Tuesday, August 30, 2011

8th June: Shivir – Day 8

Morning session
Very boring speaker.  First told the story of Matsya avtar and then Sharma ji’s biography.  I left early as I had already finished reading Sharmaji’s biography on my own.  That way I also got a chance to catch up on my jap.

Afternoon session
Samaaj nirmaan – the seven aandolans (http://awgp.org/WeOffer/SocialReforms/ )
1.       Saadhna – change in personal behavior.  Humans can become great not by their caste or color but only by their behavior. So change your attitude to become better.  Saadhna does not mean sitting for puja and doing jap. It means bringing small behavioural changes in your life.  A saadhak then becomes a stihtpragya person i.e. he cannot be swayed by any one, he has self confidence in his self righteousness. Just like mehndi brings color only after grinding, man becomes devta only after saadhna.
2.       Shiksha – education.  Literacy movement.  Teach people how to read and write, do basic accounting and budgeting.
3.       Swaasth – health.  Prevention is better than cure.  Teach good health habits.  Live a good happy life – do exercise.
4.       Swavlamban – become self sufficient in living.  Learn to support yourself, there is enough in the world to support everyone. 
5.       Naari jaagran – women empowerment.  Women make up about 50% of the population yet they are the least used resource.  If we can bring women in the work force then productivity and society can improve a great deal.  Men have to help with this…it has to be done together.
6.       Paryaavaran – environmentalism.  Protect the environment, save energy, reduce trash, global warming issues.
7.       Elimination of evil customs – be open minded about things.  Stop the culture of dhongi and blind superstition.

Evening session
Value of satsang
·         Satsang can be wih guru, wife, family or friends.
·        What is life? Live courageously, live happily and do things instead of waiting around for things to happen – i.e. get up and take action.
·         Truth will always win.
·         Life is time and time is life.

The talk was focused more on social activism.  Take action – do not just sit around doing nothing.  Don’t be lazy or just say 3 mala of Gayatri mantra thinking about the sun.  Instead make children brave and ideal citizens so they are ready for anything.  Teach them to respect women.  These days parents are overprotective of children so they don’t get hurt, but unless they get hurt how will they learn?

The talk was dispersed with inspirational songs. Very nicely done.

Personal Thoughts
Food is not getting better but I am getting smarter! Yesterday I saw someone take their daal in a glass, so I wizened up too!! From now on I carry a glass with me too.  And I was rewarded with the tasty kadhi today! How sweet are these small victories! Now I don’t have to drink my kadhi from the plate!! How dehaati was that!!

Leaving the session early this morning was also a blessing in disguise as it started raining and all my hard work of my laundry would have gone waste if I had not reached in time to take it down. 

I am up a lot in my jap now. I have to finish 30x9 mala in 21 days now instead of nine.  That is my promise to myself. 

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