is my new blog now. Please feel free to drop by and enjoying reading.
http://ynsaripa.wordpress.com/
http://ynsaripa.wordpress.com/
Monday, October 22, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The lightning
When the scorched earth lays dead and broken
And somewhere on this long road
The thunder of bruised hearts is all one can hear,
When the lightning of love strikes
Let us my dear, entwined
Hold these ropes of lightning
And careen through the skies
As the clouds of passion rain down...
A new earth, a new life...
Yoga
04/19/2012
And somewhere on this long road
The thunder of bruised hearts is all one can hear,
When the lightning of love strikes
Let us my dear, entwined
Hold these ropes of lightning
And careen through the skies
As the clouds of passion rain down...
A new earth, a new life...
Yoga
04/19/2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha
Ok Ok...Now for a change - from the poetic melancholy that dominates this blog.
I've recently read the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse again. I've read it 6 or 7 years ago while at grad school but appreciate it more now. Thought I'd post some thoughts on it. This book is a classic and recommend reading it.
Coming to the point:
Succinctly put, this book is about the journey of man trying to figure out himself and eventually finding himself and the inner peace he has always been longing for.
I'd skip the story part as it is better read as is than me trying to summarize it. I'd just focus on the main theme.
The emphasis is mainly on being individualistic and figuring out one's own path - being a non-conformist, reason it out ourselves and find the core of our contentment. Every man has to figure out his path - whatever it is and eventually find solace and contentment in it. There is another theme that resonates through the novel - that the world we live in is real and perfect. So, we are playing our role in making this world perfect. It is important to figure out what what we are : what is our being? This is what Siddhartha, the novel is all about.
Let's ponder on this for bit. At least to me, this gives an immense confidence in myself of not being perfect. I don't need to be perfect. Sans my imperfection, this world cannot be perfect. My role with my imperfections is not a bad thing to have happened. I don't need to "become" someone. I just need become myself (become what I am).
Siddhartha lives by three main principles - "Think, fast and wait". These are very profound and I thought I'd like to elaborate on this (credit goes to my mentor and friend Atanu for some elaboration on this).
Think:
This perhaps need not be elaborated. Most of us know what it is (although do not know how to! - At least I haven't known it for a while. Now of course am practicing how to think). But you probably get the idea. Basically reasoning out various phenomena around as we get curious about the workings of this world. Basic logical/analytic ability.
Fast:
This is in some sense, living within one's means or living with as much less as possible. The more we want, the more life can be miserable. In reality, one doesn't need much to live happily. My theory is that, we are happy to begin with and then we keep adding stuff to our life - become unhappy and then try to get rid of it slowly. To me the more we subtract, the happier we can be. This is the neti neti (not this, not this) logic. It is more like eliminating all the unnecessary stone such that sculpture manifests itself. There is an exception to this of course. Knowledge, wisdom, company of the wise, goodwill and good friends - the more the better! They need to keep on adding. I truly believe in this.
Wait:
It is important to be patient in life to be happy. Not everything is in our control. So, just accept the world as is, do our bit to the extent possible, let things happen naturally.
I'd suggest this book for all avid readers - and specially if you are in a soul-searching mode and/or in general an introspective kind of a person.
This prompted to me get other books of Herman Hesse - Demian and Steppenwolf, and also Narcissus and Goldmund. I am reading Demian now and may post some thoughts on it later. I heard Steppenwolf is also very good. It seem as though Hesse's main theme and the protagonists of his novels are non-conformists, deeply conflicted personalities and always trying to figure out who they are. His emphasis on the individual and freedom echo with me quite a bit. Some of his observations and comments have amazing insights. As you read the books you would realize the wisdom flowing and love to bathe in it.
Enjoy reading...
Yoga
I've recently read the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse again. I've read it 6 or 7 years ago while at grad school but appreciate it more now. Thought I'd post some thoughts on it. This book is a classic and recommend reading it.
Coming to the point:
Succinctly put, this book is about the journey of man trying to figure out himself and eventually finding himself and the inner peace he has always been longing for.
I'd skip the story part as it is better read as is than me trying to summarize it. I'd just focus on the main theme.
The emphasis is mainly on being individualistic and figuring out one's own path - being a non-conformist, reason it out ourselves and find the core of our contentment. Every man has to figure out his path - whatever it is and eventually find solace and contentment in it. There is another theme that resonates through the novel - that the world we live in is real and perfect. So, we are playing our role in making this world perfect. It is important to figure out what what we are : what is our being? This is what Siddhartha, the novel is all about.
Let's ponder on this for bit. At least to me, this gives an immense confidence in myself of not being perfect. I don't need to be perfect. Sans my imperfection, this world cannot be perfect. My role with my imperfections is not a bad thing to have happened. I don't need to "become" someone. I just need become myself (become what I am).
Siddhartha lives by three main principles - "Think, fast and wait". These are very profound and I thought I'd like to elaborate on this (credit goes to my mentor and friend Atanu for some elaboration on this).
Think:
This perhaps need not be elaborated. Most of us know what it is (although do not know how to! - At least I haven't known it for a while. Now of course am practicing how to think). But you probably get the idea. Basically reasoning out various phenomena around as we get curious about the workings of this world. Basic logical/analytic ability.
Fast:
This is in some sense, living within one's means or living with as much less as possible. The more we want, the more life can be miserable. In reality, one doesn't need much to live happily. My theory is that, we are happy to begin with and then we keep adding stuff to our life - become unhappy and then try to get rid of it slowly. To me the more we subtract, the happier we can be. This is the neti neti (not this, not this) logic. It is more like eliminating all the unnecessary stone such that sculpture manifests itself. There is an exception to this of course. Knowledge, wisdom, company of the wise, goodwill and good friends - the more the better! They need to keep on adding. I truly believe in this.
Wait:
It is important to be patient in life to be happy. Not everything is in our control. So, just accept the world as is, do our bit to the extent possible, let things happen naturally.
I'd suggest this book for all avid readers - and specially if you are in a soul-searching mode and/or in general an introspective kind of a person.
This prompted to me get other books of Herman Hesse - Demian and Steppenwolf, and also Narcissus and Goldmund. I am reading Demian now and may post some thoughts on it later. I heard Steppenwolf is also very good. It seem as though Hesse's main theme and the protagonists of his novels are non-conformists, deeply conflicted personalities and always trying to figure out who they are. His emphasis on the individual and freedom echo with me quite a bit. Some of his observations and comments have amazing insights. As you read the books you would realize the wisdom flowing and love to bathe in it.
Enjoy reading...
Yoga
Monday, January 23, 2012
San Francisco
A burning heart
And commotion in the eyes
Yet seemingly serene
Every face...
In this beautiful city
Every word measured
And every step with a caution
Yet in the veil of an alluring trust
Every action...
In this beautiful city
Limitless ambition
And an aggressive pursuit
In the trail of destruction
Every path...
In this beautiful city
And all those happy smiles,
The illusion of happiness
Yet enveloped by eerie loneliness
Every story...
In this beautiful city
01/23/2012
Some what inspired after listening to the song "seene mein jalan..." from the movie Gaman....
And commotion in the eyes
Yet seemingly serene
Every face...
In this beautiful city
Every word measured
And every step with a caution
Yet in the veil of an alluring trust
Every action...
In this beautiful city
Limitless ambition
And an aggressive pursuit
In the trail of destruction
Every path...
In this beautiful city
And all those happy smiles,
The illusion of happiness
Yet enveloped by eerie loneliness
Every story...
In this beautiful city
01/23/2012
Some what inspired after listening to the song "seene mein jalan..." from the movie Gaman....
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The dive
From atop the precipice
I step forward
And I dive...
Dive deep into the depths unknown
I close my eyes and feel
The air caressing me
The swish...and my body
Before "I" am smashed to smithereens
And then -
I shine like the pale blue dot
Suspended in the sunbeam.
Yoga
11/15/2011
PS:- Pale blue dot is the reference from one of Carl Sagan's space episodes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M
I step forward
And I dive...
Dive deep into the depths unknown
I close my eyes and feel
The air caressing me
The swish...and my body
Before "I" am smashed to smithereens
And then -
I shine like the pale blue dot
Suspended in the sunbeam.
Yoga
11/15/2011
PS:- Pale blue dot is the reference from one of Carl Sagan's space episodes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M
Monday, November 14, 2011
Let us
Weep, weep our hearts out
As the numbers and statistics
Keep coming like the tears unstoppable
Let us weep, weep our hearts out...
After all they are just the numbers...
Numbers of the dead
Dead by innumerous means
Like the opportunities this country has to offer.
Numbers of the hungry
As they wail like the highway
When run over by our luxuries this country has to offer.
After all they are just numbers...
Numbers lined up at the burial ground they live in
What they call it their homeland in its eerie silence
As silent as our indifference to the suffering that unfolds.
Spilled out like the bullets dropping
From the arms of the arms traders and economic hitmen
Entrapped in their games like we are in the daily play
After all...they are just numbers
Numbers that keep piling
Only to become a reference
Of our eventual helpless impotence...
Let us weep, weep one last time
One last time...
Yoga
11/14/2011
PS:- Bertrand Russell wrote, “The mark of a truly civilized human being is the ability to read a column of numbers and then weep,”
As the numbers and statistics
Keep coming like the tears unstoppable
Let us weep, weep our hearts out...
After all they are just the numbers...
Numbers of the dead
Dead by innumerous means
Like the opportunities this country has to offer.
Numbers of the hungry
As they wail like the highway
When run over by our luxuries this country has to offer.
After all they are just numbers...
Numbers lined up at the burial ground they live in
What they call it their homeland in its eerie silence
As silent as our indifference to the suffering that unfolds.
Spilled out like the bullets dropping
From the arms of the arms traders and economic hitmen
Entrapped in their games like we are in the daily play
After all...they are just numbers
Numbers that keep piling
Only to become a reference
Of our eventual helpless impotence...
Let us weep, weep one last time
One last time...
Yoga
11/14/2011
PS:- Bertrand Russell wrote, “The mark of a truly civilized human being is the ability to read a column of numbers and then weep,”
Monday, November 07, 2011
The moon rises on the other side of the bay
As the day melts
In the golden gleam of this city
And the reddish hues of the sky,
When the night cozies herself
In the blanket of the stars
Meditating in the long silence...
With your thoughts lapping on my heart
Like the notes of the Gnossienne,
I smile resting in peace as you shine on
Like the moonlight on these still waters.
And bathing in this moonlight I forget
That the morning is just a few hours away...
Yoga
08-18-2011
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