Sixty plus and Going Strong.......

There are 1000-year old trees in the mountain, but not many 100 year-old people......

At the most, you live until 100 years old (only 1 in 100,000).

Because you don't have many years to live, and you can’t take along
things when you go, you don't have to be too thrifty...

 

Spend the money that should be spent, enjoy what should be enjoyed,

donate what you are able to donate, but don't leave all to your children

or grandchildren, for you don't want them to become parasites.

Don't worry about what will happen after you are gone, because when
you return to dust, you will feel nothing about praises or criticisms.

Don't worry too much about your children for children will have their
own destiny and find their own way. Don't be your children's slave

Don't expect too much from your children. Caring children, though caring,
would be too busy with their jobs and commitments to render any help.

Uncaring children may fight over your assets even when you are still alive,

and wish for your early demise so they can inherit your properties.

Your children take for granted that they are rightful heirs to your wealth;

but you have no claims to their money.

60-year old like you, don't trade in your health for wealth anymore;

Because your money may not be able to buy your health...

When to stop making money, and how much is enough

(hundred thousands, million, ten million)?

Out of thousand hectares of good farm land, you can only consume
three quarts (of rice) daily; out of a thousand of mansions,

you only need eight square meters of space to rest at night.

So as long as you have enough food and enough money to spend,
that is good enough.

So you should live happily. Every family has its own problems.

Just do not compare with others for fame and social status and see
whose children are doing better, etc.

but challenge others for happiness, health and longevity.....

Don't worry about things that you can’t change because it doesn't help and it may spoil your health.

You have to create your own well-being and find your own happiness;
As long as you are in good mood, think about happy things, do happy
things daily and have fun in doing, then you will pass your time
happily every day.

One day passes, you will lose one day .

One day passes with happiness, and then you gain one day.

In good spirit, sickness will cure; in happy spirit, sickness will
cure fast; in good and happy spirit; sickness will never come.

With good mood, suitable amount of exercise, always in the sun,
variety of foods, reasonable amount of vitamin and mineral intake,
hopefully you will live another 20 or 30 years of healthy life.

Above all learn to cherish the goodness around ..and FRIENDS. ...

They all make you feel young and "wanted"...

without them you are surely to feel lost!!

Remember to Put the Glass Down.....

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question.
Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ”How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm.

If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed.

In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water.

Think about them for a while and nothing happens.

Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt.

And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

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It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down.

Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

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Don't Judge People Before You Truly Know Them.

A 24year Old boy seeing out from the Train's window shouted :
"Dad, look the trees are going behind!"    

Dad smiled and a young Couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24year Old's Childish behaviour with Pity.

Suddenly he again Exclaimed. .
"Dad look the clouds are running with Us!"
The couple couldn't resist & said to the old Man : 
"why don't you take your Son to a good Doctor?"
The Old man smiled & Said : 
"I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today."

MORAL : Every Single Person On The Planet Has a Story,
Don't Judge People Before You Truly Know Them.
 

"Why We Shout In Anger"

A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled'n asked.

'Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?'          

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said,'Because we lose our calm, we shout.'

'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.'asked the saint

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.
Finally the saint explained, .

'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either non-existent or very small...'

The saint continued,'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper'n they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other'n that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

He looked at his disciples and said.

'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.'

Office Mahabharata

Dronacharya: The Mentor. The employee who doesn't like working himself but is always ready to guide and train new joiners.Bhishma: The Loyal. The employee in a relatively senior position who happily assists the boss in spite of knowing his incompetence (because of some strange oath maybe.)

Dhritarashtra: The blind boss. He knows that everything is wrong with his project but will still let it function, without making any changes to the current processes.

Gandhari: The Yes-Men/Women. Boss's immediate juniors who know that they are a part of an evil plan but will stay blindfolded and pretend as if nothing is happening.

Yuddhisthira: The ethical guy. Poor chap would never fudge timesheets and call in sick only when he is dying.

Bheema: The angry resource. Always ready to pick up a fight with his peers, subordinates or even the bosses.

Arjuna: The cool dude. The star performer who also knows how to sell his skills. A natural charmer, very famous among the ladies.

Nakul & Sahdev: The good average resource. No one notices them. They keep doing their work and get average appraisals.

Duryodhana: The Bully. Knows how to get work done, by hook or by crook. Doesn't mind threatening the likes of Nakul and Sahdev to get his work done.

Karna: The unsung hero. The best performer in the office but never claims credit for his work. Stays an unsung hero for all his life. Girls take him for a snobbish nerd.

Shakuni: The evil plotter. Copies management in every mail. Escalates every trivial issue, sometimes to take credits and sometimes purely for fun.

Dhristadyumna: The one inning wonder. The one who performs an extraordinary feat, and then basks in the glory of it for the rest of his life.

Draupadi: The shared resource. Keeps hopping projects on boss's advice.

Krishna: The Ultimate Boss (MD/CEO) who knows that it is his game while he makes everyone believe that they are playing important roles too.

Being a woman is priceless

A lot of men think they are doing women a favour by asking for her hand in marriage, but let’s think about this :

She changes her name,  
Changes her home,
Leaves her family,                                            
Moves in with you,
Builds a home with you,
Gets pregnant for you,
Pregnancy changes her body,
She gets fat,

almost gives up in the labor room due to the unbearable pains of child birth,
even the kids she delivers bear your name.

Till the day she dies...everything she does, (cooking, cleaning your house, taking care of your parents, bringing up your children, earning, advising you, ensuring you can be relaxed, maintaining all family relations, everything that benefit you.....sometimes at the cost of her own health , hobbies and beauty.)

So who is really doing whom a favor?

Appreciate the women in your lives always, coz it is not easy to be a woman…….  *Being a woman is priceless*

Random acts of kindness...

Last Valentine’s Day, when Jimmy Fallon noticed that not a single member of his staff had received flowers, he ran out, emptied out a florist shop, and personally delivered a bouquet to each of the people who worked for him.   

Fallon didn’t have to go to the effort, but he did. Why? Because that’s the kind of culture he wants to create on his team: one of kindness, gratitude, respect, and a little fun.

After almost two decades of researching what makes a workplace great, we’ve found that the quality and quantity of random acts of kindness says a lot about a leader, the values of their team, and how their people feel about coming in to work.

Harvard Business School has tracked the financial impact of such positivity in a study . Over a 11-year period, they found positive workplaces that were affirming to employees saw revenue growth almost six times greater than non-affirming cultures, and stock appreciation ten times greater. Building a great culture isn’t just a nice thing to do, it can be a great business practice.

Here are just a few ideas I’ve seen that can help build a more positive environment where you work.

1. Find the time. At rental-car giant Avis, leaders have a wonderful practice of sending out a great customer service message at the start of every day about how their people “Try Harder.” Not only is that a great corporate practice but one manager at Avis takes it further by taking the time to send encouraging texts at the start of every day to his people. These little notes let his team know he is cheering for them and thinking about them. A simple random act of kindness that means a lot to his people.
2. Watch for assists. A leader I met at a fast-driving investment firm decided to add “assisting team members” as a goal in employee performance reviews. He told me, “Universally, everyone expressed surprise at the notion that helping each other was worthy of inclusion on an appraisal. They actually fought it, and that told me a lot about the culture I had created. Our culture was about looking out for yourself and not your teammates. That had to change.” Assisting others can create a culture of teamwork.
3. Random recognition. Invite everyone to come to your next weekly meeting thinking of someone they appreciate—someone preferably working behind the scenes who normally doesn’t get a lot of thanks. Then randomly at ask an employee whom they appreciate, and then present the appreciated person with an award. It can be a simple as a certificate or a gift card to a local restaurant. Give your people the chance to highlight some else on the team. You will find that all week people will be looking for the chance to make someone else’s day.
4. Use your own products. When employees truly love the products or services they provide, it shows. At the Atlantis Resort at Paradise Island in the Bahamas, I found employees regularly receive hotel stays and perks like getting to swim with the dolphins. Besides making them feel valued, it allows employees to experience resort benefits from the customer’s perspective, helping them to better serve their clients. What employee perks could you offer that would allow your people to use your products?
5. Serve your community. A bank we visited in Utah has a paint-a-thon, where employees clean, repair, and paint the exterior of low-income homes in disrepair. The manager’s investment is minimal (paint, brushes, and food for the volunteers) but the impact on employee energy-levels, bank image, and the community is significant. When we serve together we create better relationships at work. A more service oriented culture.

These are just a few samples of random acts of kindness I’ve seen. I hope they work for you; or at least help you come up with some great ideas of your own. When done right, random acts of kindness not only make people feel appreciated, they will make them feel great about where they work and who they work for.

No one ever regrets being kind. By the way, works at home too.

I’d love to read the random acts of kindness you’ve seen.

In the Line of Fire

A conversation between a passenger and Software Engineer in Shatabdi Train. If you read it till the end, you will not only thank me and the person who shared this with me, but you will see life in a whole different way!

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man.. Even the plush comfort of the Air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and was still not entitled to Air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!

He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

'Are you from the software industry sir,' the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

'You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir.Today everything is getting computerized. '

'Thanks,' smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman... .. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.

'You people always amaze me,' the man continued, 'You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside.'

Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. 'It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it.'

For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Life cycle but restrained himself to a single statement. 'It is complex, very complex.'

'It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid,' came the reply.

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone.

'Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing.'

He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point. 'Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized.

You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centers across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you Understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?'

The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination. 'You design and code such things.'

'I used to,' Vivek paused for effect, 'but now I am the Project Manager.'

'Oh!' sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, 'so your life is easy now.'

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, 'Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality'.

He continued, 'To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday.'

Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with Self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.

My friend,' he concluded triumphantly, 'you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire'.

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization.

When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.

'I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......'

He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.

'There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tri-colour at the top only 4 of us were alive.'

'You are a...?'

'I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier.On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself.

He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded...

....his own personal safety came last, always and every time.'

'He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire.'

Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epic heroes.

The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight. 'It was nice meeting you sir.'

Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tri-colour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute....

It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS : The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awardeld the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.    

Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn!

 

Albert Einstein

In 1902, a professor asked his student whether it was God who created everything that exists in the universe ?

Student replied: Yes     

He again asked: what about evil ?

Has God created evil also?

The student got silent....

Then the student requested that may he ask a question for him?

Professor allowed him to do so.

He asked: Does cold exist

Professor said : yes ! Don't u feel the cold dear

Student said: I'm sorry but your wrong sir.

Cold is a complete absence of heat..

There is no cold, it is only an absence of heat.

Student asked again: Does darkness exist ?

Professor said: yes !

Student replied: your again wrong sir.

There is no such thing like darkness. Its actually the absence of light.  Sir ! We always study light & heat, but not cold & darkness.

Similarly, the evil does not exist.

Actually it is the absence of love, faith & true belief in God.

That student was Albert Einstein...!!!

The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.   

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

Keep Smiling..

“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soulmate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.” 

Believe in yourself!

Believe In Yourself

Believe in yourself! Believe you were made

To do any task without calling for aid.
Believe, without growing too scornfully proud,
That you, as the greatest and least are endowed.
A mind to do thinking, two hands and two eyes
Are all the equipment God gives to the wise.

Believe in yourself! You're divinely designed
And perfectly made for the work of mankind.
This truth you must cling to through danger and pain;
The heights man has reached you can also attain.
Believe to the very last hour, for it's true,
That whatever you will you've been gifted to do.

Believe in yourself and step out unafraid.
By misgivings and doubt be not easily swayed.
You've the right to succeed; the precision of skill
Which betokens the great you can earn if you will!
The wisdom of ages is yours if you'll read.
But you've got to believe in yourself to succeed.

Four Principles of Spirituality

The First Principle states:

"Whomsoever you encounter is the right one"
This means that no one comes into our life by chance. Everyone who is around us, anyone with whom we interact, represents something, whether to teach us something or to help us improve a current situation.

The Second Principle states:

"Whatever happened is the only thing that could have happened"
Nothing, absolutely nothing of that which we experienced could have been any other way. Not even in the least important detail. There is no "If only I had done that differently…, then it would have been different…". No. What happened is the only  thing that could have taken place and must have taken place for us to learn our lesson in order to move forward. Every single situation in life which we encounter is absolutely perfect, even when it defies our understanding and our ego.

The Third Principle states:                                                       

"Each moment in which something begins is the right moment"
Everything begins at exactly the right moment, neither earlier nor later. When we are ready for it, for that something new in our life, it is there, ready to begin.

The Fourth Principle states:

"What is over, is over"
It is that  simple. When something in our life ends, it helps our evolution. That is why, enriched by the recent experience, it is better to let go and move on.

Think it is no coincidence that you're here reading this.

If these words strike a chord, it's because you meet the requirements and understand that not one single snowflake falls accidentally in the wrong place!

Be good to yourself.
Love with your whole being.
Always be happy and positive.

The song of the crow.....

Everyone wonders: Why do good things happen to bad people? Why do fortunes never come the way we desire? Why are we unhappy? Why do we have to marry and produce children? From these questions come our understanding of the world.   

The word ‘why’ is translated as ka in Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism. Ka is the first consonant of the Sanskrit language. It is both an interrogation as well as an exclamation. It is also one of the earliest names given to God in Hinduism.    

During funeral ceremonies, Hindus are encouraged to feed crows. The crow caws, “Ka?! Ka?!” It is the voice of the ancestors who hope that the children they have left behind on earth spend adequate time on the most fundamental question of existence, “Why?! Why?!”

In mythology there is a crow called Kakabhusandi who sits on the branch of Kalpataru, the wish-fulfilling tree. The tree fulfills every wish but is unable to answer Kakabhusandi’s timeless and universal question, “Ka?! Ka?!”

The question need not be why. It can be who. Who is responsible for giving me this life? Or it can be what. What can be responsible for giving me this life? From the root ‘ka’ comes the various interrogatives that are parts of Hindi, a modern Indian language which has Sanskrit as one of its major tributaries: what or kya, who or kaun, why or kyon, how or kaise.

The 19th century European Orientalists presented Hinduism to the world as a religion when they discovered in Vedic scriptures an underlying thought that unified the diversity of Indian customs, hitherto deemed pagan and heathen. But the religions they were exposed to, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, tended to be prescriptive, with very clear rules and codes of conduct. Vedic is more reflective than prescriptive. Reflections are timeless and universal while prescriptions are contextual specific to communities of a particular place in a particular period. Many therefore do not like viewing Hinduism as a religion and prefer to see it as a way of life. Reflections begin when we ask the question, ‘why’. There is no hurry to conclude or to cling to a convenient answer. The exploration  continues for as long as it takes, until one is satisfied.

In India, the answer offered for the circumstances over which one has no control is karma. Actions in our past lives determine the fortunes and misfortunes of this life. We thus are made responsible for our bodies and our families. Actions performed in this life will determine our body and our family in our next life.

Is this true? No one knows. But the consequences of believing it are far-reaching.

Belief in rebirth puts the responsibility of our life squarely on our shoulders. For actions that we committed we have been given the life that we are living. We may not remember those past actions, but we are responsible for the present moment, nevertheless.

Mandavya one day found himself being arrested and brutally punished by the king’s guard for a crime he did not commit. “Why?” he asked Yama, the god of death. Yama looked at the book of karma and replied, “As a child you tortured insects. This is the reaction of that action. What seems unfair in one lifetime, becomes fair when one considers several lifetimes.”

Who then is responsible for my life and my fortunes and misfortunes? I am. This means I cannot blame anyone for my misfortune, not my parents, not my circumstances, not my DNA, not even God.

Karma is loosely translated as fate.

Only humans can ask these questions and reflect on life. Ka ?!  Because humans have an evolutionary advantage. We are blessed with the neo-frontal cortex, the part of the brain behind the forehead. This is the human brain located on top of the animal brain. It allows us to do what no other creature can do: it allows us to imagine!

Hindus smear their forehead with ash or sandal paste or red kumkum powder. It is the dot known as bindi on the forehead of women. It is the vertical and upwardly directed line known as tilak on the forehead of men. It is a ritual through which voiceless ancestors are telling the children they left behind on earth: use this unique organ behind your forehead. It is what makes you human!

Only humans can imagine a world that is distinct from reality. We can compare reality with an imagined reality and therefore wonder why reality is the way it is. We can imagine being born in another family and wonder: why was I born in this one? We can imagine being born with a taller or shorter, fairer or darker, body and wonder: why was I born with this one? Imagination propels us towards the question: Ka?!

Imagination is translated as manas. Humans possess manas. Therefore the human race is the race of Manavas, those who can imagine. The leader of the human race becomes Manu. Manas also means the mind, the mind which can take flight like a bird or slither like a serpent, and look at the world both broadly and narrowly, reflect on things here and not here, exist both here and now and also over there in the past and over here in the future.

While the human brain enjoys imagination, it does not enjoy introspection. Pondering on questions and seeking answers needs a lot of energy in the form of glucose. Glucose is a precious body fuel. The body would rather conserve this energy for moments of crisis. Naturally, though humans are the only creatures with the wherewithal to introspect, human physiology is geared to block this process. It takes a great amount of will to overpower this block and introspect and seek the answer to Ka. In a way, this is very similar to exercise. It demands huge will power. Few indulge in this quest. Fewer still are naturally inclined for it. The one who indulges in this quest is called a brahmana.

The word brahmana is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘brh’ meaning ‘to grow’ and ‘manas’. All living creatures grow physically after birth. But there is a limit to this physical growth. Humans are the only creatures capable of limitless growth. Why? Because of manas. The possibilities offered by imagination and introspection are infinite. The one who uses these infinite possibilities to discover Ka therefore becomes brahmana, the one with expanded imagination.

From the root ‘brh’ also comes the name of God. Not one, but two. One is Brahma. The other is brahmn. Notice the difference in spelling and the use of capitals. Brahma is pronounced by laying stress to the latter vowel; brahmn is pronounced laying stree to no vowel; brahmana is produced by laying stress to the first vowel and the last consonant. Brahma is a proper noun, brahmn is not considered a noun while brahmana is a common noun. Brahma is a finite personality, brahmn is an infinite abstract notion. The brahmana is the one who seeks to move from the finite to the infinite, from the form to the formless, from Brahma to brahmn.

Every human being is a Brahma. The day he seeks to decipher the puzzle of Ka, the song of the crow, he becomes a brahmana. Every human being has the wherewithal to realize Ka, hence brahmn. Brahma is who we are while brahmn is who we can become. One transforms from Brahma to brahmn, from finiteness to infiniteness, from restlessness to repose, from anxiety to self-assurance, by using the neo-frontal context to imagine and introspect. Bowing to deities in temples and fellow human beings is to remind those before us of the Vedic maxim, “Tat Tvam Asi,” meaning ‘that’s what you are’, you are Brahma who is capable of realizing brahmn. That’s what I am too, hence “Aham Brahmasmi.”......  Devdutt