Blessed Divine Mother, A glass of water and Beating Stress

August 16, 2007

Dear Abhi,

Sometimes, many ask me how I juggle so manythings.Well, it is all because Divine Mother Amba is there. Else, I will go mad!

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, Raised a glass of water and asked"How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued,

"And that's the way it is with stress management.

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,

As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,

We won't be able to carry on. "

"As with the glass of water,

You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.

When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.

Don't carry it home.

You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,

Let them down for a moment if you can."

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.

Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while and chanted the name of Amba. Every day I put down my burdens twice a day by doing a Puja and meditation of Amba.

Here are some 'sulabha-sutras' from this adiyen for dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the Hamsa bird flying high and nobleAnd some days you're the vigraha in the temple in a self contemplative mood.

Earth and Heavens meet but are seperate-A Taoist thought indeed. God lies in these paradoxes.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,Just in case you have to eat them!

Sathyam Bruyath, Priyam Bruyath, Na Bruyath Sathyamapriyam (speak the truth, speak sweetly and softly and never utter truth in an unpalatable way). Sathyam Bruyath is the moral value. Priyam Bruyath is the social value. Na Bruyath Sathyamapriyam is the spiritual value. So, the moral, social, and spiritual values are all contained in the above statement

It does not stop there...it further says, 'Even if pleasant, one must not tell a lie. This is the traditional dharma'. People may abhor you for telling the truth but that should not make you tell a lie.This is the Dharmic value. Which is the highest for Truth is God and God is truth.

Sometimes, I do find that people dont like me for exposing them or for speaking bitter truths. But I cannot help it Abhi, it is not that I will not get hurt when a bitter truth is exposed against me but I do appreciate the person for doing it as it will help me ameliorate myself.Better the spit of truth than the nectar of lies always. Your soul will thankyou!

People have become cunning these days Abhi. Literally everyone in this world. Iam no exception to this sewage. Manytimes we do it in an unconscious manner.It has become ingrained in our system to be cunning! A boy sees a girl, he adjusts his hair. A man sees his Boss he acts as if he is working, a priest sees some devotees he acts extra pious!Haha, All a maya!

Will cunningness be approved by Amba? Maybe even God might say ok but not Amba!(See, my cunningness to please Amba! )

Be Pure, Be true!

* Always read stuff that will make you look goodIf you die in the middle of it...then it will help!

Yes, books are one's good friends. Good books are equal to a good satsangha. Instead of dussangha, let us just stick to Shastras and Vedas and Puranas and imbibe the true essence without becoming bigoted.

Anthe' Matihi sa Gathihi!

So in the end whatever thought you think, thus you will be born next birth!

Words have great effect on mind and behaviour.I can quote thousands of psychological research findings on this subject.

The more you surrounded by words like

"Amba", "Love","purity",etc....the more these qualities will be in your mental horizon.

This is why our edlers laid stres son reading Shastras and not hearing bad words or seeing evil.

These days we watch violetn movies with double meaning dialogues,sexual-implicit advertisements,subliminal violence on screen and offscreen. And not only we but our children are exposed to it.

Just imagine how peaceful our environment will be if we are constantly exposed to Bhajans, meditational symbols...but still this negativity persists because our frontal cortex of the brain is coordinated to such negativity in an ancient fight or flight response.

We have to evolve from our repetilian brain to something more divine and mantra-sadhana coupled with meditation can pave for this.But for these to set in we have to read good books.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone Rs.10,000(or $10,000) and never see that person again, It was probably worth it.

Yes, Abhi, I know this is hard but this is where the Law of Karma, rinanubandhana comes into place.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.Just get up and dance.

This might mean anything which is done in a true spirit of creativity. Amba is Ganapriyalolini,Natyapriya,Kalapriya!

* When everything's coming your way,You're in the wrong lane.

Haha! Yes, this is pithy but yet it encapsulates a very contradictory truth. To get "everything" is to lose everything and to get nothing is to have it all.

Does Datta have all? Yet, is He not the Master of the Universe?

* You may be only one person in the world,But you may also be the world to one person.

And Abhi it does not mean your lover Vijji, I mean to anyone on the road whom you have helped say of meeting with an accident. Just look at his eyes when you saved him. That moment capture and give a gift to your soul.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

There is no rule to state you that "If you do a mistake twice you are stupid"(I know the Chinese proverb, dont worry, yet Iam saying this!)

* We could learn a lot from crayons.. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

Everyone is unique, everyone has a purpose in Amba's Leela!

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Yes, My friend was cursing that he had to take detour on a trip from Rush to Rochester but I really enjoyed the scenery!(Actually I was driving the car! but he felt the tiredness!)

Manytimes in life we dont get things easy howsoever brilliant we might be....just enjoy the scenery

Have an awesome day and know that

'Yours yogically'

Loves you always!

Yours Yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli