My Spiritual Musings

    I recently have fallen head over heels with a new hobby, wind sailing. Little did I know that I would take sailing lessons and go out for sailing every weekend in my 40s. I am not an adrenaline junkie. For me sailing is a deeply spiritual experience. I have always been drawn to the ocean. The magnificent ocean, thundering waves and the endless horizon reminds me that I am just a speck in this universe. The vastness of the ocean and the myriad life forms invokes within me a deeper respect and awe for Mother Nature.  Sometimes while sailing I find myself meditating on the verses of one of my favorite chants, Nivana Shatakam. I regard Nirvanta Shatakam as Adi Shankaracharya's magnum opus. Adi Sankarachaarya is a titan of Vedanta and in his short life he is masterfully composed so many devotional hymns. Here are the beautiful verses of Nirvana Shatakam:  Nirvana Shatakam मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार   चित्तानि   नाहं न   च   श्रोत्रजिह्वे   न   च ...

 After nearly two and a half years I decided to visit my parents in Chennai in Dec 2021. It was meant to be a short two week trip. I landed in Chennai the day after Christmas. Unfortunately on Jan 2nd my Dad tested positive for COVID. Although his symptoms were mild, I was advised to rush him to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Due to his age and co morbidities he was admitted in the hospital and his treatment was started immediately. Within two days I also tested positive for COVID. Although outwardly it may seem like we were in great suffering inwardly this was a good period for spiritual observation and growth. Let me share the spiritual insights I gained during this tumultuous period through this blog post.  With the onset of COVID my body ached like never before. It was 1000 times worse than the body pain caused during flu. I had done the Vipassana meditation retreat where we are taught to impersonally observe our body sensations and understand the habit patt...

  Arunachalesvara temple is an important Shiva temple located in Thiruvanamalai which is about 130 miles from Chennai.  The Arunachalesvara temple is one of the Panch Boota Stalas , or five Shiva temples, with each a manifestation of a natural element:  earth, water, air, sky and fire.  Arunachalesvara temple represents the fire element.  The main lingam  in the shrine is referred as Agni Lingam.  The temple is located at the foothills of the Arunachalam hills. Every year during Karthigai Deepam a huge flame is lit atop Arunachalam hills. Thiruvanamalai is also the town where the modern day saint Ramana Maharishi lived.  A view of the Main Gopuram of Arunachalesvara Temple A view of all the gopurams of Arunachalesvara Temple from Arunachalam Hills    In 2020, during a meditation session with my spiritual mentor, Teja Anand, I had a beautiful vision of the sanctum sanctorum of Arunachalesvara temple. I was seated at the feet of Lord Aruna...

It was Dec 11th, 2019. A month before my toe bunion surgery. I had started a major kitchen remodeling project that had turned into a fiasco. My mother was visiting me from India to help me recuperate from my surgery. I was in deep turmoil wondering how I would manage surgery, mom without a fully functional kitchen. All the appliances had been ripped off and the contractor was not motivated to complete the project. I also had other challenges going on in my personal life. My mind was in turmoil. I prayed to the Almighty for guidance and solace.  One of my ex-colleagues, Anmolji, was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and Ramana Maharishi. We had exchanged a few emails and interacted across various discussion forums. On Dec 11th, 2019 Anmolji told me he would call me after he finished chanting Rudram. Rudram is a divine chant to Lord Shiva. He called me up and suddenly at the start of the conversation he exclaimed loudly, "Laksh I cannot believe my eyes. Let me send you a picture. Can ...

Two decades back I picked up a quaint little book called "Spiritual Diary" from a book store. Back then we had many brick and mortar bookstores and it used to be a joy to spend hours together at book stores pouring over various book. The Spiritual Diary is a cute, little book with spiritual inspirations for each day. They were primarily drawn from teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. It just had a little saying to focus on each day. Simple and clear instructions for every day.  A few days back I found this book tucked inside my book shelve. In it I had written some prayers and incidents from circa 2001-2002. I was doing my Masters at that time adjusting to a new life in the US. I had a very demanding work-study schedule. Below I have penned a prayer of how fragile life can be around 2002 Thanksgiving. The deep realization that a simple lane change can be deadly enough to change our life forever. When I read my prayers again I was happy that the core of me has remai...

One of the major reasons why there is a lot of stress in our life is because we have a lot of difficulty  in accepting life as it is manifests to us. We want our life to be a certain way but the reality does not meet our expectations. Frustration and disappointment sets in. Accepting the reality of the present moment as it has manifested and not  as what we would like it to be is easier said than done.    Why is acceptance and surrender so important? When the reality is not to our expectations then often times we react impulsively rather than responding  appropriately  to the present moment. We have a knee jerk reaction to every unpleasant incident.   Something as simple as as reckless driver cutting across our lane triggers us.  I am guilty of the same fault. But hey life will constantly throw curve balls at us. How do we develop equanimity? Acceptance to the NOW helps us to stop reacting and respond appropriately.   ...