A spirituality discussion

Shashank: What does a human being look for in life?


Friend: Happiness and contentment

Shashank: Superb. Define it better

Friend: Okay,

Shashank: you want it now...today, 1 week?

Friend: What?

Friend: The answer?

Shashank: Happiness and contentment...you want it now...today, 1 week?

Friend: Purpose

Friend: Forever

Friend: Always

Shashank: Splendid

Friend: State of bliss

Friend: Purpose is also important

Friend: Why am i here?

Shashank: If you get a 100 pounds of chocolates to last you forever...would you be happy?

Friend: No

Shashank: Why?

Friend: Because i will get bored after some time

Shashank: Then suppose i give you your favorite movies/hotels/anything you love

Friend: No

Shashank: Why?

Friend: Because these things give only temporary happiness

Friend: Not bliss

Shashank: Splendid...why?

Friend:

Friend: Well

Friend: Because it is not really what I need

Shashank: Why?

Friend: it s only what I want

Friend: At that point

Friend: Maybe

Friend: Because there is a void that these things can never fill

Friend: For me at least

Shashank: Where do you think you came from, Why you came here and where you are going?

Friend: Came from ................. don’t know

Friend: Why .................. don’t know

Friend: Where ................. don’t know

Friend: I don’t know

Friend: Money

Friend: Power

Shashank: Good....that is first step...knowing that we don't know

Friend: Don’t know

Friend: Okay

Shashank: Spirituality is the only thing which can answer all this

Friend: hmmm

Friend: What is the answer ?

Friend: I have find on my own right

Shashank: To study spirituality, you have to be absolutely open, forget all

preconditioned ideas of the world and god

Friend: Like a blank slate

Friend: Like a kid

Shashank: Yes. Only when you acknowledge you don’t know, you can learn

Friend: Okay

Friend: Ready

Shashank: The ancient rishis were brilliant

Friend: Because they concentrated

Friend: Till they could see a light

Shashank: And they were superb psycho analysts

Friend: hmmm

Friend: Psycho analysts

Friend: ??

Friend: Strange

Friend: how

Friend: They would analyze themselves

Shashank: They studied human nature, ways of the world and went deep to

understand cause of human misery

Friend: Okay

Friend: They started with themselves

Friend: Is it

Shashank: Maybe

Friend: Okay

Friend: Maybe

Shashank: Their consolidated knowledge came to us as spiritual knowledge

Friend: Can I quote Gandhi

Shashank: Ya

Friend: "YOU NEED TO BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD"

Shashank: Ya

Friend: He said

Shashank: I know

Friend: hmmm

Friend: So i need start with myself

Shashank: The oldest source of knowledge are the Vedas

Friend: Hmm

Friend: Okay

Shashank: There were 4 Vedas

Friend: Rig Veda

Shashank: And?

Friend: Trying

Friend: Cant

Friend: I forgot

Friend: Sorry

Friend: Should i Google

Shashank: Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana

Shashank: Every Veda has 4 parts

Friend: Okay

Shashank: First part is an invocation

Friend: Hmm

Shashank: Second is the ritual part detailing how to do yajnas etc

Friend: Hmmm

Shashank: 3rd is something that should always be read in solitude (aranyaka)

Friend: Hmmm

Shashank: Last is the Upanishad...

Friend: Okay

Friend: Got the difference

Shashank: Upanishad is the source of all spirituality

Friend: Who wrote?

Friend: Sages

Friend: Any names

Shashank: Lots of sages of yore

Friend: Okay

Shashank: Vedaha apurusheyaha

Friend: Means

Shashank: Vedas are not man written

Friend: Veda written

Friend: By many people

Shashank: They are words of God

Friend: Okay

Shashank: They were compiled by Vyasa

Shashank: Each Veda has vakyas and mahavakyas

Shashank: There are 4 major or mahavakyas

Shashank: First says..prajnanam brahma

Shashank: Means ..this world is nothing but consciousness

Friend: hmmm

Shashank: You will understand terms gradually

Friend: Okay

Shashank: Second says..Ayam Atma Brahma

Friend: Soul is Brahma

Shashank: Yes

Shashank: Third says. Tat Tvam Asi

Friend: tvam : tum (individual)

Friend: asi : hai(is) being

Friend: tat : ..............

Friend: Don’t know

Shashank: Means that thou art

Friend: Okay

Shashank: Final sentence which is the highest point of spiritual awakening is

Aham Brahma Asmi

Friend: I am Brahma(god)

Shashank: Yes

Friend: Okay

Friend: So I need to really read these things .................

Friend: I can read

Shashank: Now to a brief background of Gita

Friend: Okay

Shashank: The sequence is Mahabharatah war

Friend: hmmm

Friend: When

Friend: Krishnaji is telling Arjuna

Shashank: Arjuana seeing the Kauravas does not want to fight

Friend: Yes

Friend: To do his duty

Shashank: So Kurukshetra war is at 3 levels

Friend: Okay

Shashank: Level 1 : historically as a fight between Pandavas and Kauravas

Friend: .................

Shashank: At a emotional level as a fight between good and bad

Friend: Yes

Shashank: At a personal level as a fight between you and your senses

Friend: So there is a Mahabharta in my mind everyday

Shashank: Yes

Friend: hmmm

Shashank: How many horses did chariot have?

Friend: Many --- exact count i don’t know

Friend: 2 maybe

Friend: I don’t know

Shashank: Picture dekho

Friend: There were many

Friend: The one i had seen

Shashank: 5 horses

Friend: Okay

Shashank: Representing 5 senses

Friend: Oh

Shashank: What is holding the horses?

Friend: Charioteer

Shashank: Directly holds it?

Friend: No the whole arrangement

Shashank: The reins are there

Friend: Yes

Shashank: Reins represent the mind

Friend: hmmm

Shashank: Horse with reins, but without charioteer, what happens?

Friend: Out of control

Shashank: Exactly. Mind always runs where senses take it

Friend: Reins: mind

Friend: Yes

Friend: Horses: Senses

Friend: Charioteer: we

Shashank: So chariot always runs where horses take.

Friend: Yes

Shashank: We always run where senses take us because mind is like that. It needs

a charioteers

Friend: Right

Shashank: The charioteer is the intellect

Friend: Okay

Shashank: What if it's a bad charioteer?

Friend: Evil happens

Shashank: Exactly?

Shashank: Who did Arjuna have as charioteer?

Friend: Krishna ji

Shashank: yes. so good intellect is absolutely essential to hold the reins of

the mind to control senses and ensure that chariot of life goes correctly

Friend: Yes

Friend: But does everyone have Krishnaji

Friend: For a charioteer

Shashank: Krishnaji represents what in my analogy?

Friend: What ?

Shashank: Intellect

Friend: Yes

Shashank: Don’t confuse with intelligence

Friend: Yes of course

Shashank: How do we develop intellect?

Friend: By differentiating

Friend: Real from unreal

Shashank: Yes

Shashank: So Gita aims at that

Friend: Right

Friend: But what is real

Friend: Everything i see

Friend: Seems real

Shashank: You will learn slowly

Friend: Like this universe is the only one

Friend: But that’s not true

Friend: okay

Shashank: That's enough for today

Friend: Thank you

As readers may be aware, 3 of my books on spirituality are available on Amazon.com.

I invite readers of my blog to try any of the books and give me feedback so that I can make changes in the next edition.


1. My Humble Understanding  Of Spirituality


My Humble Understanding Of Spirituality

2. Attain Infinite Bliss

Attain Infinite Bliss - A Spiritual Guide

3. The Spirit Of Spirituality

The Spirit Of Spirituality