A Forgotten Mystic

A Forgotten Mystic

About an year ago, while my Uber driver was driving me back from my cousin’s place to home in Kolkata, I came across a surreal experience.  That 20 minutes journey from Harish Mukherjee road to Sharat Bose Road was as if was divinely staged only for me, to awaken my thoughts further on my spiritual journey of experimentation.

I still distinctly remember the face of my driver, a thin lanky old men in his late fifties, and wrinkles all over his brows, face charred black in Kolkata’s humid summer and a very adorable smile on his face. Seeing his calm face, my curiosity posed a quick query to him about his whereabouts  and does he own the vehicle which he was driving . He replied gently that he belonged to a small village in Badohi district in Varanasi, UP;  he was just a driver and his entire livelihood is dependent only on driving the Uber from last 2-3 years.

After initiating the trip, he asked the permission to play the music in the vehicle. Once I affirmed, he hit the playback button on the stereo system. In my head , I had already made judgement that either it will be old Hindi classics or he will tune to Local city FM channel. However, to my surprise, the initiation of the music was with a celestial sound of tanpura, harmonium and the manjiras, which followed with a very unusual but a though provoking lyrics in a very husky voice. Almost for another 5 mins and 30 seconds, I transcended a different universe where I was just having a brief self-introspection into my life.

The song concluded and my mind was bubbling with curiosity to understand the genesis of this song. He enlightened me that the lyrics were of great Indian mystic, Sant Kabir, sung by Prahald Tipaniya and its a very famous song of Kabir “Zara Halke Gaadi Haanko” . The driver with a child like innocence then mentioned me that every single day, when he is driving, he glues himself to songs of Kabir. I became more curious and asked him the reason of his affinity to Kabir. He replied in Hindi with a vivd glitter in his eyes, “Mann ko saaf kar deta hai, kabhi aajmakar to dekhna” (It just cleanses the mind, someday you too give it a try”). Somewhere on that day I realized the reason behind his child-like innocence and ever smiling face. Again then I muted myself and lend my ears to the next song playing in the background. Each words of the lyrics had a distinct meaning which definitely stirred many emotions in me during that brief journey.  Within few minutes he dropped me to my location. While leaving the seat, again he exclaimed excitement, “Kabir vani zaroor sunna , life badal jaayegi” (Definitely Listen to the preaching of Kabir, it will change your life) and silently I smiled back and was on my way to home    

Since that day, I initiated my research on  various literature  about Kabir, his writings, songs, youtube videos. Earlier, during school days, I had read few poems of Kabir, but It never inspired me to read beyond that. But now when I started skimming through his writings, it  just fascinates me. A weaver, who had been denied privileges a formal education due to many circumstances during those days, is potentially awakening the entire generation of humanity for decades. Whenever I meander through any of the lines of his songs or poetry, I travel the unknown lands of my mind and heart to unearth the quest of my existence.  

In the current context, especially when our daily life is flooded with varied motivational lectures or spiritual preaching on various social media platforms;  its also worth exploring the writings of this forgotten mystic, Kabir, son of the banks of River Ganges. His preaching not only assists in self-introspection but to enhance our intrinsic and extrinsic living holistically. His poems are so sublime, even if it doesn't stir your conscious, it will surely leave your heart with an ethereal bliss .

“Everyone draws water from the river banks

No one draws  where  there is no bank

No bank is like the banks of Kabir

One who draws there , he becomes pure”

- Anonymous

Mentor – An important Pathfinder

Mentor –  An important Pathfinder

A week back, while I was reading a journal on importance of goal settings in life, I came across a very thought provoking quote by erudite philosopher of modern era, Swami Vivekanada. It mentioned, “Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work”. These lines can be easily grasped by anyone. However, practically in our routine lives almost everyone falls prey to their circumstances and falters to rise above their ordinary thought and ideas.

Even my mind started brooding on the same and penned down all the things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. While reading and re-iterating the list multiple times, I realized there was one common thread which held together varied goals; right from being a globetrotter, starting a small non-profit organization, learning eastern philosophies , apart from many other personal, professional and spiritual goals. Each of these goals had importance due to different individuals who have crossed my paths in different phases of life. They might have been around for a brief period, but these individuals had a definite impact in my holistic life. Their ideas, thoughts and their workmanship have played a big role in building my character in entirety. In my journey till now, they all have been my “Guides” or “Mentors” or “Guru” awakening me in different spheres of life.

The land where I belong, a pedestal of “Guru” is considered a very pious position. While reading, you all might even be startled, why have I made so many mentors in different spheres of my life? But when you initiate contact with the individuals you admire, unknowingly you emulate their work ethics, conduct and even their virtues. If we make efforts, each individual who are destined to meet us in our lifecycle have a potential to render a learning. Inherently, we start adopting their moral values and righteous thoughts, which can have positive influence to our livelihood.

In my teens, due to heavy peer pressure I somehow successfully accomplished my schooling, junior college and graduation. During that phase, definitely there were many professors and tutors who selflessly offered me wisdom to discriminate between correct and the not so correct path. But their role at that time, in my adolescence I might have taken for granted.  

However, somewhere in 2007 during my last year of graduation and in 2008 when I attained my first job in a Strategy & Business Research firm, I realized the significance of strengthening my character for holistic growth as an individual. My role in society was not only limited to learn, implement and earn, but conduct all the things with upright morals and attitude. At that time, I initiated my search for individual who can guide and share their high morals with me; in process started grasping valuable virtues from them.

And the first search of mentors ended with understanding my parents. Though they might be mentoring since our childhood, but I was little slow in grasping their importance in my life. During 2007, when the fire accident broke out at our humble factory, the circumstances and my parents made me learnt the first initial teachings of life. Nothing in life is in accordance of your plans, be flexible and never refrain from starting again. In those days of slight distress, only thing that made us survived was my parent’s grounded approach and humility

Then came October 2008, it was only 2 days when I joined the first job, when the recession news had been making the noise globally. While after few days India also witnessed another problem – Satyam Scam. Both the news ran panic among all the new beginners and even I was one of them, as the project pipelines were dry and people were on bench. One fine day after 2-3 months, I gathered courage and went up to meet the Sr. VP to understand to understand my role and tenure of my job in that circumstances. Smilingly he replied the golden words, “Always be optimistic about your own future, if situations come then have courage to accept it”. And in him, I found my mentor again

Post 2008, I have come across countless individuals both in professional and personal sphere. Everyone had something to offer both in my technical skill-sets as well as character building. And in 2016, with on-set of monsoon, physical trauma and my experiments with self, unlocked a new spiritual essence in me. Alike in all the instances, situations led many individuals to be part of my life.  Many of them revealed and awakened me for my spiritual growth. Though it’s a long way to grow in that sphere of life, but I have now started realizing the critical role that the “Guru”, “Guide”, “Mentor” plays in self-progress in my life

All philosophies across the globe believes that, whatever desires, needs and thoughts we manifest in our mind, we have a divine capacity to attract and realize them. I know that, my boundless journey of new learning, unearthing new mentors and drawing humble strings of wisdom will always continue, thus leading me from darkness towards light

Learn everything that is good from others, but bring it in and in your own way, adsorb it, but do not become others

- Swami Vivekananda

Acceptance – The Precious Gift

Acceptance – The Precious Gift

(first step towards experimentation)

It’s been a little more than two years, I miraculously escaped an accident and was reborn once again. On that day, within seconds of the time frame, I witnessed the entire movie of my life in front of my eyes, when the truck ran over my left foot.  I have heard many saying that there are always out-of-body experiences, when you approach death. If this was the one, then I too had an “Out-of-Body” experience. But that flash of a nanosecond was so ecstatic, that it led to a different trans-formative journey altogether. This paved the way for me to transition myself into much simpler human being and thus I initiated different experiments with myself

Amidst the crushed foot, rushing to the hospitals and initiating the treatments, in parallel I started introspecting my entire life. At that time I was just 29 years of age, high on professional aspirations, married and going through a very patchy turbulent phase in it. And within seconds I was bed-ridden and unaware of future state of things. I realized that subconsciously I had complicated my own lifestyle. In my quest of living life to the fullest, my expectations from my life and my folks also had increased manifold. Though I had never refrained from fulfilling my near and dear ones desires, but somewhere I failed to differentiate between needs and wants.

Amusingly, these all thoughts erupted within that 2-3 hours while I was switching hospitals, X ray clinics and even I guess operation theatre. And suddenly, I started feeling helpless and I smiled looking above at Almighty and accepted HIS special gift of endurance. I started mocking at myself in jest and with each laughter, it just strengthened me from within. Unknowingly, the first seeds of experimenting with myself, I started roping in. “It’s the smiling Acceptance and not Expectations makes your quest of life complete.” 

Like everyone’s life, I am also cherishing the similar ups and downs, be it professionally or personal front. The same situations were there even before my accident. But one thing made a massive difference, laughing at your own-self and accepting situations, folks and peers as it is. Realization of we alone can’t change the world or the even attitude our own people is very essential. Only one thing that is in our hands is to transform ourselves into a simpler human being, without any complications of desires and expectations.

It’s been two years now, I have strolled my path towards experimenting many things. In this short period, buried my past mirages, recouped completely, embraced single-hood again, relocated for better career aspirations and most importantly feeling blessed of  having contented life. There is a different sense of rejuvenation in my life, even among my peers and dear ones; might be they have started accepting my outlook towards leading blissful life

All great mystique, either in past or present cited one thing in common; life is a sum cumulative of all experiences. Then why not, we embrace the situations as it is, unlearn and learn from it and smilingly cultivate acceptance for leading simpler life. Only with acceptance begins the sense of gratitude, which turns commotion to order and eventually confusion to clarity.

Lead me from the real to the unreal.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality
Om Peace Peace Peace

- Brhadaranyaka Upanishad