Scriptural knowledge and its arrival in one's life

 I'm like that "Gadha" mentioned by Rancho in the movie - 3 idiots. I did my Computer Science Engineering, followed it up with 5 years of work experience in programming, then did an MBA, followed it up with 10+ years of work experience in product management, and am now pursuing an M.Sc. in Yoga.

I'm not ashamed of being a "Gadha"! 

I believe that it is a natural process of discovering our true potential and interests. Not everyone (like Rancho) will have the clarity to pursue Engineering at the age of 17, just because one loves machines. Even if one does have the clarity, it can be stifled or suppressed by family/financial/societal pressures.

I feel blessed to have the privilege of listening to some amazing lectures on Upanishads, Gita, and Yoga philosophy in my present course. I'm grateful that this knowledge is coming to me, at least in my early 40s and not in my 60s/70s. 

I see many students in their mid-20s in my batch who are receiving this knowledge. They are quite blessed to get such guidance at a young age. But the pressures of managing a career, job, course exams and other family responsibilities tend to make them deprioritize the real value of learning and instead, focus on studying for the sake of clearing the exams. It felt disheartening to hear this comment from a fellow student - "Why should we carry home the 1st-semester books after the exams? Wish I could just leave them back at the campus".

As I go deeper into the Upanishads, I'm sure I'll want to revisit the concepts I learned in the course by referring to the learning material.

Exams are not the be-all and end-all of learning a subject. Somehow, our system has ingrained this thought due to the excess importance given to grades/marks.

I understand that one needs to reach a certain level of maturity and life experience to realize the value of scriptural wisdom. But when one is given the opportunity to gain this wisdom at a young age, they are truly blessed and when this fact is recognized, it makes a huge difference in our approach to learning.

Relaxation and taking breaks

 The last few weeks have been hectic - preparing for exams, attending practicals classes, writing/editing the last few chapters of a new book, K traveling, and D falling sick in the same week, preparing and delivering a session on packaged and traditional foods, along with the regular household responsibilities. 

I usually sit on the sofa, stretch my legs, and watch a movie whenever I want to relax, typically in the evenings. Our kitty W loves to cuddle on my lap while I watch TV. It is our usual bonding routine! 

She noticed I had not been watching TV in the past few weeks. She was getting restless one evening and started shouting so much. I gave her food, milk, and water. But she didn't touch any of it. The meows persisted, even louder and more demanding. I sat on the sofa and she immediately jumped on me. I then realized that her meows were an order meant for me to sit down. She happily cleaned herself for some time, followed by purring, and cuddling, and slept like a log for the next hour.

Sometimes, we get so entrenched in all our tasks and projects that we don't feel the need to take a break. 

When we enjoy what we do, we don't feel the need to relax in front of the television.

When we loathe what we do, we resort to hours and hours of binge-watching TV to distract our minds from the stress and emotions of mundane work, dealing with egoistic, self-centered people who are part of the workplace.

Consciously making the time to relax is very much essential, irrespective of whether we enjoy our work or not. 

Please note, that "work" in this context implies everything we do in our daily routine. It is NOT limited to what we do at a workplace, for an employer earning a salary in exchange for our skills contribution. Whenever someone differentiates between working moms and stay-at-home moms, I find it a ridiculous comparison, as all moms are working - be it at home or in an external office premise. This topic needs a separate post and I shall pen it down later.

We choose to relax in our preferred ways. What I find relaxing may not be relaxing for another. For eg, my daughter loves to sing and she ends up singing for close to an hour. When we both play Antakshari, I feel exhausted after 20-25 minutes. I love to be engrossed in a non-fiction book for a couple of hours, but someone else might find it more tedious than relaxing. 

As with everything else, it is up to us to figure out our preferred ways to relax and not emulate what works for someone else.

The journey and the need for an expert

 Let's say one wants to go from point X to point Y.

Person A seems to know the route from X to Y. Or he is confident of figuring it out by himself using resources like a compass, a physical map, or Google Maps. He believes that the whole process of figuring out the route is more interesting and doesn't mind spending his time/effort on this process.

Person B prefers to be handheld by someone who is an expert in this route. He doesn't want to struggle independently and would rather rely on the expert's guidance. He believes that reaching point Y is the goal and if someone can assure to take us there, it is okay to take their help in exchange for a fee.

The perspectives and experiences gathered by these two persons will be quite different in their respective journeys. One cannot judge their choices - be it a self-relying or an expert-relying approach.

One cannot judge the "need" of an expert who offers such services for a fee as there are takers for such experts' guidance.

As long as the expert delivers on the promise made to Person B in reaching the destination, it is all fair and good.

In some cases, the expert promises Person B to take him to destination Y. In the end, Person B realizes he is nowhere close to Y and has ended up at a distant point Z. It is now up to Person B to unlearn the route, trace back his steps, and figure out an alternate route, leading to more distress and uncertainty. The expert ends up fooling more such people and making huge profits in this bargain.

What does the route X=>Y entail? What is this journey for? Is it

• to learn a new skill,
• to learn a new subject,
• to get a new perspective,
• to pursue a goal,
• to accomplish something,
• to gain knowledge,
• to identify our areas of improvement,
• to work on our areas of improvement,
• to grow in our material/spiritual pursuit?

As long as the journey and the end goal are concrete and can be articulated clearly, it is easier to find the right expert to help us on this path. For eg, if my X=>Y journey is to learn swimming in 3 months, I would seek the service of a swimming coach who has the experience and expertise. We would work out a plan together to achieve this goal.

Many times, we don't have the clarity in us about our journey and end goal. Without that clarity, if we try to seek an expert, there are high chances we might end up falling into the trap of self-proclaimed, fake gurus.

Are our goals truly ours?

Are our goals decided due to peer pressure?

Why do we even want to move from point X to point Y?

What's missing in point X?

What do we expect to gain at point Y?

What sort of hurdles do we expect to face in this journey of X=>Y?

Let's gain absolute clarity on these questions before we proceed with getting an expert's guidance.

Knowledge and Resolving Dilemmas

 I heard this statement in a Vedanta discourse and it made so much sense. It helped me connect many dots.

"As you gain more and more knowledge, you will have more and more dilemmas".

Let's unpack this statement.

At first glance, it might sound - "It is better not to pursue more knowledge as it might be unproductive. Ignorance is bliss".

We arrive at this conclusion because of the belief that dilemmas are bad or unproductive. We consider the effect (dilemmas) "not good" and so we end up blaming the cause (more knowledge).

Let's define the two terms in this statement:

Knowledge - any input or information coming from an external source

Dilemmas - having to decide between multiple options or choices

Let's say, a person ABC is affected by diabetes, but he is unaware that he has diabetes. When a sweet is offered to him, he accepts without any hesitation. He might even go for a second helping.

ABC now receives the knowledge through a routine blood test that he has been diagnosed with diabetes. When a sweet is now offered, he is in a dilemma - to accept it or not. Even if he accepts the first piece, he will hesitate to go for the second one. The knowledge has caused the dilemma.

If his mind overpowers his intellect, he will succumb to his temptation and prioritize immediate pleasure. He might even go for the second piece.

If his intellect is more powerful than his mind, he will gracefully say NO without being upset about his choice.

For the intellect to make the right choice, the knowledge required:

• Awareness that he has diabetes
• Sweet foods will spike his blood sugar levels
• His health is a priority - for his own sake and his family
• By gracefully saying NO, he wouldn't be disrespecting the guest who offered him the sweet

Dilemmas help us evaluate life choices and take us to the subsequent levels in our journey - self-awareness, self-growth, or spiritual journey - however you might want to call it.

Resolving dilemmas with the help of gathered knowledge awakens our intellect.

Resolution with objectivity - taking into account, various inputs and making an informed decision with the available knowledge sharpens our intellect.

We raise ethical and moral questions in our minds. We do not merely follow the herd.

We use our intellect's discriminatory powers (to discern between right and wrong) more often.

There are two challenges in this process:

1. Dilemmas in terms of the quantity or the number of attributes have to be manageable, or else we might end up in choice paralysis.
2. If the mind also gets involved in resolving dilemmas, when emotions start to play a predominant role, the process of discernment gets affected.

Without knowledge, there is no conflict or confusion. There is no awareness. This gives room for people with malicious intentions to exploit our ignorance for personal or business motives.

When we approach life with the belief that ignorance is bliss, we end up being at the same spot where we started. Life moves on, and years roll by. It might seem blissful at the outset, but you feel a sense of vacuum or unexplained emptiness.

Knowledge helps to "activate" the inherent intellect present in all of us. The activated intellect gets charged every time we gain new knowledge and resolve more dilemmas.

Given this importance, we should prioritize seeking knowledge and continuous learning throughout our lives. Knowledge from reliable, trustworthy sources with the right intentions makes all the difference. 

The Joy of pursuing your interests

 In the Gita chanting class yesterday, an elderly aunty joined in from the hospital. She said, "I underwent knee surgery and couldn't join the class yesterday. I'll be here for the next three days and will join the classes".

It felt so inspiring to see her sincerity and commitment to attend the classes despite her present condition. I see many senior citizens participating in these classes with so much dedication. 

Consistency becomes easier when we are enjoying the process rather than wondering (or worrying) about the end outcome. 

The materialistic world has made us overly concerned about "What's in it for me? Does this give money, power, position, or fame? What's the use of putting in the effort? How do I extract value from a new idea/initiative? Is there a monetization opportunity?".

Such a result-oriented mindset takes away the joy of doing. The pursuit of curiosity merely becomes a source of identifying business opportunities.

Doing things just for the sake of doing is slowly getting lost OR pushed to the list of retirement hobbies to take up after 60. My question to such folks is - "Dude, how are you so sure you'll live up to 60?"

A simple question - "Why I do what I do?" brings a lot of clarity. Be it a stressful job, a business idea, a competitive exam, or higher education - this question is a MUST before we embark on them or even when we are too involved in such pursuits. Following the herd might sound like a safe bet in our 20s when we are unsure about our inherent nature and our interests. Once we gain that clarity, it is better to carve out our own path. 

Waiting to LIVE AND EXPLORE in the 60s/70s is a huge risk we are taking. It is dependent on multiple factors - the lifespan that is fixed for us, health conditions - both physical and mental, future responsibilities and challenges, and the state of society.