All human beings are divine

have always believed in the divinity of human beings. Human beings are the best creation of God. Hindu Dharma tells us that out of all living beings it is only human beings who can reach God and become one with Him. As we get a chance to be human after crores of births as other living beings it is nothing but foolishness that we indulge in negative activities and waste this God given opportunity to reach Him.

God has manifested Himself in human beings. We are all images of God. When we love each other we in fact love God. When we hate others we hate God. To love is a natural trait of human beings. Hate is an aberration.

Today's world is full of violence. People hurt or even kill each other for all wrong reasons. Some people kill other people even in the name of God. They foolishly think that God will be happy with them if they kill people belonging to other faiths. Even if we accept that every faith has its own God then which God will be happy, if His children kill each other?

Shun violence. Love all. Pray to God for self and all.

May all be happy;
May all be without disease;
May all have well-being;
May none have misery of any sort.

— Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14

All human beings are divine. See God in them. Love all and hate none. Love is Godly and hate is ungodly.

That is perfect;
This is perfect;
Perfect comes from perfect;
Take perfect from perfect, the remainder is perfect.
Peace. Peace. Peace.

— Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad (Invocation)

I love you all.

Should we have blood on our hands when we face God?

The way Taslima is being hounded by some religious extremists is a cause of concern. Every right thinking person is concerned about her safety. People are talking of freedom of expression, religious intolerance and violence associated with it.

I am all for freedom of expression and as people say it comes with a legal, social and moral responsibility. Freedom of expression, like ant other activity, is also governed by natural laws of action and reaction, or we can say cause and effect. If someone expresses an opinion he or she knows that it will certainly cause an effect. Taslima expressed her views in the form of a book. She is a Muslim. She knew what effect it will have on other Muslims. Likewise Hussain expressed his views in the form of paintings. He also knew what effect it will have on Hindus. Both these person were aware of the effect their actions will cause. Yet they went ahead claiming freedom of expression.

I am a Hindu and Hussain's paintings caused me hurt. Similarly Talima's book caused hurt to Muslims. Hindus and Muslims both reacted. The intensity of reaction might have been different but it sure caused hurt. And it can also not be said that Hindus were less hurt and Muslims were more hurt. Some self-styled intelectuals defended Huaaain and Taslime by invoking right of freedom of expression. Intensity of their defence was also different. They were very vocal for Hussain but not that vical for Talima. Reason is obvious. It is considered convenient and safe to take upon the hurt felt by Hindus.

Now an action has created a reaction. A cause has generated an effect. Both parties are responsible. But the primary responsibility rests with Hussain and Taslima who started this. Hussain has run away from India when a case was filed in court. Taslima has been hounded out of Bangladesh. Islamic extremists are out to kill her. WB Govt has surrendered before extremists. Central Govt is also in a fix. Her life is in danger.

Govt of India has a responsibility to ensure that she does not come to harm. It may have to take some harsh decisions. But the people should learn their lessons from these sorry happenings. One may be convinced that Taslima's writings, and Husain's paintings are expressions of genuine perspectives and sentiments -- and not motivated by malicious intentions, but they should also accept that both Hussain and Taslima knew that their actions will hurt others. On this point only both Ansal brothers have been sentenced to imprisonment in Uphaar tragedy case.

Religion teaches tolerance and forgiveness. Those hurt should follow their religious teachings in true spirit. Religion also teaches that one should not hurt others in body and mind. Taslima, Hussain and other people like them should follow this religious teaching in its true spirit. Both should forgive and forget. Let peace take over violence. Let love take over hate. We are all chlldren of God. One day we have to go to Him. Should we have blood of His children on our hands when we face Him.

Are you in White Book of God?

Mr. Jain was very happy when he told me that he had convinced big boss to cancel my tour programme to Bangalore, and now I should understand who is the boss, me or he. I was surprised as to how big boss allowed Jain to convince him to make a wrong decision. I was going to Bangalore to attend a seminar which was co-spomsored by my office. I had done lot of work to make the seminar a success. I was worried that what participants will say when they will not find me there. I was also worried that entire responsibility of organizing the seminar will come on the other sponsor. Coming days were really bad. Lot of inconvenient phone calls and fax messages. The person inaugrating the seminar even complained to the big boss. Big boss called me . He was very angry. I reminded him that he himself had cancelled my tour programme. This made him more angry. Later I came to know that Jain had a very tough time.

This incident made me think. Why jain did it? There was no point proving to me who is the boss. He was senior to me and everybody knew it. I am a religious person. I accept all situations as result of my Karma in this and previous births. We do our Karma and God decides the result. I was at peace but I wanted an answer to the question, 'why Jain did it?' In other words, 'why God used Jain as an instruement to put me to lot of inconvenience?' What I received was the result of my Karma. How Jain got into it?

I was thinking, thinking and thinking. One fine morning the amswer was there. God decides the result of our Karma. The justice, reward or punishment, is to be delivered. For us, the little sinners, God uses other people to deliver the justice. For big sinners like Ravana and Kansa, He comes Himself. So Jain was the justice delivery boy. I told him so. jokingly I told him that God has written his name in His Black Book. God has assigned him the job of delivering punishments to other people. This means that God does not have a good opinion about him. He laughed and went away.

I was surprised when after two days Jain came to me and said that he had been thinking about it and what I said is right. He could not remember when he did some good to someone in his life. There were many instances when he did bad to others. He said that he was convinced that God has entered his name in His Black Book. I told him that as now he realizes it he should work in a positive manner so that God transfers his name to His White Book, and start assigning him jobs of delivering rewards. Jain said, nahin yaar isme bahut maza aata hai. Ab achcha bankar kya karenge.

Friends, you are in which book, White or Black?

This morning I received an e-mail from Susan Jeffers. She has given an example of those who are in the White Book. She calls them Angels. I will like to share this example with you:

"I was standing in a pharmacy I rarely go into when I overheard an elderly women telling the pharmacist that she needed her prescription filled but she didn't have her wallet with her. She explained that she needed the medicine very badly to ease her pain and she would bring the money in later, but the pharmacist wouldn't fill her prescription without payment.

Without hesitation, I heard this voice from within myself saying, "I'll pay for your prescription." And I instantly pulled my credit card out of my handbag and handed it to the pharmacist. The elderly woman turned around and looked at me in amazement and exclaimed, "Are you an Angel? I just know that God sent you to me."

I answered, "I never thought of myself as an Angel, but maybe God did send me to you. After all, how come I showed up here just when you needed me?" And I thought to myself, "Why did I show up at just the right time...and in a place I seldom come?" Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Who really knows? I do know that as I left the pharmacy I was engulfed with an inner feeling of joy and gratitude for having been there when someone needed me. - Susan Jeffers"

Friends, how do you feel about Susan's experience? I am sure each one of us (except Jain of course) wants to an angel, to be in the White Book of God, but are we working for that?

Love all, hate none. Help others as it is God helping others through you.

How to perform Puja?

As per Hindu religious texts, Puja is a religious ritual that Hindus perform on a variety of occasions to pray or show respect to their chosen Gods or Goddesses. Puja is performed in temples and also in most of the homes. The object of the puja ritual is to create and setup thoughts of spiritual forces in and around us. This is best achieved by singing or chanting of some mantra, performing certain actions and making offerings in three defined stages. Each mantra is a magazine of vast spiritual forces.

I believe that meaning of puja is not only something like performing a ritual by murmuring some Sanskrit words, closing your eyes and praying for something good should happen to yourself and your family. Puja also means performing any of your day to day routines with honesty, sincerity and complete devotion to the work you perform without any expectations, personal gains and fruits of the work performed. This work in turn must be offered to the supreme creator, sustainer, protector and the destroyer of all the evils as His services.

A saint did Tapasya in forest. For years he sat in meditation. One day a divine voice informed him that he has been favoured by God with divine knowledge. He was also told that God wished him to go to the city and share the knowledge with others for their benefit. The saint was very happy. He thanked the Lord and got up to start his journey. Just at that moment a bird dropped its beet on his head. The saint was very annoyed and looked up at the bird with anger. The bird was burnt and reduced to ashes. The saint was surprised. Suddenly he realized that he has become so powerful that he can burn the bird by just looking at it.

With the above realization, the saint started on his God assigned mission. He reached a small village and knocked at a door. The door opened and a lady came out. She paid him her respects and inquired about the purpose of his visit. The saint told her about him and asked her to give him some food as he was feeling hungry. The lady requested him to sit comfortably and wait for sometime as she was busy in the service of her husband as he is about to go to his shop. The saint got angry and shouted at her, ‘how you dare to ask me to wait? Don’t force me to punish you.’ The lady said quietly, ‘sir, please don’t get angry, and don’t threaten me with punishment. I am not a bird which will get burnt with your anger’. On hearing this, the saint was astonished and asked her how did she know about it? The lady told him to wait or he can go to the next village where a man, who may answer his question, lives.

The saint moved on and reached the next village and knocked at the door. The man came out. This man was busy in the service of his parents. The same scene was repeated and man told the saint that he was neither the bird nor the simple lady who will get scared of him. This was the second shock for the saint. The man advised him to visit a meat seller in the next village. He reached at the shop of the meat seller who was busy in serving his customers. Same scene repeated. Now the saint was totally de-moralized. He sat down and waited for the last customer to leave satisfied. The meat seller asked him what he can do for him. The saint that you know all so you should also know what I want. The meat seller smiled and said that he was a simple man and did his job with honesty and sincerity. He ensures that he charges right price and provide right quantity and right quality meat so that his customers are fully satisfied. He has not any tapasya not he has any divine knowledge. Similarly the lady and the man do their duty with honesty and sincerity. They do not know how they come to know about all these happenings. It is all God’s grace. The saint was highly impressed by his simplicity. He has understood the secret. He has no knowledge or power. It was all God’s grace. With humility and in the name of God he should visit people and tell them what he knows about God and His grace.

The moral of the story is that one should do his or her duty with honesty, sincerity and all humility. It is the puja, it is the worship.