A TRAIN JOURNEY WITH A LESSON

In the summer of 2003, Arjun found himself on a journey back to Hatia from Howrah aboard the Kriya Yoga Express – Train No. 18615. It had been a long day at Howrah, where he had appeared for an engineering entrance exam. As a budget-conscious student, he sought every opportunity to save money. While his father had allocated funds for a sleeper class ticket, he opted for a more economical chair car ticket, allowing him to pocket the extra money.

Seated comfortably by the window, he observed a middle-aged man in his 40s sitting in front of him, equipped with a briefcase. He sported a potbelly and constantly cleaned his teeth stained with red pan using a toothpick. He kept the briefcase on the seat meant for three people. Arjun smiled at him, and before he could say anything, this man suggested a scheme to save the seat and enjoy a night of undisturbed sleep.

The man advised Arjun to place his bag on the seat and, if approached, to lie about the seat being taken by someone else. His plan involved feigning occupancy and securing the luxury of an entire row to oneself throughout the night. Intrigued but uneasy about the idea of deceit, Arjun nodded hesitantly.

However, when the passengers arrived, Arjun couldn’t bring himself to lie as instructed by the man sitting in front of him. Instead, he simply offered them seats since they were vacant. The man gave Arjun a serious grin, but he paid no attention to it.

As the journey unfolded, a couple of well-built, six-foot men with large VIP luggage, adorned with Air India tags, boarded the train. At that time, air travel was a luxury in India, enjoyed by only a select few. When these men approached the seat in front of Arjun, the occupant executed the premeditated lie, claiming the seat was already taken.

Despite their humble demeanour, the two men went to the door and engaged in a serious discussion for about 10 minutes. Once the train started moving, the man in front of Arjun promptly transformed his briefcase into a makeshift pillow and comfortably laid down. His euphoria, however, was short-lived.

The two men, having observed the deception, confronted him about the seat and the misappropriation of the briefcase. In an attempt to deflect, the deceiver raised his voice and threw tantrums. To Arjun's astonishment, the two men responded with force, delivering a series of slaps.

Witnessing this unfold, nearby passengers rose from their seats in protest, ready to intervene. However, the man addressing the other as "boss" commanded in a commanding tone in the local language, "Bhaiya baat kar rahe hai, sit down all of you" (Brothers, we are talking, sit down). The crowd fell silent, and the boss asserted that they held the same tickets, asserting their equal rights.

Post-beating, the man in front of Arjun avoided making eye contact with him realizing that his honesty spared him from a similar fate. 

This incident, while a small lesson, underscored the idea that a simple and truthful way of life may not always be rewarding, but it can prevent one from unnecessary troubles.

DON'T PROMISE ANYTHING IF YOU CAN'T KEEP YOUR PROMISE

 I come across a beautiful story reminding us of the importance of a PROMISE. 

                                          Source: Face book post by' The meaning of life'

Carry Your Own Cross

 "Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. - Matthew 10:38"

                                            Pic source: https://wallpapercave.com/
                                            

Every religion has many symbols. Symbolism and mysticism are a fundamental part of every religion. A symbol has a deep-rooted message to teach: "the cross" in Christianity, "om" in Hinduism, "the wheel" in Buddhism and the "crescent moon and star" in Islam. These symbols teach the followers of different religious paths how to perceive truth, reality and soul.

There might be many meanings of the cross as per many scriptures. I just came across one, and I was intrigued by the meaning of the cross in Christianity. I truly loved understanding it.

Jesus urged his followers to deny themselves, to take up their crosses and follow him, long before he was crucified. This is his greatest teaching of mankind, and the real meaning of the cross.

Jesus was an enlightened master. Jesus taught his followers to be free from EGO by denying their 'SELF'.

"Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.": Means remove your ego and follow the God towards the journey of enlightenment.

The real meaning of the cross is to cross out the ego. Ego (I) blocks the door to truth, understanding and knowledge.

In the cross, there are two bars, the first is vertical and the other is horizontal. The long vertical bar is the symbol of ego, and the horizontal bar is hidden message to eliminate ego. Only by crushing ego can we follow the teachings of Jesus.

In my thought process, I understood it this way:

I trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp, the base camp of the highest mountain on Earth. Here, I was showing my pride that I had reached there. However, the fact is that I didn’t reach there alone, yet I was showing that I did it by myself. This is the vertical bar in the Cross.

Now, I will put it this way, “I trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp with my team of 20 people, led by Lt Col. Romel Barthwal, and we reached successfully with God’s grace.”

Here, I am humble, and I have crossed my ego (I) by giving due respect to the team and my leader. This is the horizontal bar in the cross which I crossed + with my humility.



Disclaimer: Example written here is entirely the point of view of my understanding of the concept.

Book reference: The Torah, the Bible and Kriya Yoga by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda

One life touches 80,000 people in one lifetime

 

It is said that you (one life) meet about 80,000 people in a lifetime.

When I first heard this, I was like is it true?? How is it possible?? It’s really hard to believe.

Then, I started calculating but couldn’t be able to reach at least one fourth of this figure.


Let’s say,

A minute of interaction with a car driver in an Uber.

A few minutes of thanking someone with a smile for opening a door for you or for any random act of kindness.

Saying Hello to a stranger or spending some time talking with a fellow traveller in a flight etc

Little more time in our School and college with friends, teachers etc, in Office with colleagues...

More tenure with our parents, spouses and our children and their friends, friend's parents etc

As I travel quite frequently, I think I might have touched some 5,000 to 10,000 lives though I am not sure.

What about the balance 70,000?? I don’t have any idea how, where and when I am gonna meet but one thing is sure that when I meet people either I learn something from them, or I will inspire them with my journey of my life.

What about celebrities? They might have touched many lives based on their profession. Isn’t it??

So, it is understood that depends on people’s place where they are living / which profession they are in etc contributes to achieving this number I guess!!!

Instead of counting and analysing this huge number, let us think this way:

What if we encounter a person in our life who changes our path completely, leading us to touch many lives? For example, a motivational talk by a person to a crowd of thousands of people may inspire them or what if one simple and adventurous story of ours inspires at least one person, and multiplies by spreading to many through word-of-mouth, this too helps in reaching this number, doesn’t it?

Whether the concept of meeting 80,000 people in one lifetime is true or not, it’s worth pondering!

IKIGAI

 IKIGAI - Pursuing one's Ikigai is a journey of self-discovery that involves understanding one's passions, strengths and the needs of the world.

Ikigai - is a Japanese concept that refers to a sense of purpose and meaning in life. It is a combination of two words: "iki", which means "life," and "gai", which translates to "value" or "worth." Together, ikigai can be loosely translated as "the reason for being" or "the reason to live."

The concept of ikigai centers around finding and pursuing a balance between four fundamental elements:

1. Passion (Your Love): This is what you love to do, what brings you joy, and what excites you. It's the activity that makes you feel fulfilled and energized.
2. Mission (Your Mission): This is what the world needs, something that you feel is your duty or calling to contribute to society or others in some way.
3. Vocation (Your Profession): This refers to what you are good at, your skills, and what you can get paid for.
4. Profession (Your Vocation): This represents what the world will pay you for; it's your means of making a living.

(A) Passion: Finding what you love to do

• What activities have brought you joy since childhood?
• Which tasks make you lose track of time because you’re so engrossed?

(B) Vocation: Finding what you’re good at

• What are your natural talents and strengths?
• What do people often turn to you for because you excel at it?

(C) Mission: Defining what the world needs

• What societal issues or causes deeply affect you?
• What matters to you on a global or local scale?

(D) Profession: Defining what you can do as a profession

• Can you offer valuable services or create products people would want?
• Is there a job you excel at that could easily become your profession?

When these four elements intersect, it is said that you have found your ikigai – that special convergence of passion, mission, vocation, and profession. Discovering and living in alignment with your ikigai can lead to a sense of fulfilment, happiness, and overall well-being.

The concept of ikigai has gained popularity beyond Japan and has been embraced by people seeking a deeper understanding of their life's purpose and seeking more meaning in their daily existence. It encourages individuals to reflect on their values, interests, skills, and the impact they want to have on the world to find a path that aligns with their true calling.

Practically speaking after finding our IKIGAI many of us will not choose or afraid of choosing due to various social commitments, peer pressure, family obligations. It's natural to be afraid but at least we should be aware of this. If life gives us a chance of what we can do we must pursue  IKIGAI for a sustainable happiness. We must have a target in mind, things which we will aspire to, let’s began the journey by knowing and answering the tough question!

                              

THE ALCHEMIST

 10 Top Lessons learned From Book -The Alchemist

1. Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.

And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."
Any new pursuit requires entering uncharted territory -- that's scary. But with any great risk comes great reward.

The experiences you gain in pursuing your dream will make it all worthwhile.

2. What is "true" will always endure

"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back.

If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return."

~ Truth cannot be veiled by smoke and mirrors -- it will always stand firm.

~ When you're searching for the "right" decision, it will be the one that withstands the tests of time and the weight of scrutiny.

3. Break the monotony

"When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."

~ Gratitude is the practice of finding the good in each day.

~ Life can easily become stagnant, mundane, and monotonous, but that changes depending on what we choose to see.

~ There's always a silver lining, if you look for it.

4. Embrace the present

"Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present.

If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man."

~ There's no point dwelling in the past and letting it define you, nor getting lost and anxious about the future. But in the present moment, you're in the field of possibility

~ How you engage with the present moment will direct your life.

5. Your success has a ripple-effect

"That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."

~ Growth, change, and evolution are weaved into the fabric of reality.

~ Becoming a better version of yourself creates a ripple effect that benefits everything around you: your lifestyle, your family, your friends, your community.

6. Make the decision

"When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he has never dreamed of when he first made the decision."

~ It's easy to get overwhelmed by the unknowns and finer details of your dreams.

~ Actions will flow out of having confidence in your decision; sitting on the fence will get you nowhere.

7. Be unrealistic

"I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does."

~ Some of the greatest inventions would not have happened if people chose to accept the world as it is.

~ Great achievements and innovations begin with a mindset that ignores the impossible.

8. Keep getting back up

"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."

Because the eighth time could be your breakthrough.

Some of the greatest novels in history were published after receiving hundreds of rejections. Thankfully, those authors never gave up.

9. Focus on your own journey

"If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry.

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

~ It's easy to be influenced by others, but you'll be miserable if you end up living someone else's life.

~ There's nothing wrong with taking advice and learning from others, but make sure it aligns with your desires and passions.

10. Always take action

"There is only one way to learn. It's through action." — with Fredrick Owino.

Thank You Oman Observer

                                                       

Thank you, Oman Observer, for publishing Akshaj Udaiwal's mountaineering journey(www.akshaj-udaiwal.com) and his recent trek to Mount Ararat in Turkey.

Eight-year-old hikes to second base of Mt. Ararat of Türkiye - Oman Observer

Thank you Kabeer Yousuf for this wonderful writeup about my son.

#omanobserver