You do my work & I'll do yours !

This happened on my way back from Vellore, where I had gone to meet with all the YES+ VITian’s. I was at the station with three of my students, Selva, Sakshi and Pooja who had come to drop me. 

We were at the station and the train to Bangalore came in. Brindavan express was quite tightly packed. I was waiting for the A/C compartment to come but when train stopped, the A/C compartment was no where in sight. Selva announced there is no A/C in this train. I didn’t have a reserved ticket and on seeing how tightly packed the train was, it didn’t seem like I had a good chance of getting one. The TTE, got down from the train and I approached him. Quietly taking him a little on the side I asked him “ Can I have a seat ?”. The way I asked, seemed as if I didn't mind paying him a small bribe. He said “Yes, Rs. 50 “. A yes meant that he had the seat. At this point, Selva also came and spoke to the TTE in Tamil. He told him the same thing. Selva, came to me and said, "Bhaiya, its just Rs. 50 more." 

    Here was a real life chance to apply what Gurudev has said in so many satsangs! So I told Selva to tell him that we are with Guruji, and we would not be giving bribe. Selva went a little hesitantly himself and told the TTE something in Tamil but I heard the word Bill. It seemed like he himself didn’t believe the TTE would give a seat WITHOUT a bribe ! I went up to the TTE again, and told Selva to translate that we were with Guruji, and therefore we just couldn't give him a bribe. I went on to explain that it wasn't that I didn’t have the money, it was just that I couldn't give it. Selva did the needful but the TTE just walked away and went inside the train.

It was clear that our conviction in explaining the situation was not strong enough. So I told Selva to go again but this time, say it with full conviction! Selva went in and the train began moving but I stood my ground. I would not board the train if the TTE didn’t give me a seat without the bribe… But I didn’t want to go standing for 4 hours either!
   Just then, Selva came running to the door and said, “Bhaiya go in! He’ll give you a seat!”… So I boarded the train with a sense of satisfaction J !

Now, after boarding the train I couldn’t locate the TTE for some time. Then suddenly the TTE came out of a bathroom, spotted me and came and told me “please go and sit in D4, Seat 24”… So I happily went to coach D4, seat #24 and found a guy ( must have been in his 40’s ) sitting with his wife and mother. I pointed at the seat and said that it was a reserved one. He instantly got up and gave me the seat...

I sat happily for a few minutes and was feeling triumphant about the fact that I got a seat without giving bribe. But then, I started to feel a little sad for the guy whom I made stand… The good feeling of not giving the bribe was now being neutralized. I thought to myself that the next time the TTE came, I would ask if there was another seat available… Just then, I looked at my cell phone and saw a text message from Sakshi… It said “ There IS an A/C compartment in your train !”… As soon as I read the message, we arrived at a station ! I got off and ran back to the TTE of the A/C compartment. I asked him if there was a seat available and sure enough, there was one!

So I happily shifted to the A/C compartment and made that man sit… Looking back, it made me feel grateful that every thought is taken care of when intentions are pure and the focus is clear !

Gurudev keeps saying... "You do my work and I'll do yours :) ! "... The question is just about taking the step...

Attitude of Gratitude

For many years I had no clue what ‘Gratitude’ really meant. People used to talk about being grateful for what we have. Just look at people who are poorer then you would see how lucky you are… This is what my mom used to say… Frankly, it really didn’t strike me… Nevertheless I never discarded what was said… I just heard it and then forgot it…

The first time when it really struck me was when I did my 5^th advanced course at the Bangalore ashram… Tears just rolled out of my eyes, my throat was chocked, and I was crying like a baby… While this was happening, my intellect was watching, and asking me “why am I crying”… I had no idea… I just knew that I was crying and my throat was chocked and I was feeling thoroughly ‘GRATEFUL’… Grateful for soooo many great things that had happened in my life… Although I had always thought about them but I had never felt like this about all those events! I used to think that all of them either happened through coincidence or ‘I’ had worked hard to get to that result ! And that was the turning point in my life… It was like a new life for me… As if I was reborn…

Although it was a big turning point but it was not the end, it was just a beginning of a new attitude in life… It opened a new dimension to looking at things and events around me… And now, I feel, in life, events are just events, but what matters is our attitude of looking at the event… We could see the same event and feel sad and miserable and we could see the same event and feel grateful… Its all on us, its all about our attitude… For example… Pigeon shit falls on our head and we could feel ‘ oohh why did it fall on me’ complaint and feel miserable or think ‘wow ! I’m the chosen one !’ or ‘ wow so good that it didn’t fall on the cake that I’m holding!’ and really feel happy and grateful about it !

Actually the attitude has two effects… One is on the present state of mind… One feels miserable or grateful in the moments during the event or some moments after the event… The other is on the future events that would happen… As the law of karma or the ‘secret’ says… What you think, is what you attract to you… So, if one feels grateful, one would attract gratefulness, i.e. more events that would make one feel even more grateful in future… Similarly if one feels miserable, unsatisfied, or lack, one would attract more events that would make one feel even more miserable, unsatisfied or more lack! And that is why the quote in the bible says “Those who have would be given, and those who don’t, whatever they have will be taken away”… It is basically talking about “having” the feeling of abundance, the feeling of gratitude…

However whatever said here, is very easy to say than to do it, and to apply it in daily life… Till the time I hadn’t experienced it myself, I thought that how can I fake a feeling… If I feel miserable, a sense of lack, a sense of inadequateness how can I fake it and say, I feel great, I feel grateful! However, one thing I follow sincerely is “ Fake it till you make it”… Being aware that you are faking and then faking is different from suppressing the current feeling and faking of another feeling… It is not about fooling yourself! It is just about choosing to be in it or not... And then sadhana, seva and satsang, has slowly but surely, changed the pattern of the feelings, or the attitude towards life!