. magnanimity ! Jai Ma! Our Ma ! What compassion! What magnanimity ! |
"True mysticism, as I understand it, implies that the soul is successively awakened ('prabuddha'), and fully awakened ('suprabuddha'), so that the sense of exclusiveness pertaining to each of the normal human states, viz, waking ('jagrat'), dream ('svapna') and deep sleep ('susupti'), is supplemented by a state of unbroken self-awareness which presupposes the integrations of consciousness ('turiya'). The awakening of the soul involves as its concomitant the disappearance of the sense of alienness of the so-called other world and causes the soul to turn inward, first from the object to the light which shines upon it, then from the light to the subject, the source of illumination, thirdly from the subject to the Transcendental Consciousness and Power, and finally from this, back to the Central Being which stands behind all manifestations. This is the usual process. It is assumed that all powers lead back to the Self-Conscious Will ('iccha-sakti') which when turned outwards controls immediately the entire machinery of the cosmic movement, viz, the movement of 'jnana' and 'kriya'. This represents for the 'yogin' a state of mastery or lordship ('aisvarya'), a state of perfection implying full control of the outgoing forces. This state represents the majesty of the soul which is now within the Divine Circle, and reigns supreme over the outer creation. The above state leads on to the higher state of absolute resignation to the Divine Will. In other words, the human will at this point unconditionally surrenders to the Divine Will, or in a sense becomes one with it. In the Tantrika phraseology, the soul of the 'yogin', now in close embrace with the Divine, enjoys the bliss of union('ananda') and supreme self-realization ('cit') - the whole process representing the mystery of Divine Transformation which is beyond time, space and the categories of empirical consciousness. The consciousness of this state involves a blessed union of 'para-jnana' and 'para-bhakti', or 'cit' and 'ananda', which is universally and eternally the twofold heritage of every true mystic. Neither the senses nor the reason of man can aspire to this ineffable condition which Divine Grace alone can promise and fulfill. From what has been said about it, it is clear that to an ordinary human being the mystic consciousness cannot mean much beyond what he can comprehend through his intellect. To some, it may vaguely mean nothing more than a state of supra-normal consciousness through which some extraordinary inner powers reveal themselves, ranging from the so-called occult powers to the capacity for having certain exalted vision and similar experiences. The consciousness to which these powers are relevant may undoubtedly be associated with the faith and the quest of a pilgrim, but it is not mystic at all. Mystic consciousness begins with the realization of the unity behind the diversities of the material world. Higher up, the diversities begin to melt away and the One Undifferentiated Whole refulgently reveals itself. It is a consciousness in which the physical being reveals. It is a consciousness in which the physical being and all other worldly ties cease to have any validity at all. The glorious, self-luminous Unity reveals within Itself both the seeker and the sought in union, and yet each retains its distinct entity. It is a state in which man and God unite themselves in a close embrace and realize their oneness, showing thus that one is verily inseparable from the other. Beyond this is the Transcendent and the All-embracing One. In Christianity, the Three Persons in the Trinity, separate from each other, represent One single Divine Substance. In the 'Bhagavata' culture of ancient India, the four 'vyuhas', though mutually distinct, represent one single Divine Substance. The relation between me and Thee is eternally existent in the union, though it is beyond time and above 'maya'. This is a state of true 'yoga' in which, as the 'Gita' says, the seeker sees his Beloved in everything: 'yo mam pasyati sarvatra', and at the same time, he sees everything in his Beloved: 'sarvam ca mayi pasyati'. It is a state of 'para-bhati'. Beyond this is the Supreme Realization of what in the 'Agamas' is described as 'Purnahamta' in which the soul of the seeker, now one with the Divine, realizes itself in an infinite variety of modes and ways. There are different ways of approach to this Supreme Experience and there are infinite shades of differences among the various ways. The Supreme Experience is certainly one and the same and yet there is a characteristic quiddity ('visesa') in each individual, which has an abiding spiritual value. The Divine Presence may be realized at 'that' ('tat'), as a Living Light permeating all and subsisting beyond all. It may be realized as 'Thee' and 'Me' alone. Thus It reveals itself as Third Person as 'That' ('tat'), or as Second Person as 'Thee' ('tvam'), or as First Person as 'I' ('aham'). there is an Impersonal Presence also which is at once elusive and and really magnificent. In each case, the soul exists in a state of indifference ('udasina'), or as the closest companion, or as one's very self. In the Impersonal, however, there is no trace of I - even the Integral 'I' ('purna aham') is absent there. And yet Awareness persists. It is the same as the 'bhasa' of the 'Sakta Agamas', beyond the 'anakya'. Even here there is a 'Beyond" which cannot be called present, yet which 'is', of which we hear so much in Jewish 'Kabala'. As a matter of fact, even the 'Beyond' or 'Beyond-Beyond' is also within the orbit of the absolute ('akhanda')." |
| His watch face showed the time as 6:30 pm and his face broke into a wry smile. The street lights started flickering on. ‘Same time again’, Aditya thought as he hurried home from office, moving effortlessly through the crowd. ‘Its been 7 years since I started work’, he thought and yet nothing has changed, only I have changed so much. His hard work, dedication and honesty had propelled him up the hierarchical ladder of his office. He was a genius at work and loved by seniors and juniors alike because of his his simple happy go lucky nature and his zest for life. Aditya was the only child of his parents. He was an ideal son. Anyone who knew him became his friend. But his best friend was Blacky. Blacky was a black Labrador. But age had taken its toll. Blacky was now 12 years old but their love for each other was incomparable. They were almost like one soul in two bodies. Everyday exactly at 6:30 pm Blacky would wait at the door for Aditya to return from work. He would be the first one to greet him with his tail wagging like a wild flag. ‘Nothing has changed’, thought Aditya with a smile as he walked through the door and saw Blacky waiting for him with his tail wagging. It was the same story day after day. Nothing had changed. And father. Nothing had changed there too as he saw his father sitting on sofa listening to an old sad hindi music lost in some deep thought. No, something had changed. Maybe he never noticed. His father had become much more frail, almost a skeleton and now he only listened to sad songs instead of his usual peppy numbers. His loving mother. His entire world. Still fussing over him like a small child. But even she had become so pale and frail going about her usual kitchen work. She wore no make up now Aditya noticed. Her eyes had become two hollow pits. ‘Strange’, thought Aditya. His mother was an epitome of beauty and it was a well known fact that she was the most beautiful woman in the family. But this pale lifeless woman was unknown to Aditya. ‘Strange !!’ wondered Aditya. ‘What has happened ?’ Blacky started barking as Aditya bent down to pat his head. ‘Good old Blacky’, thought Aditya. ‘Atleast you have not changed’. Blacky kept wagging his tail and barking as Aditya stroked his chin. Shut Up Blacky… suddenly yelled Father. Mother looked at Blacky with lifeless eyes filled with tears. ‘I don’t know what gets into this Dog every evening at 6:30 pm. It has become an everyday feature’. Father’s voice almost chocked with emotions. ‘Quiet Blacky’ yelled Father once again. ‘He is not coming back anymore. He has gone forever. Can’t you understand? For 5 years you have been sitting there every evening and barking but Aditya is not coming back. Why did he not take the car to work that day? Why did he have to to take the metro ? Why did he have to cross the street? Why did the bus have to hit him ?…… ’Quiet Blacky’, cried father as he saw Blacky wagging his tail and barking into empty space. Distorted Minds Contest Prompt: Pen a story which centers around a dysfunctional family gathering. 499 words |
| Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was not happy at all. One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; Why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy? The King asked the servant, ‘Why are you so happy?’ The man replied, ‘Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don’t need too much — just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies.’ The king sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the story, the advisor said, ‘Your Majesty, the servant has not yet joined “The 99 Club”.’ ‘The 99 Club? And what is that?’ the King enquired. The advisor replied, ‘To truly know what The 99 Club is, just place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant’s doorstep.’ When the servant saw the bag, he let out a great shout of joy… so many gold coins. He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were only 99 coins. He wondered, ‘What could’ve happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!’ He looked everywhere, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, he decided that he was going to work harder than ever to earn that 100th gold coin. From that day, the servant was a changed man. He was overworked, grumpy, and blamed his family for not helping him make that 100th gold coin. And he had stopped singing while he worked. Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. The advisor said, ‘Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club.’ He continued, ‘The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never content, because they’re always wanting that extra 1, saying to themselves: “Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life.” We can be happy with very little in our lives, but the minute we’re given something bigger and better, we want more …and even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, as the price for our growing needs and desires. That’s “The 99 Club”… Zero Membership fee to enter, but you pay for it with your entire life !!! |
| 😂 Sean is the vicar of a Protestant parish on the border of Northern and Southern Ireland, and Patrick is the priest at the Roman Catholic Church across the road. One day they are seen together, erecting a sign which says, "THE END IS NEAR. TURN YOURSELF AROUND NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE." As a car speeds past them, the driver leans out his window and yells, “That’s just what they would expect us to do. Leave people alone, you religious nutters. We don't need your lectures." From around the next curve they hear screeching tyres and a big splash. Shaking his head, Father Patrick says "Thats the third one this mornin'." "Yaa," Sean agrees, then adds, "Do ya tink maybe the sign should just say "BRIDGE CLOSED"? 😆😆😆 140 words |
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Thanks for sharing.