Dear Aachi

When one has a lot in life perhaps one does not need to rely as much on gods and so if one still chooses to approach God perhaps it would be out of curiosity/faith/desiring to have the larger qs of life answered etc.

Sometimes I think the poor man really has God as his only alternative and his only hope for betterment. His attraction and fervor is not necessarily coming out of a sense of deep faith either then but need/desperation.

Faith doesnt belong to the rich or the poor but to a certain type of heart. Just as silence is not indicative of not having faith, in my mind screaming out the lords name is also not indicative of having faith.

Just my two bits worth
love
a

Dear dear Aachi

With every post of yours I am struck by the purity and innocence of your heart and mind. It is such a rare, rare gift buddy. You are truly special and meant for such a special journey in this life. Love, prayers and blessings for you to scale the heights that await discovery.

Dear Anusheh,

What you say is right from one point of view. But what I experienced there was a sentiment better understood after this story.

There were 2 brothers long ago, one who was a staunch devotee of Shiva and the other who was an out an out atheist. An argument regarding the presence of the Godhead in reality lead to both of them deciding to test their respective faiths. The devotee brother would come evryday and sing praises of Shiva, whereas the atheist would come and abuse him with the choicest of words.

One day a great storm came and the devotee decided to skip going to the temple but the atheist braved the storm and found himself abusing the Lord like always.

A smiling Shiva appeared before him and told him that he ws pleased with his devotion.

The bewidered brother asked him the reason for partiality whence the Godhead replied that his faith that the Godhead existed was more palpable than the lukewarm belief of his brother, for had he not braved the storm to come and abuse Him? Would he have done the same if he felt that Shiva did not exist?

The line in the evening I felt was filled with more true believers of the Lord than the one in the morning.

That is why perhaps I felt more awed in their presence.

:)

By the way have you seen Saawariya? Whats your review?

Dear Buddy,

Thanks a lot.

Lots of love,

Dear Aachi

A lovely story and thank you for sharing it. From another point of view you too are absolutely right:-)

lots of love

Oh sorry forgot to answer you on Saawariya. I got another bad review from a (woman) friend so I decided I didn't want to risk it. Thanks to Jasjit I have developed this 'bad habit' of being discerning about the cinema I watch so a bad film is absolutely unbearable now and three hours feels like an awful waste of time. However I do promise that when it comes on television I shall skim through it just to let you know what I thought!!
lv
a

Hi Anushehia! From still an other point of view my samosas are still due (or not??).

A day before this blog suddenly came to my mind and I browsed through it. Then at night I had a dream of Jasjit lol. I could make her out though I saw she was having a comparatively very rough face and I wondered what has happened to her. Is she alright?

Hi Jasjit, Aachi...

Hello Harbji

Good to see you here. Your samosas have been ready for a long time but since you never come to receive them i keep giving them away lol.

Jasjit is well. I have been down with the viral though so maybe the rough face was mine?!!

How are you?
Love
a

Lol, so I have been playing a giver of samosas (somasadata) in absentia...

Face could be yours as well more so as I was not absolutely sure that it was jasjit's. I was thinking all along 'is it Jasjit's face?''Had she such a rough face?' Perhaps my memory mingled her heard past tough life into my dream...

I am fine as ever, but perhaps passing through the most difficult of periods of my life...where one has to outgrow all his familial connections...grands proving tough...

Will surely come to share somosas with you someday soon.

Dear Harb

How are you? Good to see you on the blog after such a long time. I'm sorry to hear that you are going through such a rough time. This has been a critical year for all of us. Its a year of completion hence many things have to end around the samsaric field we know as our life. Naturally it will make all that we know seem like a struggle. But then what Nirvana is there without the constant tease called Samsara and its myriad tolls????

Did you make a trip to Rishikesh after all? I went recently to the mountains for a short retreat but it was so rejuvenating that I wondered why I don't do it more often. Are you writing something these days? Perhaps we shall meet soon for samosa days.

Much Love
J

Indeed Jasjit Sahiban! It has been a year of completion and seems both the year and the completion are coming to a fruitful end...

Not been to Rishikesh, perhaps at the end decided to take on the battle head on. And seems not with bad results, though many a times I almost had to bite the ground.

Yes, sure, we will meet soon. Your word 'squeaky' (the slate of karma will be made squeaky clean before we go)has often come to my mind in these days.

Love, Harb

Dear Harb,

Wishing you love and strength through all tough times.

:)

As Ramana would have put it...Look within, look within!

lots of love