Meandering thoughts - Sita Sreeraman

Effortlessness! When things just happen, fall in place effortlessly..like water flowing, gracefully - the beauty of these moments! This could be because the vibes match, the souls meet and something magical happens. Could just be a glance, a word, or anything else. And the interaction leaves awe and inspiration! JGD

In my 40 years on this planet, there have been many wars from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Iran-Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine, Ukraine, Iraq and others. Now Syria and ISIS. Yesterday the UK govt. won the majority in the House of Commons to air bomb Syria. The US and allies have already started it. I am not an expert but sometimes I do wonder where is common sense. How do the current world leaders miss learning from the previous mistakes? Where is engagement, intelligence? One of the questions that always comes to my mind is who is funding ISIS, where are they getting their weapons from? As a teenager who read a lot of fiction, mainly thrillers about the CIA, Interpol, M16 and other intelligence agencies, I begin to wonder if these agencies are fictional too! Yesterday Mark Z announced he wanted to give away 99% of his wealth to make this world a better place for his daughter and this thought has haunted me since. What would I do to make this world a better place for my c

Chennai Rains: Please pray for the people of Chennai. These are difficult days especially for those living in low lying areas. Please send prayers, good wishes and help in any small way you can. My heart breaks for the city that has come to mean a lot in the last few years. This is Margazhi, the month when music and dance should be flooding the city, instead rains are pounding to a odd/strange beat and upsetting the rhythm of this cultural city. A city that is an odd mix - high levels of individual competence weaving a tapestry with high levels of civic incompetence, simplicity mingled with high ambitions, a city that pulses with its love for art - cinema, music, dance, temples! A city that loves silk and jewellery! A city where the present and past and future mingle seamlessly. A city that has a high level of green cover and wildlife hidden behind towering litter. A city that smells of coffee, idlis, dosas, jasmine and sewage at the same time. A confident city with their specia

I found this lovely article on facebook and sharing it here: https://artofdharma.com/12-symptoms-of-spiritual-awakening/ 12 Symptoms of Spiritual Awakening An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.  Frequent attacks of smiling.  Feelings of being connected with others and nature.  Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.  A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience.  An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.  A loss of ability to worry.  A loss of interest in conflict.  A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.  A loss of interest in judging others.  A loss of interest in judging self.  Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return.  Periyava's thoughts: http://mahaperiyavapuranam.org/how-do-we-know-that-were.../ “How can one know whether one is making progress, stagnating or retrogressing in the quest of wisdom?” Periyava replied: “If each

In all the AOL courses I have been to, the teachers tell the class, 80% of the impurities in our body are expelled through Breath. I have neither accepted nor rejected this statement, it has just stayed with me. I suddenly realised how true this is, the lungs work tirelessly every second to clean impure blood from the veins. And the heart pumps the pure blood back through the arteries. Continuous cleansing all day every day, 24 x7! And that's why when we start doing Yoga, Pranayama or Kriya regularly, we notice the effects immediately, more energy and enthusiasm, lethargy disappearing, the ability to sustain the energy through the day, less irritation and stress just dropping by! What a wonderful gift I have been given! Jai Guru Dev! Fix your Breath, Fix your Health! Fix your Breath, Fix your Life!

Judith Flanders Sometimes a book/author finds you. You are uncertain, there is a hesitation, yet you decide to try more our of curiosity or because you are too lazy to look for something familiar. That's how I found myself reading the book 'A Murder Of the Magpies' by the author Judith Flanders. This is a proper London book - Camden, St Johns Wood, other familiar places, buses, people covered so beautifully, it is like chatting with a good friend. The humour is subtle but definitely there, you are not going to laugh out aloud, but definitely find yourself smiling along the book and nod your head in agreement. The second book "A Bed Of Scorpions" was a good second book, with another murder and thoroughly fun. I was worried I would be disappointed but found I could not keep the book down until the end. Not much drama, quite matter of fact and putting herself down the way a true Londoner does, hiding her many talents and slowly letting you find them along

In the final analysis, all that matters and will matter is what you did, did not do. I had this epiphany a few days ago that it is just ME at the end of it all. Bad relationships, good relationships, praise, criticism, what I wore, how I looked, how smart I was, my special skills, time takes away all these. But what stands out are some of the startling clear moments, moments when I was there for someone, I spoke the right words, I did not get pulled into the drama or did something where I gave my 100 percent. I don't remember if people around me acknowledged my work or criticised it, the fact is it has made no difference what so ever in being a highlight of my life. When I look back, it is these moments, pure and clear and complete. If I could sum up my life, it will be these beautiful moments! And this fills me up with meaning, purpose and an enthusiasm to make every day of my life as beautiful as I can. Relationships/people do matter but only I can make my li

Appa and Amma By  Mahesh Balasubramanian I was speaking to my Periyappa Shri T.P.Sreeraman on Akshaya Thritiya yesterday. He was telling me during his younger days ( 1950s to 1980s) on this day homes in villages invite people particularly vedic scholars offer them new cotton clothes, lot of "Sambhaaram", paanakam etc. Also "Thair Saadam" would be prepared and given as a parcel in earthen pots.  One significant point what he made. From Shivaraathri till Thrithiyai the ambient heat increases slowly. But after Thrithiyai, the increase in temperature is usually very significant each day. Hence the dispensation of cotton clothes sambhaaram etc. The farmers also complete the harvesting well before Vishu. So that by Akshaya Thrithiya they can plough the barren fields to save the moisture inside the soil.  Wonder how many such small but significant information are there in each day of our Indian calender. Need to spend more time with Periyappa.

A beautiful sunny day yesterday, so we ventured out to the park. It was delightful seeing so many people and squirrels, geese, pigeons, robins etc... almost like everyone wanted a bit of sunshine.. We were all basking. The daffodils were beautiful, the way the flowers can only shine (almost with an ethereal aura) when sunlight dances on them, so bright and yellow.. I came back home and read my favourite poem by Wordswoth. Wordsworth saw these flowers in the wild in the Lake District, a very scenic place indeed, full of mountains and hills and lakes. I leave you to read and enjoy the poem ... I wandered lonely as a Cloud That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills, When all at once I saw a crowd A host of dancing Daffodils; Along the Lake, beneath the trees, Ten thousand dancing in the breeze. The waves beside them danced, but they Outdid the sparkling waves in glee: -- A poet could not but be gay In such a laughing company: I gazed -- and gazed -- bu

Indian Stretchable Time is a common phrase with us Indians, we are constantly late be it meetings, weddings, get-togethers! We are not time conscious , this is something we are told time and again! I was wondering about this as I was yet again late for another meeting with a friend. Is this trait historical, where did we inherit it collectively from? Coincidentally at this instant, my phone rang and a friend mentioned something about rahu kalam and a marriage muhurtam during the course of the call. And that's when it hit me, our fore-fathers were so much more time conscious than we ever will be. For a country, where clocks and watches are not common or did not originate from, it is just amazing what our tradition has. How else can we explain the importance of the time and our obsession with it be it a wedding muhurtham or tarpanam, rahu kalam, yama  gandam etc. I have come to realize that time is inherently central to the Indian tradition. This is apparent when we see how m

I started writing this blog about Pongal but then found this month - Margazhi or Dhanur Masam is a special one, packed with memories. My earliest memories of Pongal are in Cement Nagar, Andhra Pradesh, where Appa worked. Every year beginning from the first day of Dhanur Masam or Marghazhi, there was a sense of excitement and competition. We would wake up early and rush to the temple by 6 a.m. Our Poojari or temple priest was a very learned pious person and an excellent cook. On the cold Dhanur masam mornings, the temple would serve Prasadams of chakkara prongal, ven pongal etc, served hot in a dhonnai(a cup made of leaves, stitched together with tiny sticks). It was pure joy to eat the hot prasadam. The prasadam woke me up early and got me to temple on time. [Amma ootadha sadham maanga ootum! or if the Diety does not bring you the temple, the prasadam surely will! The priests knew psychology! :) ] Late evenings, the maids would clean the front yard of the houses and apply a layer o