FEW REALIZATIONS…..

Its been more than 8 months that I haven’t shared any of my thoughts, and now I feel is the time to pen down A new realization, that dawned a few days back…

Every year Our Country celebrates innumerable festivals and it’s so very true that the people celebrate them with the right spirit. For Ganesh Utsav (celebration of arrival of Ganpati, a Demi-God) people start their preparations almost a month in advance and some.The enthusiasm, the joy, the love to invite a God at their home is so pure, it just cant be expressed in words ( same as Sudarshan Kriya ☺ ). I remember, I was getting down at Dadar station for some work, the day prior to Ganesh Chaturthi (commencement of the Festival) and I saw almost 20thousand people buying all the stuff,they needed for decoration.I could hardly walk between this mammoth crowd .Not only at homes but in every "Gully" and "Nukkad"you will find a huge Ganpati Idol with speakers at the peak of their noise. But in spite of all the noise, crowd, rains (in Mumbai, optional☺) general public makes it a point to visit them at least once. Any guesses why do they visit these pandals ??

What do you think?


Of-course for blessings. But I think ,definitely there is more than that..
Whenever a person watches a huge idol, or for that matter any God’s idol, his mind becomes thoughtless for a very short period of time. For a fraction of second we become free from all our botheration of the past and worries of the future. Just silence prevails which is very soothing. The same soothing feeling that I get when I do my Sadhana :)

We very often experience this when we visit any temple across the globe . In that state of nothingness we realize that actually God is nowhere outside but inside our own self.
We feel so grateful for those precious moments that we keep going to the temples and invite Gods and Goddess at our places. The Decoration and fragrances are an added bonus and they captivate all our senses and arrests our mind inwards, that is why the eyes get closed too! These few moments of silence makes us happy and we feel more energetic after visiting the place of worship.And hence we look forward for such brilliant festivals…

I feel extremely grateful that I learnt the Sudarshan Kriya through the Yes!+ course, as now I don’t have to wait for any festival, just the So Hum. And I am done.I now realize the importance of my sadhana that I am blessed with. It can be very frustrating for a person to wait for such events to have a glimpse of his or her own self.I am really thankful to Guruji for whatever he’s done for me .And thus I feel a responsiblity for all those who have not taken an Art Of Living Course to reach this precious gift to one and all.

I have heard from Virat Bhaiya "there are 2 kinds of ppl who exists on this planet,1st those who have done an AOL course, 2nd; those who will do an AOL course…”
So u know what is to be done… ☺

Jai Gurudev

Regards & Love
Deep

Guruji speaks on the Elephant God: Ganesha

The Origin Of Lord Ganesha

We are all aware of the story of Ganesha's birth. Ganesha was born out of the collection of dirt from Parvati's body. Parvati is the high energy of a celebration or festival, and there is always some aspect of negativity in this high energy. This is symbolised by the dirt. When this body of dirt encountered the 'Shiva element', the 'Advait Tatva', its head, that is the Ego fell apart and was replaced by the head of an elephant. Lord Shiva himself blessed Ganesha that he would be worshipped and his blessings sought at the start of any auspicious occasion.

Unraveling Ganesha

Shiva and Parvati(this is where the word 'power' comes from; Parvati represents power) had been celebrating with great enthusiasm and Parvati had become dirty- signifying that celebration can easily become rajasic or feverish and take you away from your centre. So she removed all the dirt(symbolic of ignorance) from her body and created a boy-doll from this. She gave the doll life and asked him to keep guard at the door while she bathed. When Shiva(representing Supreme innocence, peace and knowledge) returned to Kailasha, the boy could not recognise him and so obstructed his passage, preventing him from entering. This signifies that ignorance(dirt) does not recognise wisdom or innocence. However, truth can eliminate ignorance. And so Shiva chopped off the boy's head- the head of ignorance and entered but when Parvati realised what had happened, she explained to Shiva that the boy was their son and Shiva had to save him. So he instructed his helpers to go and find someone with his head pointing to the north, someone in tune with the natural flow of energy and to bring back his head. They searched far and wide and were only able to find an elephant in such a state. So they brought back the head of the elephant and fitted it to the the body of the boy. This became Ganesha!

Now Ganesha is always depicted with a big belly, it represents GENEROSITY & TOTAL ACCEPTANCE. The enormous belly has a snake tied around it which stands for ACCEPTANCE with AWARENESS. Also we surrender all our dreams of woe and distress to Ganesha in the form of the 'Durva' grass. The story goes that one day Ganesha drank so much milk that his belly burst, so he grabbed a cobra and tied it around his stomach. This signifies that acceptance of people and situations(big belly) without deep awareness is of no great value(akin to accepting people when we are sleeping, which is easy!) However, when there is awareness- the cobra is symbolic of great alertness- then there is true acceptance and love. Ganesha's upraised hand( in 'abhaya' mudra, depicting protection) means "Fear not- I am with you" and his lowered hand, palm facing outwards(in 'varada' mudra, symbolic of giving boons) means unending giving as well as an invitation to bow down. Bowing down signifies merging with earth again, recognising the truth that we will return to the earth. In the womb, our position is one where our heads are bowed, our body is in a circle. Even at birth we come into the world head down. It is our nature to bow down. Ganesha also has a single tusk that implies single-pointedness. One also sees very often, the pasteurisation of the moon laughing at Ganesha as he tries to do the 'Saastanga Danda Pranaam' to his parents. Here the moon signifies the mind- the mind laughs at wisdom. Ganesha is mostly seen sitting on a lotus. Now an elephant being supported on a lotus is a kind of odd! This signifies that he is very sensitive. We are often struck by the question as to 'why does a big Ganesha sit on a small mouse?' This is because the mouse is LOGIC & KNOWLEDGE OF SELF and over it sits the symbol of SUPREME KNOWLEDGE. Ganesha is always seen riding on a mouse. This is the most unexpected mode of travel- an elephant on a mouse!

However, the significance runs deeper, the mouse keeps nibbling away at the ropes that bind it. The mouse who gradually nibbles through things is like a mantra which can cut through sheets and sheets of ignorance and carry even an elephant. There can be nothing but absolute darkness and all that is required is a single tiny ray of light that can illuminate us, free us from our ignorance. Not much is required at all- just this tiny persistent awareness. Even the implements that Ganesha wields, are symbolic. He carries in his hands, the 'Ankusha'(the goad or stick that is used to prod an elephant awake, this signifies 'awakening') and the 'Paasa' (the noose which signifies control). Now with awakening a lot of energy is released, which without proper guidance can go haywire.

"If you meditate on Ganesha, who has the head of an elephant you will get the qualities of an elephant. You will overcome all obstacles."

This is what a participant from our last yes+(17th to 23rd August) course said when asked about her experience of the course.

The Art of Living

Cheer
Sheer bliss
Glee and exuberance
Happiness
Truly the art of living
Overcoming obstacles -
By the grace of the guru of joy,
I here stand
As a renewed person
Having learned to give in my 100%
To live life to the fullest
To accept things as they come and yet be gracious

To live without inhibitions
To look at my fears in the eye
To keep learning and nurturing my self
This is what I call the art of living
Moments come and go
Be it happy or sad
To deal with them
The way they are meant to be dealt with
This is art of living

To live in a commune
To relish life
To enjoy being oneself
Art of living...


Reflecting back on my YES + course
This is how I look at it:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and debts are high,
And you have to smile but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As everyone of us sometimes learn, and many fellows turn about
When he might have won, had he stuck it out
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems
To a faint and flattering man;
Often the struggles have given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup
And he learned too late when the right came down;
How close he was to the golden crown;
Success; its failures turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubts –
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems far
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t
QUIT.
This Yes+
That has ignited the flame of being a new me
A me having a different perception towards things
This is the Yes+ which is the key solution
Through thick n thin,
No matter what,
Don’t Quit coz,
“Opposite Factors are complimentary”!


JAI GURUDEV

Aditi

It's Quiz Time!

(Quiz no.1)

Cute isn't it!

These two kids are dressed for a fancy dress competition. They are representing a student teacher pair from the epic Mahabharata.

Identify the characters these two kids are portraying? 
Send your entries and if your guess is right you get a surprise gift.(something really special)
Last date for sending entries is till 5th September.

VJ

Janmashatmi Celebrations 2009

Its said , when in love even objects come to life...

Our special guest of the evening, "Laddu Gopalji" :)

Taking bath with milk,honey,curd,sugar and Ghee
(Wow! What natural cleaners ,scrub ,soap and conditioners)


Special Jhoola gifted and decorated by Sachin


Which clothes?which earings?which necklace? which crown ?It was really difficult to choose!


We prayed and meditated to invoke him.

Its said , when in love even objects come to life, And this was the Lord himself :)



The little gopal came live to be with us on this day:)

BHAKTI (Devotional Love) Contains FOUR LETTERS: bha, ka, ta and i. Bha means fulfillment and nourishment; ka is a means of knowing; ta means redeeming, saving, salvation; i(ee) is energy, shakti.
Bhakti nourishes you. Bhakti is the right Knowledge,the means of knowing. When bhakti is there,doubts don't come. Bhakti saves you. Bhakti gives you the most energy.
Sri Sri
(Knowledge sheet no.62)



And all the Gopis and the Gopas danced to the tunes of 'jhoola jhoole nandlala' ,'Krishna Govinda' ,'Bolo Narayana' and more, intoxicated in divine love.

Jai Gurudev
VJ
(This ones on your request Rishab)

Happy Birthday!!

This Janmashtmi, the VnV blog completed its glorious 1 year. The link below is the first post that marked the advent of this blog. It was Vasudi's vision and Z5 team effort that gave birth to this blog. We are the proud owner/authors of this blog which in past few months has posted contents that caught even Bawa's attention. Truly an endeavour thats worth applauding.

Thanks to Mihir for this wonderful makeover from a predefined template (with which I had started) to a new dashing look for our blog.
And also to all the authors, readers and followers who have contributed in the rich content of this blog.
And more importantly Virat and Vasudha, I dont have to give reasons to thank them :)

The post for Janmashtmi'09 is pending which Vasudi is expected to post along with the pics of intoxicated people dancing all across Jhunjhunwala residence.

Follow this link to go down the memory lane and find out how did we celebrate our Janmanshtmi last year.
http://vnvyesplusteam.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

PS: As comments, you can briefly share your experiences on this wonderful journey.

GURU-HIS IMPORTANCE IN OUR LIVES

Blessed are the ones who have a Guru in their lives(like us,though it is a different thing we know that He is GOD).It is so because when we complain and crib about the path that we are walking on called "LIFE",when we squeak about those tiny little botherations and complain Him you are never there with me in my misery.It is then when He asks you to look back on the sands of time and points out to one pair of footstep and says those are my footsteps and i have lifted you up in my arms so that your turmoils be less...It is then when we get "enlightened" that he is there with us 24*7

""गुरुर ब्रह्म गुरुर विष्णु गुरुर देवो महेश्वर

गुरुर साक्षात् परम ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः ""

A beautiful shloka meaning a Guru has the sublime blend of this three energies due to which the universe exists today.Brahma-the creator,Vishnu-the moderator,Maheshwara-the transformer.A Guru is a person who has a unique blend of the extremes.He is that epitome of knowledge but at the same time humor..the best blend of wisdom and chivalry..

""अखान्दमंदालाकाराम, व्याप्तं एन चराचरम

तत्पदं दर्शितं एन तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः ""

A Guru is omnipresent..he is present everywhere.he is present in us mortals and the immortals.He is there in time and timelessness..His prescence is felt in the soul and even outside..he is not present only in this world bt also in the other worlds..As Dinesh Bhaiya says become aware of the invisible divine "GURUSHAKTI"The entire World lies in the GURU'S feet...

The word Guru begins with a "G" and ends with a "U".I feel that is so because He is someone who "G"ives everything He can to "U".He does this because "U" "R" the ones who matter to Him.I feel this is why "GURU" it is spelt the way it is.The relationship between a mother and her child is the purest.It is so because there are no expectations in it.Similarly, and i feel even better it is with a Disciple and His Master, His Guru.The disciple seeks from His Master without any expectation.When he arrives to Him he stops seeking but now the things start blossoming as it is rightly said.His qualities ,his abilities blossom.He grows as a human.He matures.He understands.Such an indispensible part is played by the GURU in our lives...

And of course a hearty bow to our sweetest teachers Virat Bhaiya and Vasudha Di who have always been there with us and helped us grow on this path.They too are our Gurus....A sweet little guru story in the next post...till then be grateful for walking on this beautiful path and remember

"BLESSED ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE A GURU IN THEIR LIVES......."

Adventure with Guruji on side.......

On the trekking trip to trikona from college ( Mithibai College) what I experienced was thoroughly Guru Grace.Now, I have guru story to tell you all.

While climbing to the peak of this mountain I was saved from falling from the top in to valley. Not Once,Not Twice....But, Fourth odd times by Just Niche.What I felt was Just a miracle that was working on me by our guruji.every time I was saved.I felt there is this divine power surrounding me and holding me tight every time when I have been close to death.My unableness to breathe at the top the discomfortness that I experienced was all eased out within some fraction of moments that is when I felt Guruji so close to me.

This was just the first mountain & there was 1 more to be conquered & It was all because of guruji grace that without any difficulty I was able to complete my trekking.

This experience just strengthens my view with the guru in your heart.Nothing can go wrong with me.

love
janvi

A poem by Shrishti......

A poem by Shrishti.

The YES!+ World...

If you dream of cucumber @ night

A new romance will blossom soon in your life!

From time 2 time u’ll see

Life jus changes in2 something u neva imagined it 2 b

Whatever u dreamt of, slowly unfolds

Fruits of glory and wisdom downpour .

You are noticed even when invisible

Loved even when u have a debacle,

A magnetic field surrounds you

Which pulls people n positivity 2 u .

When was the last time you got mad @some1

You research within n now find no one!

You fly high wit words of wisdom

Swim through thoughts n bore-dum

Its like cozying up in lush green grass,

with Waterfalls , no wound no scars!

You smile :) at the ants n pigeons

Talk to all n clear their line of tensions.

You get to feel the sense of being free

Just like the chirping sparrow on the tree.

One just let goes all negative emotions

Holds off all temptations.

You learn to welcome all traditions

Be happy n find bliss in negotiations.

Its such an innocent course then y do we fuss?

I PITY PEOPLE WHO IGNORE YES!+ .

(Presented by VJ)

Ps:Guruji's photo from Canadian ashram curtsy Upasana Saijpal

The Satvik High - II

Well Well.......... still that mesmerizing breath taking scene of the scenic water falls is imprinted in my memory. The chilling water of the falls, Satsang in the rain and the meditation on a hill top, were simply amazing !!!! Here are some of the pictures !!!

(This post is called Satvik high for more than one reason)

Here's What Satvik (our volunteer) has to share about the picnic .
" The Picnic was awesome. It was a heavenly experience .The Aol way of picnic was different,it did not drain me or exhaust me like other parties and i came back feeling as fresh and high as i did in the morning when we started "

Mihir
(Edited by VJ)

Here is an experience worth reading, it is truly inspiring.

My name is Vikas Sheth. I joined The WONDERFUL Art Of Living (AOL) due to the compulsion of my little wonderful sister Vishva Sheth.

I had always thought that way to a happy life is by putting all my efforts into earning MONEY. When I used to hear people say “I’m out with my family”, I used to think he just ‘wasted’ an entire day because he did not earn MONEY! As you can easily

figure out my pathetic life! All I thought was MONEY! So, I rarely had no time to make friends. I rarely went to get–togethers, outings or with my family. Then, I met Shyam. He was the enlightment! He works as an analyst in well known bank (which is serious work!) and yet he is not drained out or sad and I bet his family is happy! The question then arose, WHAT DID HE DO THAT I DID NOT DO?

After meeting him, I enrolled into the YES+ program. There, I thought that I will be taught the way to earn more MONEY! (Silly me!!). Virat and Vasudha headed the course. They were the FIRST TRUE FRIENDS I EVER HAD! I went through many ‘silly processes’ which at the end had completely transformed me! After the course, I got the answer of the above question! IT’S NOT THE MONEY! ITS ME! If I’m HAPPY, everyone else is HAPPY! When they were HAPPY, I could perform better at work! IT ALL STARTS WITH ME!

There at the course, Virat also said that I must enjoy my work. If I don’t, there is something seriously wrong with the job. He told us the good side about doing your own thing. At first, it did not make much sense! HOW IS ONE SUPPOSED TO ENJOY WORK? The next day when I went to work, this time, I tried to enjoy it but, I simply could not! At the end of the day, I seriously started feeling that something is wrong with my job and that I’m supposed to be somewhere else! But where? I got an offer from the U.A.E. at the same post with 4 times my current pay! But, it would be the same old thing which I would not like to do. I always enjoyed designing steel structures (especially Scaffolding Systems). Then I thought of Guruji, asking him what should I do? The very next day, my friend called me proposing me his business venture. At first, I did not pay any heed but the moment he said the phrase “Design of Scaffolding Systems”, I accepted the offer! I’m today one of the five partners of RAAJ Scaffolding Services, our new company!

Happiness at last! Today, I ENJOY at my work place, I own a company and I design SCAFFOLDING SYSTEMS which I always enjoyed and I earn good profits! Wow! My family is also happy! On Sundays, I’m fresh! We all have a nice time and I actually have AN OUTING WITH MY FAMILY!

This like a dream come true! Thanks to My wonderful sister Vishva, my Good friend Shyam and Vasudha Didi and my best Friend Virat! I’ve also decided to help AOL in building the Youth Center in Bangalore by designing and providing Scaffolding Systems.

Vikas Sheth

What better gift to give anyone than a Art Of Living workshop, I really WONDER!!

VJ