A beautiful pair of colourful birds came to have a bread-bite on my terrace, at the break of dawn one summer morning. Capturing the ensuing moments in the camera of my eyes, I saw the bird with a brighter plumage, possibly the male of the two, delightfully picking up a tiny bit that its beak could hold. But he was being … Read More
The Sacred Pause
Hither and thither our mind takes us, and we spend our life’s precious moments in mundane, multifarious activities. A day’s routine may have for a student a mad rush for reaching the school or college in time, attending classes, doing homework, going for tuitions, playing with friends, watching the television whereas for an adult it may be either doing all … Read More
Change Me!
“Better change your ways for I hate the things you do!” A very familiar statement indeed, expressing disapproval over something we don’t like in someone. Many even lament about existing situations in life and expect them to change, without ever pondering at one’s own deficiencies that may actually need correction. Thinking of changing other people or situations, however, only reflects … Read More
Hold Him Tight
My eyes gazing into His, and as if, holding His hand in a tight grip, I fervently kept praying to my Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, for wading me out of the tormenting turbulence. Unbelievably, a slight sore throat and mild fever over three days were actually the signs of COVID-19 infection and this had, for a moment, shaken me! The positive … Read More
From Delusion to Ecstasy
Caught up in a spider’s web and fluttering its wings vigourously, I saw a butterfly in distress while walking down the green belt, near my home, one morning. The call of my winged friend, crying for help, rang loud on my ears. A few quick steps through the tall grass and weeds, crossing the boundaries of ‘self’, I reached out … Read More
Tools of the Light
The fight is on, yet again, between the two mighty warriors! One is the most advanced life form on this planet, superior to all creatures in intellect and having the prowess to manipulate anything to satisfy the survival instinct, while the second player is no less insignificant for it has, through the scourges of yester years, shown its power to … Read More
A Test of Titiksha: Yogananda’s Nine Day Diet
Enjoying our daily meals day after day has made many of us forget the pangs of hunger, for we pamper our taste buds with delectable delicacies of our choice, more often than needed. The very thought of not getting our routine meals for nine whole days creates a ruffle in the minds of most of us, a few almost feel … Read More
The Grace of Sorrow
“In the valley of sorrow till thousand years or till tomorrow, My Lord I want only You, You, You, just You. My heart’s aflame, my soul’s afire, just to see You, You, You, just You.” These heart-touching words are of a song by Paramhansa Yogananda that convey to us with utmost clarity the heart-cries of a sorrow-stricken devotee whose only … Read More
Yearning for Thee
“I Love You!” coos assuringly the heart of a lover; whispers lovingly the heart of a mother; emphasizes promisingly the heart of a friend and goes on the infinite variants of a pure and intense call from one heart to the heart of another! What happens, though, when life’s bitter challenges fade the colour of seemingly ever-lasting love between the … Read More
Two Best Friends – Mind and Breath
Bharat and Milind were the best of friends right from early childhood, through teenage years and adulthood. Everyone called them buddies for life. Hand-in-hand they would walk, keeping pace with each other, and just imagine how one of them would feel instantly the other’s moments of pleasure and pain. Their laughter melting into tears of joy would take the two … Read More