Self Realization

Hello folks.Please excuse my long absence.
Today, lets talk about spirituality, enormity of universe, existence of God and significance of our existence, all wrapped into one. Talking about spirituality, the first step in its direction is letting go of one's self ego.Being spiritual is like becoming a formless liquid which takes the shape of the vessel; like a spiritual person blends himself according to the laws of nature and the voice of inner self.A spiritual being has no entity;he makes himself a channel for the energy of the universe to flow through him and guide him in his actions.

I will try to explain this in another way.Stretch your perspective a bit.Imagine yourself to be on the moon or any other planet apart from the earth from where you can look down upon the earth.How does it look?A tiny ball,isn't it? Imagine your existence and its significance in that tiny ball.Just wonder about it.It makes you realize the vastness of our solar system and this is just one solar system; there are hundreds of solar system beyond ours, in this universe.Just sit back in solitude and absorb the magnitude of the universe.What does that make you feel about your existence? Significant or insignificant? I will say both.

Let me take the liberty to explain this strange answer later.Right now,let me take you into another direction.Just wonder, at this point of time when you are at the zenith of your feelings;does it really matter what kind of a mobile you carry?Or whether you have a Baleno or a Maruti?Or whether your flat is luxurious or what your bank balance is?or whether you wear branded clothes, and so on and on.I guess your answer will be a big NO.You will realize that such frivolous , inconspicuous things do not matter after all.

At this point of time and space when you feel your existence in relation to the vastness of the universe, you will understand the shloka in Bhagwad Geeta about Nishkam Karma; and believe me you will be encompassed with such peace and joy that you have never experienced before; joy which is as vast and infinite as the universe itself.It is at this moment you will experience the true meaning of spirituality.

Now coming back to my earlier question whether the vastness of the universe makes you feel significant or insignificant?I had said both.Let me elaborate on this.It makes you feel significant since you are part of this great existence;but at the same time you are just acting as a channel through which the energy of the nature or say the universe flows.As someone has rightly said "I am God and God is me".So what is God? It is You and Me and the Universe.

Entrepreneurship -- money or salvation?

After reading few articles of contemporary Indian entrepreneurs, I am forced to write about my view of entrepreneurship. The focus of this piece would be talk about where does the power, to handle the ambiguities that entrepreneurship has to offer, comes from. Further, please take the content of this article with a pinch of salt as this is from a struggling entrepreneur who has not got even a single product out of the door yet:).

Several people have claimed that entrepreneurs take this risky venture with a strong motive to accumulate wealth. Fewer others have alleged that the entrepreneurs are after fame and success. Let me first address these two claims about entrepreneurship. I think people who become entrepreneurs for money have it completely wrong – because however money you can earn – their will be someone richer than you – so what’s the point in slogging so much. Now, the second one if entrepreneur is doing it for fame – he/she is more disillusioned than the first one as you are soon going to be a football of other’s opinions and you will have to every now and then live upto someone else’s expectations – I am sure not a good proposition.

Now let’s look at it with another lens – entrepreneurship as one optimal way of attaining the divine. If we read Geeta, it is clear that the first stage of attaining salvation or God is Nishkam Karma Yoga (Yoga of self less action) followed by Jnana Yoga (Yoga of knowledge) and Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion). One can never be ready for the stage of Bhakti Yoga till the time he/she has become completely detached – the essential outcomes of Nishkam Karm Yoga and Jnana Yoga. So, where does entrepreneurship figure into this complex web of spirituality?

Well if you view entrepreneurship as another way to produce something (product or service) for societal good (without expecting anything for yourself) you are in some sense taking the purest form of Nishkam karma Yoga - essentially readying you to for the future stages of Bhakti Yoga. Entrepreneurship, due to its sheer nature (your choice of products), provides you more degrees of freedom to do societal good. Additionally, higher societal pressures test your perseverance to detach yourself from the results of your venture. So, all in all this freedom that entrepreneurship inherently provides and the testing situation that it produces for you, proves to be a great place to practice Nishkam karma yoga – one of the pre-requisites to attain salvation.

Some may argue that since you are completely detached from the results of your actions, how would you give everything that you have to the venture. I will argue about the pursuit of excellence without expectation of anything in my next post.

Spiritual Education

So, I just ended up a discussion over phone with an expert thoughtful educationist. We were talking about buildingBlocks and what it aims to achieve. Upfront, we shared the thoughts on the conspicuous absence of spirituality from education. I am convinced that spirituality needs to play a role in our education system.

I would love to hear what you think about the role of spirituality in education. It's very important for our curriculum team to use your feedback -- so kindly contribute.