This post must have come after 2 other posts that are almost ready but could not stop sharing the excitement. Niagra falls !!!
International border - literally at a stones throw from Canada
3 named falls - The magnificient wide HORSE SHOE falls The majestic American falls and the smallest of the three - Bridal veil
2 famous rides - Maid of the Mist Cave of the wind
Facts and stories can last pages but being there is just an experience beyond words. You could go on searching the dictionary for synonyms to breath-taking, spell bound and all that but the feeling of being right in the center with 168000 cubic meters of water falling in from all 3 sides is literary imagination. (Maid of the Mist). The splurge that involved standing right below the bridal falls where you can easily mistake water falling on your head for tiny boulders :) (Cave of the Wind).
A weekend drive planned on a lazy friday afternoon of what was a rather tiring week of work, the gang of 2 cars sped by sporty Tarun & hunky Sushil (Sushil gave up on the spirit of racing as he watched Tarun speed off just like that). The drive highlighted by food, some nice ARR songs, Shreya s pep talk and Smari s fact files we go to Niagra by around 12 ish on Saturday.
Time raced off soon ( I wanted it to snail ) and we were all treated royally by Nature.
Nature's royal treat !!!
Thank you all for taking me there !!!
(PS : Smari, this Thank you is before I heard last week's knowledge sheet, I hope you got it )
PPS : For many more Niagra pictures ,, click on the American Falls picture above :)
I was all excited about coming to the US, a dream every engineer has when he fills up the application for his passport. A dream, that every parent cherishes. But the whole process also brings in a slow sense of pain, a pain that was soon to be non-existent.
Blessed to have a great gang in Banglaore, further adds to the pain ( fear of eating the result of my own cooking for 3 months also scared me). But there is this Guru who knows it all. HE puts angels to take care of things everywhere.
So here I am, half way round the globe, helping pack ( supposedly ) Pooja di to the Bangalore Ashram. She will represent this serene n scenic township of Pittsburgh at the Teachers Training Course commencing later this month. A bubbly, caring and lovely person, (characteristic to any AOL volunteer, cant find better words sorry :( ), but can always add that superlative so that makes it super-bubbly, super caring and lovely person (now cooking lunch for us :-) ). Having blossomed under the aegis of Rajesh Jagasiya and our own lovely Bau, Pooja di can literally turn any potentially violent situation into a joke ( vice versa .. I dont know :-) ).
Pooja di : Have a Great time back in Bangalore and tell Bangalore that I miss everything about it The story does not go complete without the better half :). Dinesh Nath - dineshda, young dynamic & smart, all set to make his mark on the plethora of Organic Chemistry, and also to articulate the Master's thoughts on this really cool city ( Factfile : Pittsburgh was where the zipper was invented ). A master chef - you name the cuisine and he would have it done the perfectionists do (secret of Poojadi's perennial source of energy). Dineshda is some one who can talk and settle everyone down, someone who can cool a fireball with his words, soothing to the bottom of your heart
So Dineshda (soon Dr.Dinesh Nath) we have got two and a half months right now in Pittsburgh to break ice ( i wonder that ever happens in art of living) and get the ball rolling.
The beauty of the master comes to you in varied forms - he literally bestows you with angels around and I heard myself tell my logical and super sensible colleague - hum o aise hi hain ,, agar pakistan ya alaska mein bhi IBM hamen dalega na, vahan bhi log aa jayenge :) - friends isn't that true ??
It was a long day and I was fooling around showing off my photos on the big screen LCD TV to everyone around. Pooja di n Dinesh da pointed out one to say that I had not taken a specific photo. . . I was like this is one of my best ones .. only then did I know the reason behind ... the picture ( and couple more in the same video ) were used in this really wonderful video :)
Whoever made this video .. thanks a lot :) ,, you made my day
How I got there ?? & What had I done to be there ? ? .. The answer to the first one can wait till the next post and the answer to the second one I am still on the lookout for it. But for now, over to Guruji @ The Hilton,720, South Michigan Avenue,Chicago.
On a Sunday evening, of what was by any standard a long day for organizers, participants (a one day event called the YOGATHON just concluded ), and also for people like me who were lurking around the streets of Chicago (and getting back just on time for Guruji's sessions :) ), Guruji gave us a treat.
Bhagavat Gita - Chapter 4
"Awareness dawns when mind becomes calm
Desire is like a river, it keeps flowing while awareness is like a lake. Our mind runs in the direction of desire. When the mind is calm, brilliance dawns, great ideas spring up. When your mind is feverish, it is far from wisdom.
Music helps. It helps kindle emotions. It helps calm the mind of worries and thinking to a level of feeling. These days there is background music during classroom exercises as well to make the learning process easier. A movie without background music is of no effect. It serves the purpose of kindling emotions. It helps calm the mind. To invoke wisdom it is important to calm yourself down. Similarly crying can also help cut down the worry.
When awareness dawns, the fire of awareness burns away the seeds of karma. Every mistake is done due to lack of awareness. The very moment that you become aware, that burns away the karma. When wisdom is awaken, you become pure and free of mistakes. In the present moment, we are reborn.
However sinful the past has been, the fire of knowledge (wisdom,awareness) burns away all the karma. In this world there is nothing more purifying than knowledge. KNOWLEDGE PURIFIES YOU. Knowledge is like detergent, can wash off all the karma.
But if you keep the knowledge to yourself, it is like letting the soap stay on you :-). Awareness cannot be taken for granted. If arrogance steps in it means that the person still has the soap on :-). For this you have to perfect in YOGA.
People ask - Guruji, how long should we meditate to get enlightened.
There is no end. We cannot ask for the sunlight to get into the room,our duty is to keep the windows open, similarly our duty is to meditate. For this you need Shradda - ( roughly translated as FAITH ), it is the willingness to accept or love or know the UNKNOWN. The unknown that we have not experienced through the senses. We have never seen an atom, but we still know or accept that atoms exist. We should have a say over our senses.
Meditation is withdrawing the mind from all the senses to the center. When it is going all here and there, that just is the lack of say over your senses. People who have doubt as their very existence can never get anywhere. It is okay to have a spirit of enquiry, quest, curiosity. But doubt above this is like a disease. And Krishna says - samashayaatma vinashyati - One who has doubt as the very existence, will not be save neither in this world nor the next.
The Universe has a RHYTHM. The very core of our existence -a wave function. When we study vedanta, it has the same thing to say what quantum physics has to offer (not classical physics). The universe is a wave function - full of consciousness, and it has a mind of its own. Now every small mind is a part of this big mind. This big mind is responsive, reciprocative and very powerful. Through YOGA, you can become centered, bring it to the core of the existence and being centered, you can burn all the doubts. Such a seeker will not be bound by any action.
Through wisdom, we can get rid ignorance and get in touch with the very being in the center of our heart. Krishna says Arjuna, I am your friend, wake up from the doubts. When you are in doubt you only trust your friends or your own self. And again you doubt only the possitive. You even believe when people comment as a joke. You expect people to be always happy with you but you have to have all the freedom. Words fly out of your mouth :)
Just let go of all intentions --> awareness would dawn --> intuition gives the knowledge and then it burns away the karma.
SO MUCH to DO :) - Just Relax :) Let go
Imagine Krishna is telling all this to a sick and tired Arjuna. A good teacher does not convince you but confuses you.And every time you get confused, you move a step ahead. And then he says - You do all this but only Time will get you :) where it has to :)
Gita is highly confusing, the very reason why it was not as popular as Buddha s teaching. Buddha said the world has misery - if you want to get rid of them there is this way.
Krishna also told the same but it was like HIGHER MATHEMATICS :). It remained amongst the intellectuals. Einstein appreciated the Gita & Vedanta.
And yeah Wisdom is not information. When knowledge gets integrated into life it is wisdom. All this must happen effortlessly. Coming to this ballroom from your room requires effort. You have to lock your room, wait for the elevator, but once you are here, there is no effort required.Similarly to catch a train, you have to get to the platform, find the coach and get in on time. But once you are in, then you just have to relax and let go. The same is the case on the spiritual path as well. You would need to do action to get on to the path, but once that is done, it is just about relaxing :). You do all the yoga, and breathing and then you are asked to relax :).
Since these scriptures carry contradicting instructions they were instructed at close proximity - Upa (close) nishad (sitting at the proper place). These contradicting instructions are the ones that makes the Gita so complete. The Result for sure is ASSURED to be GREAT :)"
Tell you what,when GURUJI speaks here, there is so much of attention, like as if time freezes and there is nothing at all happening. Can now get the flavour of how it might have been for people who heard Patanjali and Narada Bhakti Sutra from GURUJI live. I am on a super blissed state now. Stayed at the same hotel where GURUJI is staying. Had a ball of a time at Chicago as well. Will post more on Chicago the city in the coming days.
HAVE A GREAT GURU POORNIMA .. now cant say I miss Bangalore, after what I have been treated to here, but yeah miss the gang though :) .. Have fun. We should all charter a flight and come down to a place like this and just spend time in the elevators (to rush to the kitchen and who knows like some of them here were lucky the door opens and GURUJIs there outside waiting to get on to the elevator) and also waiting in front of GURUJI's suite. - WORTH EVERY THING THAT YOU MISS OUT ON.
Been a month since I posted .. with every word i type in .. I can sense the air of anger for not having posted the photos for the many times i shot .. ( Can definitely pull out a few names, but will keep that for later.
What is happening with me ?? .. Well lots ,, and in loads ...
Big news first .. this is my first post off the shores of Bharat .. I am now at Pittsburgh, PA,USA
A series of prelude events .. a nice dinner out at Little Italy .. ( Madhuri knew all that we had to order ,,we orderly paid the bill and yeah of course ate it all ). Click on the sundae below to get into the complete picasa gallery for the evening.
Things were happening a little too soon .. I went and got my VISA done at Chennai .. Gosh .. take it from me ,, Bangalore is heaven .. and the sun in chennai has an amplifier in between ,, they hit u hard ,, the 20 min that I had to wait for my turn at the consulate was enough for the amplified system to praise the existence of Bangalore, a thousand times loud. But for sure had some super cool time with my little nephew - Vishnu ,, he was just too good.-->
You crib at the Sun and the water gods came gushing in Bangalore ( looks like they have teamed up now ). My 18th D Main ground floor house flood with thigh high water ,. books .. lots of dresses and many more things lost into memory lanes ,, no pictures here as well.
The D day for travel neared and amidst course organization and venue clean up ,, the party set foot at our new place ( what was to follow was some crazy times with the house owner also joining the show uninvited .. almost kicking us out ) .. Thanks a lot guys .. It was just amazing to have you all there ,,We ll also get one done when I come back ( of course Advance course estyle :) ) The next day I found myself already missing India ( still @ #2,Airport Road Bangalore ). I found myself telling people- when will I get to have dosa next, I will miss asianet , I will miss Bangalore.
26th June - With mom dad n kuttu around, and a last minute briefing at office, we rushed to the airport only to wait after the formalities for a couple o hours before I took AI 621 to Mumbai. With a short transit at Mumbai, thanks to the late arrival of AI 621, we boarded AI 141 - the huge boeing 777 ( 9 seats in a row)to John F Kennedy, New York. 16 hour long ordeal that had excitement, food, numb legs (my own),aunties for air-hostess's all fitted into place. To top all that I chose the window seat ( I want to kill whoever who got me to believe that I would get good shots above Europe , all I could see was bright sky ).
Hours later, the wheels touched down at the worlds largest airport (a huge mess with people sitting on the floor,awaiting to board their DELTA - the cheapest US airline I guess - apna deccan types ). We then ( Sharad my colleague n roomie for the next 3 months ) boarded the chotu flight, flew over Manhattan - ( yes I did see Manhattan from above and will go there soon ) and hit down Pittsbrgh 30 minutes before time and home @ 3 30 local time .. Saturday 27th June. .. Sunday and the days to follow at Pittsburgh in the next post.
(this is my new office - Floor 19 overlooking river Monongahela - it is summer here and there are mini cruise boats below and couple of bridges to the right and left of the window :) .. Pittsburgh pictures on the next post )
WATCH OUT FOR : Pictures from Chicago early next week :). Yes - GURUJIs there
