"Simple Things To Make Your Life Happier and Healthier"

"Simple Things To Make Your Life Happier and Healthier"

You probably know that laughter, hope and optimism make life more enjoyable, but some of us seem to be wired for seriousness, sobriety and pessimism instead.

Recent research shows that genetics may have a lot to do with the level of happiness you experience on a day to day basis. Some people are naturally giggly, cheerful, and happy go lucky, while others are a bit more somber.

However, there are still plenty of things you can do to influence how you feel each day.

Your genetics may determine your happiness "set point," the level of happiness that you naturally feel, but your thoughts, choices, and actions still determine how much time you spend
above or below that point.

In these difficult times, feeling hopeful can seem like challenge even for natural optimists... so here's a list of simple things you can do to give your attitude a boost:


1. Do what you love


You already know what you enjoy doing -- if you can find a way to make a living at it great, otherwise consider spending time doing it as a hobby or just for fun.

Spend one or two hours this week doing something that you truly enjoy.


2. Make time for family and friends


Spending time with people you love and enjoy has a relaxing and soothing effect. You'll feel wanted, respected and loved, critical emotional experiences for good living.


3. Watch a good comedy


Nothing flushes away stress like a good laugh. If you don't have time for a full-length video, find a five-minute funny video on YouTube.com ...

Or check out the "Headlines" from The Tonight Show...


4. Repeat positive affirmations to yourself


Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that things aren't as bleak as they seem. Repeat a positive mantra like "Today is a good day," "I'm having fun today," "I'm a great (insert occupation) and I do my job well," or "God works all things for the good of those who love him."


5. Each day make a list of 10 things you are thankful for


Try not to repeat the same things every day. Spend a few minutes thinking about the items on your list and realize how good you've got it.


6. Exercise


As long as you don't over-do it, exercise has an effect similar to chocolate because it releases endorphins, which generally have an uplifting effect.


7. Challenge yourself


A challenge makes us alert and self aware, which has an energizing effect mentally and physically.


8. Be spontaneous


Whether it's going out to a movie on a whim or wrestling with the kids in the living room, being spontaneous and playful is exciting and energizing.


9. Laugh daily


Laughter triggers your body to create more antibodies and hormones that build up your immune system.


10. Find ways to release tension and stress


If you bottle it all up, stress and tension will eat away at you and make you susceptible to all kinds of illness and health problems. A punching bag or dart board with a picture of your boss on the bullseye make great stress relievers.

11. Play games


Games get you out of your normal rut. They allow you to exercise your brain in a non-threatening situation and to explore new patterns of thinking. Don't get too serious about the games you play, they're supposed to be fun.


12. Play in the world of a child


Children are magnets for joy, creativity and laughter. Get down on your knees and let them show you how to play.


13. Wear something unusual, goofy or bizarre


Too often, we dress to impress. Purposely wearing something unbusiness-like or downright goofy can help you relax, release tension and free yourself to just be you.


14. Reward yourself


You do great things. Rewarding yourself encourages you to do more great things and builds up your self-esteem.

15. Make a funny movie


Camcorders are relatively inexpensive and everyone can think of something funny to do on camera. It's a creative output that encourages laughter. Post your video on YouTube or MySpace to share with others and make them laugh too.


16. Post jokes, cartoons and funny posters around where you can see them


These things encourage laughter and a light-hearted spirit.

17. Reward someone else

Nothing feels better than making someone else feel special and appreciated, even if it's just a simple smile and "Thank You" for a job well done.




Action Exercise

Pick 3 or 4 of your favorites and DO them over the next week.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Rebuilding the World

A father was trying to read the newspaper, but his little son kept pestering him. Finally, the father grew tired of this and, tearing a page from the newspaper – one that bore a map of the world – he cut it into several pieces and handed them to his son.

‘Right, now you’ve got something to do. I’ve given you a map of the world and I want to see if you can put it back together correctly.’

He resumed his reading, knowing that the task would keep the child occupied for the rest of the day. However, a quarter of an hour later, the boy returned with the map.

‘Has your mother been teaching you geography?’ asked his father in astonishment.

‘I don’t even know what that is,’ replied the boy. ‘But there was a photo of a man on the other side of the page, so I put the man back together and found I’d put the world back together too.’


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Your Children ??

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Good As Your Dog.........

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can get going without pep pills,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no

prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics,

Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog!



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

We all Know

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout



2] Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rearview Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as ur FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on



3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write



4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.



5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!



6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!



7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.



8] A blind person asked Swami Vivekanand: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"



9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes,when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.



10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES, it takes away today’s' PEACE.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Never judge a person with his Outer Appearance

A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband, dressed in a home-spun suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn’t even deserve to be in Harvard.

“We want to see the President “the man said softly.

“He’ll be busy all day “the secretary snapped.

“We’ll wait” the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn’t and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president..

“Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they’ll leave” she said to him. The President, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.

The lady told him “We had a son who attended Harvard for one y ear. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.”

The president wasn’t touched….He was shocked. “Madam “he said, gruffly, ” we can’t put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.”

“Oh, no,” the lady explained quickly” We don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.”

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, “A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.”

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it costs to start a university ? Why don’t we just start our own?”

Her husband nodded. The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name: –Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

Most of the time we judge people by their outer appearance, which can be misleading. And in this impression, we tend to treat people badly by thinking they can do nothing for us. Thus we tend to lose our potential good friends, employees or customers.

Remember

In our Life, we seldom get people with whom we want to share & grow our thought process. But because of our inner EGO we miss them forever.

It is you who have to decide with whom you are getting associated in day to day life.

Small people talk about others,

Average people talk about things,

Great people talk about ideas.
Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Invisible Mom

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible - The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more. Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.

I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?'

I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?'

I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know... I just did. And kids should share it with their moms, too!

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Blindfold

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of passage?

His dad takes him into the forest, blindfolded …and leaves him….alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night…and not take off the blindfold until the ray of sun shines through it. He is all by himself. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night..he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience. Each lad must come into his own manhood.

The boy was terrified… could hear all kinds of noise…Beasts were all around him. Maybe even some human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and earth… And it shook his stump. But he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man.

Finally, after a horrific night..the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father..sitting on the stump next to him…at watch… the entire night.

We are never alone. Even when we do not know it, our Father is protecting us…He is sitting on the stump beside us. All we have to do is reach out to Him.



Read more at We are never alone

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place. -Charles Caleb Colton

"Be amusing: never tell unkind stories; above all, never tell long ones." -Benjamin Disraeli

Spirit of Selflessness

They are forever free who renounce all selfish
desires and break away from the ego-cage of 'i' , 'me', and 'mine' to be
united with the Lord.
Attain to this, and pass from death to immortality.

Bhagavad Gita 2.71

*

We are formed and moulded by our thoughts. Those whose
minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or
act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

Gautama Buddha

*

Through selfless work, love of God grows in the heart. Then through
His grace one realizes him in course of time.
God can be seen. One can talk to him as I am talking to you.

Ramakrishna

*

Real education should educate us out of self into something far finer; into a selflessness
which links us with all humanity.

Nancy Astor

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Goodness and Love

To love is to know Me, My innermost nature,
The truth that I am.

Bhagavad Gita 18.55

*

The inner self is the soil in which God has sown his likeness and image and
in which he sows the good seed, the roots of all wisdom,
all skills, all virtues, all goodness - the seed of the divine nature.
The seed of the divine nature is God's Son, the word of God.

The Bible

*

Love is the firstborn, loftier than the gods, the Fathers and men.
You, O Love, are the eldest of all, altogether mighty.
To you we pay homage!...
In many a form of goodness, O Love, you show your face.
Grant that these forms may penetrate within our hearts.
Send elsewhere all malice!

Atharva Veda 9.2.19-20, 25

*

In your goodness you have made us able to hear the music of the world,
a divine voice sings through all creations.

Hebrew prayer


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

DNYANA-YOGA – THE PATH OF WISDOM Chapter 4

FOUR: DNYANA-YOGA – THE PATH OF WISDOM
“Lord Shri Krishna said: This imperishable philosophy I taught to Viwaswana, the founder of the Sun dynasty, Viwaswana gave it to Manu the lawgiver, and Manu to King Ikshwaku!
The Divine Kings knew it, for it was their tradition. Then, after a long time, at last it was forgotten. It is the same ancient Path that I have now revealed to thee, since thou are My devotee and My friend. It is the supreme Secret. Arjuna asked: My Lord! Viwaswana was born before Thee; how then canst Thou have revealed it to him?
Lord Shri Krishna replied: I have been born again and again, from time to time; thou too, O Arjuna! My births are known to Me, but thou knowest not thine. I have no beginning. Though I am imperishable, as well as Lord of all that exists, yet by My own will and power do I manifest Myself.

Whenever spirituality decays and materialism is rampant, then, O Arjuna, I reincarnate Myself! To protect the righteous, to destroy the wicked and to establish the kingdom of God, I am reborn from age to age.

He who realises the divine truth concerning My birth and life is not born again; and when he leaves his body, he becomes one with Me. Many have merged their existences in Mine, being freed from desire, fear and anger, filled always with Me and purified by the illuminating flame of self-abnegation.

Howsoever men try to worship Me, so do I welcome them. By whatever path they travel, it leads to Me at last.

Those who look for success, worship the Powers; and in this world their actions bear
immediate fruit. The four divisions of society (the wise, the soldier, the merchant, the labourer) were created by Me, according to the natural distribution of Qualities and instincts. I am the author of them, though I Myself do no action, and am changeless.
My actions do not fetter Me, nor do I desire anything that they can bring. He who thus realises Me is not enslaved by action. In the light of wisdom, our ancestors, who sought deliverance, performed their acts.

Act thou also, as did our fathers of old. What is action and what is inaction? It is a question which has bewildered the wise. But I will declare unto thee the philosophy of action, and knowing it, thou shalt be free from evil.

It is necessary to consider what is right action, what is wrong action, and what is inaction, for mysterious is the law of action. He who can see inaction in action, and action in inaction, is the wisest among men. He is a saint, even though he still acts.

The wise call him a sage, for whatever he undertakes is free from the motive of desire, and his deeds are purified by the fire of Wisdom. Having surrendered all claim to the results of his actions, always contented and independent, in reality he does nothing, even though he is apparently acting.

Expecting nothing, his mind and personality controlled, without greed, doing bodily actions only; though he acts, yet he remains untainted. Content with what comes to him without effort of his own, mounting above the pairs of opposites, free from envy, his mind balanced both in success and failure; though he acts, yet the consequences do not bind him.

He who is without attachment, free, his mind centered in wisdom, his actions, being done as a sacrifice, leave no trace behind. For him, the sacrifice itself is the Spirit; the Spirit and the oblation are one; it is the Spirit Itself which is sacrificed in Its own fire, and the man even in action is united with God, since while performing his act, his mind never ceases to be fixed on Him.

Some sages sacrifice to the Powers; others offer themselves on the alter of the Eternal. Some sacrifice their physical senses in the fire of self-control; others offer up their contact with external objects in the sacrificial fire of their senses.

Other again sacrifice their activities and their vitality in the Spiritual fire of selfabnegation, kindled by wisdom.

And yet others offer as their sacrifice wealth, austerities and meditation. Monks wedded to their vows renounce their scriptural learning and even their spiritual powers.

There are some who practise control of the Vital Energy and govern the subtle forces of Prana and Apana, thereby sacrificing their Prana unto Apana, or their Apana unto Prana.

Others, controlling their diet, sacrifice their worldly life to the spiritual fire. All understand the principal of sacrifice, and by its means their sins are washed away.

Tasting the nectar of immortality, as the reward of sacrifice, they reach the Eternal. This world is not for those who refuse to sacrifice; much less the other world. In this way other sacrifices too may be undergone for the Spirit’s sake. Know thou that they all depend on action. Knowing this, thou shalt be free.

The sacrifice of wisdom is superior to any material sacrifice, for, O Arjuna, the climax of action is always Realisation.

This shalt thou learn by prostrating thyself at the Master’s feet, by questioning Him and by serving Him. The wise who have realised the Truth will teach thee wisdom. Having known That, thou shalt never again be confounded; and, O Arjuna, by the power of that wisdom, thou shalt see all these people as if they were thine own Self, and therefore as Me.

Be thou the greatest of sinners, yet thou shalt cross over all sin by the ferryboat of wisdom. As the kindled fire consumes the fuel, so, O Arjuna, in the flame of wisdom the embers of action are burnt to ashes.

There is nothing in the world so purifying as wisdom; and he who is a perfect saint finds that at last in his own Self.

He who is full of faith attains wisdom, and he too who can control his senses, having
attained that wisdom, he shall ere long attain Supreme Peace. But the ignorant man, and he who has no faith, and the sceptic are lost. Neither in this world nor elsewhere is there any happiness in store for him who always doubts.

But the man who has renounced his action for meditation, who has cleft his doubt in twain by the sword of wisdom, who remains always enthroned in his Self, is not bound by his acts.

Therefore, cleaving asunder with the sword of wisdom the doubts of the heart, which
thine own ignorance has engendered, follow the Path of Wisdom and arise!”

Thus, in the Holy Book the Bhagavad Gita, one of the Upanishads, in the Science of the Supreme Spirit, in the Art of Self-Knowledge, in the colloquy between the Divine Lord Shri Krishna and the Prince Arjuna, stands the fourth chapter entitled: Dnyana-Yoga or the Path of Wisdom.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

KARMA-YOGA – THE PATH OF ACTION Chapter 3 Bhagavad Gita

THREE: KARMA-YOGA – THE PATH OF ACTION
“Arjuna questioned: My Lord! If Wisdom is above action, why dost Thou advise me to
engage in this terrible fight?

Thy language perplexes me and confuses my reason. Therefore please tell me the only way by which I may, without doubt, secure my spiritual welfare. Lord Shri Krishna replied: In this world, as I have said, there is a twofold path, O Sinless One! There is the Path of Wisdom for those who meditate, and the Path of Action for those who work.
No man can attain freedom from activity by refraining from action; nor can he reach perfection by merely refusing to act. He cannot even for a moment remain really inactive, for the Qualities of Nature will compel him to act whether he will or no. He who remains motionless, refusing to act, but all the while brooding over sensuous object, that deluded soul is simply a hypocrite.
But, O Arjuna! All honour to him whose mind controls his senses, for he is thereby beginning to practise Karma-Yoga, the Path of Right Action, keeping himself always unattached. Do thy duty as prescribed, for action for duty’s sake is superior to inaction. Even the maintenance of the body would be impossible if man remained inactive.

In this world people are fettered by action, unless it is performed as a sacrifice. Therefore, O Arjuna, let thy acts be done without attachment, as sacrifice only.

In the beginning, when God created all beings by the sacrifice of Himself, He said unto them: `Through sacrifice you can procreate, and it shall satisfy all your desires. Worship the Powers of Nature thereby, and let them nourish you in return; thus supporting each other, you shall attain your highest welfare.

For, fed, on sacrifice, nature will give you all the enjoyment you can desire. But he who enjoys what she gives without returning is, indeed, a robber.’ The sages who enjoy the food that remains after the sacrifice is made are freed from all sin; but the selfish who spread their feast only for themselves feed on sin only.

All creatures are the product of food, food is the product of rain, rain comes by sacrifice, and sacrifice is the noblest form of action. All action originates in the Supreme Spirit, which is Imperishable, and in sacrificial action the all-pervading Spirit is consciously present.

Thus he who does not help the revolving wheel of sacrifice, but instead leads a sinful life, rejoicing in the gratification of his senses, O Arjuna, he breathes in vain.

On the other hand, the soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self; there remains nothing more for him to accomplish. He has nothing to gain by the performance or non-performance of action. His welfare depends not on any contribution that an earthly creature can make. Therefore do thy duty perfectly, without care for the results, for he who does his duty disinterestedly attains the Supreme.

King Janaka and others attained perfection through action alone. Even for the sake of enlightening the world, it is thy duty to act; For whatever a great man does, others imitate. People conform to the standard which he has set.

There is nothing in this universe, O Arjuna, that I am compelled to do, nor anything for Me to attain; yet I am persistently active. For were I not to act without ceasing, O prince, people would be glad to do likewise. And if I were to refrain from action, the human race would be ruined; I should lead the world to chaos, and destruction would follow.

As the ignorant act, because of their fondness for action, so should the wise act without such attachment, fixing their eyes, O Arjuna, only on the welfare of the world. But a wise man should not perturb the minds of the ignorant, who are attached to action; let him perform his own actions in the right spirit, with concentration on Me, thus inspiring all to do the same.

Action is the product of the Qualities inherent in Nature. It is only the ignorant man who, misled by personal egotism, says: `I am the doer.’ But he, O Mighty One, who understands correctly the relation of the Qualities to action, is not attached to the act for he perceives that it is merely the action and reaction of the Qualities among themselves.

Those who do not understand the Qualities are interested in the act. Still, the wise man who knows the truth should not disturb the mind of him who does not. Therefore, surrendering thy actions unto Me, thy thoughts concentrated on the Absolute, free from selfishness and without anticipation of reward, with mind devoid of excitement, begin thou to fight.

Those who always act in accordance with My precepts, firm in faith and without cavilling, they too are freed from the bondage of action. But they who ridicule My word and do not keep it, are ignorant, devoid of wisdom and blind. They seek but their own destruction. Even the wise man acts in character with his nature; indeed, all creatures act according to their natures. What is the use of compulsion then?

The love and hate which are aroused by the objects of sense arise from Nature; do not yield to them. They only obstruct the path. It is better to do thine own duty, however lacking in merit, than to do that of another, even though efficiently. It is better to die doing one’s own duty, for to do the duty of another is fraught with danger.

Arjuna asked: My Lord! Tell me, what is it that drives a man to sin, even against his will and as if by compulsion? Lord Shri Krishna: It is desire, it is aversion, born of passion. Desire consumes and corrupts everything. It is man’s greatest enemy.

As fire is shrouded in smoke, a mirror by dust and a child by the womb, so is the universe enveloped in desire. It is the wise man’s constant enemy; it tarnishes the face of wisdom. It is as insatiable as a flame of fire.

It works through the senses, the mind and the reason; and with their help destroys wisdom and confounds the soul. Therefore, O Arjuna, first control thy senses and then slay desire, for it is full of sin, and is the destroyer of knowledge and of wisdom.

It is said that the senses are powerful. But beyond the senses is the mind, beyond the mind is the intellect, and beyond and greater than intellect is He. Thus, O Mighty-in-Arms, knowing Him to be beyond the intellect and, by His help, subduing thy personal egotism, kill thine enemy, Desire, extremely difficult though it be.”

Thus, in the Holy Book the Bhagavad Gita, one of the Upanishads, in the Science of the Supreme
Spirit, in the Art of Self-Knowledge, in the colloquy between the Divine Lord Shri Krishna and the Prince Arjuna, stands the third chapter entitled: Karma-Yoga or the Path of Action.

Lovely thoughts for Lovely People Like You......

۩۞۩ ॐ♥ YOU Are The One

YOU are the reason the sun came up today.
YOU are wondrously BEAUtiful energy, your own soulful way.
The Light that shines from your Heart is lovely indeed.
Your Love bridges the gaps felt by all that feel need.
YOU are a tree, endless branches of Love.
YOU give life to our bodies, minds and Souls.
The Light shines... upon You with infinite Love.
Your Heart is surrounded, inspired from above.
YOU are the river that flows without end.
YOU are the waterfall, You flow from within.
Your Light sparkles Love, your endless flowing.
YOU are the JOY, the winds that keep blowing.
YOU are the birds singing so sweetly.
YOU are the wings, You flutter completely.
Your songs of love uplift our Hearts.
YOU are the dragonfly, Light from the Start.
YOU are the dancer, in skies so blue.
You are the artist by just being YOU.

YOU are your spirit, your body and soul.
You are the LOVE You went looking for.

YOU are the Sun and YOU are the moon.
YOU are the ANGEL that's living in YOU



YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL ! ! ! !

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. -Helen Keller

Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration. -Jospeph Addison

Words of Wisdom Of the Day # 300

"Asato Maa sad gamaya

Tamaso Maa jyotir gamaya

Mrityor Maa Amritam gamaya

Aum shanti shanti shanti"

God, please lead me (by giving me knowledge) from the unreal to the real;

from the darkness (of ignorance) to the light (of knowledge);

from the death (limitation) to immortality (liberation).

~ Rig Veda

pic source : in.com

Words of Wisdom Of the Day # 300

"Asato Maa sad gamaya

Tamaso Maa jyotir gamaya

Mrityor Maa Amritam gamaya

Aum shanti shanti shanti"

God, please lead me (by giving me knowledge) from the unreal to the real;

from the darkness (of ignorance) to the light (of knowledge);

from the death (limitation) to immortality (liberation).

~ Rig Veda

pic source : in.com

The Right Mental Attitude

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

-Theodore T. Hunger

The World is All Opportunities

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.

-Thornton Wilder

The Happy Monk Joys of the Spiritual Life

The Happy Monk Joys of the Spiritual Life
Once upon a time, there was a high class rich man. As he became older, he realized that the suffering of old age was about the same for rich and poor alike. So he gave up his wealth and class position, and went into the forest to live as a poor monk. He practised meditation, and developed his mind. He freed himself from unwholesome thoughts, and became contented and happy. His peacefulness and friendliness gradually drew 500 followers to his side.

At that time, long ago, most monks usually looked pretty serious. But there was one monk who, even though he was quite dignified, always wore at least a little smile. No matter what happened,
he never lost this glimmer of inner happiness.

And on happy occasions, he had the broadest smile, and the warmest laughter of all.

Sometimes monks, as well as others, would ask him why he was so happy that he always wore a smile. He chuckled and said, “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me! And if you thought I spoke a
lie, it would be a dishonour to my master.” The wise old master knew the source of the happiness that could not be wiped from his face. He made this happiest monk his number one assistant.

One year, after the rainy season, the old monk and his 500 followers went to the city. The king permitted them to live in his pleasure garden for the springtime.

This king was a good man, who took his responsibilities as ruler seriously. He tried to protect the people from danger, and increase their prosperity and welfare. He always had to worry about neighbouring kings, some of whom wore unfriendly and threatening. He often had to make peace between his own rival ministers of state.

Sometimes his wives fought for his attention, and for the advancement of their sons. Occasionally, a dissatisfied subject even threatened the life of the king himself! And of course, he had to worry constantly about the finances of the kingdom.

In fact, he had so much to worry about, that he never had time to be happy!

As summer approached, he learned that the monks were preparing to return to the forest. Considering the health and welfare of the old leader, the king went to him and said, “Your reverence, you are now very old and weak. What good does it do to go back to the forest? You can send your followers back, while you remain here.”

The chief monk then called his number one assistant to him and said, “You are now to be the leader of the other monks while you all live in the forest. As I am too old and weak. I will remain
here as offered by the king.” So the 500 returned to the forest and the old one remained.

The number one assistant continued practising meditation in the forest. He gained so much wisdom and peace that he became even happier than before. He missed the master, and wanted to share his happiness with him. So he returned to the city for a visit.

When he arrived, he sat on a rug at the feet of the old monk. They didn’t speak very much, but every so often the number one assistant would say, “What happiness! Oh what happiness!” Then the king came to visit. He paid his respects to the chief monk. However, the one from the forest just kept saying, “What happiness! Oh what happiness!” He did not even stop to greet the king and show proper respect. This disturbed him, and he thought, “With all my worries, as busy as I
am looking after the kingdom, I take time out for a visit and this monk does not respect me enough to even recognize me. “How insulting!” He said to the senior of the two monks, “Venerable sir, this monk must be stupid from overeating. That must be why he is so full of happiness. Does he lie around here so lazy all the time?”

The head monk replied, “Oh king, have patience and I will tell you the source of his happiness.
Not many know it. He was once a king, just as rich and mighty as you! Then he was ordained a monk and gave up his kingly life. Now he thinks his old happiness was nothing compared to his present joy!”

“He used to be surrounded by armed men, who guarded and protected him. Now, sitting alone in the forest with nothing to fear, he has no need for armed guards. He has given up the burden of worrying about wealth that has to be protected. Instead, free of the worry of wealth and the fear of power, his wisdom protects himself and others. He advances in meditation to such inner peace, that he cannot keep from saying, ‘What happiness! Oh what happiness!”

The king understood at once. Hearing the story of the happy monk made him feel at peace. He stayed for a while and received advice from both of them. Then he honoured them, and returned
to the palace. Later the happy monk, who once had been a king, paid his respects to his master and returned to the lovely forest. The old chief monk lived out the remainder of his life, died, and was reborn in a high heaven world.

The moral is: Unattached to wealth and power, happiness increases.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Clean Your mind of all Impurities

A milkman, deeply influenced by Gautama Buddha, requested Buddha to visit him and share with him nuggets of wisdom. In lieu of this, the milkman offered to present the seer with milk. Buddha agreed.

In the evening, when Buddha set out to visit the milkman, he took with him a container in which he intentionally put some mud. The milkman took the container but just as he was about to pour milk into it, realised that the container had some impurities in it.

The milkman washed the container clean. He then poured milk into it and gave it to Buddha. Picking up the container, Buddha got up to leave. Surprised, the milkman asked Buddha why he was leaving before imparting any wisdom. Buddha replied that he just had. Confused, the milkman urged Buddha to explain what he meant. Buddha told the milkman: "The mind is like the container. Thoughts that preoccupy us are like the impurities in the container. In order to gain wisdom, you must purify your mind by making it free of impure thoughts. Only when your mind is uncluttered, it will be able to receive wisdom."

In a nutshell, what Gautama Buddha was trying to teach the milkman was that the mind needs to be prepared first – by cleansing it of impurities – so that it is fully prepared to receive wisdom, enabling it to realise its full potential. Living a self-absorbed and self-centred life is harmful to one's development. Such a way of life leaves no room for receptivity; when you think of nothing but your own self, there is no room for learning or progress.

A sceptic was being critical of the work of scientists. He said to a scientist: "All discoveries are nothing but chance occurrences." Calmly, the scientist replied: "You are right. But curiously, such chances took place only with scientists!" It is apparent that only a prepared mind is receptive and only a receptive mind is open to new ideas. There is nothing mysterious about it. It is quite understandable that only a mind that has engrossed itself in trying to unravel a phenomenon, would eventually be able to decipher it. However, a price must be paid to attain such a state; it takes effort and time to reach a state where the mind is fully prepared to receive. For this, you need to be sincere in your efforts, objective and unbiased in your approach and be ready to accept your mistakes and reassess your approach towards the target.

I recall here an anecdote about the Sufi saint Bahaullah. He once visited another saint, Fariduddin, for receiving guidance. Bahaullah gained the wisdom imparted to him in a very short span of time. Seeing this, some other of Fariduddin's disciples accused him of favouritism. As Fariduddin heard of these charges, he told his disciple that Bahaullah was like dry wood - ready for ignition - while all the rest of them were like wet wood, slow to catch fire as wet wood is not receptive to getting ignited. Dry wood is highly combustible and catches fire easily. High levels of receptivity enable us to imbibe spiritual guidance.

In order to be receptive to truth, one must make the effort to wait with a prepared mind. As human beings and by virtue of our societal existence, we tend to become conditioned entities. It is this conditioning that is a major obstacle in the way to wisdom. To be able to overcome this hurdle, we must be prepared to revisit existing ideas. We need to be willing to rise above bias and prejudice and become receptive to truths that may come to us from anywhere.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Forgive Forget and Be Healthy...

Forgiveness is not as sublime as love, but it's a divine virtue, without necessarily being godly. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness thus: "To grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offence or debt". But forgiveness is much more than that. Cynics see the act of forgiving as being one of weakness, resorted to by the meek and the cowardly. The more enlightened say only the strong are capable of it, as did M K Gandhi: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

Pure happiness is achieved because when you forgive a person who has done you harm, you detoxify yourself of all negative energy, free your mind, and purify your soul and body. Perhaps that's why Martin Luther said: "Forgiveness is pure happiness."

Studies at the University of Wisconsin found the more forgiving people were, the less they suffered from a wide range of illnesses. The benefits included improved functioning of their cardiovascular and nervous systems. Anger and resentment towards our so-called oppressors will bring us nothing but trouble and unhappiness.

"If you do not forgive, you will continue to think of the offender and the unpleasant event," said pranic healing master, Choa Koi Sui. "By forgiving and blessing, you achieve inner peace and freedom." Those who follow Vedantic tradition pray to God to grant happiness even to their enemies. They pray to Providence not only for their well-being, but also for the prosperity of their adversaries. Vedantic wisdom believes in a pre-natal harmony, a link and celestial communion among all souls. Hence, when you hate another person, you only hate yourself, as all souls are linked.

"How often do you forgive one person? Up to seven times?" Jesus Christ was asked by his disciple Peter. Jesus replied: "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." Jesus even asked God to forgive those who had crucified him: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." In The Lord's Prayer, Christians pray: "And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."

The message is clear: Only when you forgive others will you, too, be forgiven. Allah is 'Most Forgiving'. Prophet Mohammed forgave people for their ignorance and was ever ready to forgive his enemies.

By being unforgiving, we keep creating an identity around our pain, and that is what is reborn, Buddhists believe. In Jainism, forgiveness is propounded as one of the main virtues to be cultivated by the faithful. Supreme forgiveness forms part of one of the 10 characteristics of dharma in Jainism.

"Always forgive your enemies — nothing annoys them as much," said Oscar Wilde. It's an interesting thing to say, but taking the tongue-in-cheek remark seriously might dilute the impact and power of forgiveness.

Forgiveness has great power. It is a glorious and selfless act that could radically transform the lives of both the forgiver and the forgiven – for the better.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Cleanliness is Godliness

Be neat and clean.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.

Be neat in your dress.

Have a daily bath.

Do not let your clothes and books lie everywhere.

A clean life indicates a strong mind and good discipline.
It shows that you are refined.

Swami Sivananda

*

The doctrines of religion are resolved into carefulness;

carefulness into vigorousness;

vigorousness into guilt- lessness;

guiltlessness into abstemiousness;

abstemiousness into cleanliness;

cleanliness into godliness.

The Talmud

*

A person might be an expert in any field of knowledge or a master of many material skills
and accomplishments.
But without inner cleanliness his brain is a desert waste.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

*

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.
Anonymous




Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Philosophy of Discrimination. Soul Immortality Chapter 2

TWO: THE PHILOSOPHY OF DISCRIMINATION
Sanjaya then told how the Lord Shri Krishna, seeing Arjuna overwhelmed with compassion, his eyes dimmed with flowing tears and full of despondency, consoled him:

“The Lord said: My beloved friend! Why yield, just on the eve of battle, to this weakness which does no credit to those who call themselves Aryans, and only brings them infamy and bars against them the gates of heaven?

O Arjuna! Why give way to unmanliness? O thou who art the terror of thine enemies!

Shake off such shameful effeminacy, make ready to act! Arjuna argued: My Lord! How can I, when the battle rages, send an arrow through Bheeshma and Drona, who should receive my reverence?

Rather would I content myself with a beggar’s crust that kill these teachers of mine, these precious noble souls! To slay these masters who are my benefactors would be to stain the sweetness of life’s pleasures with their blood.

Nor can I say whether it were better that they conquer me or for me to conquer them, since I would no longer care to live if I killed these sons of Dhritarashtra, now preparing for fight.

My heart is oppressed with pity; and my mind confused as to what my duty is. Therefore, my Lord, tell me what is best for my spiritual welfare, for I am Thy disciple. Please direct me, I pray.

For should I attain the monarchy of the visible world, or over the invisible world, it would not drive away the anguish which is now paralysing my senses.”

Sanjaya continued: “Arjuna, the conqueror of all enemies, then told the Lord of All-Hearts that he would no fight, and became silent, O King!

Thereupon the Lord, with a gracious smile, addressed him who was so much depressed in the midst of the two armies.

Lord Shri Krishna said: Why grieve for those for whom no grief is due, and yet profess wisdom?

The wise grieve neither for the dead nor the living. There was never a time when I was not, nor thou, nor these princes were not; there will never be a time when we shall cease to be.

As the soul experiences in this body infancy, youth and old age, so finally it passes into another.

The wise have no delusion about this.Those external relations which bring cold and heat, pain and happiness, they come and go; they are not permanent. Endure them bravely, O Prince! The hero whose soul is unmoved by circumstance, who accepts pleasure and pain with equanimity, only he is fit for immortality.

That which is not, shall never be; that which is, shall never cease to be. To the wise, these truths are self-evident. The Spirit, which pervades all that we see, is imperishable. Nothing can destroy the Spirit.

The material bodies which this Eternal, Indestructible, Immeasurable Spirit inhabits are all finite. Therefore fight, O Valiant Man! He who thinks that the Spirit kills, and he who thinks of It as killed, are both ignorant. The Spirit kills not, nor is It killed.

It was not born; It will never die, nor once having been, can It cease to be. Unborn, Eternal,Ever-enduring, yet Most Ancient, the Spirit dies not when the body is dead.

He who knows the Spirit as Indestructible, Immortal, Unborn, Always-the-Same, how should he kill or cause to be killed?

As a man discards his threadbare robes and puts on new, so the Spirit throws off Its wornout bodies and takes fresh ones. Weapons cleave It not, fire burns It not, water drenches It not, and wind dries It not.

It is impenetrable; It can be neither drowned nor scorched nor dried. It is Eternal, Allpervading,
Unchanging, Immovable and Most Ancient.

It is named the Unmanifest, the Unthinkable, the immutable. Wherefore, knowing the Spirit as such, thou hast no cause to grieve. Even if thou thinkest of It as constantly being born, constantly dying, even then, O Mighty Man, thou still hast no cause to grieve.

For death is as sure for that which is born, as birth is for that which is dead. Therefore grieve not for what is inevitable.
The end and the beginning of beings are unknown. We see only the intervening formations. Then what cause is there for grief? One hears of the Spirit with surprise, another thinks It marvellous, the third listens without comprehending. Thus, though many are told about It, scarcely is there one who knows It.

Be not anxious about these armies. The Spirit in man is imperishable. Thou must look at thy duty. Nothing can be more welcome to a soldier than a righteous war. Therefore to waver in this resolve is unworthy, O Arjuna!

Blessed are the soldiers who find their opportunity. This opportunity has opened for thee the gates of heaven. Refuse to fight in this righteous cause, and thou wilt be a traitor, lost to fame, incurring only sin.

Men will talk forever of thy disgrace; and to the noble, dishonour is worse than death.

Great generals will think that thou hast fled from the battlefield through cowardice; though once honoured thou wilt seem despicable.

Thine enemies will spread scandal and mock at thy courage. Can anything be more humiliating?

If killed, thou shalt attain Heaven; if victorious, enjoy the kingdom of earth. Therefore arise, O Son of Kunti, and fight!

Look upon pleasure and pain, victory and defeat, with an equal eye. Make ready for the combat, and thou shalt commit no sin.

I have told thee the philosophy of Knowledge. Now listen and I will explain the philosophy of Action, by means of which, O Arjuna, thou shalt break through the bondage of all action.

On this Path, endeavour is never wasted, nor can it ever be repressed. Even a very little of its practice protects one from great danger. By its means, the straying intellect becomes steadied in the contemplation of one object only; whereas the minds of the irresolute stray into bypaths innumerable.

Only the ignorant speak in figurative language. It is they who extol the letter of the scriptures, saying, `There is nothing deeper than this.’ Consulting only their own desires, they construct their own heaven, devising arduous and complex rites to secure their own pleasure and their own power; and the only result is rebirth.

While their minds are absorbed with ideas of power and personal enjoyment, they cannot concentrate their discrimination on one point. The Vedic Scriptures tell of the three constituents of life – the Qualities. Rise above all of them, O Arjuna, above all the pairs of opposing sensations; be steady in truth, free from worldly anxieties and centered in the Self.

As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled theologian can wrest from any scripture that which will serve his purpose.

But thou hast only the right to work, but none to the fruit thereof. Let not then the fruit of thy action be thy motive; nor yet be thou enamored of inaction. Perform all thy actions with mind concentrated on the Divine, renouncing attachment and looking upon success and failure with an equal eye. Spirituality implies equanimity. Physical action is far inferior to an intellect concentrated on the Divine.

Have recourse then to Pure Intelligence. It is only the petty-minded who work for reward.When a man attains to Pure Reason, he renounces in this world the results of good and evil alike. Cling thou to Right Action. Spirituality is the real art of living.

The sages guided by Pure Intellect renounce the fruit of action; and, freed from the chains of rebirth, they reach the highest bliss.

When thy reason has crossed the entanglements of illusion, then shalt thou become indifferent both to the philosophies thou hast heard and to those thou mayest yet hear.

When the intellect, bewildered by the multiplicity of holy scripts, stands unperturbed in blissful contemplation of the Infinite, then hast thou attained Spirituality.

Arjuna asked: My Lord! How can we recognise the saint who has attained Pure Intellect, who has reached this state of Bliss, and whose mind is steady? how does he talk, how does he live, and how does he act?

Lord Shri Krishna replied: When a man has given up the desires of his heart and is satisfied with the Self alone, be sure that he has reached the highest state.

The sage, whose mind is unruffled in suffering, whose desire is not roused by enjoyment,who is without attachment, anger or fear – take him to be one who stands at that lofty level.

He who wherever he goes is attached to no person and to no place by ties of flesh; who accepts good and evil alike, neither welcoming the one nor shrinking from the other – take him to be one who is merged in the Infinite.

He who can withdraw his senses from the attraction of their objects, as the tortoise draws his limbs within its shell – take it that such a one has attained Perfection.

The objects of sense turn from him who is abstemious. Even the relish for them is lost in him who has seen the Truth.

O Arjuna! The mind of him, who is trying to conquer it, is forcibly carried away in spite of his efforts, by his tumultuous senses. Restraining them all, let him meditate steadfastly on Me; for who thus conquers his senses achieves perfection.

When a man dwells on the objects of sense, he creates an attraction for them; attraction develops into desire, and desire breeds anger.

Anger induces delusion; delusion, loss of memory; through loss of memory, reason is shattered; and loss of reason leads to destruction.

But the self-controlled soul, who moves amongst sense objects, free from either attachment or repulsion, he wins eternal Peace.

Having attained Peace, he becomes free from misery; for when the mind gains peace, right discrimination follows.

Right discrimination is not for him who cannot concentrate. Without concentration, there cannot be meditation; he who cannot meditate must not expect peace; and without peace, how can anyone expect happiness?

As a ship at sea is tossed by the tempest, so the reason is carried away by the mind when preyed upon by straying senses.

Therefore, O Might-in-Arms, he who keeps his senses detached from their objects – take it that his reason is purified.

The saint is awake when the world sleeps, and he ignores that for which the world lives.

He attains Peace, into whom desires flow as rivers into the ocean, which though brimming with water remains ever the same; not he whom desire carries away.

He attains Peace who, giving up desire, moves through the world without aspiration,possessing nothing which he can call his own, and free from pride.

O Arjuna! This is the state of the Self, the Supreme Spirit, to which if a man once attain, it shall never be taken from him. Even at the time of leaving the body, he will remain firmly enthroned there, and will become one with the Eternal.”

Thus, in the Holy Book the Bhagavad Gita, one of the Upanishads, in the Science of the Supreme
Spirit, in the Art of Self-Knowledge, in the colloquy between the Divine Lord Shri Krishna and the Prince Arjuna, stands the second chapter, entitled: The Philosophy of Discrimination.
Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Lamenting the Consequence of War Chapter 1 Verse 1 Bhagavad Gita

ONE: THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA
The King Dhritarashtra asked: “O Sanjaya! What happened on the sacred battlefield of Kurukshetra, when my people gathered against the Pandavas?”
Sanjaya replied: “The Prince Duryodhana, when he saw the army of the Pandavas paraded, approached his preceptor Guru Drona and spoke as follows:

Revered Father! Behold this mighty host of the Pandavas, paraded by the son of King Drupada, thy wise disciple.
In it are heroes and great bowmen; the equals in battle of Arjuna and Bheema,Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada, great soldiers all; Dhrishtaketu, Chekitan, the valiant King of Benares, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, Shaibya – a master over many; Yudhamanyu, Uttamouja, Soubhadra and the sons of Droupadi, famous men.

Further, take note of all those captains who have ranged themselves on our side, O best of Spiritual Guides! The leaders of my army. I will name them for you.

You come first; then Bheeshma, Karna, Kripa, great soldiers; Ashwaththama, Vikarna and the son of Somadhatta;And many others, all ready to die for my sake; all armed, all skilled in war.
Yet our army seems the weaker, though commanded by Bheeshma; their army seems the stronger, though commanded by Bheema.
Therefore in the rank and file, let stand firm in their posts, according to battalions; and all you generals about Bheeshma.
Then to enliven his spirits, the brave Grandfather Bheeshma, eldest of the Kuru-clan, blew his conch, till it sounded like a lion’s roar.
And immediately all the conches and drums, the trumpets and horns, blared forth in tumultuous
uproar.
Then seated in their spacious war chariot, yoked with white horses, Lord Shri Krishna and Arjuna sounded their divine shells.
Lord Shri Krishna blew his Panchajanya and Arjuna his Devadatta, brave Bheema his renowned
shell, Poundra.
The King Dharmaraja, the son of Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya, Nakalu and Sahadeo, the Sugosh and Manipushpaka, respectively.

And the Maharaja of Benares, the great archer, Shikhandi, the great soldier, Dhrishtayumna, Virata and Satyaki, the invincible, And O King! Drupada, the sons of Droupadi and Soubhadra, the great soldier, blew their conches.

The tumult rent the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra, and violently shook heaven and earth with its echo.
Then beholding the sons of Dhritarashtra, drawn up on the battle- field, ready to fight, Arjuna, whose flag bore the Hanuman, Raising his bow, spoke this to the Lord Shri Krishna: O Infallible! Lord of the earth! Please draw up my chariot betwixt the two armies, So that I may observe those who must fight on my side, those who must fight against me; And gaze over this array of soldiers, eager to please the sinful sons of Dhritarashtra.”

Sanjaya said: “Having listened to the request of Arjuna, Lord Shri Krishna drew up His bright chariot exactly in the midst between the two armies, Whither Bheeshma and Drona had led all the rulers of the earth, and spoke thus: O Arjuna! Behold these members of the family of Kuru assembled.
There Arjuna noticed fathers, grandfathers, uncles, cousins, sons, grandsons, teachers, friends;
Fathers-in-law and benefactors, arrayed on both sides. Arjuna then gazed at all those kinsmen before him.

And his heart melted with pity and sadly he spoke: O my Lord! When I see all these, my own people, thirsting for battle, My limbs fail me and my throat is parched, my body trembles and my hair stands on end.
The bow Gandeeva slips from my hand, and my skin burns. I cannot keep quiet, for my mind is in tumult.

The omens are adverse; what good can come from the slaughter of my people on this battlefield?
Ah my Lord! I crave not for victory, nor for the kingdom, nor for any pleasure. What were a kingdom or happiness or life to me, When those for whose sake I desire these things stand here about to sacrifice their property and their lives:

Teachers, fathers and grandfathers, sons and grandsons, uncles, father-in-law, brothers-inlaw and other relatives.

I would not kill them, even for three worlds; why then for this poor earth? It matters not if I myself am killed. My Lord! What happiness can come from the death of these sons of Dhritarashtra? We shall sin if we kill these desperate men.

We are worthy of a nobler feat than to slaughter our relatives – the sons of Dhritarashtra; for, my Lord, how can we be happy of we kill our kinsmen?

Although these men, blinded by greed, see no guilt in destroying their kin, or fighting against their friends, Should not we, whose eyes are open, who consider it to be wrong to annihilate our house, turn away from so great a crime?

The destruction of our kindred means the destruction of the traditions of our ancient lineage, and when these are lost, irreligion will overrun our homes. When irreligion spreads, the women of the house begin to stray; when they lose their purity, adulteration of the stock follows.
Promiscuity ruins both the family and those who defile it; while the souls of our ancestors droop, through lack of the funeral cakes and ablutions. By the destruction of our lineage and the pollution of blood, ancient class traditions and family purity alike perish.

The wise say, my Lord, that they are forever lost, whose ancient traditions are lost. Alas, it is strange that we should be willing to kill our own countrymen and commit a great sin, in order to enjoy the pleasures of a kingdom.

If, on the contrary, the sons of Dhritarashtra, with weapons in their hand, should slay me, unarmed and unresisting, surely that would be better for my welfare!”

Sanjaya said: “Having spoken thus, in the midst of the armies, Arjuna sank on the seat of the chariot, casting away his bow and arrow; heartbroken with grief.”

Thus, in the Holy Book the Bhagavad Gita, one of the Upanishads, in the Science of the Supreme
Spirit, in the Art of Self-Knowledge, in the colloquy between the Divine Lord Shri Krishna and the Prince Arjuna, stands the first chapter, entitled: The Despondency of Arjuna.

Read Chapter 2

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--which is: Try to please everybody. -Josh Billings

What Does Gita Teach

"What is the central teaching of the Bhagavad Gita?"

The sage replied, "If you utter the word 'Gita' a few times in rapid succession you begin to say 'taagi, 'taagi' and that is the essence of Gita". 'Taagi' means one who has renounced the world.

Indeed, renunciation is at the core of spiritual life. The literal meaning of renunciation is 'desertion', 'abandonment', 'rejection', and 'denunciation'. However, this is not the sense in which it is used in the Gita. Renunciation, in the Gita, does not mean abandoning the duties of our everyday lived life and becoming a recluse to lead a monastic life. Nor does it mean otherworldliness. It does not even mean indifference (vairagya) to the world and its affairs.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak in his Gitarahasya goes a step further and says that Gita, instead of teaching renunciation of any kind, preaches 'energism' (karma yoga). Law of karma according to him is an energetic principle because "unless some karma or action has been performed it is not possible for the imperceptible to become perceptible or quality less to become qualityful".

He goes on to say, "no man is free from action, and that action should never be given up". Rather one has to be busy performing actions that are aimed at sarvabhutahite ritah – promotion of welfare of all.

Tilak argues: "The Gita was not presented either as a pastime for persons tired out after living a worldly life in pursuit of selfish motives, nor as a preparatory lesson for living such worldly life". Its main purpose is to reveal, "how one should live his worldly life" and to point out our "true duty in worldly life". That is why the Gita discourages monastic, or ascetic life if the spirit of detachment is absent.

Renunciation in the Gita does not refer to renunciation of action but connotes renunciation in action. It means performing one's duties but with a detached mind and without thought of worldly gain -- devoting all action to God only. This dedication is the most important component of renunciation.

Renunciation according to Tilak means "whatever a man does must be taken to have been done by him for the purpose of sacrifice". No action is undertaken for personal gain. It is performed for the collective gain of all.

The true ideal of Gita is not sacrifice for humanity but service to humanity. It is service for its own sake and done not for any personal gains, glory or triumph. One is able to serve humanity if and only if he performs his actions efficiently, skillfully and without concern for the outcome or result.

Action must not be renounced because "numerous difficulties arise in the consideration of what should be done and what should not be done" or because there are problems in executing the action. Once we know what is good for loksamgraha or public welfare, we must, with all sincerity and without concern for success or failure, engage ourselves wholeheartedly with conviction in performing the purported action.

Not being attached to the consequences of an action helps one psychologically to perform it most efficiently and "attain the highest" results (Gita, 3.19). Non-attachment to action is called naishkarmya. It is attained, according to Shamkaracharya, by the knowledge that we are mere agents, for God is the real doer and according to Ramanujacharya, by surrendering all action to God.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Want To become Lucky In Life here follw these13 ways

Al ways thought other people have all the luck? Well, this is because they understand the difference between luck and planning and know how to place themselves in the path of good fortune. And now, you too can bend the path of luck towards you.


Lucky people arrange their lives in characteristic patterns and tend to position themselves in the path of onrushing luck.

Here are his 13 tips to turn your luck around:

1. Never confuse luck with planning:
When a desired outcome is brought about by luck, you must acknowledge that fact. If you confuse luck with planning, you will all but guarantee that your luck, in the long run, will be bad.

2. Find the fast flow:
Go where events flow fastest, surround yourself with a churning mass of people and things will happen. It doesn''t matter if you are a quiet person; all you need to do is meet a lot of people and let them know who you are. Then they will direct opportunities your way.

3. Take calculated risks:
There are two ways to be an almost sure loser in life. One is to take risks that are out of proportion to the rewards being sought. The other is to take no risks at all. Lucky people, characteristically, avoid both extremes.

4. Know when to cut and run:
Always assume that a run of luck is going to be short, never try to ride a run to its peak. You will virtually always be right as the law of averages is heavily on your side.

5. Know how to select luck:
Is there some likelihood that the problems with your investment - whether it be time, money or love - will go away? Do you have some realistic hope of fixing them? If so, you should stay aboard. If not, you should get out and look for better luck elsewhere.

6 . Take the zig zag path:

Despite what many people think the path to success is rarely a straight line. Lucky men and women, on the whole, are not straight-line strugglers. They not only allow themselves to be distracted, they invite distraction.

A plan should be used as a guide only and if something better comes along the plan should be discarded immediately without regret.

7. Supernatural belief can help:
Not because it makes you more lucky but because it helps you make impossible choices. Sometimes there is no rational choice to make, yet the worst reaction is to do nothing.

A supernatural belief can enable people to get into a potentially winning position simply by helping them make choices.

8. Be a bit pessimistic:
Lucky people, as a breed, tend to be pessimistic. Optimism means expecting the best, but good luck involves knowing how you will handle the worst.

9. Learn to keep your mouth shut:
Talk can tie you up and lock you in positions that seem right today but may be wrong tomorrow. Avoid unnecessary talk about your problems, plans and feelings. When there is no good reason to say something, say nothing.

10. Recognise a non-lesson:
There are experiences in life that seem to be lessons but aren''t. Recognise when something was just bad luck and move on.

11. Accept the universe is unfair:
All of us, the good, the bad and the in-between, are all equally likely to realise our fondest dreams or contract cancer.

12. Be willing to be busy :
The more activities you have going the greater the likelihood that something good will happen.

13. Find a destiny partner:
This is someone who is someone who changes your luck over a long term. This person is not necessarily a romantic partner and is usually just found by blind luck but it can help if you are actively looking.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

How To Be Happy Eat , Pray and Love....

Dump those self-help books, which claim to make you happy-as scientists have now revealed the true secret to happiness.

Scientists have suggested that people who go to church / temple/mosque/Gurdwara, stay thin, avoid worrying about their careers and have emotionally stable partners should be well on their way to achieving the sought-after state of mind.

Researchers of the University of Melbourne have challenged the theory that an individual's long-term happiness depends on their genes.

They have found changes in lifestyle led to significant long-term changes in general satisfaction.

Bruce Headey of the University of Melbourne questioned people in Germany about their jobs, social lives and religious activities during a 25-year period.

Nearly, some 60,000 people responded to their surveys.

The findings showed one of the biggest influences on a person's well-being was their partner's level of neuroticism.

The research found those with partners who scored highly on tests for neuroticism were more likely to be unhappy-something which tended to last as long as the particular relationship.

A long-term increase in general satisfaction was also observed among those who placed significant weight on family values and altruistic behaviour.

Having strong religious views also played an important role.

"People who attend church / temple/mosque/Gurdwara regularly seem to be happier than people who are not religious," the Daily Mail quoted Headey as saying.

However the scientists found those who prioritised their jobs and material success were less content than their peers and experienced a lasting decline in happiness.

Women, who reported being significantly less happy when they were obese.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You