The importance of time and effort

क्षणशः कणशश्चैव  विद्यामर्थं च  साधयेत्  |
क्षणत्यागे कुतो विद्या कणत्यागे कुतो धनम् ||

kṣaṇaśaḥ kaṇaśaḥ ca eva vidyām arthaṃ ca sādhayet ।

kṣaṇa-tyāge kutaḥ vidyā kaṇa-tyāge kutaḥ dhanam ॥

Subhashita

Knowledge and wealth are procured with every moment and grain (respectively). If a moment is wasted, how can knowledge be accrued? If a grain is wasted, how can wealth be accumulated?

सुभाषित, or subhashita, is a genre of Sanskrit sayings for everyday life. Su means good, bhashita means spoken. The subhashita deals with various subjects and includes topics of day to day experiences that every one can easily relate to. 

This subhashita was written a long time back, when mankind was predominantly agricultural (hence the linking of grains with wealth), but it is relevant even today. ‘Time is money’ – an adage often used nowadays possibly owes it’s origins to this stream of thought. 

A few elaborations of mine that I drew from this verse. 

Time and effort 

Anything that you want to acquire – be it wealth or knowledge, requires dedication of time and effort. In Kyokushin Karate, it is said that the first real training begins after a thousand days of constant practice. Even studies have shown that it takes a thousand days (calculated in man hours) to begin to master a subject. 

A lot of our time nowadays is wasted in social media and Netflix – time that we could use more wisely. 

A discussion with a friend yesterday brought up an interesting thought. When we were growing up in the 90s, working on a school project, or studying anything new meant countless trips to a library – often far away from home and with limited access – photocopying important pages from multiple sources, and then attempting to clarify any questions that arose through mutual deliberation. Today, one can learn the basics of to play a piano, or to even fly an airplane – from Google. 

The time and effort involved has drastically reduced, but has our learning grown proportionally?

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Knowledge

The concept of acquiring knowledge itself has to change. Post COVID-19, the world may see challenges that we never thought possible. In India, demonetisation brought about the hurried acceptance of digital payments – COVID-19 has brought to the forefront the importance of going digital. In such a changing world, one cannot keep drawing on knowledge acquired during our college days – you have to keep learning, keep upgrading your skills. And as we have seen, the time and effort required to do this has reduced – so let’s not waste this opportunity. 

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Money

The tricky part of money – how much is enough? Isn’t accumulation of wealth a bad thing? It isn’t. Attachment to the process of acquisition of wealth is dangerous though. Had spoken about it here – If your mind is possessed with desire for EXCESS wealth – wealth that you cannot take away with you, the result is only dissatisfaction, anxiety and stress. 

This subhashit also stresses on the importance of not wasting your money. After all, it is earned from your precious time and hard effort. It is hard to save money in today’s world, given all the excesses (and easy credit) that we have got used to. Do an short analysis of your current spending (during the lockdown) and what you used to spend pre-lockdown. It has gone down, hasn’t it? The amount by which it has decreased (excluding some essential travel expenses) most likely reveals the discretionary spend – amount that we spent, but could have easily saved, if we cut back a bit and had a little more discipline. 

And remember – this is spending that mostly resulted in a change of habit.

I for one – used to have 4-5 cups of tea a day from the neighbourhood tea store – that has stopped and I won’t be going back to it, since a habit has changed. Factor in those 2 cups of Starbucks that you had every day (that you don’t have now) – adds up to a tidy little sum right?

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We may live in a far advanced (or so we think) age – where we have the best of technology at our disposal. But let’s not lose sight of a few basics, that can keep us grounded, and help us refocus on the true meaning of life, and living it to the fullest.

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The importance of time and effort

What makes us happy?

सर्वं परवशं दुःखं सर्वमात्मवशं सुखम् ।
एतद् विद्यात् समासेन लक्षणं सुखदुःखयोः ॥

sarvaṃ paravaśaṃ duḥkhaṃ sarvamātmavaśaṃ sukham |
etad vidyāt samāsena lakṣaṇaṃ sukhaduḥkhayoḥ || 

Manusmriti 4.160

All that is dependent on others is painful; all that is dependent on oneself is pleasing; he shall know this to be, in short, the definition of pleasure and pain.

A very simple, but profound way of looking at pleasure and pain, at happiness and unhappiness. A lot of times, we look for complicated answers, when the solution can be quite straightforward. As succulently put by Manu, thousands of years ago. 

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The root cause of all misery is desire – so says the ancient Vedic texts and the Buddha. A lot of us tend to misunderstand this to be a call to asceticism. If desire is the root cause, then it must be evil, isn’t it? Well, the pillars of Vedic Indian thought are four goals of human life, or Puruṣārtha – dharma, artha, kāma and moksha. Kāma, or desire, is very much a part of our lives. The right desire is what is referred to here – desire that creates life, that improves oneself – and not the desire for mere materialistic things. 

The wrong desire causes heartburn – a sense of anxiety and unfulfillment when we do not get what we want. This also extends to our feelings – the more we are dependent on external factors for happiness, the more we are likely to be disappointed. Manu advises us to look inwards – and understand what makes us truly happy is within us. This will lead to freedom of thought and action, and in turn lead to lasting happiness and peace.

Two fishes and a frog

As the frog said, “the one with thousand tricks sat on the head of the fisherman, the one with hundred tricks is hanging by the fisherman’s arm and I with only one trick am happily swimming in the water.”

Two fish named Sahasrabuddhi and Satabuddhi made a lake their home. They had a frog as a friend whose name was Ekabuddhi. Every day, they used to meet on the bank of the lake and discuss everything under the sun and disperse at sunset. One day, they saw some fishermen equipped with nets and each carrying a basket full of fish came that way and saw the lake and noticed that it was full of good fish. They told themselves that they should come early the next morning and bait the fish.

The fish heard their conversation and were very worried. Then the frog asked Satabuddhi for advice.

“O Satabuddhi, you have heard what the fishermen were planning. Now tell us what we should do. Should we remain in the lake or go somewhere else.”

Sahasrabuddhi answered the question, “Don’t worry. You should not be scared by just words. 

The learned have said “The world is still safe because the dreams of snakes and wicked men never come true.” 

The fishermen may not even come tomorrow. If they come, I am here to save you.”

Satabuddhi said, “You are a genius. What you say is correct. There is nothing that accomplished men cannot conquer. Remember how Chanakya had killed all the armed Nandas.

“Where one cannot pierce sun and wind, the wits of a resourceful man enter.
One should not leave motherland, for, nothing is happier than one’s own land.”

Then, Ekabuddhi, the frog, said, “Friends, flight is the only thing I know. So, I and my wife will leave this place tonight itself.”

Accordingly, the frog left the lake immediately. Next day, the fishermen came and netted lot of fish, frogs, crabs, turtles etc. and also Satabuddhi and Sahasrabuddhi and killed all of them. 

One of them carried Sahasrabuddhi on his head because he was heavier and slung Satabuddhi to his arm because he was long.

Ekabuddhi showed this scene to his wife and said, “Didn’t I tell you what the fishermen will do? Now, see the plight of Satabuddhi and Sahasrabuddhi. The one with thousand tricks (Sahasrabuddhi) sat on the head of the fisherman, the one with hundred tricks (Satabuddhi) is hanging by the fisherman’s arm and I with only one trick am happily swimming in the water.”

The wise indeed say:
Wisdom is superior to knowledge.

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Two fishes and a frog

Who am I?

मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कारचित्तानिनाहं

नचश्रोत्रजिह्वेनचघ्राणनेत्रे।

न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः

चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ।।

manOBuddhyahankAra cittAni nAham, na ca SrOtrajihvE na ca ghrANanEtrE | na ca vyOma bhoomirna tEjO na vAyu:, cidAnandaroopa: ShivOham ShivOham ||

Nirvana Śhatakam by Ādi Śańkara

I am not the mind, the intellect, the ego or the memory,
I am not the ears, the skin, the nose or the eyes,
I am not space, not earth, not fire, water or wind,
I am the form of consciousness and bliss,
I am the eternal consciousness…

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If there is only one composition that you would wish to learn from your heart and mind – it is this.

It is said that when Ādi Śaṅkara was a young boy of eight and wandering near River Narmada, seeking to find his guru, he encountered the seer Govinda Bhagavatpada, who asked him, “Who are you?” The boy answered with these stanzas, which are known as “Nirvāṇa Shatkam” or Ātma Shatkam”. Swami Govindapada accepted Ādi Śaṅkara as his disciple.

There are compositions that one can give a commentary on, and there are others where you don’t need any guidance, or explanation.

The six verses of Nirvana Śhatakam explain the concept of Nirvāṇa – which means “to extinguish” or “to blow out”.

Extinguish what? Your outer self, the separation that we put in between us and everyone else, and everything else. Ādi Śańkara starts with the physical body, then the subtle body (na ca praNasamjnO na vaI pancavAyu:), then strips away emotions, likes and dislikes, even relationships, and then reveals the inner Self as our true nature.

Nirvana Śhatakam has helped me during tough times…times when I was searching for answers, when I was questioning the purpose of life, and the goodness (or lack thereof) of people around me. I listened to this daily, on my way to work (takes just 10 minutes), and it made a huge difference to my state of mind.

You may not find all the answers, but your questions will surely disappear.

Here is the rest of the composition, without the need for any explanation:)

Who am I?

We are in everything, and everything is in us

आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन |

सुखं वा यदि वा दु:खं स योगी परमो मत: || 

ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśhyati yo ’rjuna

sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ

Bhagavad Gīta 6.32

 I regard them to be perfect yogis who see the true equality of all living beings and respond to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were their own.

If you stick out your tongue at a baby, she would stick out her tongue as well. In fact, all babies learn through mimicking. Have you also noticed how your own heartbeat races when you see Virat Kohli at the crease, poised to take the winning shot in a cricket match? Or when someone yawns, you feel like yawning as well? 

Turns out, this mimicking of actions and feelings is due to the presence of ‘mirror neurons’ – the brain cells that activate when we see someone doing something. For example, if you see someone smile, the mirror neurons in your brain light up – and the same neurons light up when you smile as well. Christian Keysers, a leading mirror neuron researcher says ” what happens is that when we witness others’ facial expressions, we activate the same in our own motor cortex, but we also transmit this information to the insula, involved in our emotions. When I see your facial expression, I get the movement of your face, which drives the same motor response on my face, so a smile gets a smile. The motor resonance is also sent on to your own emotional centers, so you share the emotion of the person in front of you.”

In other words – we are able to feel what others feel. 

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Now comes the fun part. Neurologist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran says that the only reason you feel that you have a distinct identity is because your pre-frontal cortex – the most recently evolved region of the brain – inhibits your mirror neurons. For example, lets say that you see someone cutting vegetables and accidentally slice her finger. Your mirror neurons would immediately activate – but your pre-frontal cortex examines signals from your own finger, and determines that all is well. If your fingers were anaesthetised, and unable to send an OK signal back to your brain, you would feel the same pain as her!

Daniel Goleman, in his book – Social Intelligence – the new science of human relationships, concludes that “examination of the sense organs tells us that the senses, though wondrous as they are, are limited. Only a short section of light is visible to the human eyes and many frequencies that other species hear elude our ears. Our perceptions do not always depict reality. We tend to take things like air and water for granted until we are starved of them. Realization of significance of ordinary things is real knowledge or enlightenment. Our senses—designed for survival—tell us that creatures are separate but new knowledge of mirror neurons shows that creatures are wirelessly connected through emotion and thought.

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In short, we are more deeply connected to each other, that we realise. 

What science says today, the scriptures have been saying for thousands of years. The distinction of I, the identity that we carry, is unreal and limited. 

We are a collective consciousness, and we ought to start seeing ourselves in everybody, and everybody in ourselves. 

When we see ourselves in every living being on the planet in this manner, it is natural to be compassionate to all. You feel what others feel, and to think negative of others is to think negative of your own self. This kind of realisation can only lead to postivity – a world where we are more at peace with everyone and everything, and in turn, with our own self. 

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We are in everything, and everything is in us

Freeing up your time – Part 2

Difficulty level – 3 (difficult)

Time commitment : (-45) minutes everyday

A few days back, I had spoken about freeing up your time. This is the second part of that exercise. 

The first thing we need to do is to be aware of how we spend our time. Without awareness, you cannot measure it. Without measuring, you cannot analyse it. And without analysis, you cannot amend it. 

So, as a pre-exercise routine, you would need to perform a few tasks:

1. Commitment – The first step to achieve anything is firm commitment to the cause. This is an addiction – the only way to get rid of it, and get back control, is to commit to making a change. Link this commitment to a reward – a small treat once you achieve your milestones. 
2. Measure – the number of times that you check your email on a normal workday. Every time you open your email app on your phone, or check your email on your laptop browser, make a tick in a notebook. Do this for one full day, from the time you wake up, till the time you sleep. 
3. Note down your distractions – Keep a notepad next to your desk, and make a note of every distraction or interruption that pops up to tempt you to interrupt what you are working on. This can range from thoughts in your head, to unscheduled calls and notifications that make you look at your phone. Do this for one full workday.

So, what were your scores? I was at 45+ email opens (before I started the sādhanā), and over 70 distractions (I stopped writing after some time, there were so many of them). 

The first part of this exercise concentrated on our social media and phone usage. You noted the time you spent on this, and started corrective measures. This exercise focuses on work-related tasks, to address the main issue that we seem to have at work – NO TIME. 

Now that you have seen the extent of the problem, let’s get down to the solution.

Freeing up your time

Freeing up your time

The first thing we need to do is to be aware of how we spend our time. Without awareness, you cannot measure it. Without measuring, you cannot analyse it. And without analysis, you cannot amend it. 

So, as a pre-exercise routine, you would need to perform a few tasks:

1. Commitment – The first step to achieve anything is firm commitment to the cause. This is an addiction – the only way to get rid of it, and get back control, is to commit to making a change. Link this commitment to a reward – a small treat once you achieve your milestones. 
2. Set up a screen-time option on your phone. iOS (the iPhone) has this option in settings, and you can download the Digital Wellbeing app for Android devices. 

Measure this for a week, without making any changes to your screen usage. Then, go to the screen time feature and see your results. I have discussed the iPhone-related options here, but am sure that the Android equivalent would have the same categories. 

You will be shocked to see how much time you actually spend on your phone. Pay special attention to:

1. Your average screen time per day – that is the time you spend looking at your phone. I’ve had people coming back with 6-7 hour screen times per day – thats nearly half your waking life spent looking at a phone, excluding the other devices (laptops, television, iPads) that you may have… 
2. Your ‘Most Used’ apps – This shows which app you are addicted to the most. Chances are that Instagram and the browser will share the top spot. 
3. Categories – All apps are grouped into categories. For instance – WhatsApp, Instagram, FB etc., come under Social Networking. Notes, Voice Memos, Hubspot (CRM), email, calendar apps come under Productivity, Books, Wikipedia and information sites come under Reading & Reference. Am sure that your Social Networking group would win hands down in these stats, since most people use their phones primarily for social apps. 
4. Pickups – this is interesting. It shows how many times you picked up the phone. I’ve seen scores above 200…per day! Also pay attention to the ‘First Used after Pickup‘ stats. This is the app you picked the phone up for, mostly because you got a related notification. Can also be the app you check for updates frequently. 

Now that you have seen the extent of the problem, let’s get down to the solution.

Read more at:

Freeing up your time

And what do we take with us?

नामुत्र हि सहायार्थं पिता माता च तिष्ठतः । 
न पुत्रदारं न ज्ञातिर्धर्मस्तिष्ठति केवलः ॥ २३९ ॥

nāmutra hi sahāyārthaṃ pitā mātā ca tiṣṭhataḥ | 
na putradāraṃ na jñātirdharmastiṣṭhati kevalaḥ || 239 ||

Manusmriti 4.239

The Manu Smriti tells us: namutra hi sahayartham pita mata ca tisthatah. na putradarah na jnatih dharmas tisthati kevalah. “When you depart from this world, your father will not come with you, your mother will not come with you, your brother will not come, your sister will not come, your husband will not come, your wife will not come, your children will not come, your money will not come, and even your body will not come with you.” 

Then what will come with you? The verse mentions that your spiritual merit alone accompanies you. 

Everything else remains here – life goes on, the assets that we accumulate pass on to the next generation, or wither away. How many of us can recall (or even know) the names of our great-great grandparents, and their parents? Even our names will be forgotten within 2-3 generations, and that is the truth. 

How we live everyday counts – not towards any credit that we can cash out on when we depart, but towards our growth now.

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And what do we take with us?

a very simple message

Mindfulness

Mindfulness. 

A new mantra in the West, but a concept ingrained in all Eastern traditions, mindfulness is the new yoga. There are books been written on mindfulness, seminars and convocations conducted, and larger corporates are warming up to the fact that mindfulness does make a difference to employee happiness and more importantly(in their eyes), productivity. 

So what is mindfulness?

Here is a small exercise that you can try out. For today, observe yourself while you go about your day – from when you are in the shower, to when you eat, to even when you read this blog. Observe what you are thinking about as you perform these tasks. if you drive, then be conscious of what you are thinking when you drive, when you see a program on TV – observe again…

Most of us live on auto-mode. We wake up, check our phones, freshen up, have breakfast, work, eat, phone, exercise (hopefully), and sleep. But did you notice how you go about it? When in the shower – we end up thinking about some task at work that needs to be completed, when having breakfast, our eyes are on our phone – checking the news, twitter (and these days, the death count) and social media. When we drive to work, our minds are on that important meeting that is going to happen in a few hours. Oddly enough, if that meeting goes on for long, your mind has already reached home and made plans for the evening..and at that movie – its back to the phone checking news and email, and WhatsApp. 

Why are we living in fast forward??

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21-day Sādhanā challenge – Day 11