A Soul-searching Saga to Calm Your Mind

Book Review: Karmic City- The City of Lord Brahma

Author: Hema Myer Sood

Rating: 4.5/5

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/35GvBxk

Hema Sood’s thought-provoking book ‘Karmic City: The City of Lord Brahma’ is deep, soothing, and insightful. It is the author’s first book in the ‘Karmic City’ trilogy. As I started reading this inspiring tale, I was enamoured by the vastness of the subject the author has chosen and the beauty with which she has expressed her points of view on a variety of ideas. The book encourages readers to dream and exercise the inherent power of their imagination. It elucidates how tapping the energies within us and channelizing them in the right direction can lead us to unravel the mysteries that have intrigued people since ages. 

This unconventional story revolves around an entity, aptly called ‘Soul’. The Soul guides the key characters in the book – Aditi, Vaidehi, Virat, and Kartik – towards their path of destiny and encourages them to deep-dive into soul-searching. The story progresses through the spiritual experiences and realisations of the characters and their conversations with Soul. Though the Soul talks about Lord Brahma and gives references from holy Hindu scriptures, this is not a book about religion. It seeks to establish the undeniable bond that exists between an individual and their soul. Each soul has its own journey and with concentration and meditation, one can attain wisdom. The positivity in the book is sure to rub on you.

The references to the Cosmos, the seven auric layers, and the five elements was invigorating. I learned something new and am intrigued to read the other two books in the trilogy now. Though I may not completely agree with all the concepts discussed in the book, I applaud the author on her extensive research, spiritual knowledge, and impactful insights. It is never easy to write a book like this one!

The author’s writing style is captivating and her language is flawless. The writing is powerfully soothing and, in many places, it reminded me of my favourite author Paulo Coelho. I was in awe of the beautiful poetry in the book, all penned by the author herself. 

This book is a guide to positivity and can help you focus on your chosen goal in life. Apart from those interested in spiritual readings and motivational books, I would highly recommend this book to students of philosophy and psychology.

Delighted to receive an autographed copy of
the book from the author :)

The Feeling of Guilt

How often does the feeling of guilt bug you? Do you lament over the thought that you are not being able to live up to your family's expectations? Guilt enters our lives in more ways than we can imagine.

You can feel guilty if you had that extra piece of chocolate which you forbade your kid to have. You can feel guilty giving a flimsy excuse to your family and sneaking out to enjoy your 'me time'. You can feel guilty for not earning enough. You can feel guilty lying to someone just because you want to avoid them. The list is endless.

More than anything, we feel guilty when we want to do something solely for ourselves. We think a hundred times before planning a quiet weekend, sceptical that it might offend the family. I know several people who have sacrificed their dreams only because they felt guilty about putting their own interest above the others. They have let years pass by. Now in their twilight years, they regret not having done what they always wanted to do.

That is exactly what guilt does to us. It eats into our present and disturbs our future. It makes us unhappy and forces us to unwillingly make sacrifices to please others. What we don't realize is that sometimes those repeated selfless acts turn into expectations.

For example, if you are spoon-feeding someone every day, you will be loved and appreciated initially. Soon, it becomes a routine. The day you stop, you will not just annoy the other person, they will blame you for being selfish. Because, it has become a habit for them to expect the spoon-feeding from you. Similarly, if you are offering money to an able family member in need continuously, the person is slowly turning into a parasite. S/he will always be in need of money and will have a tendency to take advantage of your goodness. Just refuse them the money once and you will see their true colours. Of course, only if you are able to get rid of your feeling of guilt first.

Photo by Mike Greer from Pexels

Perhaps there is no perfect way or approach to kill that guilt-feeling.

But you can always make a beginning by setting daily goals. For example, "I will complete these 3 things today, regardless of everything and NOT feel guilty." How often do we feel guilty for depriving ourselves of the little flickers of happiness we deserve to enjoy? Rarely. Those unfulfilled desires translate into regrets later in life.

Even on this day, there are thousands of school-girls especially in villages who feel guilty for going to school and not being able to help their mother with household chores. There are 21st century superwomen who feel guilty for going to office and leaving their child with a family member or a babysitter. There are people, both men and women who stay unmarried lifelong to provide for their families. They feel guilty that marriage might change them, because they are the sole breadwinners.

It is great to help others and always be there for them. But not at the cost of denying yourself what is rightfully yours. Go dance in the rain, enjoy that cool breeze, go on that solo trip, set your eyes on the unthinkable dream and achieve it. Because no one but you and you alone can stand up for yourself and live your dream. Shed your inhibitions, kick the guilt, and enjoy life till you have it.

Photo from Pexels

My Friend Ganesha!

Ever since childhood, I have been fond of God even though I am not particularly religious.

As a child, my favorite Goddess was Saraswati. Fasting for the Saraswati Puja every year used to be very exciting. It hardly had a religious connotation. I would get to wear a sari, have yummy narkel kul and topa kul (perhaps called Jujube fruit in English), and use doat- kolom to write the Saraswati mantra on coconut leaf. The best thing about Saraswati puja was that by 8 am the puja would be completed and so the fasting ended too! We could have as much kul as we wanted along with sweets galore. And yes, we were not supposed to study on Saraswati Puja...one more reason why that day was extra-special :). Goddess Saraswati has a veena (multi-string instrument) in her hand. Since I love music, I was automatically her fan.

Next, I was mesmerized by Jesus Christ. This may be the impact of spending too many years in a missionary school and college. But there is a certain aura about Christ that appeals to me all the time. Besides, churches and chapels have a calming effect which I enjoy. In my teens, I would buy pictures of Christ, as I would buy of Sachin Tendulkar and Salman Khan. I loved wearing a cross round my neck too. Jesus is symbolic of true love, peace, and compassion.

Thirdly, of course Loknath Baba. I learned about him from my father when I was in Class IV, I think. In Class VII, during my P.T class, one day, my sports shoes were not washed. I had completely forgotten to clean them the night before. In the morning, all I could do was paint some chalk on the unruly pair. It was almost like applying face powder on a black shoe. Our teachers were extremely strict when it came to snow-white sports shoes. I was very scared. When my teacher came for inspection, we were all standing in a row in ‘attention’ position. The girl standing next to me had dirty shoes and was sent for detention. I had kept my eyes shut and was constantly praying to Loknath Baba to save me J. And yes, it was a miracle! The teacher did not notice my unwashed shoes! She moved on to the end of the line and caught two more girls. Ever since that day, Loknath Baba is a family member. He didn’t come to my rescue during my Maths exams though! He asked me to help myself :p.

I don’t know how and when Ganesha happened. It certainly has a Mumbai connection. In Kolkata, in our puja room, my mother has several Ganesha idols. My favorite is a pristine white Ganpati. Mom usually drapes a green or golden silk scarf around him. He looks simple, yet gorgeous. He used to be pampered the most during Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year) celebrations at home.

After shifting to Mumbai, I witnessed a lot more celebrations around Ganeshji compared to Kolkata. Today being the final Ganpati visarjan day (Immersion ceremony), I thought of writing this post. My fondness for Ganesha has grown a lot after I moved to Mumbai. Ganesha has an endearing personality and is more like a friend than God. He always seems so content with himself, perhaps that is the trait I admire the most. In my ex-office, there is a very elegant and cute little Ganpati that brightens our workplace. For years, I loved offering flowers to that Ganpati every morning. Simple things bring such unprecedented joy! After I left IBM, I miss that. But I know my friend Ganesha will always be by my side.

Happy Ganpati to everyone!

 

A Sparkle of Hope

There is always a sparkle of hope that keeps us going. Life would be nothing if it was not for hope. 

I came across an interesting tidbit on Mughal Emperor Akbar and his sharp-witted court advisor, Birbal. Akbar once asked Birbal to write something on the wall that would make a happy person sad and a sad person happy. Birbal wrote, "This too shall pass". When I read it, for a moment I was still. A happy person would 'hope' that moment continues till eternity and a sad person would 'hope' that good times will follow. Hope has this amazing capability to help us move on with life, regardless of circumstances, incidents, emotions, and changes. 

Towards the end of 2013 and at the dawn of 2014, I received terrible news from multiple quarters. I lost two dear friends and an adored relative. They left for a better world, but this was definitely not the age to go there! 

Towards the end of the January, I was reminded of the day my father left us to raise a toast with God. It has been 7 years now but it still seems that I spoke to him just yesterday. I have never written about him before. But today I am surprised by my ability to pen this down. He is my guardian angel and there is solace in the knowledge that he is happy with God. I am sure he has got a hoard of followers there with his incompatible ability to make people laugh and feel happy. And my doggies are also there with him, eating all those icecreams and chocolates that were forbidden. Ah, what a party they must be having! I know I will meet my father, my friends, and my beautiful doggies up there one day. So yet again, it is 'hope' that helps us to take baby steps when life seems futile.

On the career front, some of my friends have either turned entrepreneurs or have had glorious moments to celebrate at work. I know how hard they have worked and how long they have waited to see this day! They truly deserve this moment of celebration and I wish them all success in the years to come. Cheers!

On the personal front, two friends got married to each other :)). We couldn't be happier. I wish them a life overflowing with happiness in abundance.   

As we get ready for the upcoming months of 2014, I hope and pray that this year brings good health to everyone I know. 

I hope we have the strength to help people in need, the courage to stay honest to ourselves, the empathy to love animals as one of us, and the passion to follow our dreams.

Stay healthy and stay happy! God bless.
 

  

Memories...

I don’t know if I am experiencing this state of mind in anticipation of year-end festivities or for some other reason, but today somehow I have been reminiscing the happy moments of 2013. The general mood around me is happy and my mind seems to be constantly replaying the cherished memories of this year, like a recap.

It’s no surprise that the good memories almost always are a result of the people in our lives or the people we welcome into our lives. New places, exciting events, good music, books, great food etc. remain – but more than often they are memorable because of the people with whom we enjoyed the moments or the people we remembered while experiencing them.

I cannot say that I had a perfect 2013. I had my share of ups and downs but the few moments that made the year special will always be with me and be the reason for more smiles to follow even several years down the line. February had been a very happy month – the Sula Fest, Valentine’s Day, and simple chit-o-chats with new found old friends made the month special. The trip to Thailand in October again resulted in beautiful memories as did my week-long stay in Pune when my mother visited Mumbai. This year I spent a lot of quality time with friends and family, which resulted in a myriad of happy memories to last a lifetime.

I thank god for the people in my life and for the memories they help me create. We don’t realize when moments become memories and smile back at us through pictures, letters, mails, videos or flashbacks in the mind. Some people become permanent in those memories and can never be part of our lives again. Nevertheless, the love we have for them just refuses to fade away. On the contrary, it grows deeper and the memories become invaluable with time. We cannot hug them no matter how much we want to. Perhaps they know. Perhaps silence speaks.

The most painful happy memories however are those where there isn’t even an iota of possibility that the person in your memory can talk to you again. That’s when God chooses to call them to reside in heaven happily ever after. Yet we feel those souls around us, blessing us like guardian angels.

But in the end, all is well. I have learned that people who stay in your life will stay regardless of everything – even if that means coming back after years of silence. In the true spirit of Christmas, there is always hope. The good always prevails over the evil. Just have faith and love life.

Merry Christmas everyone!

"The only reason people hold on to memories is because
memories don't change when everything else does."
- Anonymous

God and godliness

Just the moment I was about to give up hope, God appeared from nowhere. Yes, the same God we know, worship, love and immortalize. I was taken aback. “Is this really God?” I wondered, “or just a figment of my imagination?”

God didn’t address me as 'my child' nor looked very godly. But intuitively, I knew that God was standing right in front of me.  It is difficult to describe what God looked like. God did not wear traditional god-like clothes or come with a halo hovering over the head. But God was wearing this unending smile that was infectious. It touched me instantly and stuck to my face ever since. People I meet may think I am funny and smiling for no reason. But that’s what god wants I gathered – for us to keep smiling in life; you don’t always need a reason to smile.

If you smile every now and then, it will create enough reasons for more smiles. When you greet people with that contagious smile, you will be amazed to witness how quickly it multiplies and surpasses all mathematical calculations. One beaming smile can lead to ten, twenty, hundreds, or thousands more smiley faces. That is miraculous! Miracles are always hiding behind simple gestures and simple deeds. That’s what God told me today. I needn’t wait for any miracle to happen. A simple a gesture as a smile can create miracles right here, right now.

I suddenly try to visualize God’s face as I have seen in photographs, statues, pictures, and in my dreams. I try my best to compare that image to the God standing in front of me today. Though the face looks familiar and like someone I have met before, there is a unique appeal that is refreshing. I wondered if the smile did the trick or is it the magnanimous energy emanating from God that is making this meeting so beautiful. Perhaps the bright radiance of a new dawn, assurance in abundance and a bundle of hope make us go back to God time and again. When children pray, they see a reflection of their own souls in God, which makes their conversations with God interesting and candid, almost like a chit-o-chat with a friend.

Reverence is like loving your child or your dog – it is unconditional. It results in peace, happiness and a sense of security. Selfless love for someone for want of nothing in return is also a way of appreciating God’s creation of the human emotion we call love. Praying to God can also mean embracing your dream and following it with single-minded devotion.

As we get closer to God, we know that religion has got nothing to do with God. God is all about love, peace, strength, resolve, and happiness. If we focus on the positive in life and greet every adversity with courage, we have an opportunity to meet God every day.