A MEMORABLE ENCOUNTER WITH A GREAT EDUCATIONIST

This morning, I realised that I am missing someone....the person is one of the finest Vedic scholars that our country ever produced- Acharya Sri Ratnananda, fondly known as Pitaji by The Art of Living family worldwide and the illustrious father of H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Acharya Ratnananda was the pioneer of VISTA (Value Integrated Services To All) India, a charitable trust engaged in uplifting poor rural women and children in Karnataka, and the Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth, a well-known educational and charitable trust that operates over 150 free schools in some of India’s remotest tribal villages. His special field of research was ancient Indian heritage and it’s practical application in modern time as well as ancient sciences of Medical Astrology, Yoga and Ayurveda. Pitaji is also the author of several books such as 'Tales for the young and the old' and a series of books called 'More light on less known.' which are a compilation of entertaining and educative stories from the scriptures.

Whoever met him could not miss Pitaji's keen intellect and sense of humor. And I am one of the lucky ones who got a chance to personally meet him at his house in Laxmi Gardens, located at the Art of Living Ashram premises in Bangalore.

The auspicious date was 7^th of October’ 2009, during my Guru Pooja Phase 1 course. I had gone to collect some Ayurvedic medicines for my cousin Neha from him and was hoping to spend a few moments with him in the process.

As I entered his house, Pitaji welcomed me warmly and graciously accepted the lotus flower I had carried for him. We were sitting at the dining table and I sat listening attentively to his gentle and loving words. He suddenly asked me if I like having milk. I said ‘Yes!’ and thought he would be giving me some health related tips on milk, as we were discussing Ayurveda and Health at that time. I was really surprised when he called for his residential staff and told him to make a cup of Bournvita for me! I was really moved by this simple yet loving gesture as I was just a random first-time-visitor to him. I felt so grateful to be in his comforting presence and was in awe of his humility.

I had a notepad and pen in my purse and I guess it was my characteristic impulsive instinct that propelled me put forth a childish request to him to write something for me in it. My happiness knew no bounds when he readily obliged, much to the amusement of his staff member, who told me "You are very lucky. He doesn't usually write an autograph for people."

I have attached a scan of what he wrote for me and till date it is one of the most precious piece of writing for me. He wrote "Have Trust in the Divine and Guruji. He will save you from all troubles. Do Seva to the needy and the poor. Wish you all success in LIFE," and then signed his name and wrote the date.

He then went on to the next page of my notebook to elaborate on the meaning of LIFE. He wrote thus:

LIFE Means

L for LOVE

I for INTELLIGENCE

F for FELLOWSHIP

E for ENDURANCE (Tolerence)

I sincerely hope to follow the noble principles he inspired me to incorporate in my life. I am indeed grateful to God for giving me a chance to spend sometime with this benevolent soul and great educationist.

MY FIRST STORY IN PRINT!

Published in Calcutta Times 

(North and Central KOLKATA PLus) on 24th Feb' 2012

A MORNING'S GLORY IN NATURE

"A Nature Lover is a true romantic!...Let's preserve Nature in all it's glory and blossom like do blooming buds!" - Swasti

I didn't know that today morning's walk would land me in such a beautiful paradise of flora and fauna! ...that’s what a surprise visit to Mrs. Lata Bajoria's 'personal eco-park cum zoological garden' did to me. Located near the docks in Khidderpore, it’s difficult to imagine that such a nature-lover's haven exists right here in the heart of a city marked by hustle bustle, exhaust fumes and a growing concrete jungle.

I entered the lush green garden excitedly to see the sun peeping through the branches of a tree, walking barefoot on moist grass, sprinkling cool water on the above of my toes and feet as I walked.

The butterfly corner in the garden seemed to be inhabited more by dragonflies at the moment but I didn’t mind gaping at their silvery mesh of wings. We then proceeded to smelling camphor and clove leaves which were planted nearby.

We were introduced to Brahmi & Tulsi saplings...never imagined so many varieties of the Tulsi plant existed and could be grown and nurtured with so much love!

We then saw a lotus pool inside which little black fishes seemed to be enjoying their morning swim and warm-ups. Though lotus flowers were not in full bloom, some pretty fully blossomed pink lilies inside the pool presented a delightful sight to the nature-lover's eye.

Then walked in a household staff, serving us a very refreshing morning mocktail! A lemonade-like natural concoction made of ‘hazaari santra,’ a peculiar type of small orange grown in the garden punched with mint and honey. And then we seemed to digest the drink by going round and round a real 'mulberry bush'!

We also tasted sweet basil leaves and this awesome fruit, a sort of hybrid cross between grape and guava, which I decided to call a 'Gruava' :) We saw the cute star tager flowers and a host of plants having medicinal/ cooking ingredient value including the Sarva Sugandha…which smelled totally like ‘garam masala’ ! Nature doesn't fail to provide the 'spice' in life, specially to an enthusiast like me....wish the human kind could also take some time out to enjoy and preserve nature in all its grandeur.


And then came the 'high' point of today's adventure...a real-life ‘bhaang’ tree..!! Woww!! Watching Marijuana leaves atleast made me feel high in spirit if not on! Lata Aunty said that the gardeners often savour the leaves as it works like an anti-depressant for them. I wish that their tireless hard work and profound knowledge of botany could have earned the simpleton gardeners more than natural mood elevators!

Anyways the moment my eyes caught sight of an ostrich, I was too distracted to continue exploring the flora bit any more....OMG !!! 2 real life ostriches fluttering their feathery brown wings...prancing around inside a small piece of caged natural habitat...and I having the good fortune of feeding them bread and oranges right from my own hands...wow, it couldn’t get better for me !..Loved the way they would stare at the food in my hand and suddenly have a go, taking a quick bite, making a snapping sound with the beak, which luckily, for my hands, was not too sharp!

We also saw some ducks walking aimlessly in the garden wiggling their bum as they moved forward. 

And then the glorious sight of a golden pheasant...just too enticing! 

Seeing the hunky male, for the first time I felt that God had been partial to the masculine gender in terms of beauty...and it was exactly the same experience to see the gorgeous male counterpart of the female Amherst pheasant. However the above observation of nature’s partiality was reiterated and re-membered when I saw the peacock and peahens this morning.

I also self-invited myself into the abode of a sparkling white Cockatoo. He seemed to be staring into my eyes and sort of acknowledged my presence by opening up his chrome yellow feather crown. 

But he got back to his cocky self when our attention shifted to other beings, cause he was literally heard screeching at the top of his lungs! 

From the aviary, we moved on to the reptile home which seemed the laziest of all in terms of activity. A terrapin refused to give us darshan and was supposedly submerged under the sand! We did manage a sneak peek of some tortoise and turtles from the surface of the water beneath which they were hibernating in the lazy winter sun.

Then we came to what looked like the divine corner of the garden. For the plants grown there were supposed to be having certain religious value and/or spiritual significance. Like I got to sit and meditate briefly on a rock under a Rudraksh tree, which as Lata aunty pointed out, is considered sacred in Hindu mythology. The temple-loving plants included bel-patra, aakh, dhattura, daarim etc. Tulsi was anyways flooded all over the garden in its several varieties.

I also got to taste the fruit called Bixa which, upon being crushed, yields a natural, edible, blood-like colour pigment. We didn’t miss out on the Cocoa Pods. Luckily I knew, from previous experience, that they don’t taste all that chocolaty in the raw natural form...else I would have surely had a go at them!

After that I did some monkeying around, climbing up and down a tree house, plonked myself on the swings and did some circles on the merry go round...all alone with my boring companions simply staring at me in possible disbelief!

Karela, Kalmegh, Peppermint, Cheekoo, Bijora, Ajwain...I have lost count of the variety of plants and herbs we saw in a short span of time this morning. Botany at its best!

 Lata aunty didn’t seem to leave out any segment of zoology in her prized nature reserve. The pisceans were next...we got a dekko of the rare Amazonians...the South American fish called Pirhanas.

Last but not the least, I had a blast with the loyal mammals...the dogs of all sizes and shapes..who came rushing at me licking my hands and feet...as if we were old friends! 

Don’t remember the names of the breeds...but who cares, as long as I could be one with them!

Finally it was time to leave with a little heavy but contented heart and a satiated nature thirst. But I resolved to come back and visit the garden sometime soon, armed with a camera better than my blackberry's!!

Really grateful to Lata aunty, who, in my very first meeting with her, which happened just by fluke, was generous enough to invite me to this beautiful and natural eco friendly world that she has created so passionately over several years. Not only has she nurtured with utmost love and care, a variety of herbs, plants, shrubs, trees, birds and beasts, she is also kind enough to expose it to people around her, giving her personal quality time in showing people around and sharing her valuable knowledge with them. She also runs a free pet library and her garden includes a rescue centre for endangered species of birds and animals.

Great work I must say. Keep going and growing with nature in all its glory! :)...

People like Lata Aunty are a great inspiration for nature lovers like me..

The world would be a better place if we cared for Nature like her and preserved the environment like her.

Waiting to go back to this beautiful Nature's Haven created by her..this time around with Amit!

THE NAME GAME! ...and reason behind the NAME OF THIS BLOG !

“However you name a rose, it smells as sweet,” once said my favourite maths teacher, Amartya Sir, when I was cross with him for mispronouncing my name, ‘Swasti’ which can be quite a tongue-twister sometimes. But the etymology enthusiast in me begs to differ. Do you think you would feel like smelling a rose if someone, for instance, addressed it as a ‘fart flower’??? Apologies for just coining this disgusting phrase! Even though the nose knows a rose, I think the name plays a part in the mind atleast!

‘Being referred to by a name’ is something that all proper nouns like people, things and places hold in common and according to me, a name does hold deep significance. It plays a role especially in case of the Homo sapiens variety of beings, because a name resonates in one’s consciousness so many millions of times in a particular life cycle.

Have we ever asked ourselves, "What does my name mean?" It often comes as a shock to me that many people I meet don’t even have a remote idea of their name’s meaning or origin.

I had heard a knowledgable saint say that if a child is named according to the first letter of his or her ‘Rashi’ or horoscope, it is considered auspicious in Hindu mythology. I have also always believed that it’s nice to have a name with a good meaning or implication.

In my school days I would get irritated by the way people would mispronounce my name, but with time I gradually grew very fond of it, particularly after I heard Guruji explain the meaning of my name while I was watching a video of one of his knowledge discourses in Bali.

He spoke thus ,” There is a beautiful greeting in Bali. ‘Om Swasti Rastu.’ It says it all. ‘Swasti’ means one to be established in the self . ‘Swa’ means ‘Self’ and ‘Asti’ means ‘being in one’s Self’ -the big Self, the higher Self. Swasti also means physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually sound- Healthy. ‘Swaasth’ means ‘Health’. So Swasti in Sanskrit means to be healthy mentally, spiritually and physically. That’s a wonderful greeting ‘Om Swasti Rastu’- May God keep everyone healthy. Keep you healthy, keep me healthy, keep the whole planet healthy."

No prizes for guessing the reason behind the choice of the name of my blog! And I'm grateful to my parents too for gifting me with a so to say 'narcissistic' but beautiful name:) People often say, “What’s in the name,” but something within me thinks, “There is lots in the name.”  

TWELVE AGAIN! and then some MORE!

Sharing a piece of oil pastel art....Got my hands on drawing paper and pastel colours after ages really.....I feel like a 12 YEAR OLD child again... :) it goes well with today's date too - 12.02.12....interpreted in HINDI - " Baara Dobaara"  ( Baarah Do Baarah means 'Twelve. Two. Twelve' in English or the other connotation -from just the acoustics of the phrase, it can be interpreted to mean 'Twelve again' :-) 

After my marriage also I have made a few sketches ..so sharing the same here on this platform...All the images are copied from somewhere or the other. Please excuse the Saraswati Maa sketch as it is a bit disproportionate...it was made without using an eraser....

   First Art work after marriage based on oil pastels

Saraswati Maa Sketch made on 28.1.2018, exactly 6 years after starting this blog

Baby Krishna Sketch made on 21.4.2019

MY MASTER !

With H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji on my birthday 30.8.2009

I met my Guru, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji, first time in December, 2000. I was going through a very rough patch and was forced to do the Art of Living course by my mother. I was highly skeptical at first but as luck would have it, after much resistance, I ended up enrolling for the 'Young Adults' workshop, which was facilitated by a gem of a teacher, also a 'gemologist' by profession, Ms Aticka Dhandia.

The week-long workshop brought a paradigm shift in my state of mind and infused back in me the lost enthusiasm and vivacity, which is characteristic of my personality.

This journey of almost 20 years with my master and The Art of Living Foundation has been an extremely enriching and fulfilling experience for me.

I became a teacher with The Art of Living in 2009 and have thereafter conducted several workshops for teenagers, children and adults. I have also been a part of the media team of The Art of Living (ABC- Art of Living Bureau of Communication) and was instrumental in setting up the youth band 'Mantra' wherein we would perform spiritual music such as bhajans often set to indo-western beats and teenager friendly tunes. We have performed in various concerts in schools, colleges, orphanages, and other platforms.

It is very difficult to describe the feeling of being with a master who is such an epitome of unconditional love. Sharing however few words that came to mind. 

Guruji Aapke Liye

Ik boond do aur dariya milta hai,

Ik jhalak mili aur ab aakaash dikhta hai,

Swarg roopi sansaar mila,

Eeshwar roopi Guru mile,

Ab to mujhe har kshan aisa hi lagta hai

Aapki kripa se har sukh mila,

Dukh nahi choo paaye mujhe,

Aisa suraksha kavach mila,

Samay ka prabhaav nahi padne diya

Apne prem ke saagar mein mujhe dubo liye,

Gyaan ke anmol moti jeewan mein piro diye,

Seva, Satsang, Sadhana aur Swadhyay,

Aapki prerna se maine jeewan mein apnaaye.

Mere Karmon ki nahi ye mahima,

Jo maine aapko paaya hai,

Ye to sarvada aapki hi den rahegi,

Jo kripamay sneh aapne mujh par barsaaya hai.

Vinti karoon main kya aapse,

Ab to har pal mera hai nivedan,

Aapki raah nirdesh par chalti rahoon,

Kar do aap saarthak ye jeewan.

Har saans is jeewan ka aapko hi hai samarpan,

Guruji, Aap bas samaksh rehna, aur khila rahega mera man!

-----

You and me !

I am the eyes, You gaze through me

You are my vision, I perceive through you

I am the nose, You spread fragrance through me

You are my breath, I exist through you

I am the mouth, You speak through me

You are my knowledge, I learn through you

I am the ears, You hear through me

You are my silence, I create through you.

I am the skin, You touch lives through me

You are my experience, I realize through you

I am the face, You smile through me

You are my soul, I seek divinity through you

I am the hands, You work through me

You are my destiny, I live my life through you

I am the body, You function through me

You are my higher self, I rise in love through you

I am the thought, You think through me

You are my big mind, I envision through you

I am the pencil, You write through me

You are my pensive self, I express through you

I am the action, You work through me

You are my inspiration, I take every step through you

I am the wave, You rise and fall through me

You are my ocean, I delve deep in you

I am the flame, You light up through me

You are my glow, I brighten up through you

I am the challenge, You strive through me

You are my motivation, I evolve through you...

I am the reflection, You radiate through me

You are my goal, I excel through you

I am the instrument, You spread love through me

You are my happiness, I feel the grace through you

Guruji, You are in me and I am in you.

Sincerely, I no longer feel there is a 'two' !

In eternal gratitude ! :)

KAVYASREE - A Baby Devi :)

Guruji says, "Love is seeing God in the person next to us, and meditation is seeing God within us."

Isn't it so easy to see God in the eyes of little children? :)

 

Can't wait to see Kavyasree, the little baby devi...daughter of my dear friend Khushboo ! :)

A BIT ABOUT ME...and 'US'

 Long back when I thought of describing myself in words, the following thoughts came to mind.

I like to dwell in the 'Self',
Am proud to be an Indian,
Love to see life as a dream,
Dream to see a smile on every face,
Perfection loves the Virgo in me,
Nature enchants me,
Divinity astounds me,
Convention bores me,
Versatility attracts me,
Patience tests me,
Mystery intrigues me,
Spherical thinking motivates me,
Creativity enhances me,
Music is like worship,
Truth inspires me,
Spirituality sustains me,
and my friends and family, especially my husband fulfill my life!

At this juncture, I would like to introduce my husband, AMIT, the biggest pivotal force and my eternal sunshine. He is my God and Guruji's biggest blessing in my life .He is my cool-headed calm and composed cheerful and full of life best friend!! 

A NEW DAWN

A new dawn. A new hope.
A new change. A new trend.
A new sunrise. A new vision
Its a new beginning
Altogether my friend..

The birds are chirping
The winds are whistling
The flowers are blooming
With such a natural ease
The sun is bright and smiling
There is happiness in the mountains and trees
The oceans seem to well up
With joy for reasons unknown
The angels are dancing in the heavens
The seeds of love are sown..

The darkness seems to disappear
Giving way to luminous light
Knowledge has awoken from its slumber
Wrong has perished before the right!
Human values are on a roll
Time has enough taken its toll
World peace shall now prevail
Spirituality shall come out from it's golden veil ! :)))

Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

---


penned down on Vasant Panchami - Jaunary 28th 2012