WhatsApp message from Rita Nani - 28 Oct 22

Tutu

Guess when the mouth is closed the heart pours out😀😀.. Got it? 

What a warm note you all have penned. 

Once upon a time meeting  family was so easy , so  accessible. We took it for granted and  now it’s years ,matybe decades when family  gets a chance to meet up. With the passage of time maybe our kids  wouldn’t get even that opportunity.. 

It is for our generation to keep the flame burning because we have enjoyed those times and we know how lucky we have been.

You feel so rooted when you know There is a Family behind you. Like all daughters  I too shared my mother’s mind. We read stories together, tended the garden together, nurtured the pets together and cooked together. She wrote poems and  inspired me to add meat to them… and suddenly one day she was gone making my world dark and devastated. It was then that Khudi’s, dadas and badama came to Gadarpur and meleed around us as if soaking up all the pains. That’s when I I realised the  relevance of our culture, our dos and don’ts and the importance of being part of a larger entity..I also realised in a short span of thirty years what a bonding Ma had forged with her co sisters, her brother, her sisters, … it’s been thirty four years since she has gone and twentytwo years since Bapa has passed,   we have got  from everyone only kindness, illimitable love, good words, thoughtful gestures, no grouse or grudge whatsoever.  Our parents in their conduct and character taught us these silent essentials that no preacher from his pulpit could ever convince We SSG family are indebted to this  beautiful memory bank they created and left behind for us.  There were challenges . They fought their battles, lthey struggled individually  yet  there was such understanding, respect, love  …. Incomparable. And no bickering, backbiting whatsoever. 

Dada Khudi being in Delhi with Bapa, Amulya Khudi, Kunukhudi climbing the high steps of Puri dharma dhana three times a day to keep pinda, Pramila Khudi crying uncontrollably from Talcher over phone Badama deeply hugging and consoling… Badabapa  sitting head hung at Puri , tears rolling down .. whispering Purnare, Purnare… how can I ever forget. 

This is such a huge huge legacy they have left behind for us.  More. Precious  than any amount of wealth…

Let’s be rekindling that intimacy whenever we can… That will be our sincerest homage to them. The rest inevitably  Time and Spac will take over…

I felt so nice and peaceful that evening.

Thank you, Luda, Subi..

Conquering Worry

CONQUERING WORRY 

Remember that every time you worry, you put on a mental brake; and in struggling against that resistance, you place strain on your heart and mind. You wouldn't try to drive off in your car with the brake on, because you know it would severely damage the mechanism. Worry is the brake on the wheels of your efforts; it brings you to a dead stop. Nothing is impossible, unless you think it is. Worry can convince you that it is impossible to do what you want to do. Worrying wastes time and energy. Use your mind instead to try to make some positive effort. ... Give your troubles to God. When you worry, it is your funeral, all arranged by yourself. 

- Paramhansa Yogananda

There is always a way out

There Is Always a Way Out 

Worry doesn't help you, either. Not only does it burn out your nerves, leaving you cranky and cross all the time; it puts an extra strain on the heart. When you leave your work for the day, forget it; do not pick it up mentally and carry it home with you. Worry only clouds your mind so that you cannot think clearly. You should learn to rely more on God. This is a science, a divine law. There is always a way out of your trouble; and if you take the time to think clearly, to think how to get rid of the cause of your anxiety instead of just worrying about it, you become a master. ... 

Merely ignoring problems won't solve them, but neither will worrying about them. Meditate until you become calm; then put your mind on your problem and pray deeply for God's help. Concentrate on the problem and you will find a solution without going through the terrible strain of worry. 

- Paramhansa Yogananda

Power of Mind

Power of Mind

When you believe that cold weather won't hurt you, you won't be affected by it. But if you feel you are going to catch a cold from the chill, you will. The thing is this: you don't practice mind control. By controlling your mind you can experience the truth that this universe is a delusion. This is why the saints require their disciples to discipline the body and not give it too much attention. The purpose is not to torture the body, but to save the disciple from all the troubles that will beset him if he believes that comfort comes from material things. 

Comfort comes from the mind. 

Change your mental attitude and you will not feel discomfort. 

- Paramhansa Yogananda

Consequences of Worrying

If we could but realize the effect of the burdens we often place upon the mind, we might wonder that we have not had a breakdown long ago. Taxed with all kinds of worries and anxieties, the mind is soon overwhelmed by the load. Fear creeps in as a result and we lose our mental poise and spiritual balance. The trouble is that instead of living only in the present, we try to live in the past and in the future at the same time. These loads are too heavy for the mind to carry, so we must restrict the amount of the load. The past is gone. Why continue to carry it in the mind? 

Let the mind take care of its burdens one at a time. A swan eats only the solid content from the liquid he scoops up in his bill; similarly we should keep in mind only the lessons we have learned from the past and forget unnecessary details. This will relieve the mind to a great extent; and it will eliminate worries. Worry may be compared to an insect that eats away at the inside of a flower. When the petals close in, both the flower and the insect die. Worry consumes all our inner vitality without our conscious knowledge. By the time we wake up to what is happening, the damage, which may have a far-reaching effect on the nervous system, is already done. 

- Paramhansa Yogananda