“Our story is the raft we ride in our ocean of life. We cling to it even while we might lament our story because it feels safer to be on the raft than swimming in the currents of possibilities. When you are ready for change, jump off the raft and swim with a different story.” ― Jeanne McElvaney
The purpose of my life is to serve others; and to enable the others around me to be happier, and dream some awesome dreams, for their future. This is especially true for our children; as if I cannot be an enabler for their dreams, then I cannot realize, my life’s purpose. Life only begins when we look outward and see what we can contribute, in the service of those around us. Our children are our most precious resource; as they represent the future, so their betterment, will give me the greatest reward in this life. So I say to them now – please dream that awesome dream again, and I will be here to act as an enabler; in any way of form, that I can share with you. Suddenly in their betterment; my life gets its own purpose, and to be successful we need to just concentrate on what can provide maximum happiness, to them in the future.
This analogy of life’s purpose; can be expanded beyond the kids, to the larger universe when we are ready. The main reason to have one’s purpose in life defined properly; is to first understand oneself, and what one likes to do. What one actually does; is not important in itself, as there are many paths, to the one truth; it is how one does it (attitude\character\quality), that is important. If we do it for ourself alone, then we only get partially fulfilled. If we do it for our family and friends, then we get a little more fulfilled. If we work in the service of the greater good of humanity, all living creatures and the universe beyond; then it makes our life purpose so much bigger. It is up to us to decide the personal role we are comfortable with; and how far down the road, we are ready to go.
My advice to the children is define who you are, what you feel you are good at doing, then decide who you want to do it for. This is the simple start to having a life; that can be examined, and understood and planned for desirable outcomes. If your life continues to give you undesirable results than sit back and examine your approach. If you dedicate your actions to giving compassion and happiness; then you will find that a lot of obstacles, will be removed from your path. Others around you will be grateful for your contributions; and a positive circle will start, that you can build upon. Remember that when you are down and nothing is going right; then your life purpose will come into play, and by baby steps you can get your life back on track. Then it is only be a matter of adding fuel; from those around you (open your heart), and you will see your train pick up speed, and rush towards the twin goals of happiness and compassion. There will be many stations along the way and you will seek and find companionship of like minded society; who also want to make a difference, in our lives. Examine life closely; and make it worth our living, as only then will we make the difference, that we seek purposely. This life’s purpose that comes from within us; will shine the light that will set us on the path, to true freedom and enlightenment.

The U S National parks were closed; and visitors were being turned away from the gates and had to return disappointed, that they could not view the wonderful vistas of these natural wonders. From Yosemite to the Grand Canyon to Liberty State Park all across the nation, some of the prized treasures that are being preserved for posterity, were suddenly out of bounds and many a planned family trip had to be cancelled or people had to return disappointed. These are all part of our Earth’s wonders; and the amazing sights are awe inspiring and on such a grand scale, that it leaves the people wondering about the true power of nature. From ‘Old Faithful’s’ regular geyser gushing out; to the gigantic scale of the Grand Canyon, a testimony of water’s powers as the land is cut by the Rio Grande for hundreds of miles at a stretch.
We have been searching space for forms of life for decades now; and have yet to find another planet with life, such as we have on Earth. Nature’s forces have shown an abundance of flora and fauna, and we keep discovering new species of plants and birds and animals even today. Prakriti or Shakti or primordial power of nature; is not something that we can understand easily, and even the creator is at awe in what it can achieve as it evolves. Once creation started, the forces of nature took over and evolved with their own determined principals, creating diversity unimaginable in its scale. The creator having unleashed his creation; now left it to evolve on its own merits, but basic laws of science were the weave and weft for all things to come. Natural laws of Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Biology are enforced; on a second by second basis, and over eons of time. Billions of Galaxies exist; with each having billions of suns, and which in turn have planets and their moons, and all of them follow the same laws. The elements of life were forged in the great furnaces of the Super Nova’s and pulsars, white dwarfs, black holes and creative destruction is a natural part of these laws.

So when humanoids reached a stage in civilization they realized that the conquest of nature; and the creation of a man made order, was a natural desire. From the fabled hanging gardens of Babylon to the formal gardens of Versailles under the sun king Louis, to the geometrical lawns of the Taj Mahal with their flowing fountains, we created our own gardens. There is a desire amongst those who have more than enough; to then go out and make something, which will be their lasting legacy for others to follow. We have selectively worked with nature; and just like the tulip mania that almost destroyed the economy of Netherlands so many years ago, we continue to tinker with species of flowers and plants to create new varieties. The Inca and the Aztec selectively took wild grasses; and evolved them into many varieties of modern corn that we eat today, over the centuries. Similarly the green revolution that put Malthus theory to shame; was the creation of the dwarf wheat and rice grains like IR8, that revolutionized food production and brought beggars, into the land of plenty. We will continue to grow our gardens and now giant tractors, harvesters and combines roam the prairies to provide the man created gardens that feed our billions.
As humans evolved they came to question nature and its laws, that they saw around them. What is it that made the sun rise each day and the moon wane and wither and then become full again? What makes the caged bird to sing; and why does the eagle soar above the storms, that make all other birds seek shelter. These questions all lead us to the lotus of the heart; or the garden within, that we need to cultivate and grow. The laws of the spirit are even more obscure; than the laws of the physical world and even harder to understand, than the physical laws that can be observed and captured in formulas and methodologies of modern scientific thinking. The mighty oak grows from a tiny acorn and the heart of the acorn is empty; except for the spirit that resides there, that will cause it to flourish and grow, given the right environment. The life force that resides in these tiny seeds is powerful; and can cause the growth of mighty forests that live on for centuries, yet we do not know what causes this life force to exist and flourish.
When we look inwards and seek to grow this garden within; we often flounder and are easily distracted, by forces around us. The laws of nature reign supreme whether it is in the tiniest of electrons; or even the sub atomic particles that follow random patterns, to the spiral patterns of gigantic galaxies that span light years, and follow strict laws that sustain them. We are born and we must die; and existence is a stream in the time space continuum, which seems to have no beginning or end. What makes some people good and others evil; and what is it that causes old age and death, are just questions, that many have attempted to answer, but we cannot have a definitive theorem that answers these quest. So my answer is that we must cultivate this garden within. Within the void that is the innermost life force, is the solution to this great mystery of creation. Endless cycles of creation and destruction will continue to infinity; but what is it that we need to do now, to attain knowledge that transcends all of this natural phenomena. The laws of the spirit reign even over the physical laws; and they can only be found in the heart of the lotus, within each one of us. I have traveled this earth and seen its wonders; but what continues to amaze me is this wonder within, which we continue to neglect at our great peril.
Cultivating the spirit and the garden within us, becomes our main purpose in life. This gift of life can be squandered on the world of sensual perception; or it can be used to grapple with the timeless and beyond space reality, of oneness. We are seekers in a land of no answers; and what we find is only another perception, of myriad reality. Each of us is so unique that to even try and explain oneself to another who may be our lifetime companion, becomes an effort in futility. They will never see the world from our reality; as ours is a unique perspective, based on our Karma and experience. Just like you can take the horse to the water but you can’t make it drink similarly we can explore the universe but we can’t know what makes up its core. The core is not without; and after roaming the world in search of it, we must return to what is within. In our own void we must find that which is real; as everything else falls in the Upanishads answer of ‘Neti’, or not this alone. I am; so the universe exists, and without me, my universe ceases to exist. This Atman or life force was always here, and always will be; but our vision is clouded by the world of Maya and we see only the here and now. So be aware in this here and now; and all eternity will be at your beck and command. Cultivate this garden within, and it will become your fulfilling life work; as compassion and love are not external, but must first start in our own heart. Be happy; and happiness will flow and be joyful, and the world will revel with you in all its wonders. Offer everything to Brahman and the Atman will not want for abundance, for after all there is no duality here, and everything is still one with our creator. Sat Chit Anand.

In the beginning there is just the amazing awe of the astral mysteries that seem to surround this blue planet; on which we find ourselves hurtling through space, in our solar system, within the milky way galaxy. Nature puts up astonishing displays, and if we do not look up to the heavens; and instead become absorbed in some details of our lives, we miss the whole trip. The more we detach ourselves from this daily desires and longings, the more we can take in, from all that surrounds us and provided by the creator for us to experience. The world as they say is at your feet; but you are too busy buying the perfect pair of black pumps, from Jimmy Choo, to walk all over it in style. It is better to stay in a state of perpetual awareness; at this universe and explore its mysteries; than to accept our fate, and keep our shoulder to the grindstone, and our back and legs providing the locomotion, to a meaningless death.
The next stage is often euphoric and people are often known to see celestial wonders and all is revealed to them in a shining Astral light. Their shoulders are no longer stooped; and they have a new spring in their step, of hope in the everlasting. They spread happiness bringing it from where they came, spreading it amongst the present, and then moving on to the future recipients, of their wisdom and good sense. Celestial wonders are just that (they are only celestial wonders and not the true path). Sooner or later the traveler breaks out from his bhakti or devotion, and moves to another area more promising school of realization; for deliverance. Still many of his companions stay in the state of devotion and this path also reach the same goal, so a large amount of travelers remain behind doing their ritual ablutions, praying and making love and merging with their eternal spirit.
The next stage arises when the rose colored glasses of bhakti and devotion come off and you can now see reality. Everything takes on the stark beauty of nature and everything appears crystal clear again. Gone are the celestial dances and the astral visions (rather they are still there but have been put aside like left luggage to continue the journey) and instead an understanding of unity in all of nature’s bounty; every single moment, and is felt like prana (life force) in every single living cell in the body. The mind becomes pure and doubt and sorrow vanish. Pain and pleasure are still there but you have gone beyond them to a new reality, where you do not react to them, or cling to them like you used to. You attain a freedom of choice; inexperienced before, so you do not know how to react to the whole time space continuum; as every day is new, and lets you shape and carve it like a potter and his clay. Today you may make your clay oil lamps (karma) for the nights of darkness to come when they will come in handy when you complete your dharma. There is equanimity about the external world; as the inner soul is shining through, so compassionately and lovingly. The light brightens and everything is crystal clear and your choices are easier to make.
Finally you get to the stage where the light begins to fade. All your life this light of reason, and this light of truth held you together; but now, even they start to fade. All the reality that you have grasped to yourself, itself starts to desert you. The senses start to fade and you hear less, see less, taste known things, feel the touch but cannot make out the object etc., names disappear and relationships of lifetimes become placed into neat cupboards and promptly forgotten. All the colors and flavors of life are still all around you but they do not attract you in the same way as before. The shape of a ripe mango no longer reminds of ones lover’s young breast, but instead looks interesting enough to eat. It is at this time that you are finally freeing yourself from all the chains around your heart. As the body’s light fades another grows stronger, as you know that the time for leaving this vessel is coming. Everything will return to Brahman; and as such you are only going back home; and while others may mourn at the passing of your light; but for you their sorrow is of no avail, as all you had will be left behind, and the parting is also fading as you get ready to move on.. The journey of course continues, as a new dawn destroys the darkness… .

It is 3:30 AM again on the next night; and I look up at the night sky and see that Venus shines in the same position in the sky, that Aries the hunter is on his tireless march across the heavens but in the same place as yesterday, I look up high and see the seven sisters in the same place and then I look down and the same pulsing galaxy far far away continues to pulse and send its energy down to me from its same position, just above the neighbor’s roof. It is Déjà vu and nothing seems to have changed; but I know it is a different night, and yet everything remains the same. I am the same reality; and I walk the same steps and relive the night before, and have the same questions and get the same answers, and smoke the same cigarette and sip the same green tea, and yet everything is different. Life has gone through another day; so why do I still appear to be stuck in the same rut, and the wheels of existence churn away at the same rate.
I am reading the Shvetshvatra Upanishad toady; which talks about the face of God and how it is found in the heart of everything, while we live in the duality of conscious spirit and unconscious matter and the veil of Maya that separates it. It states that when all the three Gunas are seen as one; the Self reveals its universal form, and serves us as an instrument of divine will. In its verses the devotion for the Lord of Love is supreme; it shows the path from the changing world of the senses, to the fulfilling presence of a causeless and changeless reality. Deep in my heart; tinier than the width of a hair, this Self is the knower and the bestower of life and consciousness; and it flows from Brahman and returns to him. I am ignorant of its presence and veiled by Maya, cannot feel its presence. So I must mediate using a mantra like Om to still the mind; and seek teachings from the teacher who will aid me, to help pierce this veil of ignorance and find the Lord of Love and the supreme reality.
I come back inside and the sense of Déjà vu remains; as I flip the same switch and the same light illuminates the same room, of my home. I sit down to write this and it is the same ego; and the same intellect, which is controlling the mind, which in turn holds the reins on the senses, which are focused on the same sense objects. I am like the bird on the tree of life; who is partaking the fruits of pain and pleasure and suffer and rejoice in my activities, and my desires lead me to seek birth again and again, to go through this unending cycle that separates me and gives me identity. I do not see that other bird sitting on the same branch; who just looks at me eating the fruits of pain and pleasure, and does not partake in them, and has awakened his Self, and is rooted in the ageless and timeless Lord of Love who is the seer, knower, creator and destroyer of everything.
So another night is passing and I am no closer to the answer of my quest as this life seems to move in circles; and I have lost my way in the labyrinth, of my own senses and desires. The Lord of evolution has lit this spark, and I am free to evolve along my chosen path where the GPS has a temporary glitch it seems. I want to recreate that magic of that first love so tender and sweet, the pleasure of the first sip of that water from the mountain spring to quench my parched body, find again that green valley rising into the evergreen mountain forest, which haunts my visions of and I know that once I dwell in it, I will have peace. I cling to the same dreams and aspirations; caught in this web of Maya, and all paths lead to the same results. Even these Upanishads mocks me by repetition as if reborn; for the Shvetshvatra Upanishad’s beginning invocation is the same, as the one I read in the earlier opening to the Isha and the Brihadranyaka Upanishads:

All this is full. All that is full.
From fullness, fullness comes
When fullness is taken from fullness,
Fullness still remains
Om shanti shanti shanti

I guess that the knowledge that is to be sought from these scriptures, is not an instant cure; but has to be absorbed slowly, and realized over time. Everything is already full and already exists as per his laws; and the interchanges of energy and mass, as time and space move into each other, remain ever changing, but what is created is complete. One has to purify one’s body, still one’s mind and then take the time to dwell deep into the lotus of our heart. It is only another passing night I realize; and I still have many lifetimes to go, before the light that leads to the state where there is no night will be mine. Then I can be one with Brahman in every waking moment; and this dream state and dreamless state will all pass into that all knowing state of consciousness, where I will be one and not dual. I flip back and read again the opening invocation from the Chandogya Upanishad; and decide to try and understand its haunting words, as perhaps therein may lie the clue to this mystery’s solution, that the seers have shown. Here I may find the start of that faint path; that is a subtle path, that is subtler than time and space and reality, and I will be freed at last from this ego and this perishable body, that I cling to so lovingly. The Self (Atman) they say is hidden in the lotus of the heart; and those who see themselves in all creatures go day by day into the world of Brahman, hidden in all our hearts. I resolve to take the first step on this journey and follow in the steps of the ancient ones, who first revealed these words:

Lead me from the unreal to the Real
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
Om shanti shanti shanti

According to a NASA scientist the current 11 year ‘Solar Cycle 24’ is the weakest in 100 years; which may be helping to keep the full effects of Global warming, from taking effect. We cannot count on the Sun to give us respite from our own follies; but our unusually quite star, has got scientists wondering. We do not have enough statistical information in our time series since record keeping on the observed number of solar flares and sun spots started in the 18th century; to extrapolate if we are headed, for another mini ice age yet. There are multiple cycles in the sun’s activities and we are not even sure what they are caused by; to predict future changes or outcomes, and can only wait and see how long this one will be.
Luckily for us our planet is still absorbing more energy; than we are releasing out into space, so we are confident that life will continue as it is, for quite some time. Just an imbalance in our one star can cause havoc for our lives; and so what happens if our Milky Way galaxy suddenly collides with another galaxy, which has billions of more suns and what havoc will that cause for existence is a cosmic mystery. In the Hindu tradition while Brahma is the creator and created the universe and all that is in it from his mind; it is Shiva who is the leader of chaos, change and destruction in the universe, and Vishnu rounds off the trinity, and is the only one to have taken avatars, to save life forms and preserve creation in the form of Krishna, Ram and many others. So I would equate the sun’s peaceful time to Shiva’s meditation and contemplation before he starts his next chaos theory. We all know that Brahma’s Kalpa or time horizons run into billions of years; and may be compared to a high mountain against which a bird flies a silk cloth every 100 years, and one Kalpa will last till the mountain is eroded away by the passing of the cloth.
As such infinite time and space is not quite comprehensible to normal humans we have to find an easier way to understand our birth, life and death. The Bhagwad Gita (Song of God) teaches many different ways to live a righteous life and of these I will just chose three, to simplify finding a path for salvation in this life. The first of course is the path of Karma Yoga or the carrying out of our Dharma by doing righteous deeds. For good to triumph Krishna teaches Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra that a warrior must do his duty, even if it’s the killing of near and dear ones who are following the path of Adharma or evil. So this is a primary motive for us to live righteously; as one has to first act out the duty that is given to us in this lifetime towards our family, wealth, status or spiritual leanings. We have to carry out this duty without attachment to its outcomes. We do not destroy an evil empire in the hope of attaining all its wealth; but do so to make sure a righteous rule, can be established for its citizens. Only when we act without attachment; do we ensure that the Karma does not add to our desires, and we can then move into a state where we become detached from this body and its reincarnation to attain eternal peace.
The second path is of Bhakthi where we seek meditation and devotion and become immersed in the love of a Guru, God or Mantra; that we repeat constantly to ourselves and lose ourselves in it. All our actions or Karma are then devoted to this being and we do not become attached to the outcomes. Every action we take; we do for this love of the object of our devotion, or God. Our mind is removed from evil thoughts; and we seek only the eternal love, that comes from our prayers and sacrifice. This is also the path of renunciation; as we give up our earthly desires, in pursuit of the love of the pure state, that our ideal represents. To follow this path we need to open our hearts to love and devotion. On this path many saints have gone before and we find faith in their writings and songs, and we seek ‘Satsang’ or righteous companions who are also progressing along the path of Bhakthi. This path also teaches detachment to bodily desires; as we know the love that comes, from an open heart and mind. This love cannot be explained as it has to be felt; and this path of salvation comes from faith, found in the heart and soul, and not from the intellect.
The third path is one of Gyan or wisdom where we seek the truth through meditation, contemplation and study of the scriptures and learned treatises. We seek other intellectuals and learned beings to discuss and debate the meaning of life and the means of creation and destruction. This is a path that may lead to many missteps; as we attain levels of knowledge and attain ‘sidhis’ or powers, as we progress along it. We can be easily distracted from the goal of salvation; when we become entangled in our own wisdom, and attached to our knowledge as superior, to that of others. With knowledge can come power and if we get caught in the power trap; then we cannot progress, along the true path of renunciation. The other fallacy of this path is that true renunciation of the senses; cannot be an intellectual process, but has to be felt from the soul. As the mind cannot easily understand the time space continuum; and easily part with its ego for eternity, it becomes hard to let go and we are reincarnated again and again, to go to ever higher levels of wisdom. True Gyan is only attained when we are ready to give up all we have learned; and enter the void, with no karma to tie us to this birth.
This is a simplistic view of the knowledge that Arjun learned; as his heart was open to listen to Krishna and his friend and guru taught him slowly, and opened his mind, as he progressed through the different levels. As each level became clear; Krishna moved on to the next concept, so that Arjun could understand that there is no one path to salvation. I believe that we need to follow all the three paths outlined above, at some time or other in our life. The path of Karma is where we act to carry out our duty to society and our family and do it without getting attached. The path of Bhakthi is important as we need to open up our heart; to the beauty and love of the creator, as just duty is not the only goal of life. Lastly we need to exercise our intellect to attain a higher learning; as only then are we distinguished from the animals and other living creatures, like the fauna and microscopic beings. We need to pass the wisdom on to our progeny; so that they have a path to follow, that leads them to salvation, and away from superstition and false beliefs. Our body, heart, mind, soul all have to be purified to get to the next level. Choose any path and follow it; as in the end they all lead, to the same goal. The biggest mystery is that our soul is already eternal, and our mind refuses to accept it. We become attached to physical beauty, wealth and power and with it come all the vices of lust, anger, greed, hate and ignorance. These are all untruths of maya (non-permanent) and we cling to them and they become our chains to pain,suffering and death. The truth which is eternal remains lost, till that awakening when we break the threads of attachment to maya, and our heart and soul opens to experience Brahma.Then all you do is just an offering to him, as everything flows from and to him; and no Karma attaches to you and you are free at last.