Author Archives: Lakshmi Rajan

A Study on Soul

SOUL – the life force / energy that keeps a body moving . Science has made so much of advancement but still the concept of the life force/energy is still a mystery or uncharted path for scientists. In this context, it is definitely worth proud of and worth admiring a fact that Vedas and Bhagavad Gita written thousands of years ago in our land offers a rich and valuable information and understanding on the concept of soul.

Reading Bhagavad Gita these days am awed by the enormous wealth of knowledge and insight this master piece provides. Here in this topic , I shall write about the understanding on soul that I gained from my spiritual quest of our Vedas and Bhagavad Gita. So far.

The size of the soul :

Svetasvatara Upanishad (5.9) says :

balagra-sata-bhagasya

Satadha kalpitasya ca

Bhago Jivah Sa Vijneyah

Sa Canantyaya kalpate

Which translates as :

“When the upper point of hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul”

Another verse from the same Upanishad also mentions the size of the soul :

Kesagra-sata-bhagasya

Saramsah sadrsatmakah

Jiavha suksma-svarupo yam

Sankhyarito hi cit-kanah

Which means :

“There are innumerable particles of spiritual atoms , which are measured as one ten thousandth of the upper portion of the hair.”

So we can conclude that according to Vedic scriptures of the vedic times , the individual particle of spiritual soul is a spiritual atom smaller than the material atoms.

This very small spiritual spark is the basic principle of the material body and the influence of this tiny spark is spread all over the body . This tiny atom is what gives the life force for our body. If this tiny spark is snuffed out of our body, it’s just a dead body.

Nature of the soul :

According the Bhagavad Gita : chapter 2.17

“ That which pervades the entire body , you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul”

The material body can be destroyed and it is perishable . The same is not the case with the soul. The soul can neither be destroyed . It is imperishable. The material body has to die at one point of time but soul is ever living.

According to Bhagavad Gita chapter 2.20

“ For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being , does not come into being , and will not come into being. He is unborn , eternal , ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain , when the body is slain. ”

According to Bhagavad Gita chapter 2.23

“ The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon , nor burned by fire , nor moistened by water , nor withered by the wind ”

According to Bhagavad Gita chapter 2.24

“ This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting , present everywhere , unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.”

According to Bhagavad Gita chapter 2.25 :

“ It is said that the soul is invisible , inconceivable and immutable.Knowing this , you should not grieve for the body. ”

So in a nutshell the nature of the soul is describes as : indestructible , imperishable , is unborn , eternal , ever-existing and primeval. The soul is unbreakable and insoluble . It can neither be burned nor dried. It is everlasting , present everywhere , unchangeable , immovable and eternally the same.

The point eternally the same is very important. It conveys a point that all living souls are of the same character but what differentiates one from other is through the cycle of karma and the influences of the individual on its course of births and rebirths. In this regard , it is very interesting to note that , Vedas ascribe two kinds of soul Jeevatma and Paramatma . Both this souls live within every living entity. The actions and reactions of the Jeevatma is what brings the different uniqueness and characterizations of the individual living entity. I will talk about Jeevatma and Paramatma and their significance in another topic.

To conclude with a verse from Bhagavad Gita chapter 2.29 :

“ Some look on the soul as amazing , some describe him as amazing , and some hear of him as amazing , while others , even after hearing about him , cannot understand him at all ”

This is exactly how one reacts when we talk about soul. The more we study indepth the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita , the more we get the understanding on the soul . I have just started my spiritual journey into Vedas and Bhagavad Gita will share the knowledge I gained in due course of time in my blog.

Hare Krishna.

Ok .. We have to keep the sense of humour even when the tide is rough .. so here is some comic strips for those worried about Wall street impact !!!

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, India’s “big Bull”, the wizard of Indian Stock market.

I was reading an article about him in IBN Live and his Gyaan on stock market investment. I know, people will run away or probably faint on the mention of stock market these days. Still, I thought I will post his stock investment wisdom, so that aspiring investors can fish in troubled waters!

Jhunjhunwala once said humorously, “Markets are like women; always commanding, mysterious, unpredictable and volatile.” And yet he lorded them. There is a lot I learnt from his investing quotes, and there’s something in it for you too.

Invest in a business and not a company

Jhunjhunwala identified and invested in Pantaloons much before the market discovered it. Today, he is gaining from that investment. That’s because he invested in the potential of the underlying business (of organized retail in this case) and its first mover advantage.

Maximize profits and minimize losses

Cut losses and move on with life. At the same time, hold on to winning stocks till their business has achieved its full potential.

Always have an independent opinion. Observe and read relevant information with an open mind

Jhunjhunwala believes in doing his own research before investing. A good example: he was lapping up the ignored Indian Public Sector (PSU) stocks when the herd was after the IT stocks during the late nineties. He made a fortune investing in PSU stocks, while many lost their shirts during the dot com led market crash in 2000.

Be opportunistic but wait for the right moment

Don’t jump to buy all at once. The market always gives a chance to buy more at a lesser price if you wait for the right moment.

Be happy with your gains but learn to accept losses with a smile

Jhunjhunwala has had his share of dud investments. A good example is Mid-day Multimedia. But that did not deter him.

Study the markets thoroughly. Refer to history

There have been many a bull and bear markets but in the long-term, the market is always trending upwards

Do something you love

Jhunjhunwala went on to pursue his passion for investing right after he completed his Chartered Accountancy. He also had the option to go abroad but he chose to do what he loved.

Patience may be tested but your conviction will be rewarded

Many of his holdings like Praj Industries, Hindustan Oil Exploration, Pantaloon, did not move for quite some time. However, he had the conviction in their business models and their potential to become multi-baggers, which they eventually did.

– Market is always right. Markets cannot be taught, they have to be learnt.

According to him there are no kings or kingdoms in the stock market. Mr. Market is the only prime force.

– Be an optimist!

I feel his genuine optimism rubs across the businesses he backs and they achieve success faster. For example: Bilcare, a clinical supplies management services, has suddenly become a hot story out of nowhere.

– Aspire, but never envy.

Jhunjhunwala believes in sharing his investment ideology and thought process in this highly secretive industry.

– Begin whatever you dream. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

No wonder he has backed many a first generation entrepreneurs like C.J. George (Geojit Financial), Mohan Bhandari (Bilcare), Pramod Chaudhari (Praj Industries) etc.

And some more:

• Build a fighting spirit; take the bad with the good  
• Balance Fear and Greed    
• Invest for the long term  
• Be paranoid of success; never take it for granted. Realize success can be temporary and transient

Recently, while addressing an audience in Hyderabad, he predicted that the bull market is intact and the current phase is just a significant time-wise and price-wise correction.

Let’s hope he is right this time around too and we see the resurgence of the India bull market soon.

Ok, on concluding parting shot I think let me put the disclaimer also:

Disclaimer: While we have made efforts to ensure the accuracy of our content (consisting of articles and information), neither this website nor the author shall be held responsible for any losses/ incidents suffered by people accessing, using or is supplied with the content

Enjoy the Bull but be smart and patient with the bear. Best wishes!

The dramatic collapse of Wall Street made me thinking one point. Lehman brothers, Morgan Stanley, Bears and sterns etc all this big names commands the cream recruitment from the prestigious B-schools of the world. The policy makers and the cream of the management team of the companies had the brightest mind of the economics and business practice but still the companies failed and they failed miserably.

So what went wrong? What happened to the great analytical minds of the sharpest B-school whizz kids? Why did the supposedly high flying CEOs’ and their core team of number crunching pedigree of sharp minds which boasts of prestigious degrees from the elite universities bite the dust ? Is it coz that they where away from the ground realities of the market? Were they unaware of the real pulse of the market and lived in a theoretical management practices and board games? Or is it they were not concerned about the company but only in their personal pursuits of monetary benefits? Of course a monetary benefit will come only if you are leading a company in a successful manner and not sink it? So what really happened? Why it happened? Why none of the high flying economists were able to predict this windfall collapse?

I am not an economist or a supposedly sharp mind of B-school… but a simple man with this simple question… can anyone shed a light on my doubt?

Navratri starts today.

This one used to be my much awaited festival during my childhood for two reasons. First, we get 10 days of school holidays. Second, the way we celebrate Dasara or Golu as we call in Tamil. Let me go back to flashback days and recall the Golu days.

The arrival of Golu proceeds with Quarterly exams. After a grueling, tiring, stressed out exam schedule which kid won’t look forward to 10 days of school free days!!! So do us – my elder bro and yours lovingly. So we eagerly wait for the holidays. The Golu preparation starts with putting up the stair structure. We used to have a giant Golu - 9 big steps in height and width. It easily rises to some 9 ft and 6 feet in width. My papa used to get a carpenter to fix the stairs in place. We used to have a collapsible stairs which will rise to its full glory every year in these 9 days. Once it’s fixed. We drape it in red satin clothe. Next comes, the interesting but huge task of taking out the dolls (of different Gods) from our huge trunk. We had a huge collection of dolls – a wonderful collection that spans many decades from my papa’s childhood. Different Gods in Different forms!  Saraswati , Lakshmi , Durga , Ram , Sita , Laxman and Hanuman , Hanuman opening his heart and Ram and Sita image seen in it, Dus avatars of Vishnu , Krishna and Arjuna in chariot(Gita Upadesh) , Ganesh , Sri Rama Patabishek , Lord Murugan in six lotus flowers as six babies , Surya bhagwan , Brahma , Rishis like Sankaracharya , Agastya etc , kannapar , Nava graha , Asta lakshmis , Ardanairshwar etc …

We kids used to have our own area where we create a village rustic home, with dolls of people, cows etc… We used to spread sand and put seeds of grains and water it and it grows it everyday and by 9th day it gives a green spread!!!

Every day mom makes different kind of dishes for offerings. Evenings we have puja and then feast on it!!! 10 days, different dishes every day! We used to visit our relatives home to have a look at their Golu! People drop to our home. Kids from neighborhood come during puja times…

The 9th day is Ayudha Puja. A celebration that conveys the noble message – “Work is God”. People decorate and give aartis to their work instruments. Students keep their schoolbooks and notes before God. The celebration literally means to convey that Work is God and if we perform the right karmas of our life with devotion and dedication that is the best prayer one can do for his upliftment. The 10th day with the final puja we remove the dolls and idols from the stairs and wrap it back safe and keep it in the  trunk only to be taken back next year.

Hmmmm … it used to be fun days. It was a fun filled religious festival. It’s living our tradition in a very enjoyable manner! Memories I love to revisit in coming years. Memories I love to relive in the coming years. The tradition has to be relived. In between many years, the tradition of Golu was discontinued in our family. I would and definitely relive it and restart the tradition. Like how I lived it and enjoyed it earlier, I would like to relive it again and when our kids are born, definitely they should not miss over it in the fast changing world.

Happy Navratri to all of you!

May the festive season brings in abundance of joy, wealth and health to you and your family and friends.

Hare Krishna!

This is a story from Buddha’s life….

Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers.  This was in the initial days.  While they were travelling, they happened to pass a lake.  They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty.  Do get me some water from that lake there.”  

The disciple walked up to the lake.  When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water, and right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake.  As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid.  The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!”  So he came back and told Buddha, “The water in there is very muddy.  I don’t think it is fit to drink.”  After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink.  The disciple obediently went back to the lake.  This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it.  The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be consumed.  So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.  Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said,

“See what you did to make the water clean.  You let it be…. and the mud settled down on its own – and you got clear water.  Your mind is also like that!  When it is disturbed, just let it be.  Give it a little time.  It will settle down on its own.  You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down.  It will happen.  It is effortless.”

What did Buddha emphasize here?

He said, “It is effortless.”  Having ‘Peace of Mind’ is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process!

When there is peace inside you, that peace permeates to the outside.  It spreads around you and in the environment, such that people around start feeling that peace and grace.

Also remember that you could be in very peaceful surroundings, where everything is wonderfully beautiful, but if your inside is disturbed, then that beauty is of no use to you. It does not mean anything to you.  For you to be peaceful, peace has to be generated from deep within you  - from your being to the mind, and from the mind to the environment.

Saturday evening. We were in commercial street , bangalore . My wife got hunger pangs. I told her we will go to the Punjabi Dhaba near the Gurdwara . I used to frequent it when i was bachelor . My wife being north Indian , i was sure she would like the punjabi food over there. We reached there and found a huge crowd waiting for table already. We didnt had patience to wait for our turn . So we started from there towards Indranagar undecided where to have dinner . My wife told me she was hungry and didnt want to experiment in any new restaurants. While passing CMH road a brightly lit restaurant caught my attention . The name board read ” Mast Kalandar ” I quipped to her , ” Lets try over here ” . She too agreed and we entered the restaurant .

It was not over crowded , had decent family neighbourhood crowd . The immediate impression inside was bright , colourful and neat . Dont expect to straightaway relax and wait for someone to take order . We have to choose from the menu and order it in the counter. Food court style. The menu had intresting names. Parantha combos , Roti combos and Roti chawal combos. Choosing menu is simple – everything comes in combo . so u dont have to break your head for combination of roti / chawal / sabzis. Oh  i forget to mention its a Vegetarian restaurant .

We went through the menu and settled for Sinful Paneer Combo and Paneer n Paneer Parantha combo. After making the payment , we went back and settled in our table . I checked the pickle container in the table , it had Garlic pickle. I would have preferred it to be mango or veg pickle . 5 mins . The parnatha combo came first . The combo had 2 Paneer parantha , Dal sabzi , Raitha and little quanity of veg salad. Onion was conspicously absent . My wife said they might be serving Jain food. If they were serving Jain food it would have made better sense they avoided the garlic pickle too.

Well , back to the food Paneer parantha was really good . Paneer was tender and the parantha was tasty. Dal was good but i would have preferred it bit spicy. Raitha was really good. Meanwhile , the other combo ” sinful paneer combo ” too arrived . It had 2 naans , the same dal sabzi , a paneer sabzi , raitha and little quantity of veg salad.  The paneer sabzi was little sweet . My wife liked it ( not to mention her sweet tooth)

The food was clean and good . It felt healthy with little oil , quiet filling and light to stomach.

The average price of combos is 85 Rs. Not bad.

Overall , you wont regret stepping in . Definitely light in pocket and stomach . If you are looking for a quick , uncomplicated but decent food , give mast kalandar a try.

We decided we would come again one day and taste another ones of the menu. Ghatte ki Sabzi in the menu had tickled her taste bud to come again ! I have only one complaint : Replace the garlic pickle with any other pickle.

P.s > The neat glass notice board  in the corner had newspaper cuttings which says that this is a venture of three techies ( Pallavi , Gaurav Jain and Ganesh ) who quit their IT job to pursue their passion in Kitchen. Brilliant decission indeed , coz their passion and effort that has gone into it sure would attract many foodies to their joints.

In my lifetime , i have remote chance of going to space . So i send my name around the earth today !!! By chance i stumpled upon a link of NASA which invites people to send their name to them . The names will be put in the orbit of earth for years to come on NASA’s Glory satellite.

Good so the true name of Mr.R will be on Earth’s orbit !!!! A kiddish pleasure for adults if i have to sum up the whole thing !!!!

Oh i read in the NASA page that i would also get a printable certificate to show that am a truly high flier

So all of you aspiring “high fliers”

log in here :

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/sep/HQ_08242_GLORY_Mission.html

Just few minutes back my wife went through my blog . I asked her generally about my blog.

She said ” ok ” ( i anticipated more than a simple ok huh )

” Just ok ? “

” haan .. “

( sometimes women can be very simple at words when we least expect it ! )

Needless to say , my ego was punctured like these day’s sensex  ! The author in me crumbled like wall street ! There was an echo within me ” i need to raise my bar “ 

Behind every man’s success there is a woman . I am no different . I need a separate topic about the strength she gives me or i can even write a book on our life and how we are mad(e) for each other despite so much of sensex moments. ( i seem to have been psychologically affected by economics this days seeing the plummeting recession news) We do have our ups and downs but we have the energy of love that over rides all my minus points. Well , one day i sure will write on this subject extensively but that will be on the day i finish with certain assignments of life.

Coming back to her comment on my blog , i feel she has a point on it . I need to be more indepth , more analytical or simply put  with more content than just feeding words . Well thats what i infer thinking about her comment , May be she didnt mean all of this at all . Well let me see … as of now i will carry on with my blogging the way i do … in due course of time , i may get more refined and polished .  

No am not talking about power cuts or alchohol induced blackouts nor am i talking about britney spear’s album Blackout . This is from my personal life that stunned me or freezed me for a while.

It was day before . The morning started as usual. Regular morning schedule. We were gearing up for the day. I am the chauffeur for my wife to her office ! She sat in the chair in the portico and was wearing her sandal. She bend down to strap it . Suddenly , she had a pain in the back shoulder muscle. I thought she had pulled a muscle. I rubbed her back shoulder . All of a sudden she collapsed down. Looking back now the incident , it was all like a frozen momentary shots .

She collapsed.

For a moment i was shell shocked.

I reached to her.

Frantically shook her.

My parents shell shocked. Mom screamed.

After a few nervous moments , she regained her conscious. She was clueless what happened. Infact later she said , she immediately thought why she was sleeping after getting dressed to office . Then , she realised being in portico. Slowly , we got her up and made her lay down in the bed . I called my uncle who is a doctor , he prescribed two medicine and told me nothing to worry .

The incident was so dramatic and fast , i didnt even had much time during those moment to react . Even now , the moments linger in mind as frozen shots. The way she collapsed , my reaction , my parents reaction , the moment she gained her conscious back.

Later she said she felt like floating somewhere during those moments. Even i had such a blackout few years back . I was standing in the terrace near stair case with my parents and talking , all of a sudden i collapsed . Exactly what i felt those moments i can’t recollect now but i remember feeling light weight during those brief seconds.

I wonder what happens during these kind of blackout moments . May be when i get free time , i will research on it on net . Talking about this , i should write about what one of my aunt went through during a medical miracle moment , will write about it later.