Hi readers,

Today I would like to share a few thoughts with you. Firstly, reading about the Mahatma has enabled me to modify my lifestyle reflecting on the moral principles like the truth and nonviolence. I am able to look at things with a lot of perseverance and tolerance. Earlier even a small thing would make me angry and irritated. Reading the Gita for instance has helped me come over the day-to-day hurdles in a more constructive manner.

Last week we had guests from our hometown. Usually, I would be fretting and fuming with all the cooking and cleaning with a house of full of guests and a dog to take care of (we have a Labrador at home). In fact, I enjoyed every moment of their stay and they were also very happy with our hospitality.

Here I would like to share this with you. Last week among the guests was this Shirali couple. They have impressed me a lot with their simplicity, humility, and goodness. This uncle has a well-established business in Shirali and is very well to do. They feed lunch to around 200 school children near their house. The food is cooked in their home. A cook comes everyday to cook the food for the children. It is done under the supervision of the Shirali aunty. Their son takes the food in an auto along with the cook to the school and it is distributed there very systematically by the token system. This is such a noble thing to do. The children need not carry their lunch boxes with them along with their heavy books and they also get to eat homemade wholesome hot food.

Hope you liked reading about this relative of mine. We should appreciate the good work they are doing.

On reading Gandhiji’s autobiography, I have come to know that he read the Bible and Bhagavad Gita very extensively while he was studying in London to become a barrister and then later when he was a practicing lawyer in South Africa. He was very much interested in the Bhagavad Gita and studied it extensively.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend talks on Bhagavad Gita by Smt Jaya Row at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai. She explained the eighth chapter of Bhagavad Gita and made it very interesting by referring to instances in our day-to-day life.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna advised his dear disciple Arjuna: “Lift yourself up with the help of your self ”. You are your best friend, philosopher and guide, at the same time you can be your worst enemy as well. Arjuna was never advised to seek refuge in a guru. Rather, he was advised to rise above all religious rituals and seek refuge in Him, the embodiment of eternal Being, the pure Consciousness, and real Self behind the apparent ripples of delusion.

The Mahatma

I am reading the book "My experiments with Truth" by M.K. Gandhi. This has had a tremendous impact on how I envision day to day situations in my life.

I am starting this blog to note down some of my experiments with my outlook towards life.