Doubts...

Ambling on the silent paths of solitude,I climb the mountain of introspection. In the great plains before me farmers leaving their fields after day's work in blazing sun, cast long shadows. The earth in the golden glow of the setting sun reminds the tired face of a village maid. Grand edifices of the yesteryears stand on on the horizon as a mark of the proud men who built them. Like a painter about to draw his masterpiece I stare at my future. The white canvas of future is empty and mysterious. For a moment the brush in my hand quivers. A small self doubt rises..what does my future hold. What if one wrong stroke destroys the future? I am lost in these thoughts as I stare at stars in the moonless night enveloped by darkness. I see the red glow on the horizon and the little figures of men working in the fields with their bullocks. The same fields that were destroyed by countless floods and yet the tenacity of these great little men wins over the ferocity of nature and tryanny of men. Unkown strength envelopes me and I whistle at the nightingale on the nearby mango tree. Feel happy when it replies back and a tide of peace rushes with the first rays of morning sun. I standup and walk determinedly into the fields of action. I shall paint the best picture not to appease my vanity but as a tribute to those who are gone and who are yet to come and to those people who stand up again. I now find my hand steady and doubts melting just like the drops of the dew that are falling off the blades of grass as I walk.
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Juggernaut...

Dark clouds and piercing silence. Is it a storm approaching?
Rising tide. Is it a typhoon approaching?
Flaming mountain. Is it the awakening of a passion dormant for a millenia?
Rumbling earth. Is it shaking off the burden?
Rising sun. Is it the new dawn of hope?
Disappearing darkness. Is it difficuties melting?
Deep inside a invisible yet invincible a force stirred. Difficulties, goals, aims, deadlines, success, failure, name, fame and pride made way for a selfless conviction.
Somewhere a Juggernaut moved.
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[Note: Juggernaut(meaning Invincible/Irresistable force) has an interesting history. It is derived from the word 'Jagannath' Rath of Puri. It is so huge that in olden days it wass considered unstoppable once it moved.]

World views

Is the ocean this big? said the little frog in the well.Jumping from one corner of the well to the other.
"Limited is your knowledge about the world, My friend! You know not what the world is like. I have seen this world", said the swan that had seen mighty ocean.
........
Instantly as he heard these remarks,Indra began to laugh. How pretentious was the claim of knowledge about the world by swan, confined as it was to a world no more than a speck of dirt in his vast empire spanning galaxies.
.......
Lord, who transcends space and time, smiled as he observed these conversations and thoughts. Yashoda seeing her baby smile in sleep, kissed him on forehead.
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Rollercoaster

Life is a rollercoaster. Tides of emotions bring waxing and waning phases of happiness and sorrows. Pervading all of these is a joy that cannot be compared. For the realized jnani, nothing matters. Neither the death nor the birth. Neither fame nor disrespect. Jnani exists in an eternal joy.

But the life of all mortals like us is a different story. One moment we are happy and the next we feel sad. As I think deeply about it, I realize that however ephemeral life is, there is a definite joy in it just as there is an infinite joy in eternity. Its a feeling of joy one experiences while watching a child fall down trying to walk or a birdlearning to fly. Glorious rising sun in the east or the poignant farewell to the sun by the day. Its the enchantment we feel when we hear a great music, first cry of the baby, song of an unkown bird in the wild. The peace that envelopes on watching a great valley from a mountain top or watching a lone pair of ducks flying alone on a full moon night. The excitement that we have when we see a water fall or waves lashing the rocks on the sea shore. The moments of pleasant surprise when we bump into an old friend at a railway station, hear about commitment of a friend culminating in marriage, or listen to a the same song you were about to hum being sung by person next to you.Disgust at meanness of others while failing to see our own. Talk of high morals in public, while acting like devils in the dark reccesses of personal life. The fear of failure, hope of success.

Its all there in this world and our own. Yet life is beautiful and full of joy precisely because it is this kaleidoscope of emotions. Jnani realize this and enjoys them all while jignasu tries in vain to overcome each one of them until one day he realizes that the QUEST is not to seek, but to realize the divinity present in everyone, everything...at all times and in all states. Then he becomes jnani.
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[Note: I do not use the words joy and happiness interchangeably. They are different concepts to me.One could be full of joy even in a sad situation and vice versa. Joy is a much more subtle and powerful emotion. Sanskrit has two words for then...Ananda for joy and sukha for happiness. In case you are still confused, its because of my poor literary skills and not due to any deficiencies in the concepts themselves..I take the blame!]