Destinations

Woke up to something a couple of days ago that no one really wants to hear or realize.. The news of someone in my family passing away. All of a sudden, there is a wave of nostalgia that crashes over your reality and lifts you in its rift. But before you know it, the reality rocks you back to the ground and shakes you to your core about how special that person WAS (in their physical presence) and all that you could have done to let them know what you felt for them and appreciate their efforts they made for you. And I wonder why people behave like the lyrics to a great ghazal say.. 'Tum jab chalé jaogé to sochéngé.. Humné kya khoya.. Humné kya paaya'.. If there is something you lose, it's greater memories and if there's something you gain, it's nothing but another reason to regret and repent not doing something you had that inner hunch for. People always seem to wait for the best time to come out and express .. at the 'right' or 'better' time. And moments like these remind us of how special the present tense really is. But so many people think that showing emotion is a sign of weakness but the same people seem to forget that very perspective when they can't contain their anger! It's not rocket science.. We all inherently know in our hearts that there is a genuine need to express gratitude and appreciation more than other things because that love is the only thing that fuels people to do more good work. Most people already know the amount of time and energy it takes to lift a person's spirits can take a long time but it may shatter into bits by a single event. It's a pity when I see family and friends get so close to each other that they can't see anything but each other's flaws. And so it's moments like these that make me step beyond and genuinely think about how special the people around me are because they're molding me into a better person than I ever would have been able to become myself by any capacity.

And then we look out in this 'real' and 'practical' world of ours where people are studying sophisticated subjects and later working to earn a living.. And we see them lose parts of themselves behind producing a career instead of taking their lives by it's reigns! What was it that you wanted to earn that money for? How do you even know that you'll even hit the old age when you hope to retire and be able to spend all this that you have gathered? So, why not start to aim for happiness in all we do.. and have faith that all the rest we need or want will find itself around us in due time.

In the past couple of days, I've realized that death can turn from being a lifeless word to something beyond feeling shock, fear, and emotionally stranded! And it's important to know that it is inevitable as well.. not just the fact that we'll endure it ourselves but that we may have to endure the ones of our loved ones first! So, why not let it be a reason to live life with youthful vigor, with zest, and dreams to conquer yourself and celebrate memories. Because life can be as beautiful and simple as you desire but it can also be just as arduous and painful too. The choice is yours. Time may not always be by your side.. So, even in the doldrums of life.. Keep your faith strong because if not today, you WILL certainly reach your destination tomorrow but make sure you live your life to the fullest till then!

-Dév-

A System Made By Casteists?!

Still recovering from the shock and sadness of all that Uttarakhand, India has been through during this month. Thinking about how all those people may have come with a desire to find a pious environment of the shrines, and the sights of the natural hot springs and the raging waves of Madakini. But everyone's karma gets back to them in one way or another; and as a modern science student, it only makes sense that the infrastructure had been old, weak and deteriorated and led the demolition of an entire city. But is there something higher than just the science, the numbers, and the politics? As a Hindu, it only makes sense to say that everyone's karma comes back to them in one way or another. Further, the shrines and temples in Uttarakhand are of Lord Shiva. He is known as the the 'Destroyer (of evil)' in the universe and is one of the three fundamental gods in Hindu religion and mythology.

Along with those thoughts, I had another interesting conversation with my father today upon Hinduism. We started talking about things makes people connect with each other (as acquaintances/friends) and what is it that really makes individuals come closer to some others and/or virtually repel from others. Obviously, he said it begins with what we say. With our bodies and our tongues because as soon as you say or do something that the other person recognizes as their own reaction also, they will react as well (hopefully in a positive way). Also, there's one more thing that connects us - thoughts. People are attracted to others who have similar or at least complementary thinking patterns.

Then we started talking about people in India and how the history shows segregation of people since the very beginnings. We talked about the caste systems and what they mean. In many of the interpretations of this system, it looks to be one made by the powerful thinkers that have tried to keep their power among themselves. However, another insight into this system had been offered to me today via this conversation. The differentiation of people had been done for people to associate with others of similar thoughts and interests.. NOT social stature, nor for sharing their economic class on the hierarchy we see everywhere today!

And then the realization comes that some generations must have poisoned the system by their selfish motives to keep their clans up on these hierarchies that seemed to define success. THAT's when the Brahmins went higher and above all, and guess who hit the rock bottom? The Kshudra caste, the one that maintained, and nurtured the society when it was at an all-time low! The care-takers of the societies got pummeled down to becoming the 'untouchables' of the same society!

So, where were we before all this? The caste system was meant to bring people of similar thoughts and interests together as I mentioned earlier. No one was above or below any other. Brahmins were lovers of learning! While Vaniyas were virtually born to do business. The Kshatriyas were born with fire in their hearts and strength in their bodies and so they became the defenders of this society. The Kshudras were sensitive beings who empathized with others in the society and cared for every person to the best of their abilities. For a second there, the scientist in me wondered how these people were so sure that two Brahnmin parents were going to have a child that was also a Brahnmin by their virtues and thoughts? And the answer was a simple yet powerful one. The virtues of a Brahmin were ones that had been the defining nature of any Brahmin even many generations back! In essence, these virtues and thoughts were inherent in any person who wanted to learn more and more! Inherent values like an animal's but these were meant to bring similar minds together to better one-another in what you truly loved.

Of course I'm not a historian, nor a successor of one. So, I do not know how accurate this is but I believe it has a great degree of truth in it and the lessons it holds are more relevant than the facts themselves. So, let's think ourselves to becoming the genuine person we've set out to become!

-Dévarsh Pandya-

Live and Learn

Today, I experienced first hand public speaking about a valid and genuine topic about the Bhagvad Geeta. It would almost be incorrect to say it was an uplifting experience only. It was the commencement of understanding and applying this transcendental knowledge to the choices I make in life. The speech I delivered was primitive and covered only the surfaces of the deeper meanings. Am I disappointed with myself for this? No, not for the fact that I actually enabled myself to produce at least a few words of what I believe and what I feel. If there is a slight wish, it is for next year to bring me the topic in time and for me to realize that this is my opportunity to explore the Geeta further and create a seamless future where I practice what I preach. And I hope that this is the first of many such opportunities in my life where I can compete to conquer myself and do so in full Krishna consciousness without the expectations of any fruitive results since the eternal destination is Krishna Himself.

With these thoughts,
I bid you farewell for now,

-D.P.

Softness of a flower.. Sharpness of a sword

Another amazing week is in the making as one passes along.. Today, I had the chance to go to a 'swadhyay' again after quite a while and it never fails to enlighten and motivate me to a whole different level. For those that may not know, 'swadhyay' (pronounced swaa-dhyaa-ye) is basically a journey of self realizations and awareness. It is about learning from others by yourself. 'Swa' meaning one by themselves and 'adhyayam' meaning learning about. So, you are learning about yourself in one respect. So, the purpose of today's discussion was a person'a character and their influence.. To study this in defining detail, we chose a great sage of the Ramayan time.. 'Vashist'. The character study was done amazingly and I did not know a few of the allusions but got the major gist of the topic. The central topic was his belief and implementation of a 'self-governing society'.. As strange as it may seem, such a society existed and can exist in a lifestyle if adopted with proper fundamentals. All of this was concluded with an upcoming event of Geeta jayanti which is the birth date of the scripture 'Bhagvad Geeta'.. And the topic for this year is 'Geeta-the soft flower.. Geeta-the sharp sword'. Each participant is meant to present for five minute from whatever they have practiced from memory. I personally did not feel I could manage the task at first but the topic seems to have got me thinking about how this is just another excuse for me to open that amazing 'manual for humanity' as Snehal Patel said today. I think it should be a great way to come back to the genuine religion that I once doubted the existence of!

-Dev

Just Another Day?

'In a world that stands still,
I am the traveller that ages till,
I tire of these feign desires and fulfill the true one,
The illusion of age grows on everyone,
Some accept but others adapt,
Accept loving every form and let,
Others adapt to walk their paths someday..'

A few thoughts that came to my mind as I slowly reached to a realization of my nineteenth birthday and some of its implications (late.. but its never too late to at least think about life, is it?). As long as you can believe that you still have reasons to live on with some vigor,and a touch of zest for life. Some memories filled with love and a smile in humility to accompany you as well.

In other news haha.. today was exam number 6 of my university career. Before I'll get a chance to reflect on the exam, I'll have to build some confidence for tomorrow's Linear Algebra midterm. I believed I had assessment anxiety at the beginning of the year but I think I'm starting to realize that it is nothing more than a lack of confidence which I can only get through the medium of hours of practicing (like most people I presume). So, I shall get back to some writing as soon as I conquer victory over exam número 7!

Till then people of the future,
I bid you a good day

11-11-12

Thinking about a line from my notes. 'The medium IS the message' today when Canada remembers their soldiers and sacrifice from historic wars. Countries try to represent themselves and their values, morale, and so much more via growing mediums in today's day and age. Going from the traditional to the ones that create more impact.. They organize summits, press conferences, video messages for the public, radio shows, news paper articles, and now it's all on the web.. An amalgamation of all that we had in parts earlier, put beautifully on one plate for the reader to digest. But these mediums speak so much about their writer. They expose the thoughts of these people.. Sometimes more than one would like. But what could be the hidden message that we take from remembering these events? From the pictures in history books to preserved artifacts in museums? I believe Canada is a country that has actually learned from these occurrences but we still find our troops and diplomats abroad in other countries fighting for one reason or the other. And I think to myself... Will we ever have any country brave enough to be respected and influential to a level where it needs no armed forces at all. And at a larger level, will we ever have a world where knowledge will be the only respected power and where every country is ready to live in a world where they genuinely embody the thought that 'the best weapon is one that does not need to be fired at all'. Does this sound too much like a fairy tale? Is it really over simplifying the situations of our world? Or is it just that these missions, and wars are excuses for achieving selfish goals of those power hungry individuals? Whatever it may be.. It cannot stop a man to try and dream for a better future at the very least. And the dreams will only come true when the voice of millions become one voice and change the present.. Little by little.. We will acquire the world we have dreamed of.. Some day!

Dev

Round 2

Just as one round of midterms have finished.. I will be diving into round 2 of my midterms for Linear Algebra and Calculus next week. It should be a crazy weekend. I have yet to do a lot of work but I anticipate very few challenges in this review. While I began preparing for what some call 'the hell week', I explored another section of my library that has proven its effectiveness in a matter of couple of hours. It was one of the few times when I was more keen on staying in the library and doing work rather than switch gears and go to Product Design class. The lecture was interesting too and made me think about how my engineering career is defining itself more and more every moment I am in class and every time I make the connections between abstract theories and the heart-wrenching question 'so what?' haha.. And so in under 300 hours, my preparation for round 2 midterms will be tested and so now it's time to depart once more.. Until tomorrow again

Shubh ratri,
Devarsh Pandya