My 7 Rules of a Life of Contentment !

When I joined college, I knew that I am about to step into a new phase of my life and this was the right time for me, to imbibe into my lifestyle, all the learning I had from my past mistakes.

There are two kinds of people ~ one, who live in groups and two, who are happy with one or two close friends. I always belonged to the latter kind.

From the time I began understanding Friendship, I had 4 beautiful, true and honest friendships; 2 bad ones; and 3 just cool types. My 4 lovely friends were ~ Sharanya (Class III), Shubha (Class VII till now) Pallavi (Class X till now) and Priyamvada (My drop till now). Out of them two people were really special, Pallavi and Priyamvada. Both of them touched my life in their own special ways. :)  (*Both of them are two extremes of this world!) I really cherish their friendship from the core of my heart.

But the 2 bad ones (I wouldn’t like to name them as one of them, though not in touch, is pretty much around :P ) were really ‘bad’ because they took away a lot from me and I was hurt. Apart from that, many-a-times, a lot of people broke my trust which, if not anything else, made me kill a lot of my precious time and robbed me of my ‘trust’.

NOTE: All these statistics are from the time before I joined college.

And therefore, my first decision was that in this new phase of my life I will not make any close friends. I had decided that I will stay friendly with all the new classmates but will never share my problems and weaknesses with anyone. I will not depend on anyone for anything and will be responsible for everything that is happening in my life. And I was correct! This was a perfect decision. I was able to meet more people, made my decisions according to my own free will, was able to concentrate better in the class and on my studies, made my own notes, studied in seclusion, felt more independent and was not hurt by anyone’s behaviour. If I was happy, it was due to my own and if I was sad, it was because of myself.  I was learning to keep my emotions under my control.

The second thing I imbibed into myself was to live a completely organized life. You know, discipline is something! Though most of us repel from it, but it adds a lot to your life when you practice it. I felt this when I adopted it. I used to wake up at 8, did yoga, took a bath, did my pooja, had my breakfast and off to college! I was very attentive in class and made meticulous notes. Not just that, I revised everything that I read in the evening! (sounds too good to be true..right? But I did maintain all this!) And guess what, within no time, I became the apple of my teachers’ eye! :) Along with that I read novels, watched TV and sketched. In short, I was making the best use of my time. :)

The third decision was to be happy with myself. This is one thing which is extremely important in our lives. I had accepted myself as I was and I was really happy with the life I was leading. My first decision helped me a lot in this. It was very clear in my mind that if people like me, they are welcome and if they don’t, I didn’t care! I was sure that I do not have to put on an act to impress anyone. This restrains you from being dependent on others for making your decisions and also for your happiness!

Next was to do everything that I undertake, with perfection. Be it my studies, making my notes, sketching a picture or cleaning my room and decorating my house. I made it ‘Perfect’. I studied nicely even for a small class test which was something I never bothered about earlier. From doing a small experiment in the classroom or making a college assignment, I gave my best effort to all of it. Everything was up-to-date and organized. :)

The other very sensible decision I made was to prioritize each and everything in my life. The first and foremost was my family. Second was I. Third was my career and rest everything and everyone followed next! This is one truth that I witnessed then and many more times later in my life that no matter you give anyone the biggest priority in your life (because obviously, you are an emotional fool) no one is going to give you the same position in his/her life. Harsh, but true! So this was again a very sensible decision of my life because this assists you in understanding the responsibilities you carry!

To think positive and be optimistic was the next one. Sounds cliché, doesn’t it? But I really believe in the theory of vibrations which says that whatever vibrations you send to the universe in the form of your thinking, your words and your deeds come back to you in real life form.(*For details, refer, ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne) It is easier said than done. But, it is certainly not impossible. With practice, one can achieve this too. :)

The last and the most important one was do not expect. I thought this could only be achieved through adopting sainthood. :P I could not do it initially. But as I started following the aforementioned 6 rules, this seventh one followed automatically. The 1st one made me stop expecting any favours or any form of honesty and dedication from others; the 2nd made me stop seeking any help from others and made me independent; the 3rd made me grow out of the fear of rejection; the 4th one made me confident about my work and helped me stop expecting appreciation; the 5th one made me understand that everyone has different priorities in life and helped me stop expecting the same treatment from others as I did to them; and the 6th is obvious!

The basic ‘funda’ was to keep it simple! From the time I remember living my life through my conscious mind, this was one of the best, happiest and most constructive time of my life. The best part was, as I always say, I felt ‘content’ with myself and my life. I took charge of my life and was able to get my mind and my brain under my control. :)

Destiny had its own plans though! Life took another drastic turn and I again lost control on myself. Now after 5 years I am again trying to imbibe these things into me. This time it seems more difficult because there have been many more experiences, many new bondings and a lot more. But I am determined!

I am going to adopt these self-designed, 7 rules of a life of contentment once again. :) I owe all that to Gayatri Mata's Blessings. She helped me then and I know She will help me now!

A memorable wedding !

After my drop, (not to forget, my not-up-to-the-mark results in PMT) I was a little sad. And this sadness lasted till my visit to my Jija’s wedding @Jaipur.

I was meeting my cousins after 6-7 years. My Masisa’s children ~ Munmun Jija, Chunmun Jija and Bhaiyyu Dada. :) Now, here I would like to mention, that each of them is an extremely impressive personality! While Mummun Jija is extremely glamorous, stylish and independent, Chunmun Jija is full of life, a complete fun-to be-with person. (*There is so much about her that I love.. I guess I’ll dedicate a complete post to her). Bhaiyyu Dada is traditional, yet modern; really very good-looking and sweet! (When all of us got dressed up for Jija’s wedding, all the eyes were on Bhaiyyu Dada :P)

By that time I was just a pampered, shy creature who knew nothing about the worldly business. I really learnt a lot there.

Now, first let me talk about Munmun Jija ~who was the bride-to-be! She was a Captain in the Indian Army (*another impressive thing about her). The way she talked was extremely polite, loving and aristocratic. How poised she was 24x7!

Despite being so busy, she took care to bring me along and help me mix up. The very first day she opened her treasure box full of cosmetics and accessories and gave me loads of goodies including an awesome pair of heels. (I must confess, those were my first-ever accessories :P) Then one day, she caught me and did ‘a lot’ of make-up on my face (it was ‘a lot’ for me because before that I had never used any make up!) Trust me, I was so embarrassed to come in front of my family, she literally had to drag me down to the hall. :P

Then another day she carried (yes, carried! :P) me to the VLCC parlour that was booked for her. She told the beautician “Give her a cut to suit her face”. (*I loved the way she was so natural and confident about whatever she said) And I had the ‘best-ever’ hair cut of my life. :D (She really took pleasure in making others look as good as she did!)

I didn’t even come to know when I learnt *getting beautifully dressed up, *talking, * talking impressively and very importantly *using kajal (and now it is like, people question immediately when I am not wearing Kajal). :)

Now let me talk about the wonderful ‘Event Manager’~ Chunmun Jija! I was amazed to know that she was the person who had taken all the arrangements under her charge! She had booked the Marriage garden, rented this flat for our stay (*as they actually live in Jodhpur), did all the decorations for the pre-marriage functions and what not! I used to accompany her when she used to go for the daily shopping with her friend ‘Gunjan Jija’ in her car. Wow!! So much energy ~ she can well be called ‘a pocket size powerhouse’! The best part was that she did all the work responsibly, happily and tirelessly! Come-on.. she was just in college that time!

She used to get up early, help in the house-work, religiously did her ‘puja’ (*I really admired this in her and by the way, she was my inspiration behind starting chanting the Gayatri Mantra), go for all the shopping and arrangements endless number of times, come back, chit chat with the family, still worked and cracked jokes, did loads of dancing in the evening (*western as well as the traditional Rajasthani ‘Ghoomer’), wrapped up all the work at night and then finally went off to sleep!! Phew..! And when asked how she could do all this, her simple reply was “Timma, sab apne liye kitna karte hain to kya hum log unki khushi ke liye itna nahi kar sakte”. No wonder she is an apple of everyone’s eyes! Everyone loves her ~ our family, her friends .. just everyone ! I so much wished to be her friend but I was so much in awe of her that I could never open up! :/ What a wonderful combination of traditions and modernism she is! <3

So I learnt being **lively (** conditions applied! This depends on my health. Whenever I am anaemic, it disappears), *doing puja, *working selflessly for the family (though this was quite in me since childhood :)),*taking responsibilities, *enjoying and making the others enjoy too. :)

Now, the readers might feel why I am writing about all this here. Well, this is because these are the memories I want to re-live again and again. :) This is the purpose why I have created this blog because I really feel that a person tends to lose touch with himself when he gets busy in his daily chores. This is my way to stay in touch with myself! :)

It was such a memorable trip for me. I didn’t just witness a mind-blowing wedding but also got a renewed and refreshed outlook towards life ~ to make every moment count ~ to be comfortable in your own skin ~ to work more than worry ~ to enjoy and make others enjoy too! :)

And of course! Now I have improvised on the tips Munmun Jija gave me and I am known to be a real stylish one! ;) Its in the blood you see! :)

When it rained in Gwalior.. !

It was a dull morning for me .. till it started raining .. ! :)

I was in a 'not-so-happy' mood when I woke up today ( *happens when I do not have a 'Good Night'. I was irritable and lazy. It was a real dull morning. Some guests had come to visit Nanisa and I did not wish to meet them so I decided to lie down again (*This is another thing I usually do when I am upset ~ spend all day sleeping away!) Then Mom started calling me to see-off the guests.. Seemed to be some important people.. so I reluctantly went out !


To my surprise.. there was a heavy, cool wind, blowing away the dry sand ! The weather changed my mood instantly! (*Since childhood I have been very fond of wind. I would rush to the terrace as soon as I heard the sound of the wind.) Within no time it started raining. 


I pulled out a chair in the veranda and sat there, looking at the beautiful rain (*I used to do it so often when I was a kid..  It was like a source of freshness for me.) 


It was so glorious so see the rain wash out all the dust that ate up the green lustre of the leaves. The trees, the plants and the climbers were all swaying in joy. (*These are all my childhood fantacies. I always felt that the trees enjoy the rain as much as we do.. they dance on the beats of the rain drops). The sound of rain itself was so alluring.. music to my ears. Everything looked so fresh and new! 


The water was flowing from the gray cemented floor (that you see in Government Quarters) into the garden and was getting collected at the roots of the ‘Vidhya’ plant quenching its summer-pressed thirst. Since childhood I always felt sorry (*might sound silly.. but thats me! ) for the areas of the ground that were under a shade and were left untouched by the rain. But the rain always seems to find its own way to reach those areas too.. may take time but it surely does ! :) 


The fragrance of the wet soil combined with the essence of the damp wood .. Oh there is nothing more refreshing than that!  The peacocks were making joyful sounds from every direction. True beauty of nature! 


I wanted to breathe in all the fresh air that I could and to catch every beautiful sight that was visible. When the rain became slow, the birds started hopping out. A small cuckoo was hopping all around the lush green grass (rejuvenated by the rains) of our garden, trying to escape the rain drops and simultaneously trying to shed all the water from its wings.. cute ! :)


Many people might wonder why I am going so ‘nutty’ over this rain. Let me explain what it did to me. 


While I was sitting there, I remembered, that the last time I did this was when I was in Class 10th, I suppose!  Suddenly, I ‘re-discovered’ that this was the source of my simplicity and my calm that used to be the synonyms of my personality few years back ! Yes, I grew up enjoying the beauty of nature ~ the breeze, the rains, the clouds, the plants, the trees, the flowers, the butterflies, the birds and the animals! (*hey.. another thing about me~ I am an animal-lover). This was where I derived my energy and my patience from! (*no wonder I am in love with the colour ‘Green’)


When I was a small kid, I had a colouring book (which actually belonged to my Bro who was hardly interested in books!). I distinctly remember a drawing in the book that really fascinated me ~ A little girl and a boy sitting beside a window with their toys and a cup of, as I imagined, Coffee (with vapours coming out of it). The window was covered with glass and it was raining outside.~ I loved the picture because to me it meant a feeling that while it is raining outside, I am sitting inside my house – so protected and so cosy ! :)

I felt rejuvenated.. it felt as if I again met the girl, that I lost touch with some years back, and that was I ! :) Yes, this is what I love doing ~ Moving into a state of complete meditation, into the nature, away from the humdrums of life. This refreshes my mind and keeps me cool and extends to me, the energy, the power and the patience that I need to live my life happily and peacefully! :) I am a simple girl and I derive this simplicity from nature, to face the hustle and bustle of life with a balanced mind!


Oh what a bliss to touch such an important aspect of my personality once again! :) Thank you Gayatri Mata!


Getting back to the earlier plot, when the rain stopped, I was content (*as i mentioned in my earlier post, this is a wonderful feeling for those who have experienced it.) I took a quiet stroll in the garden. The flowers were fresher than ever. The leaves and the grass were greener than ever. I took the small purple flowers between my fingers to have a closer look .. just like I used to do earlier. I touched the ‘Vidhya’ plant with my palm and it was all wet.. What a lovely, fresh sensation it was! :)


I collected some white fragrant flowers. I also collected the orange flowers of ‘Gulmohur’. (When we were kids we used to collect the buds of these flowers from the ground and used its stamens for a Baby-Sword fight.) :) 


Most importantly, I recollected myself! :)

Gayatri Mata

ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेंयम भर्गो देवस्य

 धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात 

It has almost been an year since I decided to create a blog but could never find the perfect topic to begin with. Today I have discovered the perfect topic to write about and therefore I dedicate my first blog to Gayatri Mata.

Who hasn't heard of Gayatri Mantra ! But like many others, even I was not aware of the meaning of the Mantra. So here I would like to describe the meaning of the divine Gayatri Mantra.

Aum ~ Brahma ;

Bhoor ~ Embodiment of vital spiritual energy (pran) ;

Bhuvah ~ Destroyer of sufferings ;

Swaha ~ Embodiment of happiness ;

Tat ~ That ;

Savitur ~ Bright like sun ;

Varenyam ~ Best choicest ;

Bhargo ~ Destroyer of sins ;

Devasya ~ Divine ;

These first nine words describe the glory of God.

Dheemahi ~ May imbibe ;(Pertaining to Meditation)

Dhiyo ~ Intellect ;

Yo ~ Who ;

Naha ~ Our ;

Prachodayat ~ May inspire ;

'Dhiyo yo naha prachodayat'  is a prayer to God.

Hence the Gayatri Mantra is unique in the sense that it embodies the three concepts of stotra (singing the praise and glory of God), dyaana (meditation) and praanrthana (prayer).

So here is the meaning in Hindi :-

"उस प्राण स्वरुप, दुखनाशक, सुखस्वरूप, श्रेष्ठ, तेजस्वी, पापनाशक, देवस्वरूप परमात्मा को हम अपनी अंतरात्मा में धारण करें. वह परमात्मा हमारी बुद्धि को सम्मार्ग की ओर प्रेरित करे."

Goddess Gayatri is considered the veda mata, the mother of all vedas and also the personification of the Parabrahma, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. Gayatri Mata is seen by many Hindus to be not just a Goddess, but a portrayal of Brahma Himself, in the feminine form. 

In Hinduism, there is only one creation who can withstand the brilliance of Aditya and that is Gayatri. She is also considered the mother of all Gods and the culmination of Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati.

Gayatri Mata is typically portrayed as seated on a red lotus, signifying wealth. She appears in either of these forms:

• Having five heads with the ten eyes looking in the eight directions plus the earth and sky, and ten arms holding all the weapons of Vishnu, symbolizing all her reincarnations.
• Accompanied by a white swan, holding a book to portray knowledge in one hand and a cure in the other, as the Goddess of education.

Since I m not so learned that I can tell you all about her .. let me tell you how Gayatri Mata blessed my life.

The first person to elucidate the power of Gayatri Mantra to me was my respected Masosa. He gave me the Gayatri Chalisa and told me that reciting this will give my life a wonderful direction. Since I was at a turning point of my life.. I decided to give it a try. :) I created a small Puja area in my room n started reciting the Chalisa religiously.

I was, at that point of time, about to face my pre-medical tests. Everyday while reciting the Chalisa I would ask God to help me clear my medical entrance but God knew better. :)  Slowly I started realizing a light within myself, a sense of confidence developed within me.. I felt protected and secure in my world..I really fall short of words while describing the change it brought in me. My friends noticed a tej in my personality. I had started being satisfied with myself and my life (many people do not realize the importance of this.. but you will feel the bliss when you'll achieve it ).

But human brain is so fidgety ! There came a spell of bad encounters in my life and silly me.. I thought it is futile to worship n all (I could not have been more wrong if I tried ! ) I stopped all my puja-path. And life was the same like any other human being.

Many-a-times I tried to restart it again but every time I did it and there was a problem.. I would blame it on God and stopped again. I wont say that life was bad for me after that.. it was wonderful ! But there was something missing. I could never feel the same happiness, the same confidence and the same satisfaction again ! While I progressed in life, I got lost in the humdrums and somehow my personality deteriorated ! 

But I am not a person to give up. Though I wasted a lot many years doubting the effect of worshiping but as they say 'its better late than never' ! :) I have again started reciting the Mantra and the Chalisa and trust me .. I am feeling the change already ! :)

I just want to pray to Gayatri Ma to forgive my ignorance and to give me the strength to continue on this path and always shower her divine blessings on me and my loved ones. :)

The purpose behind writing this post is that I am sure many of you might have gone through a similar feeling or may be not ..but as my Masosa says ~ Each of us has God within us, in our soul. This Gayatri Mantra helps to awaken the God in us !' This is a small effort to make you and me (very importantly) realize the power of faith ! May Gayatri Ma bless us all ! :)