Uncertain times!

"The times are tough but so I am
Iam short on cash but long on hope
Iam fallin down to smell the grass
Iam bouncin back to kick your a**"

There was lot of distraction at the work place since the Q3 results (of Nortel) were out with another 1300 jobs put on the block. There is a funny saying that if your neighbour lost his job its recession and if you lose yours then its depression.

The depression and gloom thats descending on many of us due to the uncertain times distracts us a lot. Fortunate are those who are in a high growth geography (which is India, China and other AP regions) where the effects are more muted than in western geogrpahies. Its at these time people become philosophical and just wonder at their sheer inability to correct the situation. The Power of One and the Power of We sounds more like cliches.

There is nothing better one can do than give some food for thought and i found the following discussion between Sage Narada and sanatkumara very interesting. Apart from the depth of knowledge and the quality of discussion there is a clear message for the situation. Its a long article but i found it very interesting! and am sure you would too...

Narada approached Sanatkumara and said, 'Teach me, Sir!'.
Sanatkumara said to him: 'Please to tell me what you know; afterward I shall tell you what is beyond.
Narada said: 'I know the Rig-veda, Sir, the Yagur-veda, the Sama-veda, as the fourth the Atharvana, as the fifth the Itihasa-purana (the Bharata); the Veda of the Vedas (grammar); the Pitrya (the rules for the sacrifices for the ancestors); the Rasi (the science of numbers); the Daiva (the science of portents); the Nidhi (the science of time); the Vakovikya (logic); the Ekayana (ethics); the Devavidya (etymology); the Brahma-vidya (pronunciation, siksha, ceremonial, kalpa, prosody, khandas); the Bhuta-vidya (the science of demons); the Kshatra-vidya (the science of weapons); the Nakshatra-vidya (astronomy); the Sarpa and Devagana-vidya (the science of serpents or poisons, and the sciences of the genii, such as the making of perfumes, dancing, singing, playing, and other fine arts). All this I know, Sir.

Sanatkumira said to him: 'Whatever you have read, is only a name. Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than a name?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than a name.'

'Speech is better than a name. Speech makes us understand the Rig-veda, Yag-ur-veda, Sama-veda, and as the fourth the Atharvana, as the fifth the Itihasa-purana, the Veda of the Vedas, the Pitrya, the Rasi, the Daiva, the Nidhi, the Vakovakya, the Ekayana, the Deva-vidya, the Brahma-vidya, the Kshatra-vidya, the Nakshatra-vidya, the Sarpa and Devagana-vidya; heaven, earth, air, ether, water, fire, gods, men, cattle, birds, herbs, trees, all beasts down to worms, midges, and ants; what is right and what is wrong; what is true and what is false; what is good and what is bad; what is pleasing and what is not pleasing. For if there were no speech, neither right nor wrong would be known, neither the true nor the false, neither the good nor the bad, neither the pleasant nor the unpleasant. Speech makes us understand all this. Meditate on speech.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than Speech?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than speech.'

'Mind (manas) is better than speech. For as the closed fist holds two amalaka or two kola or two aksha fruits, thus does mind hold speech and name. For if a man is minded in his mind to read the sacred hymns, he reads them; if he is minded in his mind to perform any actions, he performs them; if he is minded to wish for sons and cattle, he wishes for them; if he is minded to wish for this world and the other, he wishes for them. For mind is indeed the self, mind is the world, mind is Brahman. Meditate on the mind.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than Speech?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than speech.'

'Will (sankalpa) is better than mind. For when a man wills, then he thinks in his mind, then he sends forth speech, and he sends it forth in a name. In a name the sacred hymns are contained, in the sacred hymns all sacrifices. 'All these therefore (beginning with mind and ending in sacrifice) centre in will, consist of will, abide in will. Heaven and earth willed, air and ether willed, water and fire willed. Through the will of heaven and earth, rain wills; through the will of rain, food wills; through the will of food the vital airs will; through the will of the vital airs the sacred hymns will; through the will of the sacred hymns the sacrifices will; through the will of the sacrifices the world (as their reward) wills; through the will of the world everything wills. This is will. Meditate on will.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than Will?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than Will.'

'Consideration (kitta) is better than will. For when a man considers, then he wills, then he thinks in his mind, then he sends forth speech, and he sends it forth in a name. 'All these (beginning with mind and ending in sacrifice) centre in consideration, consist of consideration, abide in consideration. Therefore if a man is inconsiderate, even if he possesses much learning, people say of him, he is nothing, whatever he may know; for, if he were learned, he would not be so inconsiderate. But if a man is considerate, even though he knows but little, to him indeed do people listen gladly. Consideration is the centre, consideration is the self, consideration is the support of all these. Meditate on consideration.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than consideration?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than Consideration.'

'Reflection (dhyana) is better than consideration. The earth reflects, as it were, and thus does the sky, the heaven, the water, the mountains, gods and men. Therefore those who among men obtain greatness here on earth, seem to have obtained a part of the object of reflection (because they show a certain repose of manner). Thus while small and vulgar people are always quarrelling, abusive, and slandering, great men seem to have obtained a part of the reward of reflection. Meditate on reflection.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than reflection?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than reflection.'

'Understanding (vignana) is better than reflection. Through understanding we understand the .Rig-veda, the Yagur-veda, the Sama-veda, and as the fourth the Atharvana, as the fifth the Itihasa-purana, the Veda of the Vedas, the Pitrya, the Rasi, the Daiva, the Nidhi, the Vakovakya, the Ekayana, the Deva-vidya, the Brahma-vidya, the Bhuta-vidya, the Kshatra-vidya, the Nakshatra-vidya, the Sarpa and Devagana-vidya, heaven, earth, air, ether, water, fire, gods, men, cattle, birds, herbs, trees, all beasts down to worms, midges, and ants; what is right and what is wrong; what is true and what is false; what is good and what is bad; what is pleasing and what is not pleasing; food and savour, this world and that, all this we understand through understanding. Meditate on understanding.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than understanding?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than understanding.'

Power (bala) is better than understanding. One powerful man shakes a hundred men of understanding. If a man is powerful, he becomes a rising man. If he rises, he becomes a man who visits wise people. If he visits, he becomes a follower of wise people. If he follows them, he becomes a seeing, a hearing, a perceiving, a knowing, a doing, an understanding man. By power the earth stands firm, and the sky, and the heaven, and the mountains, gods and men, cattle, birds, herbs, trees, all beasts down to worms, midges, and ants; by power the world stands firm. Meditate on power.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than power?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than power.'

'Food (anna) is better than power. Therefore if a man abstain from food for ten days, though he live, he would be unable to see, hear, perceive, think, act, and understand. But when he obtains food, he is able to see, hear, perceive, think, act, and understand. Meditate on food.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than food?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than food.'

'Water (aapa) is better than food. Therefore if there is not sufficient rain, the vital spirits fail from fear that there will be less food. But if there is sufficient rain, the vital spirits rejoice, because there will be much food. This water, on assuming different forms, becomes this earth, this sky, this heaven, the mountains, gods and men, cattle, birds, herbs and trees, all beasts down to worms, midges, and ants. Water indeed assumes all these forms. Meditate on water.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than Water?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than Water.'

'Fire (tegas) is better than water. For fire united with air, warms the ether. Then people say, It is hot, it burns, it will rain. Thus does fire, after ;showing this sign (,itself) first, create water. And thus again thunderclaps come with lightnings, flashing upwards and across the sky. Then people say, There is lightning and thunder, it will rain. Then also does fire, after showing this sign first, create water. Meditate on fire.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than Fire?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than Fire.'

'Ether (or space) is better than fire. For in the ether exist both sun and moon, the lightning, stars, and fire (agni). Through the ether we call, through the ether we hear, through the ether we answer. In the ether or space we rejoice (when we are together), and rejoice not (when we are separated). In the ether everything is born, and towards the ether everything tends when it is born. Meditate on ether.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than Ether?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than Ether.'

'Memory, (smara) is better than ether. Therefore where many are assembled together, if they have no memory, they would hear no one, they would not perceive, they would not understand. Through memory we know our sons, through memory our cattle. Meditate on memory.

Narada asks 'Sir, is there something better than memory?' Sanatkumara replied, 'Yes, there is something better than memory.'

'Hope (asa) is better than memory. Fired by hope does memory read the sacred hymns, perform sacrifices, desire sons and cattle, desire this world and the other. Meditate on hope. 2. 'He who meditates on hope as Brahman, all his desires are fulfilled by hope, his prayers are not in vain; he is, as it were, lord and master as far as hope reaches-he who meditates on hope as Brahman.'

There is nothing more that can see us through these tough times than a human spirit filled with hope and determination to succeed !...

"The times are tough but so I am

Iam short on cash but long on hope

Iam fallin down to smell the grass

Iam bouncin back to kick your a**"

Happy reading !