Defend

Defend

Always remember

You never compete against others.

You always compete against

Your own self-created limits.

You compete against

Your procrastination,

Your distractions,

Your hesitations.

You are your restrictor,

Your own greatest enemy,

But also your defender.

So defend!

Defend your dreams.

Defend your focus.

Defend your time.

Defend your energy.

Defend against your doubts,

Against your temptations,

Against your inertia,

Against your decline.

Defend your time,

Do not kill time.

Make your time alive,

That's when you shine.

Your competition is you.

Find the strength to break through.

Fight the good fight,

And defend the fire within you.

Photo credit: Henry Hustava at Unsplash.com

Spirited

From a spirited childhood

To a spiritual adulthood 

From embodied joy

To embodying stress

From the simplicity of being 

To the complexities of doing  

You move through

The first half of your life.

You become spiritual

Not to seek the Divine

But to fulfill your material desires 

And to cope with inevitable failures.

You accept the limited

In place of the unlimited.

What should have freed you

Instead imprisons you.

This journey continues

With many twists and turns

Your spirits rise and fall

With every ebb and flow.

Until that day

When you become aware

Of your true nature

That is Sat-Chit-Ananda.

For most of us

It happens slowly but surely

You get disentangled

From your self delusions.

One by one

You drop your masks

And the defenses

You had built over the years.

They had to go

Because they could not

Hide you from Yourself

Or protect You from you.

You feel a little vulnerable

But also much lighter

You shed the dead weight

And then the Spirit soars.

This is the beginning

Of a new journey

A return to your childhood

To a life of simplicity and joy.

Where you can move

Beyond false pretensions

Of being spiritual

To being spirited again.

Photo Credit: Robert Collins on Unsplash

Until history repeats itself...

We feel the pain, sure... 

But choose to remain quiet about it... 

Slowly, the pain subsides... 

Then we go back to our private little security bubbles... 

Of pursuing career goals and immersing in entertainment... 

Until suddenly, our own bubble bursts... 

People mourn the tragedy that struck us... 

Then they too get busy creating their imaginary security bubbles... 

Until history repeats itself...

Rama's Fury

 

         Rama's Fury

You challenged me.

Okay, I accept it,

And wholeheartedly.

Now, try breaking my spirit.

 

Let's see what wins,

Truth or lies.

Fictitious storylines

Or words of the wise.

 

Dharma, it is not

When you pray to Kali,

But with a lust

For money.

 

Dharma, it is

When you surrender to

Maa Kali's wish

To destroy your ego.

 

Dharma, it is

When you confess

Your lies,

And accept disgrace.

 

But I know you won't,

Just like Duryodhana

Who believed his evil stunts

Would get him Pandava's dhana.

 

You cheated in the court,

But how will you

Cheat Lord Shiva's consort,

Who sees everything through?

 

Defeated and disgraced,

You will be.

Even Ravana, Shiva's bhakt highest

Was crushed, when rose Rama's fury.

Today

 

Life is too short to waste today.

Life is too short to not give it my best shot today.

Life is too short to not relish today.

... all day, each day, every day.

A Regret & A Resolve

A Regret & A Resolve

I have but one regret in life

That I wasted a lot of time

On people, pursuits, and things

That amounted to nothing.

I know what you gonna say

My victories, I shouldn't downplay

Somethings weren't just meant to be.

Life is a mixed bag, I agree.

But I do not lament over failures

I only regret the squandered hours

That I could've used wisely

For adventure, play, and enquiry.

As Sri Krishna said, "Life is a leela."

So, do not be attached to the mela

Experience and savor what it offers

And then proceed on your endeavors.

But only pursue the vital few

That's all that should matter to you

Discard all that's inconsequential

And your life will be worthwhile.

Rules for Myself

The above poem is a summation of the main rules that I strive to live my life by. I formulated an initial draft of these rules earlier this year and started living by them. And they truly helped me live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Over the months, with greater insights into myself (in particular) and human psychology (in general), I refined my draft, added a couple more rules, and composed a pithy poem for my rules so that I could easily recall and repeat them to myself.

You might ask, "Why do you want to live your life by a bunch of rules? Isn't that restrictive?" Those are absolutely valid questions. I have certainly been asked those questions before, and occasionally more as a critical commentary to my way of life than a genuine inquiry. Nevertheless, the answer to those questions is pretty straightforward:

First, rules are not automatically restrictive. Rules can surely feel restrictive when they are imposed by an outsider. However, when we choose our own rules, they can actually be liberating, because they help us get focused in life. Rules help us identify what are truly important to us. They help us not get distracted by the trivial.

Second, it's incorrect to think that you don't live by rules. We all have rules. It's just that people are rarely aware of those rules. Most of our rules lie under our conscious awareness in form of implicit beliefs. However, they still continue to influence our actions. The problem with living our life by a set of rules that we aren't even aware of is that we then do not get the opportunity to scrutinize them. While some of our subconscious rules may be working in our favor, many do not. In fact, most of our life's troubles could be traced back to those outdated rules that we ignorantly held on to. It is therefore critical that we periodically introspect and identify the rules that we have been living by. Once identified, we need to scrutinize them with the thoroughness of a skilled scientist, retain what work, and modify or discard what do not. Over a period of time, through this continual process of refinement, we should be able to formulate a set of thumb rules that help us better our lives."

It is beyond the scope of this post to elaborate on the rationale behind each of my rules. However, if any of them appeal to you, do consider incorporating them into your life. You might be surprised at how much they can help you transform your life.

Mastering Grace: Lessons from Our Ancestors

Mastering Grace

To come with grace, to grow with grace

To smile with grace, to cry with grace

To sit with grace, to wait with grace

To walk with grace, to run with grace

To speak with grace, to sing with grace

To play with grace, to work with grace

To consume with grace, to dispose with grace

To luxuriate with grace, to suffer with grace

To fight with grace, to unite with grace

To give with grace, to receive with grace

To love with grace, to forgive with grace

To laugh with grace, to grieve with grace

To win with grace, to lose with grace

To fall with grace, to rebound with grace

To pray with grace, to surrender with grace

To live with grace, to leave with grace...

For the art of living is nothing but to embrace

Both life's beauty and its inherent unfairness

And to allow ourselves to coalesce

With the boundless Nothingness.

Note: The art of living is to master the art of dying... gracefully. For those familiar with the Hindu tradition will know that we are currently observing Pitrupaksh, the fortnight during which we pay homage to our ancestors. The above poem is my ode to the departed ancestors.

Be Still & Flow

BE STILL & FLOW

Music flowed

When I learnt

To stay still

On a note.

And life flowed

When mind learnt

To be still

When provoked.

© Paresh Mishra

Around the Great Smokey Mountains National Park (November, 2017)

Choose Wise

CHOOSE WISE

There are two tragedies in life:

People change

And people don't change.

Accept this truth and end all strife.

There are two blessings in life:

People change

And people don't change.

Be with them and feel all alive.

There are two big choices in life:

To change

Or not to change.

Choose wise, and you'll always thrive.

© Paresh Mishra

At the Natural Bridge State Resort Park, KY (November, 2017)

Yogic High

YOGIC HIGH

Life is hard
But I am high.
That's the reward
When you unify.

© Paresh Mishra

True Love Affair

A small fall that I had come across on a hike in the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada

TRUE LOVE AFFAIR

I was once in love

I loved somebody

But then she took off

And I became lonely.

Loneliness is a pain

You know that, don't you?

While hopes remain,

Sufferings continue.

I hoped for her return.

When that was unlikely,

I went for a new person

Who might pander to me.

Was it really love then?

Or an aversion to loneliness?

For love it ain't when

You just profess or caress.

It ain't either

Merely a pleasant emotion.

Pleasant even is sugar

That's termed 'white poison'.

Happiness is good

But if I loved for that

It only hikes the likelihood

Of I being a selfish rat.

The word 'love' may seem

Unselfish and dignified

But "I" reigns supreme

In the "I love you" trite.

Oh' how we fool others

And even our own selves

With charming words

Pulled out of bookshelves!

So in search, I went

Not for love anymore.

Instead, what love meant

I set out to explore.

I cannot say I have

Found a conclusive answer

But I know that only the brave

Can give love that is truly pure.

What goes as love

Though is mostly hormones

Or a social arrangement of

Getting your moans.

Often people's love is also

Just a security package

Or a trophy to show
For enhancing one's image.

Everything goes in the name

Of love. From being jealous

To harboring disdain,

From stalking to flat abuse.

So is there a true love?

Yes, there is for sure

But you have to develop

To experience the pure.

To develop means to realize
That love is not desire's prize.
Desire is inadequacy in disguise.
From wholeness does love arise.

Now if you don't feel whole
You don't have to despair
You ain't your body at all
You ain't your mind either.

But if you can't yet see
Beyond your body and mind
Just have the humility
To work towards staying aligned.

Align with the ultimate power.
But you have to be brave

For few can totally surrender,

And let be carried by a wave.

But when you do succeed

In doing that, without a care

For yourself or for any need,

You savor a true love affair.

© Paresh Mishra

A Vestige of Romance?

I posted the above picture on Facebook a couple of days ago, and received quite a lot of responses. Well, "lot" for a regular guy like me, because I am not a beautiful girl or a celebrity. Many of my friends and even a few of my friends' friends were amused at my photograph, and responded with laughs and LOLs. But a few friends also got concerned, and messaged to check if I was well. I guess some people perceive me to be too serious a person to joke around.😁

On one of my WhatsApp groups, a friend commented, "Dr. Love going Dr. Anti-love." Of course, I am not exactly anti-love; I just prefer to stay away from the kind of love that is prevalent these days. However, my friend's comment reminded me of a book that I had read a long time ago when as an undergraduate student  I was preparing for admissions into Masters programs. The book was Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. Lewis emphasized in his book that there was a distinct difference between the words "antisocial" and "asocial." He explained that antisocial people are the ones that were inclined to harm others and destroy property (because of whatever psychopathology), whereas asocial people are the ones who were not interested in socializing and thus avoided social situations.

There is no word "alove" but if there was, then that is the word I would have used to describe myself,. Not "anti-love." That said, words in prose format often don't do justice to the sentiments they seek to express. So here goes a poem that I had written a couple of years ago. I had never shared it with the public before but the world can have it now.

A Vestige of Romance?

Every now and then

Love smiles at men

In misery and pain,

Soothing their wounds

And giving them hope.

But when you begin

Enjoying her love

Time changes with a

Hasty break up.

I just wonder why

Love came and passed by.

Oafish was I? Or am I a

Vestige of romance

Engulfed in a world of

Utilitarian expanse?

I know life's like that.

Sometimes you win, but

Then you fall flat.

I thought once that

Love conquered all, but

Love today isn't sincere.

Dazzle, it may dear, but

Overpowered it is by fear.

The Best Present

Sunset in Vancouver (Picture taken from my hotel window)

The Best Present

I wanted love,

fame and prosperity.

And I didn't just look above,

But worked with sincerity.

I got a bit of all.

Love came and went by

When I stopped to enthrall.

On emotions cannot you rely!

Fame was fun,

Even if small,

But when alone,

I couldn't stand tall.

Prosperity, I wished bigger

But even though modest

Attracted many a gold digger

Leaving me depressed.

But from disappointments,

Self-doubts and depression

Came the best of presents.

I call it a 'clarity of vision.'

A Seeker's Discovery

There was a time
Love was the aim of mine.
To give
And to receive
That emotion
Which is fun,
Soothing and ecstatic,
And make us all tick.

But then as you know
Came the ego.
A small little word
But a huge hazard.
For relationships
It is a literal apocalypse.
So love got destroyed
And I went into a void.

I was mad,
I was sad.
I wanted to be bad
But I failed at that.
So what do you do?
I just withdrew
Into a cocoon
Rather than impugn.

Why was life so unfair?
I asked in despair.
But then I thought
Why be distraught
Over a shortchange
When I could change
My life my way,
If not others' screenplay?

So with determination
I began to brighten
My inner self
By emptying the bookshelf.
With steely resolve
I began to evolve
Through hardcore action
And silent meditation.

I practiced, not to impress,
But to find happiness
That was independent
Of any external event.
So when somebody was mean
I still stayed serene.
Essentially, in solitude
I found my fortitude.

No, I didn't become a loner.
I was just a seeker.
I sought with intensity,
But not a loving company.
Because when you realize
You were after a compromise,
You see, "You got shortchanged
But not b'cos of a deranged."

You realize that You deceived
Yourself by what you believed.
I don't say, "Romantic love is
Some kind of disease,
But it only gives you a glimpse
Of that feeling of bliss,
Before it degrades,
And then ennui pervades."

So I don't reminisce.
Instead, I seek my bliss
Just within me
And not in external beauty.
And what I have found
Is this truth profound
That I am the bliss
Finding which was my wish.

A good life

What is a good life?
The one without strife?
Having friends of your type?
Or living fit till age ripe?

Having a spouse supportive?
Engaging in something creative?
Earning a lot of money?
Or having a cute baby?

The wise say, "None of these."
Good life isn't about goodies.
It is about doing your duties
Like accomplished karma yogis.

And I do practice karma yoga
But being an amateur fella
I often fail to practice
Especially, when I go off axis.

Then like most human beings
I wallow in negative feelings.
Giving up on myself, I quit
Instead of living life with grit.

So now I strive to be at ease
Howsoever rough are the seas.
I may swim or may drown
What matters is I do not frown.

With this motto, I live my life
That I will never fuss and gripe.
For a good life is not outside me,
It is my soul and esprit.

I want to lose myself

I want to lose myself.
Because the truth is that
I am full of myself.

An officer, professor,
This and that.
Positions come, and then alter.

But I identify
With these roles
Forgetting they all pass by.

When will I be able
To go beyond roles
Even when in them I revel?

A big role or tidbit,
My experience is
Ultimately they all restrict.

So I want to lose
That self which is
Just a hodgepodge of hues.

I want to find the real me
Good or bad, I don't care
As long as it's not a fantasy.

To know my truth
That's all I care
Even if it doesn't soothe.

I do not know

I do not believe
What I cannot perceive.
I believed once
In Providence
But not anymore.
Life is what it is
Nothing less nothing more.

I do not know.
That's all I know.
The way of the wise
Is to hypothesize,
Look for evidence
Within and without, but
Live life without pretense.

If I died tomorrow...

If I died tomorrow,
What would happen of me?
Will I live?
Or will I die?

Well, if I died,
I'll be dead of course.
But will I still live
In your heart?

Will I be remembered
With passion and pain?
Or will I be forgotten
To fade into oblivion?

Memories remain,
I know that well.
But that's no solace
To me, you know.

I don't just want
To stay in you,
If my dead weight
Pulls you down.

I would rather
Be forgotten,
Like an animal
Long gone into extinction.

Keep me alive inside you,
But only till
I make you grow
With whispers of "Bravo!"

© Paresh Mishra

The Comforting Hand

I dreamt one night,

My girl leaving me,

But that's all right.

Life has no guarantee!

So I got into my car,

And turned on the key,

To drive away so far,

Where I would be free.

I saw in my dreams,

Getting my release,

Rowing in the streams,

Towards a precipice.

When came the fall,

I freely rolled down,

With a jubilant call,

Prepared to drown.

But deep under water,

When I fought for air,

My mind began to wonder:

This must be a nightmare!

But wasn't I wrong!

For when I gave up,

A hand came along,

And pushed me up.

When I reached the top,

The hand was gone,

But I can't ever stop,

To wonder when alone...

Whose hand was it?

I couldn't see Her face,

That I have to admit,

But I felt Her caress!

And the effect's there,

Even after many years,

I feel Her loving care,

When I'm in tears.