Vellore-Walaja - At the Feet of the Master

The Trip
While travelling, I always carry something either to memorize in acads without straining my eyes or just casually read when the bus stops moving. This time for my weekend Vellore-Wallaja trip, i took a very tiny pocket booklet 'At The Feet of The Master' by Alcyone better known as JK (theosophical society). It was given to me by my pranic healers in April 2008, and i could completely read it only yes'day night. Hardly takes 20 minutes to read it. I am in the process of getting rid of all my excessive luggage (mental to physical - jewels to silk clothes to everything), and so am wary of even buying books, frequently resorting to libraries or borrowing from friends and getting rid of the book once i finish it. In fact most of the only special books i am having difficulties giving up are those that came to me without my asking for them, gifted by pisceans-acquarians decades ago. I need to stop my astro bucketing of people, even though it helps me interact with them better.

This pocket book was inspiring and it has re-iterated, what i always tried to follow in day to day life. 4 qualifications JK calls for in the path of evolution -

1. Discrimination (between real and unreal, see goodness-god in everything and every being) - way of life for folks with Hamsa MahapurushYoga
2. Desireless-ness (not even freedom from rebirth)
3. Good conduct (a) Cheerfulness - being thankful to lords of karma, rather than lamenting b) non interference in others affairs - let people lead their lives, c) tolerance, d) one pointedness, e) confidence - trust in good force above f) Self control as to mind and action (Now Ramana Mahrishi and my pranayam instructor - Sridhar Deshmukh sir say - just BE, for any form of control is nonsense, for it fuels vanity of self) Love (don't hurt others, no gossip, see only the goodness in others, speak out - only if what you say is true, kind and helpful)

Desirelessness has always been a bone of contention for me. For once i set - write down any mundane goal, i have always attained it, no matter what - be it a promotion, IIMB seat (in fact i had actually set my goal for IIMK seat for the love of Kerala), Au medal or a CG or any possession. But i have never had any sense of satisfaction once i reached any goal, and would always think in terms of the having used my time and efforts for something else. After I got my As, when my friends feel bad that he/she didn't get it, it does not give me happiness, after my promo, when my friend cried on my shoulders on her appraisal rating, it didn't give me happiness.

Everything loses its charm the moment its yours. For instance, many married guys, would realize what am speaking about. I can't imagine stepping out my posh Villa with a swimming pool, in yellow sapphires and satin, in a red Ferrari, fly internationally and feel elated, when images flash - of that poor old toothless leper shriveled granny crushing a beeda with a stone with the only 2 fingers left in her hand by the road side). I used to wonder between Goal Setting and Gita's right only to action and not fruits of action. For I always find, my goal - i.e. end results guide my action. I find it difficult to do, just for the sake of doing, not for the end result.

I had actually given up all my actions all these months, waiting for apple to fall on my lap, like Newton. I find cheerfully working for that job, that designation-title, that salary, that location, those perks, that exit option, that retirement corpus, that XXX too mundane. I don't want to base my life's happiness on having that job, working for self or others, owning this or that, knowing this or that. I was just taking life as it comes, giving up all action. Now to work, without bothering about end result, is something i need to work on. I will work, for the sake of work, nothing else - probably now, for making my employers life simpler and happier. My taurean-piscean IPS mentor who has malavya yoga would always counter me - Thinking small is a crime, if a person says, he does not want money, he will lie for everything else as well.

Why I took this trip?
I travelled 700 kms just to see the smile on my CMC Vellore Dr Isaac Jebaraj's face when I gave him the bouquet of roses carefully packed from Koramangala. I agreed to attend my juniors wedding in Walaja that evening just because, my 60+ yrs old doctor was retiring and it has his b'day as well on Feb 20. I always need to see everyone around me healthy, happy and peaceful. To even give up that desire, and just give (As vivekananda says - the law of nature is to give) is something i need to practice. My family folks, always scold me for my thoughtless giving whenever anyone comes to my place.To be an emotional jhadam and just be eternally cheerful is something i need to work on.

I am going to cut off all manthras and just do plain surya namaskars, am going to give up mugging Gita and VishnuSahsraNamam. Because I felt superior since i had memorized Lalitha. Your mental body wishes to think itself proudly separate, to think much of itself and little of others. Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Shiva Vishnu, my saviour saint Ramana, all have always been the same to me. This body is your animal - horse, JK says - treat it well, and don't over task it. Horse or whatever. :-)

If you go to ortho department of CMC Vellore, any day, there will be at least a 100 cruelly amputated limbs and tortured souls - young and old. When i read Garuda puranam, which gave the cause of each disease and disability, (take stroke/paralysis in many biz men, mental issues/cerebral palsy in brahmin kids, cancer in those hurt their own blood relations etc.) I always used to wonder, why do accidents happen? I got the answer long before, right during my 10 day vipassana meditation. It was our own THOUGHTS. Thoughts are indeed so powerful. Fate or kundli/jadhagam is not responsible, but thoughts are for every fortune, misfortune, disease and accident on this earth. In my case, my trimsamsha (1/30th div just like navamsha is 1/9th div) says, it was anger accumulated over many lives and now that is what i need to watch out for. An idea can indeed change the whole world. I have learnt the importance of morality, purity of thoughts, for that guides my words and actions. I am 100% confident, after these 6 RTAs and 9 surgeries, no matter what, i won't ever have another RTA or any form of accident for that matter without my explicit invitation. For I have learnt, am still learning to analyse my thoughts and chop off the root of originating thought whenever i catch myself meandering. (Thanks to Vethathri Maharishi's Kaya Kalpa yoga program - folks please visit Aliyar's Temple of Consciousness at least once in your life)

We talk about that pollution, this pollution. It is high time, we thought about purity of thoughts. No more thought pollution with the 6 internal enemies - kama,krodha,Loba, moha, mada and mathsarya.

Back to IIMB
I could not get to cancel my Sunday morning interview session. So i had to travel back right after my junior's reception on Saturday night. Thanks to God's grace, within minutes, a direct bus to Bangalore came at Walaja which dropped me right at Diary circle. Jolly good reception it was and nice food, comfortable AC room to take rest. Had a great time. :-)