PANKAJ

 Lord Ram almost knew, Dasrath may not survive his departure to exile  yet he left  Laxmana, he had to give capital punishment when the time came  Sita, he had to forbade when the fateful moment came  Lord Krishna, how so every much me favored or made pandavas win  Had to see its own clan coming to an end just be killing each other  Nothing comes free  No one escapes the rules

 Its stupid human who says  "Done and dusted"  Life - will "dust" you  unless its "done"

No, not every pain, Not every sprain, Not every strain, Needs your brain Nor a heavy philosophy, Like no pain, no gain , Nor every thought Needs its own train The laws of checks and balances Apply to all the same Spirituality is no exception, Beyond a point, all in vain Karma, Soul, Journey — Big words we entertain, Beyond a point, it's just intellectual intoxication, A dangerous intellectual terrain Beware, and find that line, Beyond which thought turns insane What must be left alone Needs no peeping in to explain Life is a journey of phases, So is the soul's, through multiple lives At the end, integrity and purity Are what truly remain All else, however grand it sounds, May ultimately go in vain A child may be dearer to God Than the aged or learned sage For knowledge alone cannot contain The purity that innocence can sustain

Weaknesses to overcome, Distractions to evade, Some privileges, some liberties, Some trade-offs to trade. Only after due course Of trials and tribulations Are the finest sculptors made. Men are born, Gentlemen are crafted, But only through blows unnumbered, By hammer, chisel and shovel, Are legends made!

शिकायत बड़ी है, शब्दों से मुझे… कि भावनाओं का वो अविरल वेग, क्या भला चंद लफ़्ज़ों में सिमटता है? अनगिनत लहरों का शोर, क्या भला एक किनारे में समाता है? कुछ तो बुद्धू बना दिया विज्ञान ने यूँ परिभाषाएँ देकर हमें, वरना... धरती का आकार, क्या भला एक पंक्ति में कहा जाता है? इधर तो जज़्बातों का सैलाब उमड़ता है, और उधर, व्याकरण का वाक्य ख़त्म हो जाता है! मन में आने और गुजर जाने वाले अनगिनत विचारों का कच्चा चिट्ठा, क्या भला कुछ सौ पन्नों में समाहित होता है? कहते हैं समझदार को इशारा काफी होता है, पर क्या सारा ज़माना एक समान सयाना होता है? बैचेन बड़ा है ये दिल हमारा, कि भावनाओं की लहरों की मचलन, अब व्यक्त कैसे करूँ मैं? योजन से भी कोटि कोटि ज़्यादा रिश्तों की उन गहराईयों, को चंद शब्दों में बयां कैसे करूं मैं? शब्दकोष ने भी एक शब्द बता कर पल्ला झाड़ लिया अपना, अब उस एक शब्द "अनंत" से भी क्या अपेक्षा, और क्या शिकायत करूं मैं?

Just like the world is full of paramours and devoid of true lovers, the world is full of talkers and devoid of listeners. The below excerpt from Ankur Warikoo's work about his meeting with Ali Abdal prompted me to write this blog. Why is it so challenging to find good listeners and how above excerpt relates to listening? Welcome to another discourse in the curious case series! Well, finding good listeners is almost as hard as finding good politicians. At times when we are so frustrated with what is happening in the political world, we tend to think that good politicians could be some alien breed which can come only from some distant inconceivable realm. But the harsh reality is politicians don't materialize out of thin air or miracles— they emerge from our own midst. And the same holds true for listeners. Collectively, we emit an aura of reluctance towards genuine listening; the reluctance is real, it's palpable! But why is that so? Why is listening—wherein one doe...

That quest to be the best, Qualms of being better than the rest. Undoubtedly, it feels great to be at the top, A chance to thump your own chest. Everything comes at a cost, No exception is this never-ending jest. What is the measure, and where is the end? Ask this question before you take a leap, For any person's greatness, it's the finest litmus test. Moment it turns into insecurities and unacceptance of others' prowess, Maybe, it's time to apply brakes and reassess the quest. If jealousy, ego, and insecurities find in you their nest, Then, maybe it's time to put the quest to rest. It may still be better to quit than to deceive. For, jealousy is never the hallmark of greats... It's nothing more than a pest. Humans we are after all, not hate machines... Don't give hatred a nest. Fear it, don't let it harvest. Life in itself is a joy-fest, For every trough, there is always a crest. Success at the cost of inner peace, Maybe a combination to detest.  The wo...

During their process of becoming greatest in the respective era's, Lord Rama went to exile and so did Arjuna (which obviously is more of metaphorical for mango man like us) If need be, would I go to exile? Welcome to another curious post  Will I go to exile?  NO! But why...even when heroes like Rama and Arjuna did go? Am I apprehensive or helpless against the hardships? Or Am I bound in shackles of the material world...?  NO! Do I need a wife as committed as Sita who would throw away the material world in a split-second for me...? NO! Do I yearn for a brother like Lakshamana for whom world would mean me, to accompany me...?  NO! Do I expect a brother like Bharata to carry my footwear on his head and run administration on my name...?  NO! Do I desire to meet a committed soul like Hanuman who would vouch on my name...?  NO! Do I desire ruling kingdoms as end result similar to case of Rama and Arjuna?  NO! What do I need then...? So that I am not la...

Unsure of the actual source of the diagram below, this surely used to send me to guilt trips making me feel embarrassed. Is worrying so seriously useless and am I so silly that I couldn't realize such a simple thing?!! Let's discuss another curious case Well, upon reflection I could finally come out of my embarrassment and realize that there’s nothing wrong with worrying. No one worries purposefully.... After all, worry is just as natural as excitement. Have we not seen many kids/teenagers anticipating their birthday's weeks in advance? When we don't blame people for getting excited while anticipating good things, why do we blame people for getting worried while anticipating bad things? It is as simple! I write this very vehemently to tell people who preach againt overthinking that yes over-thinking and worrying is bad but nothing to make anybody feel foolish about it. Stop sending people on guilt trips... PLEASE!! Maybe, worry and their conscious thinking are ...

If "If it is meant to be, it will come to you no matter what" vs "If you want it, go get it!" We are often confronted by these two mutually exclusive thought patterns. So who wins in this classic tug of war between efforts & destiny? Welcome to yet another blog in curious case series Often I have found myself and numerous others going through this perpetual debate of efforts vs destiny when it comes to fulfilment of desires and wishes. Often, we have mixed experiences. Certain things which are meant to occur happen no matter what often without the individual putting any conscious efforts. Where in certain things for which, even if one move mountains, they simply don't move! So what's the verdict? What's the bigger truth - efforts or destiny? Can efforts outperform destiny and the existing system as it works - just like Sage Vishwamitra once tried to create a parallel universe? Barring such exceptional cases, I would like to sum up my thoughts ...