Temporary

“People who love to eat are always the best people” – Julia Child

 

Now what is food doing on the temporary section, some people have an eternal love for food, however I noticed that once your stomach is full you don’t even feel like smelling or looking at food how much ever you love it. That is definitely the case with me, be it the homemade selections or the exotic restaurant ones ….so I feel craving is a temporary feeling. What do you say???

DP Photo Challenge: Temporary

Peek

“No object is mysterious, the mystery is your eye” – Elizabeth Bowen

Pic credit: Naresh Saginala

You can find yogi’s any where in India, some new bee’s, some in the process, some who might have attained higher consciousness and some just pretending to be one. Looking at this one I wondered – is he a genuine one or a fake!!!  Is he meditating, contemplating or he is just tired and relaxing? What made him give up worldly pleasures and adorn saffron robes and roam the streets without shoes on his feet, a roof on his head? What could his life have been before he decided to take this path? Is he repenting his decision or is he in bliss already? Was it his true calling or just an influence?

I would never know ….!!!

DP Photo Challenge: Peek

Rounded

OM – purifies ego establish generosity,

MA – purifies jealousy establish ethics,

NI – purifies desire establish patience,

PAD – purifies prejudice establish perseverance,

ME – purifies possessiveness establish concentration,

HUM – purify hatred establish wisdom

This Diwali we went on a diversity trip – one of the destinations was Namgyal Monastery (Dalai Lama’s Temple), I came to know many wonderful things about Tibetans and their culture – and I am in the process of putting it in a blog. For now let’s talk about the Mani\Prayer wheel –  these are devices for spreading spiritual blessings and well being. Rolls of thin paper, imprinted with many, many copies of the mantra(Om Mani Padme Hum), printed in an ancient Indian script(Sanskrit) or in Tibetan script, are wound around an axle in a protective container and spun around and around. Tibetan’s  believe that chanting or spunning of the mantra invokes the spiritual power and blessing of Chenrezig(Tibetan name)\Avalokiteshwara. They believe that Chenrezig is within us because love and compassion are not qualities added to the mind but are inherent in our true nature. Wonderful people, place and teachings!!!

Reference: http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/prayer-wheel.htm

DP Photo Challenge: Rounded

Glow

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light” – Aristotle

Picture of the Golden Temple: Sri Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar. It is a treat for the eyes and peace to the mind.

DP Photo Challenge: Glow

Scale

“Little Steps – Big Impact”

My Bachi, little creature who had\has a huge impact in our lives. It been a year since he is gone but we still miss him the same. I still wonder how he might have returned back to this world – again as a dog, a cow which stared at me, the lizard which refuses to leave my room,  a human whom I might meet after some years; or is his karmic debt cleared and he is gone for good.

DP Photo Challenge: Scale

Pedestrian

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” – Confucius

The two things I enjoy as a pedestrian in India is the simplicity around me and the colors. Even after such technological advances you can always find places where people and things move at a turtle pace and it all looks so peaceful and connected to nature.

Cattle herd returning home after leisurely grazing the whole day. BIT Mesra, Ranchi, the place where I was brought up and completed my education. Life there is so slooowww, nothing much has changed yet. All the while I was there I wanted to move to the city and to fast life and now I spend humongous amounts of money for a peaceful day or two.

Shopping market at Church Complex, Ranchi.

Love the Indian shops they are all so colorful and bright. They never fail to change my mood 🙂

DP Photo Challenge: Pedestrian

Satisfaction

“Wake up with determination and sleep with satisfaction” – Unknown

Since my childhood I had an obsession with the Rubik cube – every once in a while I would buy one and fail at it.

But in the present day (thanks to technology) I got a tutor online on  Youtube. Though it took me several days to follow him, finally I solved it. Oh… I was so ecstatic as if I was the only genius in the world. Below is the picture of my achievement.

DP Photo Challenge: Satisfaction

Bridge

“OM, udbudhyasvagne prati jagrihi tvamishtapurte samsrijethamayam cha, asmin sadhasthe adhyuttarasmin vishve deva yajamanascha sidata.”  – source

O Fire, please wake up, please get up. And in your arising, wake us up as well. You are the one who gives us what we ask for, as well as what comes to us unasked. You are the remover of illness. In this house of fire practice, please be seated. Along with you, may all the benevolent divine forces be seated, too. May those doing this practice also be seated.

Lately I have been reading a Trilogy: Aghora by Robert E. Svobodha. There is so much overwhelming information in the book and personally I feel like believing every word of it. As per the Tantric Philosophy,  Agni – fire is a visible divine energy and acts as the bridge between humans and the ethereal being, it is through fire that we can communicate with the cosmos and the ethereal being be it – gods, goddess, ghosts, demons etc.

In India Homam – fire ritual is performed during most of the auspicious ceremonies. During Homam\Havan oblations or any religious offering is made to the fire. It is believed that as the ethereal beings have no body they eat through smell so the offerings that go into the fire are consumed by them and once they are pleased you get to make a wish. There is a darker side it also but that depends on humans and not the ghosts 🙂 .

DP Photo Challenge: Bridge

Order

“Chaos was the law of nature, Order was the dream of man” – Henry Adams

DP challenge: Order

Earth

“Heaven on earth is a choice you must make not a place you must find” – Wayne W Dyer

View from the Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

This is a small pond in the middle of the desert land. As far as you can can see there is no vegetation, but Earth is kind enough to provide us with some life sustaining water. Mother Earth is kind and caring but we have lost respect for her.

Sometime back I came across a news that people in China are buying fresh air packets manufactured in Canada. I’d rather plant trees for the rest of my life than get into a situation like that. As Sadhguru says, “Right now we are looking at ecological concerns as an obligation to fulfill. It is not an obligation, it is our life.” So lets start caring for the other life around us.

DP Photo Challenge: Earth

Surprise

“Music is a mantra that soothes the soul… something our body has to have. It is important to understand the power of music” – Michael Jackson

Sometime back I went to this music concert to hear Dr L Subramaniam on violin but I was taken by surprise by this man; Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. He plays Mohan Veena which is this own creation. His music is so mesmerizing that I have no words, you have to witness it yourself to know the power of live music; what it can do to you and your soul.

I am glad I had a chance to hear to his music and that definitely wouldn’t be the last one.

To listen to one of this mesmerizing work click here

DP Photo Challenge: Surprise

Security

“Don’t tell your Ganesha how big your problems are, Tell your problems how big your Ganesha is” – Chugani

Doesn’t matter if you are from North India – South India – East or West; Rich or Poor every Hindu in India loves Lord Ganesha and performs Ganesh Puja. We do it at the beginning of any new event as he is the God for New Beginnings, Prosperity and Obstacle Remover. Only after the Ganesh Puja is performed you feel safe and secure in your mind that nothing bad will happen whatsoever and still if you face challenges Ganesha will take care……

Ganesh Chaturthi which is observed once a year, used to be the busiest time in the year when I was young. There was this huge list of items I helped my mother procure for the puja. I used to go around my colony and the gardens to get them and my mother used to say “Even though I am doing the puja, you will reap the benefits as you are working hard for it” and that alone was enough motivation year after year…

DP Photography Challenge: Security

It is Easy Being Green!

“What I stand for is what I stand on” – Wendell Berry

DP Photo Challenge – It IS Easy Being Green!

Atop

“God depends on us. It is through us that God is achieved.” ― André Gide

This is a view atop the Murudeshwara temple entrance. This is a view of the tallest Shiva statue in India, which is 123 ft on the coast of Arabian Sea.

DP Photo Challenge: Atop

Wish

“A world full of love, light and laughter – its time has come. Let’s make it happen” Sadhguru

The evening aarti at the Harsiddhi Mata Mandir, Ujjain where hundreds of people gather daily to witness the 736 lamps that are lit and to pray. Harsiddhi means “Attainment of Shiva”. Some come here to pray for spiritual gains and some come for materialistic gains and some come to take selfies. The aura that is created here every evening takes you to a transcendental state and I was happy to witness it.

DP Photo Challenge: Wish

Against The Odds

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”  ~Albert Einstein

Capturing nature in its extremities can be a challenge, I got a taste of it when I tried to capture the stormy thunderous night. All drenched, I took more than a 100 shots and managed to get just one good enough one.

DP Photography Challenge: Against The Odds

Solitude

“How can you hear your soul if everyone is talking” – Mary Doria Russell

Solitude is a choice that provides freedom and space from the demands and interruptions created by others. It paves the way for self-reflection, clarity and to be self-reliant.

Regularly spending time alone is good for our mind, soul, and body.

DP Photo Challenge – Solitude

Repurpose

“Recycling turns things into other things. Which is like MAGIC” – Unknown

Gardening – my new found hobby these days, which is keeping me busy on weekends and away from painting. It is so relaxing and addictive but I hate buying those plastic pots so I started using some of those water bottles and other to be trashed plastic as pots and am focusing on planting small herbs in them. So here my little mint herb in a re-purposed pot.

DP Photo Challenge: Repurpose

Ambience

Navratri in Gujarat- India

Gardens by the Bay – Singapore

Lost in the Nebula cloud, NASA- Florida USA

For other entries in this category, check out DP Photo Challenge – Ambience

Name

“It is not that the name will do everything, but the name has to inspire passion” – Sadhguru

The name a person bears through life is something he or she must carry, and it is sometimes the only thing others have to judge you by before they meet you. Your name travels ahead of you like a portent of things to come, a thing from which others make assumptions about you. Are these assumptions always fair or accurate? Of course not, but people continue to make assumptions, regardless.

Here’s a interesting story about the importance of a name:
We can’t deport terrorist… because he kept his NAME secret for 21yrs

NAME – DP Photo Chalenge

Resilient

“Puli Vesham” – predominantly famous in coastal Andhra where folk artistes done  the role of a tiger  and dance to the drum beats (dappu) of percussion artistes. The original folk dance was a demonstration of strength and fierce fight between the hunter and the tiger.

The best part of the ‘puli vesham’, many say, was the head gear depicting the various moods of the tiger. Usually the head gears depicted the ferociousness of the animal.

Though it has lost patronage we can still find it in small towns and villages where artistes are trying to keep the culture alive.

DP Photography Challenge – Resilient