Love is the cradle of truth

The truth in your eyes finds communion with the love in my heart;
A thousand words may miss their mark, yet a glance dutifully plays its part.
A child crawls out of his cradle at your very sight,
The man loses his well-practiced battle without a fight.
Like a wife you become the strength of my spine,
Like a mother you refuse to give in to my cry and whine.

Love finds its true embodiment in your being,
And fails in my expression - whether I dance, write or simply sing!
How brilliant is your sense of equanimity - in moments of sadness as well as joy,
You urge me to grow, even as you compliment my progress and goad me to enjoy!

These words flow out of me in gratitude to your love that comes unasked,
As my tribute to you, my prayer and my self unmasked!

Today, Love found Truth in our hearts!

In the grip of devotion: Pandhariche Bhoot Mothe!

When devotion reaches its peak, the devotee becomes One with the focus of his devotion!

This is the first thought that arose in my mind as I finished listening to a rendition of a song penned down and sung by the renowned composer-singer saint of Maharastra - Tukaram. Filled with such devotion and depth are the words by this saint that I had goosebumps when the meaning of the words hit me! Known for his soul-stirring compositions, called as abhangs, sung in the praise of Shri Vithall and Devi Rakhumai, Sant Tukaram transcends the mundane and speaks from the realm of the super-natural. The abhang is as follows:

पन्धरिचे भूत मोठे 

आल्या गेल्या झडपी वाटे।

बहु खेचारीच रान 

बह हे वेडे होय मन। 

जाऊ नका कोणी, तिथे जाऊ नका कोणी

जे गेले, नाही आले परतोनी। 

तुका पंधारीसी गेला 

पुन्हा जन्मा नाही आला।

I am no scholar of the Marathi vernacular but I understand enough to have been touched by this magician's music! For the ones who seek that moment which inspired me to write this dedication to Tukaram, the abhang loosely translated in English would be thus:

The forces at Pandhari (The town of Pandharpur) are immense

Anyone travelling through there beware!

The forests there are dangerous

Watch out, the mind will be caught in a frenzy!

Dare not venture there, refrain from setting foot in that land

Whosoever went that way, returned not again!

Your Tukaram went that way

Never again did he see the cycle of birth and death again!

I have never heard anyone pay tributes to a land in such terms. The way Tukaram addresses Pandhari - the implied town of Pandharpur in Maharashtra is pregnant with a meaning so opposite to the one intended that it seems a complete oxymoron! One might be forgiven for having mistaken his callings as a warning. Yes, a warning it indeed is, but that which only seeks attention and not the fear that comes along with it! The sanctity and the atmosphere of Pandharpur, where the ancient temple of Shri Vitthal is, have filled Tukaram with such reverence and awe that he suggest that he has lost all sense of ego through his unflinching devotion!

For the one filled with ego, the need for a sense of separation from the rest of creation is but obvious. A man filled with ego seeks uniqueness whereas Tukaram rose to such heights of humility that he admits he lost all sense of his ego. This miracle, he attributes, to the grace of the Divine which dwells in the holy land of Pandharpur. Hence, we warns anyone who seeks uniqueness to beware of Pandhari! His warning is filled with an inherent soul of appeal to all to see the futility of the oscillating mind. Pandharpur would do to you what you yourself haven't been able to do for yourself - rid yourself of your mind!

He credits the land with a power so alluring that whosoever ventures into its heart seemingly loses his way back into the bickering of the world. He reminds us that it is depository of the Supreme Ego from wherein all minds arise and finally merge into! Setting forth himself as a final example in his argument, this embodiment of devotion confesses that he himself dared to do all that he warns others against. But, what a miracle he witnesses then! The Tukaram who set out to find the Divine found his goal in losing himself! That realization, that sense of union, that Yoga with Providence set him free from the cycle of birth and death, liberating him for once and all!

Somewhere Tukaram comes to my mind as I am reminded of Jesus as he says, 'The poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'. Yes, indeed, Jesus spoke of the ego when he spoke thus! This miracle is only waiting to happen in your own life the moment you lose yourself. The calls of Tukaram shall ever reach your heart from now on.

Here is that rendition that began it all for me sung by Pt. Sanjeev Jahagirdar - a disciple of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, simply dissolve!

And you will find a very refreshing take on the same composition sung in the Carnatic style by Ranjani-Gayatri in this video.

Did you ask - How to wake up early?

There are times in one's life when an idea instills itself as a theme of one's thought processes. And having read the posts on this blog in the recent times, you would see that I too have been a man possessed by an idea. The question 'How to wake up early?' assumed importance in my life and I finally decided to work on finding the beginning to the answer. So, after a month of watching my habits, modifying my routines and some more watching of my own routine, I have a few observations that I would like to share with you all.

1. Find a morning routine you love
This could be a great motivator for you to persist with your commitment of waking up early. I love to begin my day with a round of Yoga and meditation and nothing better than the pre-dawn times to spend time with oneself. This I saw took care of the rest of my day!

2. Get enough sleep.
This is perhaps something that is different for each one of us. Yet, most adults would require between 6-8 hours of sleep each night. It is best to stick to the old adage of 'Early to bed and early to rise' rather than trying to cut down on the hours of sleep.

3. Wind down your day
As I have mentioned before, the human body is best suited to work during the day and rest at night. Our lifestyles hardly reflect this rule of nature these days but with a little observation, you'll see that the body begins to subtle signs of wanting to ease down in the evening. Listen to them!
The best way to wake up on time is to sleep on time!

4. No mobile phone beside the bed

This would save you from the temptation of browsing the net through the mobile for that 'last email' or 'urgent text' . If you are worried of 'not being available' for your loved ones, let them know of your changed routine and , believe me, they would understand and support you.

5. One wink at a time
It is wise not to be overambitious and begin waking up, say - two hours earlier than your normal time. It is best to decrease 15 min at a time, sustaining each for a week's duration or so. So, if you were to wake up at 7:00 am then begin with waking up at 6:45 am. That way, you would not feel the vast difference and also by a month's time you'd have learnt to wake up an hour early!

6. Math problem solver Alarm

Nothing like technology to aid in a good habit!
I have come across this Alarm clock for my Android Smart phone which persuades me to solve math problems before I could hit the snooze or dismiss button!


7. Avoid caffeine towards the end of the day.
Just like you notice yourself feeling renewed after a cup of caffeinated coffee, you'd see that it doesn't let you fall asleep immediately after. Hence, it is best to avoid any stimulants an hour or so before bed time.

8. Eat the least for dinner.
According to the ancient Indian 'science of life'- Ayurveda, dinner is supposed to be the least of all the meals.
It is known that a heavy dinner obstructs sound sleep. Therefore, it is best to have dinner at least two hours prior to bed-time.

9. Set something to do early in the morning, that’s important for you(This post is a part of the 'Rising Early series'. You could read the rest of the posts in the series HERE. )
I use this time after my meditation to plan the day ahead. I slot the most demanding tasks at the times that I am the most productive. Yes, this is one way to make sure that your best time of the day is organized to suit the most productive tasks at hand.

10. There is no vacation from a good habit
It might look daunting and almost unnecessary to continue with this early day routine on a holiday. But, just imagine waking up at six on a Monday morning after waking up at nine on the weekends, if not later. That would be a Herculean task for sure!
I am looking at a new way of beginning my day and a renewed way of life. In that scheme of ideas, taking a break from waking early hardly makes any sense.

What do I get out of it?
Apart from the above observations,  I have found the following to be the strong motivators for me to stick to this healthy lifestyle:

1. An opportunity to see the one of the most beautiful phenomenon of Nature played over and over again -the sunrise
2. A good unhurried breakfast
3. A headstart into the day
4. A peaceful beginning to the day
5. Time to plan the day out


However, it has been painful in the beginning and I have failed on many occasions to rise early.
Yet, the commitment persists and I am beginning to reap the befits of my perseverance already. If you would ask me for one last 'sage advice', I'd say thus:

Choose 'Short term pain, Long term gain over Short term gain, long term pain'.

(This post is a part of the 'Rising Early series'. You could read the rest of the posts in the series HERE. )