Om Swami's Blog, page 13

Finding your meaning and purpose in life are synonymous to fulfillment and awakening. As a philosopher you might ponder over the meaning of life, but if you want to be happy, it’s the meaning in life that matters.  Call it ... Read more →

Dear swami My wife has finally committed suicide……I am responsible for her death… My admin team received this message in the wee hours of the morning last week from a loving and distraught husband. He then wrote requesting a personal ... Read more →

Today, I’ve turned forty. At least, this body has; ignorance doesn’t age, it remains fresh as ever. Now, I know that turning forty is not exactly an achievement, certainly nothing to write home about. But, I am extremely content, happy and ... Read more →

Bhagavan Mahavira (540 - 468 BCE) was passing through a village in the kingdom of Magadha (present-day Bihar) with many doting initiates in tow. His ganadhara,1 followed their master with such extraordinary devotion and surrender that it baffled everyone unfamiliar ... Read more →

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It was the Sunday after Christmas. 26 December 2004. You can say that it started out quietly, like every other morning. Even the ocean had been unusually calm the past few days. The waves you would usually hear crashing against ... Read more →

"Why is it so hard to tame the mind?" Someone asked me the other day. "When I sit down to meditate or in general too, at times, some thought or feeling out of nowhere overpowers me completely. Is there a ... Read more →

We all have weaknesses. Let me tell you mine. At least one of them. Here:

I don’t offer explanations. I can’t. The explanation bone is missing in my body.

When someone questions my decisions or my intention, instead of justifying my actions, I simply withdraw and let time reveal the truth. If our thinking aligns, you’ll come back, if it doesn’t, you’ll move on. Either way, it’s a win-win. I feel if I have to explain, they are not ready for me. I am more than happy for them to seek their happiness elsewhere rather than struggling to fathom my thought process.

But, that’s not a good enough explanation now, is it? For, at times, to save a relationship or to allay the fears and concerns of those around you, you have to give an explanation. They expect it. Maybe, you owe it to them. The past week has been adventurous. We had been working on my new blog for over a year. I changed development teams, designers, payment gateways and service providers to get the website to a stage where I could look at it and say, yes, this looks beautiful. My blog is important to me because it is my personal playground. I went for la crème de la crème in every single aspect because I wanted to welcome you to a beautiful home, that’s warm, clutter-free and inviting. It represents how I keep things in my brain, it’s my inner world on a screen.

As totally expected, however, many readers are not happy with the change. Somehow, a lot of people in the world have a weird relationship with money and a fantastical, if not skewed, view of what makes something or someone spiritual. Apparently, if there’s any money changing hands then you are a commercial tyrant, a bean-counter, someone out there to loot people. Of those who wrote in, some hurled very unique kind of profanities that amused me (not my support team though, who were deeply hurt).

To publicize obscenities or expletives is a little too garish for my taste, so here’s an ultra-small sample of some clean criticism (verbatim and sic):

Why don’t you just go back in the corporate and mint money? For six years I read your articles for free and now just one day you start asking for money!!!! Why?
I knew this day was coming. You hv become like other babas. What’s next? A scandal? A selfie wid Modi?
Why are you Commercializing this thing? If Swamiji’s articles were free up-till now, why need to pay now? In what direction are you going? Please make the articles free.
I am disappointed in Om Swami because using artha he has limited the access to Gyana which has never boded well. I used to enjoy reading articles but since everything even an article is limited now, you may be becoming materialistic. If Om was a true Swami he would have licenced this under Commons because he is trying to energise society and would have made every thing accessible. This is the start of becoming a Cult. I am very sad today by your actions.
Sad to see you restricting browsing your website content to members only… It looks more like market savy, money hungry baba’s portal now. I am interested but not inclined to buy membership. Can u give me free membership??
What’s wrong with you? Have you gone mad? This is not normal…this is not the conduct of a saint. Where are you blowing all your money?

Why this Kolaveri Di?

First of all, I didn’t know that a scandal was followed by a selfie with Modi. I hadn’t the foggiest idea that hungry babas’ portals had a certain look and feel. They didn’t teach me those things in my MBA. My 20 years of e-business strategy experience had been sans that insight. I didn’t realize that true Swamis licensed their work under Commons.

Of course, there were many who were happy that I finally made this move. Some said paying for membership made them feel they could reciprocate and show me how much they loved me and valued my writings. Others even chose not to use their gift code. All up some 700 people, across all forms of memberships, have joined the new blog. From 12,000+ subscribed readers, we now have a loving community of 700+ members. We need a minimum of 600 members to pay for the costs associated with maintaining this blog and we have already hit that mark.

I love how the number of readers has gone down to six percent of the original subscribers; I couldn’t be happier to tell you the truth. Why?

In the last five years, the number one complaint I have heard from people is that the ashram or my following is growing at a fast pace, or that they liked the earlier times much better, or that I’m not the same anymore (maybe true) or that the ashram is not the same anymore (also true) and what not. Most of us have this tendency: to search our future in our past, to align our aspirations with our memories. A sign of ignorance. I am not a fan of crowds myself. Those who know me know that I spend most part of the year in solitude. I can’t reverse the transformation the Himalayas bestowed upon me. I am ekanta-priya, ekaki.

So there you go. Now, with this move, I’ve raised the barrier to entry. In one stroke, we have filtered out all those who have a different approach to life and a different understanding of spirituality to mine. I can’t help them anyway if our thinking varies so vastly. Now, we’ll get a certain quality of people who value what I write. I have held from the outset that I am not cut out for everyone and not every seeker will agree with me. I am surprised when my critics think that the blog could have remained free. Quality costs. I mean, don’t you enjoy fine things? The footage you see behind every post, well, it’s US$60 a pop. (By the end of December, every single one of the 400+ posts will have a unique video). Extravagant and unnecessary, some might contend. I say it enhances the experience of the blog. If you are a student or can’t afford to pay but wish to read, write to us and be nice. You’ll be surprised at what all is possible when you ask something nicely.

And nothing could be further from the truth that I decided this on a whim. In Jan 2016, I wrote (here) that as I enter the next decade of my time on this planet, I intend to spend a bit more time on writing. Will I? I’m not sure, but with the new blog, the quality of my interaction with those who wish to hear what I have to say will certainly go up. And, quality is one thing I’ve never compromised on.

As far as I’m concerned, money is an enabler to getting things done, and if it’s needed to shape this blog the way I envisage, well then, I am not going to do a fundraising campaign. Instead, if you see value in Swami’s works then let’s build it together contributing what we can. To make this world a better place is as much your job as it is mine or anyone else’s. It’s not just me but each one of us has borrowed our present from our future generations and it’s our collective responsibility to build a society that cares about each other, the one that knows how to express their disagreements in a civil manner than hurling abuses, a world which is a bit more tolerant. And if that requires resources, including money, I don’t see a problem with that. Money has never been so important in my life that it becomes the chief criterion of differentiating a commercial act from a spiritual one. Swami becomes Om because he suggests that you part with a cup of coffee a month to continue reading this blog? That cracks me up.

And, for those of you who have joined me, let’s rejoice and celebrate because everything’s going to get better as you and I connect and interact more. Plus, we’ll be surrounded by more like-minded people. You have trusted me and the one thing I value above everything else is trust. So much so, I never ask for a second chance when it comes to protecting your trust, and by the same definition, I don’t give a second chance. Trust me once and it’s forever. Break it once and it’s probably gone forever.

Your love inspires me to give you everything that I have. This blog is not just my playground, it’s ours. Watch the future unfold and beautiful things happen, right here.

The journey to awakening is done alone. Until then, walk with me, if you will.

Peace.

Swami

P.S. If you wish to signup for membership, you can use “osme” (without quotes) as the gift code for a surprise discount. Valid for one week.

In Indian villages, even today, when an elephant passes through a village, all the elders gather and fold their hands in reverence. They also nudge the children to do the same and bow to the majestic pachyderm. “This is Lord ... Read more →

In Indian villages, even today, when an elephant passes through a village, all the elders gather and fold their hands in reverence. They also nudge the children to do the same and bow to the majestic pachyderm. “This is Lord Ganesha,” they say. And the kids quickly bring their hands together in reverence and holler, “Ganapati Bappa Morya!” and so on. The women step out of their homes to offer sweetmeats, lentils, flour, fruits and veggies to the mahout. Some feed the elephant bananas and sugarcane.

While this procession is on the move, a fascinating, though unsettling, thing happens: all the stray dogs of the village, puppies included, start following the elephant, barking and growling relentlessly.

What problem could the dogs possibly have with the elephant? It’s not like they are a match in any way. What competition could the hounds and pooches pose to the mighty tusker?

I’m sure if someone could ask the dogs the reason for their incessant barking, they would answer, “We have no problem with the elephant per se. It’s these people folding hands and offering all that food to the elephant that bothers us.”

But, the dogs don’t have the nerve to jump in front of the elephant or block his way. They will never come in front and will never stop barking from the back.

And so is the way of the world—the more the number of those who look up to you and stand in front with gifts, the greater the number of those who will bark behind you.

The elephant, however, never stops to shoo away the dogs or to tackle them. It keeps on walking, indifferent to the uncouth and clownish behavior of the dogs. But what makes the elephant truly unique and masterful is not just that it doesn’t stop for the dogs. It’s something more profound.

If the elephant doesn’t stop for the dogs, it doesn’t halt for the ones bowing in reverence either.

It remains unmoved by both the glory and the growls. Our true self is beyond praise and criticism, it is beyond disease, death and decay. It shines in its own splendor. (Though a common analogy, someone had shared this story with me from a discourse by Swami Rajeshwaranand.)

The emotions we experience when showered with praises or hit with criticism are temporary feelings that mostly arise when we forget how incredibly empowered and powerful we truly are.

The path of success is littered with opinions and suggestions. Everyone you meet will have some kind of an opinion and you are likely to cross paths with many who won’t believe in you. They will give you a million reasons why you will fail. It’s alright, that’s all they know. You’ll also meet some who may offer you false praise, just to attain a desired outcome. It’s the way of the material world. Then you’ll also meet some who are genuine and will influence your life in a phenomenal way.

Like the elephant, if you can keep your head on your shoulders and remain unmoved by such people and have faith in your own conviction as well as the wisdom to know when and how much to listen to someone, success is yours for the taking.

When I sat down to write this book, in fact, I should say when I stood up to write this book (because I do all my writing while walking on a treadmill desk), there was no confusion in my mind as to what I wished to say. I felt there was no need for me to reinvent the wheel. Wiser words by more brilliant people have been written before me and the same will continue after me. But, what if we could take some cues from our Vedic wisdom and approach success as a journey and not an attainment. I felt we would end up with powerful principles and insights that anyone could use in their daily life.

An understanding of the self—that you are not a product of the opinions of others but of your own thoughts, feelings and actions—is critical to attaining supreme success in any endeavor you wish to undertake.

Who, what and how you are is infinitely more important than how you plan to embark on your journey of success.

The S in Self represents the S of the Sacred Principle. But, this S could also mean many other things. Sale, for example. Just as a person cannot exist without a self, no business can survive without a profitable sale…

This was an excerpt from my latest book, The Heart of Success, published by Jaico Publishing. It was on my mind to share with you the first chapter but it’s already available on Amazon, so I shared the third chapter instead. In this book, I introduce you to the Sacred principle of success, as I call it. Where S in Sacred stands for Self in a spiritual context or Sale in the business world. And, ACRED stands for, wait a minute, it’s an anagram of CARED and it contains READ. So, if you care to read it, you’ll know what it stands for. Better be quick because more reading material coming for you in November!

Available in both Kindle and paperback, here are the links:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Peace.
Swami

14 Awesome and inspiring books (print and Kindle)

[new!] The Children of Tomorrow :: Buy on: amazon.in | amazon.com
The Hidden Power of Gayatri Mantra :: Buy on: amazon.in | amazon.com
The Book of Faith :: Buy on: amazon.in | amazon.com
Mind Full to Mindful :: Buy on: amazon.in | amazon.com
A Fistful of Wisdom :: Buy on: amazon.in | amazon.com
The Ancient Science of Mantras :: Buy on: amazon.in | amazon.com
The Last Gambit :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com
A Million Thoughts: Learn All About Meditation :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com
Om Swami: As We Know Him :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com
Kundalini — An Untold Story :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com
When All is Not Well :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com
If Truth Be Told :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com
The Wellness Sense :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com
A Fistful Of Love :: Buy on: Flipkart | amazon.in | amazon.com