Life is a Chess Game

How many of you have ever played a Chess Game? Those who have played it, know very well that in a Chess Game there is a square Chess Board on which each player controls sixteen pieces: king, queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights & eight pawns. There are two armies of such sets in Black & White opposite to each other & this game is played between two players. Moves are played in the Chess Game & slowly pawns, knights, rooks, queen, king etc. are killed or checked out. In this way Chess Game goes on.

Same is the case with our lives. Through ages God is playing this Chess Game with us. He puts us on this Chess Board called "Earth" & makes His moves through all of us so that His game goes on. We all are just puppets of God on this Chess Board called "Earth". Slowly, one by one, people are Checked Out (die) & again God plays this game with His new people (new one's born). In this way God's game is going on since time immemorial.

Just see that in Egypt, you find tombs of Kings & Queens in Pyramids which date back to many centuries ago. In Taj Mahal in India there is tomb of Shah Jahan & Mumtaz Mahal who were King & Queen of their times. So where have all of them gone? They were very much real people like you & me in their times but now their Chess Game is over. At their time, they were King, Queen & they were having their own "life real" rooks, knights, pawns etc. That army of people used to serve them in their times but all of them were checked out from the Chess Board i.e. all of them have died with their army of people. Now new players are on the Chess Board.

So anyone who is born on this earth is sure to die. We are here on this earth for a limited period of time after which we need to leave this earth. So let's not get attached to things in life too much. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita explains that only:

"jatasya hi dhruvo mrityur
dhruvam janma mrtasya cha
tasmad apariharye ’rthe
na tvam socitum arhasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 27)

"Sri Krishna said: One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament."

In Fact we all become so much involved & busy in our life on this earth that we all forget that one day we all have to leave this earth, leave this body. Our Life is not permanent on this earth & it is for a limited period of time after which it shall pass away. Transient nature of life is aptly described in below few lines of the Persian Poet, 'Omar Khayyam' :

'Lo! some we loved, the loveliest and the best
That time and fate of all their Vintage prest,
Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,
And one by one crept silently to Rest. '

'Omar Khayyam'

Lo, here were all those our near & dear one's, whom we loved the most & are gone now. Wine of life that used to flow through their mortal body has gone. Time & fate ( karmic law of cause & effect) has acted in their case & after drinking a Cup or two (of life), they have departed from this earth & have died a short or long before us. So shall be the fate of our self also & we shall too some day depart after drinking a Cup or two.

So instead of letting time & fate rule our destiny & lead us to death, why not let God immortalize us. So let's remember & pray to God daily, let's know Him daily so that God can bless us with the immortality

GOD

Today @liveadarsh on You Tube posted an interesting comment on GOD over "Hey Ram Hey Ram" - Lord Rama Prayer video, which I am reproducing below:

If you expand GOD it becomes

Generator
Operator
Destroyer

So for all those who say GOD is this and that

Believe me GOD is our very own

Brahma
Vishnu
Mahesh

It is the real truth of Hindu Philosophy & I liked it. Hope you too like it.

Attitude in Life

Many times, it happens in life that if you are not successful then people scorn you & you feel humiliated in life. If you are earning alot & are a rich person, then people salute you but otherwise people just ignore you. This world in this age is just like that money is saluted & whosoever, is having this money power, is considered successful. As per me this conception is not fully correct, as money can be earned by ill means also but can we call such persons truly successful in society? As per me we should not. Anyway the nature of the many people in society is such that they shall laugh at you if you do not fit well in their way of life & thinking. What should be our attitude in life when people scorn you & you feel humiliated with their such actions. Below is a beautiful story "Donkey in the well" which gives answer to this question.

"Once a donkey owned by a farmer fell down into a well. The donkey cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally the farmer thought that as donkey was old so he decided that the well needed to be covered anyway and that it just wasn't worth retrieving the donkey. So he invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.

They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quietened down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!"

This story simply gives us a lesson that Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. People in society are going to laugh at you many times & throw dirt on you but the trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. We should take a lesson from Bhagwat Gita teachings also that "We should remain same during the praise & ignominy." We should just have faith in God & pray to God only. By doing so & living equanimously, you shall not be bothered much about the people in the society, who do not like you & your way of life. Finally just believe in what Swami Vivekananda said:

"Let people say, whatever they like, stick to your own convictions & rest assured, world will be at your feet."

Look for Face of God in others

Recently I came across a beautiful article, "Look for Face of God in others". This article also gives us the same message as given in Bhagwat Gita that we should see the same one Soul present in all beings, as God resides the same in the hearts of all beings. A few lines from that article are here below:

"When you look for the face of God — his likeness — in other people, other people will begin to see that likeness in you."

"I also think it's why Mother Teresa always looked so radiant and divine — because she saw radiance and divinity in every destitute soul she comforted on the streets of Calcutta, India."

"When we look out at the world we are actually looking into a mirror. And what we are inside gets reflected in what we see and what we see soon becomes part of who we are."

"If we see "God in disguise" in others, he soon shows up, disguised as us as well."

Read full article here..............."Look for Face of God in others".

God Is There In Clay Idol

In many religions of the world people do idol worship while there are other religions where idol worship is forbidden. In Hinduism people do pray the idols of their revered Gods but there are people in other religions who disapprove of such idolism. Now big question is whether God is actually there in Clay Idol or not?

As per the philosophy of Bhagwat Gita & Hinduism, God is omnipresent (present everywhere) in it's un-manifest aspect & is always present all around us. Every inch of the space is occupied by Him. Every nook & corner is filled by Him. In this aspect He is called Brahm (God) who is Truth Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and is Infinite.

It is this un-manifest aspect of God that is present in Clay Idols that Hindus worship as their God. Now to fulfill the desire of a devotee, this un-manifest, all pervasive Brahm (God) who is there in Clay Idol, by the power of His Yogmaya, manifests Himself as an embodied Being and appears before the devotee. So in this way the Un-manifest God in Clay Idol becomes manifest before the devotees.

So this omnipresent, un-manifest God appears before a devotee in whatever form he worships Him, whether it is the form of Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha or any other form. A devotee should always remember that the God whom he worships, always pervades through this whole universe & can manifest Himself in any form, anytime He wants to appear before his devotee. God is never invisible to such souls who have understood His true nature, nor does He ever lose sight of them.

In Bhagwat Gita, Arjuna asked Lord Krishna to show him the "Cosmic Form of God" & Lord Krishna showed Arjuna his physical "Virat Rupa" or "Cosmic Form of God" in which all these universes & all these planets, stars etc. were present. This physical "Virat Rupa" of God or this whole universe is the external body of the omnipresent, un-manifest God. Similarly this small Clay Body of God is the miniature aspect of that "Virat Rupa" or all inclusive physical universes.

Generally we see that, whenever, people go to the temple & come in front of the Clay Idol, people close their eyes. Why it is so that when people come before their revered God, they close their eyes? Simple answer to this is that they feel God much closer to their heart inside themselves when they come in front of the Clay Idol. Yes, God who is there in omnipresent, un-manifest aspect in the Clay Idol is also sitting in their hearts in un-manifest aspect. So that is the reason that while closing their eyes before the Clay Idol, people feel the presence of un-manifest God present everywhere & also in their heart.

So the answer to the question, "Whether God is actually there in the Clay Idol or not?" is in Yes. Yes, God is there in the Clay Idol. Let us respect the feelings & thinking of those people who do Idol Worship.

Mind & the Ripple Effect

In your day to day life we are faced with problems & this makes our mind disturbed. Our natural peace of mind is gone at that time. Whenever our mind becomes disturbed & agitated, we should introspect & see why it is happening so. As we never enjoy our life if our mind is disturbed, so we should analyze & see how we can improve upon it in future & avoid our mind becoming agitated.

Below is a story in which a Master is telling his Disciple how to keep his mind cool & how to introspect when his mind is disturbed. This story shall also give you a lesson, how you can too avoid, being agitated in your mind & be always peaceful:

Once there was a Master in whose hermitage many disciples used to live. Once in the morning when the Master was going for a walk, he saw one of his disciple sad & in a troubled state of mind. Master approached him & asked, "O Dear, On such a beautiful day, it must be difficult to stay so serious."

Disciple: Yeah, it is so but I am unable to comprehend why my mind is so disturbed & agitated. Watching intently, the Master continued to walk.

"Join me if you like."The Master walked to the edge of a still pond, framed by tall dense trees.

"Please sit down," the Master invited, patting the ground next to him. Looking carefully before sitting, the Disciple brushed the ground to clear a space for himself.

"Now, find a small stone, please," the Master instructed.

Disciple: "What?"

Master: "A stone. Please find a small stone and throw it in the pond."

Searching around him, the Disciple grabbed a pebble and threw it as far as he could.

"Tell me what you see," the Master instructed.

Straining his eyes to not miss a single detail, the Disciple looked at the water's surface.

Disciple: "I see ripples."

Master: "Where did the ripples come from?"

Disciple: "From the pebble I threw in the pond, Master."

"Please reach your hand into the water and stop the ripples," the Master asked.

Not understanding, the Disciple stuck his hand in the water as a ripple neared, only to cause more ripples. The Disciple was now completely baffled. Where was this going? Had he made a mistake in seeking out the Master? Puzzled, the Disciple waited.

"Were you able to stop the ripples with your hands?" the Master asked.

Disciple: "No, of course not."

Master: "Could you have stopped the ripples, then?"

Disciple: "No, Master. I told you I only caused more ripples."

"What if you had stopped the pebble from entering the water to begin with?" The Master smiled such a beautiful smile; the Disciple could not be upset.

"Next time you are unhappy with your life, catch the stone before it hits the water. Do not spend time trying to undo what you have done. Rather, change what you are going to do before you do it." The Master looked kindly upon the Disciple.

Disciple: "But Master, how will I know what I am going to do before I do it?"

Master: "Take the responsibility for living your own life. If you're working with a doctor to treat an illness, then ask the doctor to help you understand what caused the illness. Do not just treat the ripples. Keep asking questions." The Disciple stopped, his mind reeling.

Disciple: "But I hoped you to ask you for answers. Are you saying that I know the answers?"

Master: "You may not know the answers right now, but if you ask the right questions to yourself, introspect what caused the ripples & made your mind agitated & disturbed, then you shall discover the answers."

Now here is my suggestion on how you should behave in your daily day to day life. Just follow the below two verses of Bhagwat Gita which teaches, how a person of peaceful, unwavering and undisturbed mind behaves in life:

"sama-duhkha-sukhah sva-sthah
sama-lostasma-kanchanah
tulya-priyapriyo dhiras
tulya-nindatma-samstutih" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 24)

Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: One who is situated in the Self (soul) and behaves same during happiness and distress; one who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; one who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; one who is situated equally well in praise and blame is the one who is of steady mind.

"manapamanayos tulyas
tulyo mitrari-pakshayoh
sarvarambha-parityagi
gunatitah sa ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 25)

Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: One who is steady in honor and dishonor; one who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has renounced all material activities—such a person is said to have transcended the three modes of nature & lives in a peaceful state of mind.