Break The Rules if Dharma is Upheld !!!

Narada had the power to travel through space and time. One day, he decided to pay a visit to Ayodhya , the city of the rule-following Ram and to Vrindavan, the village of the rule-breaking Krishna. At Ayodhya, he told the story of Krishna; the residents did not appreciate the rakish, mischievous cowherd at all.

He is not serious at all, they said. At Vrindavan, he told the story of Ram; the residents did not appreciate the upright and rather serious king at all. He is no fun, they said. Narada then went to Hanuman, the mighty monkey, and asked him who he preferred : Ram or Krishna? And Hanuman said, "What is the difference? Both are Vishnu to me; Lakshmi follows him, whether he is Ram or Krishna."

So what is the difference between Ram and Krishna? Both belong to two different contexts: Ram lives in Treta yuga and Krishna in Dvapara yuga. One context demands Vishnu to be the upright rule-following Ram and the other context demands Vishnu to be the lovable rule-breaking Krishna. Both are same, but different. Both are upholding social order, dharma; one by keeping the rules and the other by breaking them!

In corporations, we seek people who comply and frown upon people who do not. But people love breaking rules. Often being in a senior position is an excuse to break rules. Being in the creative profession is seen as a chance to be undisciplined. But being Ram or Krishna is not about whether rules are upheld or broken; it is about the reason why rules are upheld or broken. Few pay attention to that.

Ankita is the chief operating officer of a large design studio. She has a staff of designers , colourists, architects and painters. It annoys her a great deal that they never come to office on time, never keep deadlines , never stick to timelines, and plan things only when compelled to. How can she run the company like this? The staff argued , they are all creative artists who cannot function with rigid rules. It hampers their innovative spirit.

One day, the following month, salaries did not reach people on time. Ankita took a vacation that day and was not reachable on phone. When she returned to office on the following Monday, after a long weekend, she saw an angry mob of employees demanding an explanation . "Surely , I have the right to be creative too and not keep deadlines and commitments," she said. The staff was not amused, but the message was passed loud and clear. It was a risk Ankita took and it paid off.

We all want to be Krishnas and want others to be like Ram, without really understanding what it means to be either. To be Ram or Krishna, we have to be Vishnu and to be Vishnu, we have to ensure there is social order that brings Lakshmi our way. 

( By Sh.  Devdutt Pattanaik in Economic Times /23 March 12)

Use of Death Fear for Betterment of Life.

  Longback , during a train journey, I met a person who told me that he was a devoted Anandmargi. For those who are unaware of Anand Marg Sect , I would like to tell that Anandmarg originated in Indian state of West Bengal in 1955. And very soon this sect became very well known across India because of their one strange practice. The followers of this sect would make a procession on road in full public view , while each follower wore a human skull in his neck like a garland. Later on that practice was stopped because of public hue and cry and Government intervention.

   So, when I was told by my fellow passenger that he followed Anandmarg, I asked him about the philosophy behind wearing a human skull. His reply had an excellent piece of wisdom. He said  that  DEATH IS THE ONLY CERTAINTY IN THIS WORLD BUT HUMAN BEINGS ARE PROGRAMMED IN SUCH A WAY THAT ALL HUMAN BEINGS CONSIDER THEMSELVES IMMORTAL UNLESS A DOCTOR GIVES A TIMEFRAME OF DEATH. 

    This , according to him, was primary reason behind Aasakti आसक्ति or attachment to the world and consequent corruption of various nature. He further told me, that by wearing a human skull, the follower is constantly reminded of mortal nature of human life and therefore preventing him from committing a bad deed as sooner or later everybody has to reduce to a human skull , seeing which nobody can decided if it was a President or begger's skull. 

    I agreed with him but I asked whether they still wore it. He told me it was not compulsory and if you can reach that Anaasakti ( detachment) अनासक्ति without  a skull , there is no need to wear it.

      The fear of death can bring such positive changes in human life. And one really good contemporary example is of Steve Jobs , the founder of APPLE. Six year before his death in 2011, Jobs had talked about how a sense of his mortality was a major driver behind his vision of iphone. He was suffering the cancers of pancreas and liver and doctors had predicted a very short life for him.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,” Jobs said during a Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005.

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

  Imagine if  our octogenarian  rulers start wearing  a skull , India would be a different country.....  

Left Brain -Right Brain -II

“I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feat. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.” 

 “I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.”

DECIDE  WHO IS  CORRECT ???

Using Left-Right Brain Theory To Understand People

What does it mean to be left brain dominant or right brain dominant?

Scientists have explored theories about the two hemispheres of the brain and the ways that they differ in function and control of the body. According to recent research, people who are right brain dominant and those who are left brain dominant, process information and respond in different ways.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LEFT-BRAINERS

Left-brainers are logical and analytical. They thrive in structured environments. They smoothly articulate what they wish to communicate to others. They may even enjoy a 'good argument'. They perform well under stress, as in job interviews, laying out the answers to the questions, in a sequential and orderly way. 

Left-brainers easily rise to the top of office management. They coolly and clearly look at the facts and make unemotional decisions. They are leaders who are not afraid to tell others what to do and how to do it. To them, there is only one way to do things and that's the right way - the way that makes the most practical sense. Trying out new ways of doing things can seem like a waste of time.

Key left-brain functions

• Uses logic in decision-making
• Detail oriented
• Facts rule
• Prefers words and language
• Present and past oriented
• Math and science
• Comprehension
• Knows
• Acknowledges
• Order/pattern perception
• Remembers an object's name
• Reality based
• Forms strategies
• Practical
• Prefers safe course of action
• Rule conscious

CHARACTERISTICS OF RIGHT-BRAINERS

For right-brained people, following a regimented, rigidly prescribed office routine is deadly. It goes too much against their creative Free Spirit. They like to imagine new possibilities, and enjoy looking at the many different angles of a problem. Inevitably, they want to try new and different ways of doing things. And this can clash with the lefties sense of orderliness and practicality.

Right-brainers visualize the big picture, ignoring the details of how to get there. If they are being interviewed by left-brainers, the right-brainer may appear to speak in generalities. They can even seem to be off point and scattered at times. They like to respond emotionally during interviews, laughing or telling stories to illustrate a point. Left-brainers, who are looking for a direct, concise, structured and unemotional answer, are unimpressed.

Key right-brain functions

• Uses feeling in decision-making
• "Big picture" oriented
• Imagination rules
• Prefers symbols and images
• Present and future oriented
• Philosophy and religion
• Gets the "general meaning"
• Believes
• Appreciates
• Favors Spatial Perception
• Remembers an object's function
• Fantasy based
• Presents possibilities
• Impetuous action takers
• Risk Taking
  Following  exercises will definitely help your communication skills when you need to get through to a person who functions using the opposite brain preference than you. You will know or have a feel for how they think.
  
  

  If you are a Left-Brainer, try these Right-Brain Exercises to see how it feels

   

• Pay more attention to how you say things vs. what you say. Right-brained people are more influenced by the tone, pitch, and rhythm in the sound of your voice when you are telling them something. 

•  Try to feel how the other person is responding to you. Right brained people are more emotionally expressive and intuitive. The right brain tells them when something "feels" right. 

• Look more at the big picture, the possibilities, the broad vision with as much sensual information as possible. The right brain wants to see, feel and experience what is being said. 

•  Ask more open-ended questions: "Why?" and "How?" 

•  When you go on vacation, try going with the flow, and just let things happen, without planning it out beforehand.

 

      If you are a Right-Brainer, try these Left-Brain    

      Exercises to see how it feels :

• Become more detailed, and present your points in a clear, concise, logical order when you are trying to convince others.
• Challenge your mind with new ideas, such as learning a foreign language, doing crossword puzzles, or solving brainteasers.
• Focus more on what you are saying rather than how you are saying it.
• Try to see the linear sequence of events rather than going for the whole picture first.
• Before going on vacation, try planning it out in detail, so each day you know what you'll be doing.

Where You Fit at the Workplace :

 

 Left-brainers love keeping records, doing calculations and working with the facts. They are in the minority in the expressive and performing arts, involved in discovering inventions, designing, or in creative marketing. 

The arena of right-brained thinkers is any work that requires long range visionary or exploratory thinking, and motivating others. Left-brained scientists and engineers also need these qualities to shine in their fields. 

In this predominantly left-brained world, we need both of these types to thrive. Without right-brainers, we wouldn't have most of the exciting innovations in the world. 

And without the left-brainers behind the scenes, cooly directing and managing, organizing and controlling all the administrative details, that drive right-brainers batty, things wouldn't run as smoothly.

Keep this in mind the next time you are tempted to pass judgment on your opposite type!!!

पिता के पास लोरियाँ नही होती

( केवल  सुयोग्य पिताओं को समर्पित कविता )

पिता, मोटे तने और गहरी जड़ों वाला
एक वृक्ष होता है
एक विशाल वृक्ष
और मां होती है
उस वृक्ष की छाया
जिसके नीचे बच्चे
बनाते बिगाड़ते हैं
अपने घरौंदे।
पिता के पास
दो ऊंचे और मजबूत कंधे भी होते हैं
जिन पर च़ढ़ कर बच्चे
आसमान छूने के सपने देखते हैं ।
पिता के पास एक चौड़ा और गहरा
सीना भी होता है
जिसमें जज्ब रखता है
वह अपने सारे दुख
चेहरे पर जाड़े की धूप की तरह फैली
चिर मुस्कान के साथ।
पिता के दो मजबूत हाथ
छेनी और हथौड़े की तरह
दिन रात तराशते रहते हैं सपने
सिर्फ और सिर्फ बच्चों के लिए, 

इसके लिए अक्सर
वह अपनी जरूरतें
और यहां तक की अपने सपने भी
कर देता है मुल्तवी
और कई बार तो स्थगित भी।
पिता, भूत वर्तमान, और भविष्य
तीनों को एक साथ जीता है
भूत की स्मृतियां
वर्तमान का भार और बच्चों में भविष्य .

पिता की उंगली पकड़ कर
चलना सीखते बच्चे
एक दिन इतने बड़े हो जाते हैं
कि भूल जाते हैं रिश्तों की संवेदना
सड़क, पुल और बीहड़ रास्तों में
उंगली पकड़ कर तय किया कठिन सफर।
बाहें डाल कर
बच्चे जब झूलते हैं
और भरते हैं किलकारियां
तब पूरी कायनात सिमट आती है उसकी बाहों में,

इसी सुख पर पिता कुरबान करता है
अपनी पूरी जिन्दगी,और इसी के लिए पिता
बहाता है पसीना ताजिन्दगी
ढोता है बोझा, खपता है फैक्ट्री में
पिसता है दफ्तर में
और बनता है बुनियाद का पत्थर
जिस पर तामीर होते हैं
बच्चों के सपने
पर फिर भी पिता के पास
बच्चों को बहलाने और सुलाने के लिए
लोरियां नहीं होती।

कवि: बी एस कटियार

Science vs Astrology