He is cool…, He is simple, And He is smart…,
Sensuous, Dashing…, Brave at Heart!
Balanced, charming…, He’s the powerful One…
Yes…Shiva is the Ultimate Youth Icon!
Lord Shiva, who is the embodiment of seemingly contradictory qualities, … can also be the face that best represents the 21st century youth's ambitions, goals and spirit.
Most people know Shiva as the ascetic Godhead…but He has much more to Himself than just that much…!!!
In fact, He represents all that the modern youngster wants to be…He is the ideal of all ideals…an Ultimate Youth Icon…Check Him out…
He has a style of His own… He has his hair piled high on the top of his head, with a crescent tucked into it and the Ganga tumbling from his hairs. Around his neck is a coiled serpent. He holds a trident in his left hand in which is bound the 'damroo'. He sits on a tiger skin and on his right is a water pot. He wears the 'Rudraksha' beads and his whole body is smeared with ash. And He rides a Bull called Nandi. Haa…So? You think that’s gross and unfashionable? Well, what about those shirt-less male models parading down the ramps with snake tattoos on their arms, spiked up hair, a disc-man tucked into their half-torn jeans and a nakli-pistol in their hand? And those who ride those funnily ugly, abnormally huge-looking, noisy bikes? If all that is fashion, then Shiva is the most stylish hunk one can ever come across!He is in-vogue! In fact, he does not even need a designer to tell Him how to get that killing look… He has a style of His own! And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He is a class by himself… He stays in the isolated fastness of Kailash. He is often surrounded by ghosts and goblins and snakes and some of the ugliest and most rejected creatures. And…he has His beautiful consort Parvati waiting on Him 24X7. He is worshipped by the royal likes of Rama. Ask Him, and He can bestow the best of all worlds into the laps of anybody who goes to Him in love. In short, He can lead the elite as well as hug the commons! He has a surefooted acceptance towards even the lowliest ones, and a confident footing in the hearts of even the greatest ones. He has a classy touch to his classless class! He is a class by himself! And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He has the courage to sacrifice in love… Although He appears to be an indifferent meditator, in reality Shiva is a loving deity who saves anybody who takes refuge in Him. When the poison came out from the churning of the milky-ocean, He readily swallowed it up and held it in His neck to save the remaining creation from being destroyed. And till date, His blue neck is a reminder of his great sense of sacrifice and His immense love for everybody. He does not go around the world giving Mother Teresa dialogues, but when it comes to a “do or die in love” situation, He is always there! It takes great courage to love and to sacrifice in love. And He has the courage to sacrifice in love.And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He is ever so wise and smart… His third eye is said to be the eye of the wisdom. He is the all-knowing One. He is the one who looks beyond the obvious. All the lateral thinking and the innovative creativity that we talk about can easily be attributed to Him. He knows the art of symbolic communication and apt instructions. In other words, He always knows what to say and how to say it. He is wise and smart…And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He is the innocent, “choooooo chweet” one… Once a hunter while chasing a deer wandered into a dense forest and found himself on the banks of a river when he heard the growl of a tiger. To protect himself from the beast he climbed up a tree nearby. The hunter stayed up in the tree all night and to keep himself from falling asleep, he gently plucked one leaf after another from the tree and threw it down. Under the tree was a Shiva Linga and the tree blessedly turned out to be a bilva tree. Unknowingly the man had pleased Shiva with bilva leaves, which He loves…and Shiva blessed this man with ultimate fulfillment! In spite of knowing all, He is pleased by even the smallest act of devotion, even if done unconsciously. In spite of being wise, He sometimes is so innocently sweet that he is often called Bholenath(The Innocent Lord)!And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He is the macho-“God”… I say this because I don’t want to call Him a macho-“man”. But, His image does come through as the wonderful majestic one, not polished and sophisticated, not ornamented and decorated, but someone whose every cell speaks, whose every moment makes the history of time. His characterization is so cogent and integrated that He can be hardly believed to be real. He can burn down Kaama Deva by a mere glance and seduce Parvati to make her do years of difficult penance to get Him as Her man. He has both form and substance, strength and charm. He is the macho-God! And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He is also a party-“God”… Yes, He loves music and dance. He always carries with Him His damroo, which is a symbol of the primordial sound. And who has not heard of His ultimate Taandava Nrtiya! He is the NAtaraja. And yes, He is often on a High after a few pegs of Soma-ras! But, Soma-ras is not alcohol…mind you! Although this is what popular belief says, the Vedas clearly states that it is a Herbal drink. And Param Pujya Sri Morari Bapu says it is not even intoxicating! Anyway, the point is He enjoys, music, dance, drinks et partying… but never at the cost of balance! He is always calm and composed in spite of all his party activities! He is the real party-God!And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He is sensuous and romantic… Legend has it that as the daughter of Daksha, Parvati had contrived to wed her beloved Shiva despite her father's contempt for his unorthodox ways. Later, at an assembly of the gods called by Daksha, Shiva had refused to stand in His father-in-law’s honour and thereby incurred his further denunciation. Daksha then excluded the Lord of All from his great yajna at Hardwar, and Sati’s pleas failed to move him to do otherwise. In protest to the insult done to her Husband, Shiva’s consort Parvati (then called Sati) threw herself into her father’s sacrificial fire and brought down the violent wrath of Shiva on Daksha’s prideful head. Shiva, who loves Her immensely, scooped up in his arms the charred body of his beloved and, clasping her to his breast, danced in despair throughout the three worlds, dropping pieces of her pathetic remains as he went. The ground where they fell was instantly sanctified and the relics were given names, which also became the names of holy places. That was His love for His love! In spite of being the greatest of all ascetics, He is sensuous and Romantic as well! And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
He is ever in poise and balance… He is the supreme ascetic with a passive and composed disposition. He is ever calm and balanced. He has a control over His senses. Although most people think He is the impulsive “angry young man” types, the fact is that He is the most controlled and non-impulsive one. Ever engaged in meditation, He is poised and balanced.And that is what makes Him the Ultimate Youth Icon!
In other words, Shiva is the complete one. He has all the qualities which most of us fall for and want to rise to! He is an inspiration beyond all inspirations. He is the Ultimate Youth Icon!
We are setting forth on a thought adventure,
I promise, it will be a fruitful venture.
The word Picture of Kalil Gibran is called ‘The Prophet’,
A mystic poetry masterpiece painted by this poet perfect.
With the people of Orphalese as the audience,
It has lessons of life spoken by the cosmic intelligence.
The subjects range from Love to freedom,
Giving us the secrets of ‘life with happiness and wisdom’.
The best way to prelude this book is to quote,
find below, an excerpt on ‘Friendship’, that Kahlil wrote:
“Your friend is your needs answered,
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace”
Another citation on ‘buying and selling’,
defying these, you can see how the world is not in state of well being:
“To you the earth yields her fruit,
and you shall not want if you but know how to fill your hands.
It is in exchanging the gifts of the earth
that you shall find abundance and be satisfied.
Yet unless the exchange be in love and kindly justice,
it will but lead some to greed and others to hunger”
The final trailer is on the subject- ‘reason and passion’,
Things of head and of heart, he illumines them with immaculate precision:
“Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars,
sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows –
then let your heart say in silence, ’God rests in reason’.
And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest,
and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky, -
then let your heart say in awe, ‘God moves in passion’.
And since you are a breath In God's sphere, and a leaf in God's forest,
you too should rest in reason and move in passion”
Thus, we have traveled the first few steps in his world of teaching,
of beautiful thoughts whose effect on one’s life can be far reaching,
Ideas that cut across the divides of religion, gender and time,
Goblet of Gospels that gives inspiration for a lifetime.
The e-book can be accessed free of charge using, the subject wise of table of contents below:
http://www.columbia.edu/~gm84/gibtable.html
“Tum khushiyon ki talaash mein khote jaa rahe ho, Hum khushiyon mein khoye rote jaa rahe hain…” He said in his meditative voice as He walked away, free from all care, from alone to alone, leaving me perplexed.
He is a poet, a painter, a sculptor, a singer, a philosopher, a composer, a thinker, a mystic, a traveller, an adventurer, a naturalist, a trekker, a loafer and …A GURU! He is like a story-book character…a man who is a conqueror of Life.
He is not a Page 3 Personality, not a celebrated celebrity, not a legend of an artist. But to me, and anyone who knows Him and has heard Him, He is a star, a hero, an Ideal, a Master…
He is Deva.
I was with a group of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra Members from Mumbai. We were trekking up to Bhimashankar. On the way, I had a tiff with a certain person very dear to me, and I decided I would ‘trek alone’. Being a habitual trekker, I managed to drift myself far ahead of the rest of the group. But, at one point, it got dark and eerie. I was scared. I wondered if I was on the right route. I had no clue where my group was. However, I kept walking,
…and then, I met Deva – A Guide who was a Guru!
He wore rubber chappals, oddly sized knee-length trousers and a khadi kurta which seemed to have been not laundered for months at end. He was dark like the tea which has been zealously brewed again and again to bring back its lost warmth. His large shiny eyes tucked in the centre of huge sleepless dark circles eloquently poured out several unspoken speeches and untold talks. His smoking habits showed clearly on his rust-coloured lips. He had a heavy haversack-kind of bag with many pockets in it.
Was He a lost prince or a lifted-up pauper? I wondered.
However, I was more concerned about my trek to Bhimashankar. I asked Him whether I was on the right way.
“How really does it matter?” He giggled teasingly. “You are on the hill. Whichever way you take, as long as you keep moving up, you will reach the top!”
I was annoyed at the man’s audacity. “Ok. Tell me how far is it?”
“Never ask anyone how far your destination is. How does it matter? Just keep walking. You will finally reach.”
I thought He was mad. But soon I realised that He spoke wisdom.
As I walked with Him, listened to Him, and got used to his metaphoric method of communication, I began to learn from what He said and also enjoy it.
We stopped on the way. He asked me if I had a paper on me. I had a visiting card lying in my wallet. I handed it to Him rather reluctantly. He grabbed it with his tobacco stained fingers. Then, plucking a 2.5 inches long pencil out of his bag, He began (what I thought) to scribble on the back of the card. I tried offering Him some almonds, which I was carrying with me. But He paid no attention. After nearly fifteen minutes, He said that it was time to move. I asked Him what He wrote on the card. He quietly handed it back to me. And I discovered one of the finest artists I had ever seen. He had sketched my portrait on the tiny visiting card. I was thrilled by his art’s proximity to life.
I requested Him to draw a bigger sketch once we would reach on top. He refused. I offered Him “as much as He would want” for the memory of his fabulous art. He refused. I kept insisting, till He snapped back at me, “Fankaar ki keemeat naa lagao, mujh par fan bechne ti taumat mat lagao” [Don’t price an artist, Don’t allege me of selling Art]. I understood.
We walked silently for some time. Then, He broke the silence. “Art is the entertainment of the artist’s soul. It should not become the entertainment of other’s minds. What I do should be enjoyed by me and all. But I need not do what others may enjoy” I nodded in agreement.
All through the way, He kept showing me ubiquitous varieties of plants, insects and flowers. He knew them all.
He garnished the entire journey upwards with jokes and poems, and anecdotes and wise talks. He even quoted the ancient Indian scriptures and chanted many shlokas (Sanskrit verses) from the Bhagavad Geeta and the Upanishads. Sometimes, as He was speaking, He would break into philosophical songs, and sometimes lose himself to mystical feats of utter silence.
Soon He spoke about his life. Born into a rich Bengali Brahmin family in Asansol, Deva had a royal childhood. Although He went to school and studied till He graduated in English Literature, formal education never fascinated Deva. “It failed to inspire me enough.” He recalled. “Every time my results were to come, my mother would offer special fruits to the Lord asking Him for good marks. But I never scored more than thirty-five. What was the need?”
He completed his three-year Graduation program in five years, and then said a warm good-bye to his degree-certificate as He stood on the famous Howrah Bridge in Calcutta(now Kolkatta) and carelessly flipped it into the Ganges which flowed underneath! Yes, He did not feel the need of it at all.
He lost his mother when he was twenty-two. And within a year, Deva decided to leave home, in search of Life.
He travelled all over India – all alone. Whenever He needed money, He would sell a few sketches across to enthusiastic tourists. Sometimes, He would sing for them. But, if there was no need, He would not take a paisa from anybody. Why?
“Money creates greed. I have no place for such things in my life. I must keep evolving ahead.” He said in a rather blunt manner.
So what has he found? “Nothing fully as yet. But bits and scraps of Life. Yes, Life dwells on the devastated roads, in the deserted temples, on the over-crowded buses, and may be in many such places where I never thought Life could be!” I saw tears bulging out of his tired eyes.
He has had lunch with Abdul Kalam in Rashtrapati Bhavan as a guest and ‘dear friend’ of the Head of State of India. He has voluntarily stayed in villages in Orissa to serve the cyclone victims. He has trekked almost the whole of the Himalayas on foot. He has voraciously read Shakespeare and Adi Shankara. He can sculpture your face out of raw, wet mud. He is just another man of India!
This man is dexterous yet lousy, wise yet funny, arty but practical, reasonable but emotional. Is He some Indianised avatar of Socrates?
My fascination for Him kept multiplying and reached its ultimate peak when we reached Bhimashankar…
My friends were waiting for me there. It was a great relief to be back with the team. But I did not forget my only guide and friend through the six hours of trekking. I turned to Deva to thank Him, but to my surprise, I saw him going back down the hill. I ran behind Him to find out where this Guide-Guru was off to.
“I must go back young lady. That’s my way.”
I did not get it immediately. Then, I remembered that when I had asked Him the way, we were facing each other. Oh, that meant He had actually trekked down six hours when He met me! And he walked all the way back up the hill for six hours!
But WHY?
The question was rhetorical… He was a true Guru. A Master, who could and did revel in the true art of living, who silently “went out of his way” to help others, who spoke seven Indian languages, who excelled in almost all art forms, who was spiritually evolved, who had seen nearly all of India, and who was complete in every sense of the term. That was Deva.
I was recently walking through the grocery's greeting card aisle when I came across the thank you cards. Originally looking for birthday cards, I thought this would be a great opportunity to thank the one who has been my life. Most of what I saw was "Thank you, Mom" or "Thanks for your hospitality…" This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided whom the card was going to. Greeting Card companies don't usually make thank you cards directed to God. What I wanted would go something like this:
TOP TEN THINGS I THANK YOU FOR:
10. The clothes and food You constantly provide me with.
9. The laughs and smiles I'm blessed to share with those greater than I.
8. Your love, for without it I would be nothing.
7. The problems that serve as the slap in the face telling me that life isn't always easy.
6. Coming down to my level to give me confidence to keep going.
5. The Knowledge You've given me that has, in turn shattered the doubts and worries that plague my life.
4. Your patience and dedication in helping me realize that it's ok if it takes time and my search is not going unnoticed.
3. The inspiration You've charged me with.
2. The spark of divinity that You've guide me into finding
AND
1. Such remarkable influences (gurus) in my life.
Each as important as the other, truthfully, none of these statements should really have a number. In light of thanking You for everything, I also want to say I am sorry. I am sorry for forgetting to pray before I eat and for sleeping before I pray. I am sorry for the mistakes I make before getting back on to track. I thank you for not holding it against me but instead redirecting me towards my goal of reaching You.
Thanks, God.
Why is there such a hue and cry about singing the 'national song'? Or is it
about making singing it compulsory? Why again, is a communal light being
thrown onto an issue that steers clean of all religion and politics? Has it
become an age-old habit of Indians to crib about everything that is
national, in the true sense of the word, by mixing questions of religion,
minority, majority and politics? Are we conditioned to oppose all that works
to unite us?
Before pointing fingers, it is essential that we understand the essence of
Vande mataram, our national song. The song salutes mother earth. Not just
our country, not just the land on which the Hindu's live or where the
Christians breathe. The song pays gratitude to mother earth for feeding,
sheltering and providing for each and every being, irrespective of their
colour, caste, creed, sex, political alignment or religion. The land on
which a church is built is no different from that on which a mosque or a
temple is built. Then where does the question of religion arise?
Lets go back to the year 1907, when an anti-partition movement was brewing
in Bengal. As a symbol of unity, people of Bengal came together to sing the
song, 'Amar Sonar Bangla', which is today the national anthem of Bangladesh.
It is clear now as it was then that these songs and anthems signified
solidarity and nationalism that surged through the hearts of the people. Not
only this, with time, these symbols became agents of change promoting and
evoking these emotions in those who hadn't awakened to the feeling of
nationalism and patriotism.
The situation today is no different from what it was hundred years back, if
not more crucial. Today, we are compelled to fight forces causing
disturbance within the country and externally and we can only do this
united. More so, the Indian youth, needs to be reunited with the principles
of nationalism which have been long lost in this age of neo-colonialism,
call it globalization if it comforts you. So what is wrong with singing the
national anthem to create a feeling of being a part of one nation, one
India? Until each and every citizen regards the country as theirs, they will
never take care of it.
Then again why impose? How can the government force everyone to sing vande
mataram? Isn't that undemocratic? What about freedom of choice? What about
individuality?
A cough syrup tastes awful. The bitterness makes you throw up at times. But
then, you do have a severe cough. You try as much as you can to avoid having
to drink that horrible mixture, but your mother forces you to have it. Of
course at that moment you despise her for doing it, but later you do realize
that it was the medicine that helped you recover.
The national song is an attempt at bringing us together, it might just be
our medicine that rids us of this disease called disunity that plagues the
country. The medicine takes time in working its magic, it'll get you there
slowly but surely. What is more, it guarantees no side effects.
Please think. There are enough forces waiting to divide us. But there are
few that will keep us united in the face of terror. Don't turn your back on
them. Don't turn your back on India.
A CHYK is and must be, a seeker. He or she must feel, at some level, that there is something more to life than the mundane.
A CHYK often finds himself perched atop a rock. He looks out into the horizon and sees two paths before him.
The first path leads down into the Valley, the other, to the summit of the Mountain. The Way of Valley, the low road, is the one most accessible to him. It is easy to tread, worn by the many who walk it everyday and clearly demarcated by the temptations of everyday life.
But a CHYK is a seeker and a seeker flinches at the path of the Valley. He looks down and sees the masses. He sees the pleasantries and maladies, the conformity and the humdrum, and though he is drawn to them, something within him resists.
So he looks up. To the Path of the Mountain.
But the Way of the Mountain is shrouded in mist. The summit is faraway and veiled by thick cloud and this is not a bad thing; for the Way of the Mountain is fraught with difficulty. If the young CHYK were to know the path that lay before him, he may turn back, afraid of the obstacles that he would encounter enroute. But the Way of the Mountain is shrouded in mist. And this is not a bad thing.
He knows others have walked this path before. He sees them from time to time and revels in their radiance. He reads and listens to their words; contemplates and understands their meaning: but still he is unsure. And all the while, the laughter and tears of those from the Valley below echo up and tempt him.
So there he remains, motionless, perched atop his rock, moving neither up nor down, pondering his situation.
But then, he hears a noise. His concentration is broken and he looks across. There on the stone next to him, is another seeker, another CHYK, sitting and pondering. They look at one another and their eyes connect. No words are spoken; none are required. They look at each other and some unknown force draws them together. Their feet move lightly over the rocky ground and they meet each other halfway.
At the same second, as though choreographed by some absent administrator, they break their gaze and turn their heads towards the summit of the Mountain. Neither of them realise, but they are holding hands, and with the firmest of conviction they look up to the Way of the Mountain.
And so, with fire in their hearts and devotion in their eyes, they step, hand-in-hand into the Mist.
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