anjali makaram 2011

saw you were sad too like me.
So here what you see is what I
brought with my OWN money!
That will be my moment, my
moment of happiness”.
Years passed. The boy’s
dream came true. He studied
hard, went to college, and got
a degree and got a job in a
reputed firm, with an excellent
salary. As he dreamed, he got
his first pay check also. The
story is ending with a question
to the readers. Will he buy what
he promised to himself years
ago? The answer is, most
probably he will not !
The next question is why
not? The answer to this
question is philosophical and
will lead us to discussion on
ultimate purpose of life and
spirituality. As desires,
priorities, likes and dislikes
change with maturity, we are
moving closer and closer
towards a different plane
where material objects dot not
mean much or we look at them
without any attachment.
The emotions and feelings
vary with different objects.
Relationship and attitude differ
but only to the perceiver. A
cigarette smoker gets attracted
by a pack of cigarette, but to a
non-smoker it does nothing, no
change of emotions whatever.
A drunkard gets excited by
seeing a bottle of alcohol. You
cannot say that a bottle of
alcohol or a pack of cigarette
got enchanted. In fact, it is the
other way round. You got
attracted by that inert object.
Your mind got trapped.
Change your mind, and you
have control over your actions!
What is important at one
plane of consciousness, as the
boy’s inclination towards
balloons and marbles, is not
important at another plane
where the boy is in the realm
of adulthood or old age.
Priorities changed. The man of
discretion and self control
raises himself to another plane
of consciousness - that is the
world familiar to him - this
world of material objects
and emotions and the
consequential attachments are
no longer troubling or pleasing
him.
The different levels of
experiences and consciousness
we enjoy as we grow can be
compared to our dream and
waking state. We cannot
experience the world of dream
and the world of waking state
at the same time. When we are
awake, in that new dimension
of consciousness, the world
familiar to us while we were in
the dream state is no more. The
self controlled man lives
amidst all of us, no doubt, but
he experiences a world of
greater joy and happiness. And
the familiar world where all of
us are living is a world of many
sorrows and tragedies, and
disappointments and dejec
tions. As long as we are in the
evel of consciousness where we
are attached to the worldly
pleasures, temptations, charms
and desires, and the resultant
disappointments, dejections,
sorrows and tragedies, no
doubt, this material world will
continue to fascinate us. But
when we reach the higher state
of consciousness and enjoy the
infinite bliss and look at this
world from outside, we will
understand the transient
nature of those worldly objects
and pleasures.
To understand the transience
and insignificance of this world
we have to raise ourselves above
the surroundings. But unfortu
nately, many times we are going
round and round in circles. Yes,
we are still looking for marbles
and balloons. But, when we
realize that they no longer
attract us, our journey towards
the realization of the ultimate
goal of life is getting smoother.
Mr. Kumar is an Electronic
Engineer by profession and is a
Federal Government employee, in
the Department of Defense. He has
been teaching Vedanta since 1987
in the Washington D.C. area and
has lead many Vedanta discussion
groups. He is an active member of
Chinmaya Mission, Washington,
D.C. He can be reached at
vijaykumar@rocketmail.com.
KHNA - 2011
Anjali January
41