Book Summary - The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad : Book By Twinkle Khanna

Well, I am not a person who would read fictional books so often unless it has a touch of practicality and reality in it.

The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad is just that, a collection of 4 stories, inspirational yet practical. Each story a key takeaways and small learnings that we can imbibe in our day to day life.

Story #1

The first story is about a small village girl "Lakshmi Prasad" who brought a revolutionary movement in her village with her wit and wisdom.

The place where women are considered a burden and killed or tormented till death, Lakshmi initiated a small act of goodwill that would help generations to come and also ensure financial independence of the women till their last breath.

The legendary hero of this story, Lakshmi, did something that each one of us can do. An act to thrive through the ups and downs, an act that would help women to keep their head high by earning their own living, an act that would not just help a woman, but also her kids, her family, her village, her country and also this world in a larger perspective. This simple and beautiful act was "to play 10 Mango Seeds every time a girl is born"! Isn't it amazing, the mango tree would start bearing its fruits in 8 years and all the money earned by selling these mangoes would be used for girls' education and marriage?

Who said you need out-of-the-box ideas to be a legend?!?!

Just think of a win-win situation and you can make a great impact. Relating this to the 7 habits of highly effective people, it becomes easy to correlate that Lakshmi's idea was legendary only because it solved a problem, as well as everyone, could earn a fortune or two from it! A true sign of a leader in a small village girl. 

Story #2

The second story talks about Noni Appa, a widow Muslim lady trying to fill her loneliness in the company of her younger sister, who too is a widow. A story of two beautiful sisters, giving relationship goals and demonstrating that you don't need a man to stay happy. You can rather involve in so many other activities and enjoy your sweet cup of tea in the evening. Two souls with different mindset yet sharing a beautiful bond. The excerpt from the book gives you a feeling of gratitude towards your family who may be pretty different from you but are your soul and spirit, the very reason you smile each day. In their journey, Noni Appa meets a yoga instructor, younger than her but their hearts resonating at the same beats. Their chemistry and bonding were beyond the understanding of this society, who would often look down on the couple from different caste, often belittle an old retired lady for having a relationship with a man younger to her and a Hindu married man being attracted to an old Muslim lady. What are the odds that this society would ever understand what love is? How would society justify a Hindu man unsatisfied with his arranged marriage because his wife would never understand him, instead abuse him for not earning well? The wife who is supposed to be Life-Partner becomes Life-threatening. Who would understand that the bond of love is stronger than anything that money can buy? Perhaps, no one! And that is what stopped Noni Appa and Yoga Instructor Anand Ji to live together their last few years of life happily. But one fine day, when Noni Appa had just woke up from a disease that took her almost to death bed, she was awakened by a realization that love is the biggest blessing and fake society will only earn her fake eulogy on her coffin. It is her decision to choose love over the fear of what society will think. The story teaches us the strange thing that this life is! And the stranger thing this society is! 

God bless all who suffer from - Sabse Bada Rog, Kya Kahenge Log!

Story #3

The third story is about a young dynamic lady, living her life to the fullest but is trashed by fate and yet again by society, more importantly by her family! It talks about the times when women get into a marriage with a wrong one and have already tasted the bitter soup of shame. The family becomes the biggest strength to bear the pain and rise above it. Unfortunately, not every woman is lucky to have that loving family.

Negativity attracts negativity.

Failed marriages, pressure from family and society on women, broken hearts, and broken self are the only things engulfing your true self! The story has a bit sad ending or rather best ending for Elisa when she dies of an accident while fleeting away from a toxic family trying to mould her into societal expectations. 

Story #4

The final story is one each one of us would have heard about, PADMAN or The Sanitary Napkins Man. A gripping story of sheer honesty and integrity of the Indian Entrepreneur who had just one vision, inspired by problems faced by his beloved wife, to make the life of all women safe and hygienic. Simply because they deserved it. The stigma around the periods is not unknown in our country and there are many superstitions attached to it. As the story is already known to many, I would love to list 7 lines from the book that churn out the key learnings from the story :

1) For people who imitate you or take credit for your hard work: " This country is full of untalented lazy scoundrels who are happy to bathe in a tub filled with another man's sweat"

2) On Superstitions in villages: "Put batteries in a torch and you can illuminate a room but it doesn't mean that a small star has fallen from the sky"

3) On Women Empowerment: "When a woman's economic status improves, her entire family's condition improves, whereas for a man that may not necessarily hold true. A man will spend on himself, buy a new bike, spend on drinks and friends but a woman will spend all her money on her children.

4) On opportunities that knock on our door and the risks we take: "Life is but a play of chance in the game of choice."

5) On Stakeholder Management: "Profit and loss always interested everyone" (not your product nor your cause)

6) On Sustainable Social Entrepreneurship: "Big business is like a mosquito, a parasite. It can make society ill. My method of business is like a bee. You take nectar from the flower while benefiting the system."

7) On Relationship: "Relationships may tear but they are not clothes where you throw out a ripped shirt and replace it with a new one. A principled man must try to stitch together his bonds carefully, time, and again."

SIDDHARTHA : Book by Hermann Hesse

Siddhartha : a spiritual cult that I was longing to read since ages. A story that starts with a wandering boy who leaves his father in serach of true knowledge and ends with wandering father trying to calm his urge to find his son. A journey that teaches the practical spirituality, tried and tested by touching each facade of life with the essence of oneness.

The book teaches three important things a man needs to have as strong skills : To Wait, To Fast and To Think.

These three skills help you to wait, wait for the situations to unfold itself, wait for the right time and right thing, wait to grab the best. Patience is the most underrated skill these days where world is moving fast and every task has a sense of urgency lingering around it building stress on mental health.

Next skill is "to fast", because hunger is cause of so many evils. Man looses his sleep, his peace of mind and his true self only to fill his stomach. "Papi Peth Ka Sawal" as they call it. The urge to fulfill all your desires, demands, luxuries and comforts are never ending. The goals set by man leads no where but a constant discomfort to fulfill it asap and in return man looses the opportunity to find himself, his true self. A trade off that he decides to take up while chasing his dreams. 

"There is always enough for everyone's need, but never enough for everyone's greed"

The third skill is To Think , think and harness the power of mind for betterment of everyone around you. Thinking is a hidden power each one possess but often takes for granted and ends up acting impulsively. It is the power of thinking that gives solution to most of our issues which we usually consider as most improbable ones to solve.

Siddhartha in his journey tastes different flavours of life and discovers oneness with the nature, with the one driving force of this world. 

He discovers that each one is combination of heaven and hell, it depends on us what we choose. There is good and bad in each one, decision lies on us on what we focus on. The binding force is the oneness that can only be felt and it is this oneness that will help to calm the wavering mind.

A super simple read, the book still forces you to re-read each line to understand it better. There is so much that this book offers which cannot be penned down. The most enlightening part is the way nature responds to your questions if only you sit and listen. The last chapter of the book although ends in vague manner but surely defines the wisdom earned in the complete story. 

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra : Book Summary

Well, who doesn't know Deepak Chopra must surely Google him and find his immense detailed work in the field of Spirituality and Well Being.

In this book written by Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, he has encompassed a treasure of knowledge dunked in Practical Spirituality with ways of applying it. Being a spiritually inclined person this book is a must-read. It can perfectly act as a mini-toolkit to live life as it should be whenever you want a fresh perspective on any situation. Read on to know the laws and the crux of the insights from these laws.

Law #1: The Law Of Pure Potentiality

Also known as The Law Of Unity, this law speaks about unifying your inner self with the true Self (read as Nirankar/Omnipresent God). Deepak Chopra addresses the Omnipresent God as Self or The Gap. Yes, you read it right, The Gap. It is the gap between running currents of numerous thoughts that chatter your mind. The Gap squeezes between different feelings, emotions, and thoughts you experience. The best way to harness the power of The Gap is by expanding it. The expansion is possible only when you calm the mind by meditation and focusing just on the Self.

Self Realisation is God Realisation. Deepak also talks about being Non-judgmental about everything around you allows the universe to show you possibilities in all directions. Being judgemental about a situation or person restricts the power of possibilities. Realize the Self to allow the Law Of Potentiality to unfold and open the world of all possibilities.

Law #2: The Law Of Giving

As the name suggests, it explains very beautifully the power of giving and receiving. The energy of the universe is the circulation of what you give and what you receive. As cliche as it may sound, the more you give the more you receive. The only condition that Deepak highlights to make this law work for you is to "Give Unconditionally". Half-heartedly or grudgingly giving something would result in just loss and no gain. The best way to apply this law is to resolute that every time you come in contact with anyone you give them something, may not be materialistic things and could be a silent prayer for their health and well being or true feeling of gratitude towards their role on your life. The rewards would be much more valuable than anything else.

Law #3: The Law Of Karma or Cause-&-Effect

Everything happens for a reason and the reason is based on the choices we make. The most empowering situation is to witness the thoughts you get while making a conscious choice. Ask yourself two questions: What are the consequences of the choice I am making and Will my choice affect the happiness of me and everyone around me? Your bond responds in two sensations: Comfort or Discomfort. Try to capitalize on these sensations by asking yourself the above mentioned 2 questions. No matter how faint the signal be, your body will still respond as comfort or discomfort. Make your choices based on these senses. Believe in your heart as it knows it all. The other ways to apply this law include transforming your karmas (read as bad incidents) into opportunities by asking "What is it trying to teach me?" Learn and apply the learning for a better life. Alternatively, transcend the karma by expanding the Gap, immersing your soul in the Gap, and awareness of higher Self. Let your karmas be absorbed in the Gap.

Law #4: The Law Of Least Resistance

This law states that the more we resist a situation, the bigger it becomes. The law signifies the importance of love and harmony. When our actions are motivated by love, our energy multiplies and you become immune to criticism, become fearless of the challenges, and untap the infinite creativity of your mind to solve your problems. The three important aspects to apply this law are ACCEPTANCE - to accept the situation as it is and be in complete awareness of the present, RESPONSIBILITY - to take up the charge of changing your life for the better, and finally DEFENSELESSNESS - to surrender your need to convince or persuade others to accept your point of view. When you remain open to all points of view, open mindset, your dreams and desires will follow nature's desires (Allowing God's Will Over My Will).

Law #5: The Law Of Intention And Desire

All the things of the world are made of the same components, literally translating all things come from the same source. One Source. One Driving Force. The only difference is the content of the information and energy stored in each form. To manifest your desires, you need to put attention to them with intent. Attention energizes while intention transforms. When you put your attention to anything, it becomes stronger. When you remove your attention, it disintegrates. Fuel your attention with an INTENT. The intention will transform it to the desired outcome. However, the important thing is to ensure your intention is devoid of attachment to the outcome. Whatever be the outcome, it should not bother you. Focus and put your intention to accomplish it. Let the universe decide the outcome. As per Bhagwad Geeta, Karam Kiye Ja Faal Ki Chinta Na Kar. 

The five steps to apply this law : 

1) Slip into the Gap, to attend the self-realization

2) Established in the state of Being, release your intentions and desires

3) Remain in a state of self-referral by not sharing your desires with everyone around unless they resonate with the same intention as yours

4) Surrender your attachment to the outcome

5) Let Universe handle the details

Law #6: The Law Of Detachment

Detachment is the unquestioning belief in the power of Self. Attachment is always associated with KNOWN and the known is only our past. Attaching to the past will engulf us in fear, anxiety, and stress. Uncertainty in Life is the fertile ground for creativity and freedom. To explore the world of possibilities, we need to step into the Unknown. Our heart and mind are equipped to creatively flourish in uncertainty if we allow detachment, that is unwavering belief in the Self. We find new opportunities and meet our goals only when we venture into the unknown with the alertness of Self.

Law #7: The Law Of Dharma or Purpose Of Life

Each one of us is blessed with unique talent and has taken birth to fulfill unique expectations. That is the Dharma of our Life. There are three main components of Dharma :

1) Discover True Self and understand that we are Spiritual Beings having Human Experience

2) Express the unique talents that help us enjoy the present moment of our life without being bothered by the time we invest in it.

3) Serve Humanity with your unique talents and fulfill that purpose of life.

Commitment to determine the above mentioned 3 components in your life, explore and utilize them opens the door to the divinity that helps to not only amass the wealth we desire but also makes life fulfilling.

The book enlightens the soul and guides towards the Spiritual Laws of Life. This 113 pager is full of wisdom which could not suffice the summary. It is a must-read for seekers of a better life full of positivity and divinity.

Mind map for the book

P.S: Being a follower of the Nirankari Mission, I could not help but resonate the teachings of this book with the Nirankari idealogy. I could relate each Law to the way of life that we have been blessed with by being a Nirankari. It is refreshing to read this book and revise or rather understand the gravity of each Law with better details and application approach.

Tolerance and Broadmindedness

We have been often taught to treat everyone around us with love and compassion. 

Be it family members, friends, well-wishers, or a person whose values and mindsets don't match with ours, or any stranger, we should treat them with great respect and love.

But what is the most difficult part here?

It is "To Love Unconditionally"

Love and compassion might come easy comparatively for our friends and families who we very well gel along with, but becomes a challenge when you don't get along with each other and the thought process of one person doesn't match the thought process of other.

The conflict faced due to this mismatch is still a beautiful discussion if both the parties have Tolerance and Broadmindedness to accept each other's views.

Rev. Vivek Shaq Ji once said we should start making our hate-list and besides that start writing the good attributes of the person. Soon you would condition your mind to give a benefit of the doubt to the person who was on your hate list.

You would try to empathize with his situation and put yourself in his shoes. That would help to build your tolerance and acceptance towards his actions.

And, what if after giving the benefit of the doubt, you let go of your hatred towards that person but the other person still holds a grudge against you and probably wants to hurt or harm you?

Satguru Maharaj Baba Hardev Singh Ji gave a beautiful solution to handle a person who doesn't get along with you even after multiple failed attempts, "DOUBLE THE DOSE OF LOVE"

Even if the person is reluctant to accept us, still what is stopping us from being loving and compassionate about him, being tolerant and accept him as he is? As a saint, we need to check Is it our ego that is holding us behind? Because a true saint would never refrain from being loving and caring for anyone in the world unless he doesn't know the God Knowledge and doesn't understand that all are the creation of one God one Nirankar.

Detached Attachment

A beautiful lesson, yet the most forgotten one : "Detached Attachment".

A saint once said, "Compassion with Detachment, is nothing but bodily attachment".

What makes the state of being in Detached Attachment difficult is the expectations we carry with ourselves to get expected results for every action we do.

The sorrows and miseries come when those expectations fail to materialize.

Be it your job, where you gave your 101%, yet didn't fetch you promotion or recognition.

Or , Be it your examination, where you studied hard for most difficult subject yet didn't get satisfactory results. 

Or, Be it unmatched efforts from the person and family member you love the most.

Or, Be it unfulfilled desires of luxurious apartment with nice car.

The insecurity and fear of not being respected in society, puts you through stressful situation.

This stress not only reduces your productivity but also opens door to self-doubts, ill-health, mental disturbance and all negativity.

When you consider yourself the doer of everything, it is bound to happen that you will be stressed about results. When you place yourself as the custodian of successful meeting of expectations, you are bound feel bogged down by the uncertainties and unfulfilled goals.

When you surrender to the absolute custodian of everything, the God Almighty, you are set free from the burden of the outcomes.

Surrender with gratitude.

Tera tujhko sop diya, kya lage hai mera.

Doing your best, keeping no stone unturned to achieve your dreams, yet not allowing yourself to get attached with the results and surrendering the results in the hands of the Creator leads to Detached Attachment, a gateway to happiness!

The Present of "Present"

We often tend to think more about our future. Or perhaps, blame our past for making our future vision so blurred.

And this my dear friend, is the biggest lie we say to ourselves.

We don't live in past in reality, then why do we live it in our mind.

We don't know what will happen next, like seriously no, else people would have already been prepared for Covid!

It's just our present that is present with us as a beautiful present.

Just like snake discards and sheds away it's old skin, let go of your past to build your promising future. 

But caution, don't get involved too much in details of future at expense of whole. 

Your goals , your dream life is the WHOLE that you want - Whole of it! Be it a nice big house or financial independence till your last breath. You need it completely. Not half baked goods. Aim for it, instead of getting strangled by details of how!

Join hands to pray. Join hands to save.

Quick Read, had written long ago.. but missed to post it 

They say GOD is one.  Yet,  we have so many faces of GOD, Ram,  Allah, Jesus,  and the list would be endless. With new Godfathers coming up everyday we definitely have lot of options to choose from.
But,  Fact remains the same.
GOD IS ONE.

Philosophers always quote,  Life has its equal phases of Happiness and Sadness.  Equal Amount of Good and Evil.

If Good Lord God can have so many faces,  then the evil doesn't stay anywhere far behind.

ISIS, AL-Quaeeda, Boko Haram, with no exception this list too would surely be equal in number of former list.

For one spreads love,  other spreads fear.
For one brings smile,  other can never sieze to make this world cry.

If these terror groups can stand together for their ultimate goal then why do we fear???

Keeping away the trivial thoughts of religion, caste,  creed,  race can't we join hands to eradicate this so called powerful anti social groups?

After all,  Not every Muslim is a terrorist and Not every white is racist..  There is merely two categories that define a human being : the good and the bad.  Period.

The history is a witness,  Evil can never win over the Good.  Just that this goodness need to unite.  Unite and destroy all the evil.

Regrets Are Stronger Than Gratitude

Looking back at life, especially during the times of loneliness, brings back so much to ponder upon.

The self talk, at this time of the day, chatters all the thoughts hidden in your secret closet. The hidden treasure has gamut of emotions bundled up in each incident, some of joy, some of fun, some of reverence and some of regrets. Of all these, the most impactful one now in your lone time becomes the "regret"

An emotion that can put you in binge thinking of all the agonizing things you thought you did. The mistakes of past haunt like a spirit waiting for a human body to take shape and try to live in this world once again with its devastating intents. Pangs of mood swings are just part of another transition that your mind now faces. The darkness filled around, screams and yells at you , echoing it's voice in void, of the decisions you made which were nothing, but just Wrong! The footsteps you took during those days, relive in your lone world now and force you to second guess all the decisions taken. The unanswered questions fill your mind with assumptions and self-doubts. You end up rethinking on the "Best Possible Response" to every fight you had with your conscience that time. Despaired feelings descend , only to make you feel weak on knees in front of the challenges and opportunities you foresee in your future. Whispering subtly, give up.. you would go wrong again... Give up!  

Lost in darkness, you grab your pillow, stare at revolving fan.. slowly with teary eyes..doze off!

Then there comes a new morning, strangely enough, you wake up pretty early. Lull inside, you hold on your coffee mug looking outside to comprehend what just happened last night. You look at those trees waving in breeze, chirping of birds, your mother making breakfast for family and suddenly it strikes upon.. "Thank You God, for giving me one more day to better my life. Without your grace, this wouldn't have been so easy." 

The light scent of gratitude fills the air around. It doesn't really put your fears to rest at once, but gives you that tiny-miny hope to have a life that you would call yours. Just like there is nothing like love at first sight, you just get infatuated at the first sight... The strong bond of love takes time.. it's own sweet time. 

Similarly, there is nothing like suddenly world will turn upside down by feeling of gratitude just for moment.. it takes time.. it takes efforts to recognize the presence of God's will in every thing around.. it takes efforts to look beyond the illusionary vision of things as they appear to be.. it takes courage to be appreciative of small steps you take to have that self-realization. 

Focusing on things you can be grateful about are just around the corner, sneaking and hiding.. awaiting your strong will to find it. It will be difficult to see through the tinted glass of worldly achievements and societal expectations.. well, that explains why the world around today is so obsessed with terms like "stress", "mental health" and "depression". They fail to understand that the real challenge is not depression, but one's will to find things that really matters them the most.. just them.. not the world, not the society, not their families, not their parents. Just them. 

By the virtue of being blessed with a life as a human, each one of us have been granted with the wisdom to know the truth. It is only found by the seeker. 

The one who seeks self realisation, one who seeks God's will in everything, one who seeks The Gratitude.

VISION QUEST

The story is of a happy-go-lucky girl, who loves to explore new concepts and think of implementing it. Although, not successful always, but that doesn't deter her from taking any new tasks by her stride.

For one-and-a half year in her project, she gave her 100% The work was challenging at times, while pretty much hectic most of the times. Nevertheless, it was a great learning experience.

Then came one fine time, when her team was pretty much dismantled, budget issues they said. Her friends moved out and she too was loaned to a different team. Suddenly, chaos and uncertainty creeped in. The people who closely worked with her left the organization too. The responsibility doubled up

This was a biggest turning point I guess, where at one side she felt she has been given big responsibility and other point, she lost vision of what next? She was now part of a new team, working on old assignments. It became difficult to fathom the challenges and even the opportunities ahead.

Months passed by, Covid and Ransomware added fuel to the fire of madness around. The quest for a clarity of vision had began. 

With lot of discussion and guidance from her leads, she has started seeing a light of hope in upcoming months. Hope her quest ends soon....

Believe.

The law of attraction states that you attract all the things that you believe are already yours. Whether it's your dream house or your wish to buy that cute black dress.

Few things are easier said than done.  Exercising this mantra is nonetheless difficult of all. The dream - big theory without the fear of losing anything might help universe to conspire your dreams to reality, but it might also fill up air of procrastination in your mind.

To understand this mantra is actually a "Secret",  as the name of book goes.  Something that you can know only if you experience it.

There are certain chapter and verse for that,  firstly incarcerate your fears in that green bottle,  lid it up tightly and throw it away in deep sea.  Fill up your body and soul with positive vibes and get back to work. Mind you,  procrastination will only help the devil of fear hover around you.  Make ways to stay away from it. 

What it actually direct at was,  Concentrate on bigger picture.  Concentrate on your goal. Hurdles and obstacles are bound to happen. To what you give importance becomes the game changer ,the Hurdles or the Destination.

All in all,  it's what Lord Krishna suggested in Bhagvad Gita,
"कर्म किये जा, फल की चिंता ना कर । "

Give your hundred percent to achieve something that you want, Believe in your hard work,  giving up all your fears, worries,  insecurities, anticipations and all those things that put you down and you shall inevitably achieve what you truly deserve.

The only thing you need to do is have consistent Believe.
Work and abstain your brain from the monster of fear.