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...