It's been 20 days since my last post, and I feel like a criminal non-blogger.

Last weekend was a beautiful one. Gurudev was in Delhi. Moreover his stay got extended by a day due to some avoidable reasons, which one of the devotees reckoned as being a "perfect divine plan". In his presence, Delhi got blessed with rains too after a really long wait.

Around him one gets to remember and apply all the knowledge learnt in life. "Accept people as they are". "Give your 100%". "Be centered". "Live in the present". Et cetera. Probably the Guru Mandala is designed in such a way that you live your full potential at least for the moments you are around him. The mind is aware; the heart keeps filling with gratitude, love and devotion; you are preparing for that 10-second interaction with Him, and looking back at your life from a wider perspective :)

One of the most memorable moments last weekend was the reading of Yoga Vashishtha in his presence. It probably lasted an hour but seemed like just-started. The first sentence (of the chapter read out) itself took us to a state of deep meditation. "Moksha can be attained only through knowledge, and not through action". What a profound sentence. And with a good potential to confuse the mind. My meditation got interrupted with a phone call from the bureaucrat for whom I had organized a meeting with Guruji. He was waiting at the door and I had to escort him in.

On two occasions Guruji announced loudly - "It's after 1800 years that someone has got the name Pushpadanta", and referred again to the Pushpadanta who had composed the Shiva Mahimna Stotram. I felt hugely blessed those moments. Doesn't even matter if this is the same Pushpadanta or not. He has given me a name, with so much love, and he loves calling out that name... that's just more than enough. If I knew a Pushpadanta I would have loved calling out his name too... there is something inherently beautiful in this name. He also added that there must be some reason why my parents gave me my earlier name, which also started with Pushp...

The legend of Pushpadanta says that he was one of principal attendants of Lord Shiva. He was the chief of Gandharvas, and held the power to become invisible at will. One day he unknowingly misused his power to listen to a private conversation between Shiva and Parvati, because of which he was condemned to a human birth. He composed Shiva Mahimna Stotram in his human birth and got salvation thereafter.

That's it for now. I have a few half-finished writings which I shall soon complete and post.

Au revoir!