O memories hold on

The orange painted sky
That magnificent view daily different
The rich canvas viewed from building terrace
O memory its sweetness do not wipe

The cycle that I loved
That I learnt my cycling from
That built my muscles for life

Took me every road to school and home
That I would shine every Thursday afternoon
That cycle may I remember, always even if it never could

Those books and chess and football tests
The poetry recitations byheart
The days of life in old years gone by

This Life is made of trifles as school father said
O memories may these you always carry ahead

Anand ki Leela

Holding my hands, first both then one, walking all around, home, and stairs outside.
You are always full, of laughter and mirth, couldn't be more, true to your name
You want whatever, your brother holds; you don't like if anyone, has an upset frown.
You have slowly learnt, in your thirteenth month, how to have it, all your way. Your stubborn cry, till we get it right, has me smiling, when I look behind.
And you show the same, love for music we have; Dancing in rhythm, to Amritavarsham tunes!

The happiness through touch

Don't you think he feels by mirth
When being carried around in search of sleep
The bliss and happiness I feel in his hug
And when I think of him wailing to be picked

I believe our minds, our feelings are porous
Just as the food carries the mind of the cook
Babies sense the mood changing, cries when his brother does
And rolls in laughter at even things that make no sense

Shivalinga

The glorious Shivalinga is truth
The form of Shiva just for our eyes

But the Shivalinga is him
As we just the Atman within

A thumb sized flame
Part of that blazing pillar

I bow in prayer and devotion
To that endless truth

A newborn touch

The touch of bliss the human feels
When he holds the child, and the child holds tight
There is no greater, feeling of trust
Than the child smiling back, a toothless joy

The blessings worth, the newborn bundle
The showers of mirth, the calmness within
You look with happiness, at the baby crying
There is tiredness, but  with strength of giving

Don't miss it

A part of you, belongs there
You miss it, and long to go back there
You grapple your sources, your friends and resources

There is all here, you don't deny that
But a pang exists, and one can't deny that
It's all right, like the memory of first love

Places and people, they all are of nature
There isn't a cause here, of the joys and knots felt
You will be led, like every life is
Karmas fulfilled, until you exhaust it

Not the doer

As leaves blown away by afternoon winds
As the ripples of the lake  scurry outward nowhere
I have sitting under trees watched all this and wondered
Isn't that just how life goes yonder

No matter what you think, you believe or feel
There was not one thing, you did on your own
Led by karmas of the past, weaving those to the future
Futile until realised, bound by none at all

The results in current life is Prarabdha, the actions lead to Agama

Indeed complicated are the behaviours and manifestations of Karma. We are taught that the current birth is the result of that past Karma. We are exhausting our current (Prarabdha) Karma. Even Jivanmuktas who stop accumulating Karma, have to live on until their Prarabdha Karma gets exhausted.
Sanchita Karma on the other hand is Karma from the past that has expired.
And Agama Karma is what most of us humans are accumulating, which will show results in future birth.
But there is also the apparently direct experience that when I sow the seeds, the crops grow. If I do not, they won't. If I study hard, then I'll get good marks, else I won't.
It really does seem so, but is it truly so? If it was indeed as simple as that, why does direct experience also report results to the contrary. We all have seen that we prepare hard at times, and yet the result is not in our favour. You slip when running the race, or your train is delayed to the exam location. Or you make that silly mistake in the exam or project.
Why do you think one of Krishna's best advices was to not get anxious about the result. That you don't have any control or even the right to it. That indeed the best approach is to surrender all efforts to God. This we because of two reasons:
- The purpose of life is to get moksha and stop the constant accumulation of Karma. Surrendering effort as service to God stops any expectation of results, and helps stop the accumulation of Karmic results that have to bear fruit later.
- The mechanics of the working of Karma: It's hard to believe but based on the experience of our ancestors who developed the theory of Karma, all the results that you get today were actually earned by efforts in the previous birth. There is also an exception to the rule that if the effort was intense, it shows result early i.e. in the current birth itself. This is difficult to explain and has a level of subjectivity. It is also difficult to prove from the standpoint of direct experience.
But also understand this is why Life does not look fair which all of us experience. People seem to get results despite not having earned them.
First lesson is to accept that they have earned it indeed, even if in the past life. And that for their wrongdoing now, they will get the resultant punishment, if not now then in the next Life.
Life and Karma are really most fair!

No comparing

Why to compare, when your purpose is known
Yes those you worked with, earn far more or less today
Those you laughed with, cry or are in bliss today
Those with varying skills, are doing things totally different

But can you ever see, what's inside them, when that's what only matters
Is there the peace, or even pursuit of it
Is there the blessings, of being with loved ones, when it matters most

There can be no comparing in this
To each his own, the purpose known
Not here you to earn the most
Indeed rather to earn what comes

Let go, you are not the doer

There is the laughter, the chuckle of children
The bubbling joy of being born, the mirth of playing in mud
We think our life is full of tensions
Just watch how children live with none

It is nothing but ego, the feeling of importance
The feeling that I am the doer of all
Forgetting that there is a higher power
That brought us here, gave us this all.

Buy organic or settle for cheap

We all know it's good for us. We all know feeding ourselves with pesticides and some also agree that eating genetically modified or artificially grown stuff does not seem correct. Yet, we do it..

And the reason for this reflects the short-sightedness with which people live life today: The immediate cost

Gone are the times when our forefathers prayed and thanked God before eating. Or mentally offered the food first to those we are indebted to for this Life. Who knows, even the gods rather not eat the chemicals mixed into our food..

Organic food is grown sustainably, and using natural ingredients for seed, soil, fertilizer and pesticides. It is even scientifically shown that usage of chemicals makes the soil arid over time.

Of course, this investment to ensure we use nature's gifts while not abusing or exploiting it means an artificially created higher cost today than natural options. But isn't it worth it, considering we would thus be protecting it for our children!
Think about it: We humans have been cultivators for centuries. It's only now that with the use of chemicals that resources are getting poisoned. Isn't that reason enough to put an end to it and go back to natural means of growing things.

And when you go back to root causes for this, it started with human greed, to achieve a higher yield per capita. Not very different from consuming steroids at the peril of our own long term health for a short term advantage!

It is also known these days through scientific studies that keep getting muffled in the noises made by vested interests that reading chemical laden stuff is carcinogenic.
Yet common sense is not common, very much like how the stacks are put up against Ayurveda.
And we continue to eat the proliferated poisons.

Prayer to Devi and Maheshwara

Shiva Maheshwara Jatadhara Deva
Guide this ignorant one, you keeps repeating folly

With Devi thy consort, this delusioned soul seeks comfort
As a mother cajoles, to wake up and go forth

May you both forever reside
Light the darkness of my heart
Clear the cobwebs of desire
And fill the emptiness with nectar

Silence in Love

Silence marked the love in both
They needn't words just as nature works

They held hands, she trusted him
Which in turn, gave him confidence

Leaves swaying in breeze, would best describe
The union of two, bound by silent love

When ignorance is tired

In this world of Avidya
Where we live out the wishes of senses
Mother Devi please bless me
Relieve me from the cycle of lifetimes

Tired my soul, has seen it all and again
Forgets the past and fooled into repeating again
Meant to live out karmas but keeps building on
Mother wake the Tired Atma, from sleep in your lap

Four feathers that fell

Didn't complain at the irony of destiny
They fell to the ground with no one around
They left a mark in Karmic path
That till today inspire peace

World out there, Life in here

We miss the beauty of the world around
In routines the world has tied is to
The schedules the commutes the various chores
Leaves no time but still focus
Not supposed to look around

The expectations we let others set up for us
Makes mind ruthless with this Life
A life that's gifted, meant to live complete
A Life with purpose, to achieve Moksha is forgotten

Excel with what you do right now
But plan and set expectation to stop, no matter what the cost
Look past the crimson sun, at birds flying to their nests
Absorb the vast blue sky we live beneath,
And the green pond reflecting trees

Sit down in quiet and search within
For emptiness precious, throw out the rest
Forgive and let go, enjoy the music and walk
The opinion of others never mattered, don't fret and burn out in it

Let our voice and vote ask for more
Not just money, but a Life fulfilled

Last and most important of all
Insist life is joy, and all you do

The Nimitham Maatram

The desires ripened will fall off
And free the branches to grow high

Blow as the leaf and realise
The Gods of the senses do it

You, fellow creature
The Nimitham Maatram

The Mind inside exhausted
Does the God's bidding, acting

Comes to the point of Karma fulfilled
And there lays down all ties

You, the Karmic mind
The Nimitham Maatram

The Atman entrapped realises
That It is something greater

It was never, can never be curtailed
Expands the Atman to all
Transcends time and space

Laughs and smiles with compassion
It all is just so simple

There never were two, but the creation of one's mind
You the Atman were Never
The Nimitham Maatram

Prayer to set free

O Devi your child
Moves deluded in darkness
Eats poison fruits ignorant
Bless me Amme, set me free

I know not Maya
I love thy richness
But from rebirth waves
Do lead me ashore

The demons within
Destroy as Kali
The firm truths teach
As Devi Saraswati
And hold my hand
Guide me Parvathy!

Apply AI with ROI

There is currently a lot being talked about AI (Artificial Intelligence). It's being portrayed as having the ability to automate almost all use cases involving human intelligence. Cognitive i.e. being able to apply learning to real life unpredictable situations is being touted as the underlying foundation of this path. And the driverless Google car or the Sophie the Robot which received a Saudi citizenship are the best examples.

While all this may be true and rosy, the basics of Why and at what Cost should not be lost upon.
There are a plethora of instances where the services of a human at the other end will cost lesser than employing an automated solution, or worse, a robot.

I'll use the scenario of av automated solution or a robot to replace say bank customer service.
I'll first tackle Cost: Typically metrics are shared about ROI in terms of cost of human services multiplied by a number of years by which time the cost of building, teaching and deploying the robot would prove worthwhile. What's conveniently forgotten in these metrics is the cost of maintenance. Continuous teaching, fixing bugs, upgrading to latest Security threats and processing requirements. These could all drive up costs proportionality. Investment one could rather have made in building new businesses.
The other is Why: If you got fooled by the above ROI calculations, you are not an astute businessman anyways. But if you are looking at replacing specific areas of customer service then it might as well be smart! The reason for automation should be to provide better customer service in the first place, than to reduce cost. There should be no wait times for any customer who calls. If there are things than automation can immediately service, then give that route. Else if customer needs to speak to a human, give them that option in the main menu itself.

This is not to say that there are very valid scenarios like driverless cars where AI makes total sense.
But I can foresee a day when businesses will market that customers will speak to real humans for service calls, as a selling point for whatever product or service they are trying to sell.

This will really turn the tables on AI!

Sequence of Mahavakyas

We know the four Mahavakyas of Vedanta which are meant for contemplation on our reality and oneness with Brahman.

I have also thought and felt that there is a sequence in which these need to be meditated upon and realised.
The Mahavakyas also display a sequence of maturity. Below is the way I would sequence them in terms of profoundness and depth of meaning, from lower to higher:

1) Ayam Atmava Brahman: My Atman is Brahman. There is no enforcement of the fact that I am the Atman alone. I could well consider myself a combination of Atman (soul), Mind and body. And that one of these components (Atman) is Brahman.

2) Prajnanam Brahman: My consciousness is Brahman. That takes me to the next level of depth. We all feel conscious. And a sense of individuality. Also Prajnanam means a lot more, at the superficial level itself I understand that I and this feeling of consciousness, is Brahman. This consciousness some may even associate with the brain our mind. So now I understand that part is Brahman. I may still feel I have other parts as body and soul, of which soul also is Brahman. It should lead me to contemplate that if two parts of mine are Brahman, I might be the combination and two separate parts of soul and mind. And thus inferring, my body also could be Brahman. And that I'm Brahman as a hold. But is that so? The intellect might look for validation if the mind is thinking too much.

3) Tat Tvam Asi: You are That. Voila! This is the validation the intellect was looking for. So I am that Brahman. It clearly implies that. Isn't it?

4) Aham Brahmasmi: I am Brahman. Reinforces the idea and specifically calls it to be a fact.

So Aham Brahmasmi is the culmination of all the Mahavakyas. But to understand it's true import, the previous Mahavakyas are equally important to be meditated upon, and first!