We Building members and friends meet every last Saturday of the month at our building's Ac Hall and share talents and passions and what we have learned over the years.

Vimla Patil explained: Dance in Indian tradition is a language of the whole body. The feet, the hands, the eyes and the face and their expressions and movements are the language. It is a language of excitement, joy, love and romance and thus very attractive to the eye as well as to the heart. The mudras, which are common to Yogic positions and dance, are an integral part of the dance style.

Vimla showed some of these mudras and ended with a quiz cum game for everyone to follow.
Madhavi Mehta gave us a demonstration and talk on ‘Hast Mudras’ (Hand gestures) employed in dance. She also be performed a short dance.
She looked beautiful in her costume and looked years and years younger. I have noticed that is what happens when you share your 'passion' in life and obviously dance is hers.
All in all it was an enchanting evening.

Vimla's quiz was great fun. After explaining mudras she asked us to enact/dance a scene and people were supposed to guess. I tried and was not too bad. Anyway it makes me happy to think so :)

Chapter 5 Lesson 11

Whenever Krishna speaks about 'Me' he does not mean Krishna the son of Devki, Yashoda but means the 'Self in the individual'
The Self is 'Maheshwara' the Lord of Lords'
Ishwara could mean 'controller of all fields of activities'
'Sacrifices and austerities' could mean all self control undertaken to merge with the Infinite.
Now we should be able to understand what Lord Krishna means in the last verse of the the 5th chapter:
Knowing me as enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Great Lord of all worlds, the friend of all beings, he attains peace.
And thus ends chapter 5 of the Bhagvad Geeta.

If you would like to read what I have written so far, Click:

http://www.dalsabzi.com/wisdom_script/bhagvad_gita.htm

Chapter 5 Lesson 10
In the verse 27, 28 of chapter 5 Lord Krishna speaks of meditation.
Krishna says: 'Shutting out all thoughts of external enjoyments, with the gaze fixed on all the space between the eyebrows, having regulated the Prana (outgoing breath) and the Apana (ingoing breath) flowing within the nostrils, he who has brought his senses, mind and intellect under control, such a contemplative soul intent on liberation and free from desire, fear and anger is ever liberated.


If you would like to read what I have written so far, Click:

http://www.dalsabzi.com/wisdom_script/bhagvad_gita.htm

Chapter 5 Lesson 9
My note:
I have heard that he who is able to remember the Lord at the time of death attains the Supreme. The latter seems and sounds easy does it not? Well not really, because it is what constantly fills your mind that will manifest at the time of death and thereafter.
I have also heard that if you constantly think of money you will incarnate as a snake, if you think of children and are consumed by attachment you will incarnate as a piglet. Interestingly an almost enlightened soul whose last thought was of a juicy mango incarnated as an insect for a brief span of time. He enjoyed the mango and then attained to a Supreme State!
Lord Krishna states in Verse 23, 24 of Chapter 5 that he is a happy man and a yogi who can stand in this very life, before casting off his body (dying) the urges of lust and anger. He enjoys within himself the inner light of the soul, attains Brahma who is all peace.





If you would like to read what I have written so far, Click:

http://www.dalsabzi.com/wisdom_script/bhagvad_gita.htm

My son at the Beijing film festival!

In the above photograph, Michael Sowder, Manju Uttam and myself.
Interesting how I met Michael. He read 'Pilgrims of the Stars' by Ma Indira Devi (My Guru) and Dadaji (Dilip Kumar Roy)
Michael felt a strong connection with Ma. He googled the book and was led to my website www.dalsabzi.com and my book: 'Remembering Ma through the pages of my diary.'
We wrote to me...I replied. He had a desire to come to India to visit Ma's Mandir in Pune. So he is in Mumbai and today we met for lunch. Manju besides being a dear relative of mine is a co-disciple. So she happily joined us and we had an enjoyable meeting over lunch. Obviously such encounters are from our last janam.
Michael is a professor and gifted me a book of poems penned by him entitled 'The Empty boat'
Obviously he is an old sensitive traveler on the path, and I am happy to have met him!

Chapter 5 Lesson 8
Krishna says in Verse 21 that he who meditates derives joy.

My note:
We believe that all joy comes from ‘outside’ and rightly so.
Don’t we feel a surge of joy when our desires are fulfilled?
Why should we feel joy when we meditate?
I heard an interesting theory from a Spiritual Master.
Scriptures claim we have an Ananda-maya Kosha (A sheath of Bliss) within us.
That sheath is covered by the thick fog of our constant thoughts, emotions, desires…
The moment our ‘desire is fulfilled’ the thoughts that cover the ‘anand-maya kosh (Sheath of bliss) ‘stop, move away, dissipate, and so the bliss/joy sheath is revealed.

So if one meditates and stops the unnecessary chatter of the mind, the Bliss that lives within us will always be accessible.

Therefore Krishna says: ‘The worldly pleasures have a beginning and an end.
He who is happy within himself, enjoys within himself the delight of the soul. He is illumined by the ‘Inner light’ and is peaceful and enjoys eternal bliss.



If you would like to read what I have written so far, Click:

http://www.dalsabzi.com/wisdom_script/bhagvad_gita.htm

Akshay Triteeya on the 6th of May. Click:


http://www.dalsabzi.com/Language_Festivals/akshaya_tritiya_or_akshatrij_or_.htm

Yesterday I attended a condolence meeting with a difference. I was told by the deceased's sister not to wear white. They were going to celebrate their sister's life. Maybe it is done this way sometimes but for me it was a new experience and so it was for those who attended it.
They sang the deceased's favourite songs, told us the jokes she enjoyed, recited relevant poetry and danced to 'Duma Dum mast kalander' I sensed the people's discomort. I took the mike (with permission)
I said: " I have known the 4 sisters since I was a young girl' and they have been unique. (Modern compassionate loving down to earth, living the way they best knew without harming a soul) Life is made up of joy sorrow laughter tears and this is what we have seen here. __lived a full life and it is time to let go and the sisters have done it in their always unique way. Those who agree with me, please give me a hand.
I got a thunderous applause, everyone relaxed, later appreciated my 1 minute speech. One of the sisters said: I dont know how to thank you!
I felt good for having the courage to speak what I truly felt though maybe I took the juice out of unnessecary harsh 'gossipy' words of those who attended...but who knows, maybe now they will gossip about me... I dont care... I love the sisters and their unique ways!