As we set out early we had some time to spare at exhibition first. I did not count but I think there were around 60 stalls arranged in good taste, another exhibition was also arranged in adjacent place, but we visited only this one. Indians don't eat much but they eat a lot of useless things. I took some bhelpuri, which was great on looks and low on taste. When we were returning home I took a plate of golgape. These things filled my stomach for some time and I skipped my dinner. Now at midnight I feel hungry and wide awake. If you go to sleep with a skipped dinner chances are that you won't get good sleep. After 2 hours of waiting for sleep I thought it better to get up and take something to eat. As sleep is still evading I am writing these words. Earlier I used to read a lot, but now reading tires the eyes and also seem boring, so I took up writing.

            If you bring home something for kids they become very happy. Kids at our home are quite enterprising and finest recycling agents. After fully playing with new things for two days, they turn all their things to garbage on third day. With a curiosity to know ‘what is inside' they just tear apart the things.  Well the exhibition was full of life. Laptops, computers, microwaves, a whole range of electric and electronic gadgets, clothes, artificial jewelry, healthcare products and machines, glass, many other  things were there. I bought 4 watches, 3 of them Chinese watches for kids. 3 watches for just USD 0.7!!! I know the watches shall stop working after 10 days, but the kids are more fast, they will break them after 2 days :-)) I bought a set of six pairs of socks for Rupees 100 (USD 2.30), these are Indian socks and I am sure I can wear them for a couple of years. Indian clothes are cheaper and good too. A friend of my friend who recently moved to Australia forgot to pack under wears with him, he told his family here to send him a few pieces my post and believe me they were still cheaper to him (No anybody please don't ask me to send them under wears by post, I am not going to do that).

            We checked healthcare products for my friend. Like many Americans he needs to shed off a few stones. Oh! Come on dear, please don't mind. It's only USD 160 for entry level jogger, which is good enough.

            Well, I am feeling sleepy now and shall post this writing in the morning. Good Night, sweet dreams

DEATH IS A NECESSITY

It is a necessity because anybody can wish to live forever but practically it is very difficult to live for even one thousand years. Exceptions are always there and a forever life can be suitable for only awakened ones. Awakened souls go beyond the wishes of life and death. Time can neither please of torment them. For others involved in worldly affairs only an eternal life shall be difficult to bear with. With normal ways of the world a prolonged life shall become like a burden. Who would like to live for 1000 years with a rucksack of problems, complexities and dilemmas of life? No Sir, 500 years are more than enough. After a prolonged work or state, a feeling of change and rest is natural. In hundreds of years many things tried out shall loose luster and the existence shall be boring. A tendency to forget negative and useless is also there in consciousness. Death offers solution to all these problems and gives a fresh start.

DEATH IS A HINDRANCE

If seen from other perspective death is also a hindrance to purpose of life. What is purpose of life? It's progress towards higher states. Experiences of life provide wisdom and maturity. A major part of life is wasted in follies and by the time the wish to make sincere efforts for one's deliverance arises the time is over. If a person gets chance to live for a few hundred years there are ripe chances that in first 200 years all worldly wishes, greed, lust shall loose attraction and by completion of 300 years a person shall be more like a saint. The rest of time shall be spent doing good to others and oneself. But death restricts gaining of experience and stages of higher consciousness.  It seems death is playing a game with life and don't want to let it progress to its highest peaks. What can be done to avert this situation? Plans can be made for thousands of years, but one moment of death is never known and it washes away all the drawings. Consciousness is lost in one moment and ‘I' become ‘I am not.'  Here is a clue to face death. If death is only a moment life should also be a moment. A moment to live life to its fullest, to fulfill all desires, to do whatever is in mind? No. Life should imitate death to counter it. The journey from ‘I' to ‘I am not' is better completed in life itself, it can bring the doors of eternal life near.

            Earth is full of life. There is no part of earth without life. Volcanoes have extreme temperatures, but bacteria are also found in it. Countless bacteria or virus are always present in our body. Virus is unique, it's symbolic of survival. Though harmful but it has an uncanny capacity to carry on. It acts dead in unfavorable circumstances and jumps back to life when finds something to cling on. Plants also have life. I believe in theory of reincarnation and theory of karma (explanation of cause and effects of our deeds). Based on our doings we reincarnate in a specific form. These two theories together can explain the complexities of life. People do good but don't get good or do bad and still get good, the reasons can best be explained by these theories. All living entities have soul. The soul can transmigrate to different species. Even in human form all have got different stations in life. Some are rich, some poor, healthy or diseased, beautiful or ugly, lucky or unlucky, happy or sorrowful. Theory of karma can explain the reasons for these differences. In life we either pay or get. When we do something for others we get paid, when we get others to do something for us we have to pay. We get paid for all the positive doings and pay for negative ones.

Question : How you can put a giraffe in refrigerator?

Answer : Open the refrigerator door, put the giraffe in and shut it.

Implication : Sometimes most difficult problems have simplest solutions.

Question : How you can put an elephant in refrigerator?

Wrong Answer : Open the refrigerator door, put the elephant in and shut it.

Right Answer : Open the refrigerator, put the giraffe out and put the elephant in.

Implication : You should be able to foresee the result of your work.

Question : King of the beasts ‘The Lion' called a meeting. All animals are presenting there except one. Who is missing?

Answer : Elephant. He is locked in the refrigerator.

Implication : Remember even the minor details.

Question : You have to swim across the river, but there are alligators in it, which will surely chew your bones. What to do?

Answer : Don't be afraid, swim across the river without any fear. All animals are attending the meeting of King Lion

Implications : You should be able to learn quickly from mistakes.

OK, so he/she lives quite a distance away, and YEAH you may think that it'll NEVER work out but I do have to say this to you ...
I pledge to you ****** to talk to you at least once a day on the phone
I pledge to you ******that I will make every attempt to sooth your soul when times are tough
I pledge to you ******that I will share in the laughter and tears whenever the need arises
I pledge to you ******that I'll make everyday for you a brighter one
I pledge to you ******that my doors are open to you anytime you need a shoulder to cry on
I pledge to you ******that my arms are open to you for every hug that you may need
I pledge to you ****** to fulfill your wildest fantasies
I pledge to you ******warm you when you are cold
I pledge to you ******to feed you when your belly's hungry
I pledge to you ******to be there when you want to have an intellectual conversation
and in just plain general terms...
I WANT YOU TO SHARE MY LIFE WITH ME!!!
NOW ...to you,
I want to let you know ******that at the very least I wouldn't mind being a good friend to you. Even though that's NOT what I want in general. I hope that you understand that my life is NOT complete at the moment, but if you ARE that piece of the puzzle that I been searching long and hard for...then HEY, *welcomes you with open arms

            Let's sum it up "Conscious physical body with intellect leads to emergence of emotions and knowledge, which makes life meaningful."

            Life has been cloned biologically; technically efforts are on to create a human made artificial life. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Artificial Emotion (AE) are helping a great deal in perfecting the model of Artificial Life (AL!). Japanese are creating electronic pets which though can't replace the natural pets but they are a good choice for those who can't have the real ones. I wonder if someday people have choices for nagging wives and stubborn husbands :))))

            We can create vast databases and our questions related to information available in right format can be answered within a second. We need to create databases of emotions as well so that the machines can understand us and act as per our convenience. Matching hardware is also important. We have body, brain being the most important organ. Computers have hard disk, ALU, processor. Life moves on its own. Robots equipped with computing power are coming near to that characteristic. Robots are still in their infancy but I am sure that on a near future date they shall be able to grab all human jobs. We have only to make sure that robots don't get any voting rights otherwise politicians will make a hell of human life. Robots can acquire reproductive capabilities and that shall be a real challenge for humans. Am I going to phase out or I shall survive in next incarnation by changing into a more orderly and disciplined robotic consciousness.

            Some people experience the bouts of emotional instability after some time with or without any specific reason. Well let's talk about my personal experience; it shall make the things easy to understand. Some years back down feelings knocked me many times. It would last 2 to 3 days every time. After a few times I was fairly fed up and decided to take the bull by its horns when it charges me next time. Meetings with one-self are important in these situations. Next time when I had down feelings I asked myself, "Hey Mahesh! What's wrong with you man?" and Mahesh could not find anything wrong! It was only a down feeling. The problems and pleasures of life were same. I dug deep inside myself and analyzed every possible cause of down feelings. There was explanation to everything likely to disturb me, so all causes were explained well and kicked away gently. How could I feel down with all causes removed? Even now if something is likely to get me down I ponder over the issue. Every problem has either a solution or it has no solution. If a problem can be solved there should be no reason to worry? If a problem can't be solved how worrying about it can help? I want to tell you about a shortcut. Press the windows switch on your keyboard and press ‘D' along with it. You will see all open windows are minimized at once. Just minimize all the open troubling windows of your consciousness. Strike at the root of down feelings and you won't find any troubling root anymore. Pin point the reason of your down feelings and ask yourself if this reason is worth worrying about and can worry help in any way? You will find a negative answer and this is your positive solve.

BREATHE PRACTICE

Thinking process can be helped with changed ways of breathing. Here I tell you of a simple technique which you can do any number of times a day. Let's call this technique Deep Cool Breathe. This technique shall refresh the mind and make you feel lighter.

The world looks so little and I know people from around 20 countries or more. A little girl from East Asia told me that I behave and talk like her elder brother, so she calls me ‘kuya' - I was told elder brother is called kuya there. An energetic lady from China with a good family also has same feelings for me. Well I am glad for having virtual extended families here. A guy from my nearby city who has settled in East Asia keeps telling and asking me things. Another lady from Central Asia who married an Indian and due to this I call her ‘bhabhi'(sister-in-law). Her two little girls waves beautifully on cam and talk in childish tongue and strange language which I never understand J . Her father is suffering from cancer now and it worries her a lot. May God bless him with some more peaceful years on this earth. And yes how can I forget about American friend who is all ears to what I say and all mind for giving me solutions, thanks Dear. There are many other contacts which are getting into my virtual family. Happy netting, happy virtual families & also strange hopes and despairs. ‘Hi Dear! How are you?' ‘Bye Dear, I don't know you!!" :))))

            We know about the completeness of God, but how this world is complete? This world is full of deficiencies. Nobody is complete, everybody has shortcomings. But still this world is complete. Individuals are not complete in themselves, but the world as a whole is complete. 100 persons may have 100 skills, 1 person may not have 100 skills. Hence the collective nature of all life forms and substances represent completeness.

HURDLES TO COMPLETENESS

First of all thank God for the part of completeness in us. If you are an atheist then thank your assumptions of this world. A person may have number of skills and capacities but can't have all. Most of the times it is sufficient to utilize one's capacities in a good manner. Maximum self development and feeling bliss portray completeness. There are hurdles to complete feelings. These same hurdles restrict union with God also. These hurdles are called vikshepa. Union with oneself leads to union with God. For union look out for hurdles and weed them out. Hurdles are of nine types :

1. Vyadhi or disease : Any type of physical or mental disturbance. If a disease disturbs the peace and tranquility in self then it's disturbing. Always remember a disease can either be cured or endured.
2. Styan or unwillingness to work : When there is no wish to do anything. This can be caused by pessimism, previous failure or lack of initiative.
3. Snshay or doubt : When there is less faith in one's own capacities and result of work its doubt.
4. Pramad or carelessness : A lot of work is being done, have full faith in capacities, but never cares, this is pramad or carelessness.
5. Aalsya or laziness : There are heavy feelings in body and senses and rest looks more attractive than test.
6. Avirti or attachment : When senses get attached to things useful or harmful and feel bounded.
7. Bhranti Darshan or Opposite Feelings : When normal positive things look negative.
8. Alabdh Bhumiktav or Non-Achievement : When even after efforts something is not gained.
9. Anvstithtatva or Instability : When even after achievement mind does not want to stay calm.

By taking away these nine hurdles a lot of desired can be achieved and a feeling of completeness can be gained.

Now if you ask me what excites me I'd say watching things, persons from new perspective is also exciting. We all are multi dimensional and presents our different facet to different persons in different situations. Our pleasant aspects can be compared to beautiful moon. Well dear, you are not the moon but you can be compared to that, you are none the less.

            Moon is related with mind and when we watch it with deep calm feelings we get positive vibes. Some years ago when during summer I used to sleep under open sky moon and star would look so charming. The look and pondering over night sky gives encouragement. Once I was away from home in boring circumstances for some days. Feeling homesick I used to sleep under open sky and see the same sky as I see at my home. At least one thing familiar at home travels with you anywhere. I formed some shapes from stars and it was good to see star groups. The new moon is considered auspicious and it grows in beauty every day. On 14^th moon day it has all its grace and on 15^th day - the full moon night - it is unparallel in beauty and radiance. Today is 7^th lunar day and the moon has reached half its size. But then also it looks special because it's seen from a new perspective. Now I want to see it everyday, I think the moon is here to stay.

[Originally written by me on Thursday 5 October 2006]

Work, Health & Family. I think most people are concerned about these 3 things only. If there is some deficiency in any one of these then it's a trouble for us. Let me try to write a few words on each one of these and I hope you'll also try to read what is written here J

WORK

Work is related with money, we work because we get money by working. But is it the only reason for working? Here I'll assume all economic and non-economic, personal and non-personal activities as work. I work because I get money by working, but I work because I like work also. Now I am writing this article and I am not going to get any money by writing this, but still I am writing, because I like it. Development and maturity of intellect, skills, knowledge & wisdom is dependent on work. I may not be a good worker but my deficiencies at work shall teach me many things. Doing is learning. What work we do, why we do, how we do, why I am not doing some better work. May be the president is doing my job and I can be more worthy than him if I can get his office. But who can tell that why I am not doing my presidential job and what that person is doing in my office!! There are many explanations to this.

            Work can be related with general acts & conducts of our life. Our works are resultant of our personality & opportunity, which in turn are resultant of our physical & mental acts. Company changes a man; just put a spoiled unsatisfied worker in 10 other workers and he shall get on nerves of management. We keep company with others; we also keep company with ourselves as well. I have my own thoughts, ideas, imagination to company with. Every person has a specific personal nature and his development depends on it. Apart from economic activities, charity efforts, efforts to appease others or ourselves, wise or unwise acts, follies of not so ripe age, all can be classified as work. Every step takes us somewhere, doing can become undoing and undone things can also be thanked for. A million thanks for one bomb not thrown over innocent people and thanks for a bullet which missed killing an innocent person, thanks for diverting the path of events which were clearly leading to strife. These all works deserve not to be done. On individual level also many works are best if left undone. Nobody works for harming his own interests, everybody works for some benefit. Businesses, industries can fail, people can get desperate because of their failed efforts, but the motive and wish to do is always positive. We can consider negative points but we always work for positive ones. Works are done for benefit or pleasure. Pleasure can take doing or undoing to the greatest height. A man lost in his dream world was feeling great. Another man came running and told him, "Hey Pal! There is a fire in the village." "Doesn't concern me", Dreamy man said. "Your house is also in that village" He was told. "Doesn't concern you" Dreamy man said and turned his back. Whenever we do something we make it sure to get the maximum possible output from that, working our way up or down. We may be either working towards a higher goal, liberating ourselves or getting addicted to some unwise practices, pushing ourselves down.

            Work may be binding or liberating, it depends on kind of work we select and our way of doing that work. There are details and theories of work, its cause, effect. The crux of all theories is ‘Are you satisfied with your work?' Satisfaction element related with work takes into account it's all aspects - economic, personal, social, psychological and others. The simplest way of knowing how you like your work is ‘Do you take pride in showing your work or you need help to get rid of it.'

HEALTH

‘Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fittest of all' If it's the survival of fittest then surely we should be fit enough to survive. Health is our next concern. If somebody lacks health then it can be the first concern also. Mostly it is like this -‘we have it we don't care, we don't have it we are concerned.' Ill body or mind or both can give trouble, both have effect on each other. Somebody may get unwell for some time and by unduly stressing on its causes and effects can prolong that period. Low emotional and disturbing states can also cause the body to be unwell. Body and mind when effect each other negatively can form a vicious circle requiring lots of efforts and time to break out of it. What can make people unwell :

1.                  Infection

2.                  Non-nutritious or adulterated food

3.                  Lack of body activities

4.                  Emotional breakdowns

5.                  Use of harmful substances including intoxicants and drugs

6.                  Hereditary reasons

7.                  Exertion

8.                  Accidents  

FAMILY

Here in India we have traditional families. Joint family system is still in vogue. Couples marry and stay together for whole life. While meeting and interacting with people of other cultures I found that family and social culture is different elsewhere. Asia is still traditional with little changes. There are maximum changes in western part of the world. Many people want to have good stable family but can't find compatible spouse. Many prefer to stay single or stay in a without-marriage relation. Once a chat friend asked me about families in India. I told that we still have traditional family values. ‘what if spouses don't have compatibility?' I told they still stay together, fighting each other, enjoying each other and don't separate till one of them dies!!!, ahhaha. Is it good or bad? It depends. Sometimes it is better to separate than living through hell and sometimes the separation decisions are un-thoughtful. One thing is sure ; broken families don't have a healthy effect on either spouse or kids. If union was disturbing separation also disturbs. How nice it shall be if all can find a soul mate with whom they can happily stay together all life. This wish is natural for every person. Even if somebody has a series of relations that person shall also crave for a stable relation in the end.

What can disturb families or relations :

1.                  Disliking for certain things in partner.

2.                  Wish to control while the partner oppose it.

3.                  High aspirations and a feeling that they can't be achieved while living together.

4.                  A strong wish with or without any cause to walk out of relationship.

5.                  Lack of communication.

Work, health and family- our life revolves around this trio. I think about work, don't think about money. For me money has less value than work. Why? Do I already have enough money and I am now able to compare mine with Bill Gates!!! Nah. Sometimes I don't have even enough. But how much one requires? The basic needs are being provided for, wish for more is a race and we run that all life. Health is ok. I feel that I can walk in the sky, that's the benefit when you are ultra light with no problem, ahaha. Family, well I live with mother and brother and no spouse to separate from J still haven't found a matching soul. Anybody want to test nerves!!!

            It is very good to make our mind favorable to ourselves. We have not to do what our mind wants; our mind has to do what we want. It is possible when our mind is well pacified, free from all adulterations and pure. Directionless mind shall take us nowhere, controlled mind shall make us touch new heights. We request you O God! Please give us direction so that we are always on right path.

            I can understand 4 languages and their dialects and also try to learn more languages. Some people know 8-10 languages and I remember reading it somewhere that there was a professor in Russia and also a man in old British times who both knew around 100 languages. Most people know 1 to 3 languages only. Learning more languages can help you or me to express ourselves in a better way, but then no language can express all our feelings perfectly.

            One more surprising fact is that there are two such languages in the world which every person can understand and believe me these two languages are not spoken ones.

Money is first language which all people in this world understand. You can go to any corner of earth with full wallets and people shall be delighted to understand you in every way. Of course politeness is necessary, rich but rude people are also kicked in no time.

Love is second languages which anybody can understand. Even birds and animals understand it. If we can make proper use of this language then it will result in a very serene and peaceful existence. This language has no words, no thoughts and no ponderings. If I use this language skillfully then I can talk directly to your heart and you can't hide anything. Minds are tricky, logical and always doing comparisons, but hearts are always pure. Heart always accepts things. Love is the language which heart knows. Using this language will make your heart dominant and mind shall take backseat. Love is the most important language to use with your family, friends, relatives, acquaintances and with anyone who comes in contact with you. Proficiency in this language shall bring refreshing mornings, pleasant evenings, delightful days and serene nights. Between Good Morning and Good Night the time shall fly like a carefree bird and existence shall be so sweet, sweet like the sounds of birds, the sound of a talking parrot.

1.                  NATURAL DEATH : The body weakens with aging. When the body is no more capable to hold back the life force it releases it, resulting in death. Death due to deformities from birth and after a long disease can also be categorized into natural death.

2.                  SUDDEN DEATH : Death in any kind of accident, be it caused by road accident, falling from height, fire, water, falling heavy things, murder, strokes or any other reason, which can't be predicted in advance over a short period of life is sudden death.

3.                  UNTIMELY DEATH : Untimely death here means suicide. Poison, hanging, burning, drowning, shooting, jumping from height etc. can cause this death. It is willingly caused to oneself with a wish to end life.

From these three types natural death is most desired, sudden death cannot be controlled always and untimely death is to be avoided, it's the worse one.

WHY UNTIMELY DEATH IS WORSE

Natural and sudden death is caused without any consideration to the wishes of living being, whereas untimely death is like encroaching the rights of supreme originator of life, its murder of oneself. When time allotted to one life form is completed the fire of life within extinguishes. It can be assumed that duration of stay on this earth is destined; life style increases or decreases it to some extent. So natural and sudden deaths are not any deeds, these are happenings. In case of untimely death the allotted time is not completed and death is willfully caused to oneself. It is not a happening, it's a deed which binds the consciousness even after death.

EVADING DEATH

Some persons have miraculous escapes from disease or accidents. Someone tries to commit suicide but is saved. There are reasons for all these things. Some unfinished tasks, great joys, deepest sorrow related with some future happening, relation put away death. May be the willing to die person has to

-                     bring a new life in this world

-                     get a new wonderful relation or find the joys of existing ones

-                     do something which has an effect on many