Gerald D'Cunha

Dr. Wayne Dyer, in one of his inspirational books, shares with us his testimony as to how he dealt with the most difficult demon in his life. He was young and he had obtained his doctorate in psychology. He had started his practice in Counseling, Speaking and Writing; he was all geared up to achieve name and fame. Yes, he was aspiring to touch people’s lives… inspire them, motivate them… guide them to lead successful and fulfilling life. Yet, his own life was in a total mess… He was deeply into alcohol… and his mind was caught up in a hell he was unable to come to terms with: his father. When Dr. Dyer was still a baby, his father had abandoned Dr. Dyer’s young mother and their little children… leaving them to fend for themselves. So, as a child, and later as a young adult, Dr. Dyer harbored this anger and hatred towards his father who had deserted them. He wanted to meet his father, one of those days, and take out the revenge… The thought had consumed his mind so much that Dr. Dyer ...

M ountains fascinate me… I find them stunningly beautiful, glorious! They inspire awe in my soul… romance in my heart… And cause goose bumps all over my body. But, that is when I observe the mountains Standing far, far away from them. Yes, the mountains look majestic only from a distance! People in my life are no different from the mountains. No matter how significant they are in my life, I need that distance To see, value and appreciate their beauty, their glory. I do not like to be intimidated by the mountains… And, when I try to get too close to them, I end up feeling intimidated… even threatened and hurt. I do not like to be intimidated by people in my life, either… Oh yes, they are so wonderful… They are so precious in my life! Still, still… I need that distance – That space – to feel and value... The warmth of their hearts… I have to come out of their embrace To realize how magical that moment was… Yes, only the dis...

M any a times, I wonder: why didn’t I let go that strain, that weight , that argument, that grudge, that greed, that obsession, that blind pursuit… long before? Why did I have to go through such a grind? Such churning of soul? Endure such turmoil and pain? Letting go of any pursuit… any thing, in fact, is tough. The churning of our soul has to happen, the heart has to bleed a little… the mind has to see the futility. We should become tired... Yes, tired of our blind pursuits! I first read this lovely parable in Ramakrishna Paramahasa’s book. I have told this story to so many and each time, I tell it or read it, it invariably makes my heart smile. “Hey, this is me.” One late afternoon, the fishermen had just returned after their daily catch and they were busy sorting out the fish in their boat. Suddenly, from nowhere, a Kite swooped down on the boat and picked a tiny fish by its beak, and it shot back into the sky. As soon as that happened, there appeared in the sky a hundred crow...

Y es, I woke up this morning… This is the greatest miracle in my life. Some how, I never think it is… I think, that I am ‘entitled’ to wake up, each morning… That, it is my ‘right’. Last nigh, my heart was heavy… I was angry and bitter with someone. It was supposed to be the last thought I would carry to my bed… It was consuming me like hell-fire. My mind was arguing with my heart - “You are right.” Yes, I might have been ‘right’… And the other person Might have deserved all my rage and ranting. But, that did not help me to go to bed like a little child; My heart did not want a justification for my bitterness… It wanted a healing kiss. I went by my heart… Without even blinking, I sent a message to the person: ‘I am sorry’… With no strings attached. I also sent a couple of loving messages To those who I missed… “Who knows,” my heart throbbed, “Tomorrow may not come.” One more morning… One more miracle… Amazing Grace! Amazing...

R egrets are worse than those blunders For which I now regret… Regrets are like the chains around my heart… They keep me imprisoned. If life is a constant onward movement, Then, there is no point in rowing my boat backward. There is no point in crying over the spilled milk. Yes, the situations in my life could have been better; The people who came in my life could have been more loving and faithful; The time spent with my children and my parents could have been of a higher quality; The prayers I said could have been more meaningful; The friends I moved around with could have been not just the fair-weather kind; The career I chose could have been the one my heart had thirsted for; The person who I fell for could have been not just an ‘image’; The business could have been better, The house could have been bigger, The degree could have been prettier, The happiness could have been sweeter, The pain... much, much lesser. And, yes, God could h...

“What I do not like, I always postpone. What I like... for it, I always find time." A middle-aged man offered me a lift, this morning, in his car. His wife was sitting next to him, and they were on their way to attend the morning Satsang , somewhere in Dadar. It was supposed to be from 8.30 to 10 every morning. For the last three years, I see this couple leaving their home by 7.30, without missing a single day. The man would proceed to his office at Fort after the Satsang and the wife would return home. “How do you manage it, sir?” I asked this man. “I don’t have to manage,” the man said. “It is ‘He’,” he pointed to the sky. Then, he added, “You too have left home for your work at 7.30, this morning. You do it every day, and for years on. How do you manage to do it?” For a while, I became silent. Yes, he was right. For the past so many years, I have been leaving home this early. “How do I manage to do it?” I asked myself. “What is my motivation?” “All that we need t...

"If you can not love yourself, You can not love another.” I meet many young college students who are head-over-heals in relationship. They call it ‘Love’. One of the most difficult things to deal with in such relationship, for most of them, is: the desperate clinging of the other partner. “Why didn’t you call? Why didn’t you meet? Where did you go? What did you do? Who was there with you? Why can’t we go out? Why did you wear this? Why did you go there? Why? What? When? Who? Where? Whose?... Yes, all the possible ‘W’s’ in the world. Yes, in the world of our ‘Love Birds’. What starts as some romantic sweet-nothings, now is marred with endless probing, judging, accusing, blaming, sulking, fighting and pain. Most of them are unprepared to deal with this volatile shift… They end up hurting each other; more importantly, they end up hurting themselves. They begin to wonder: Where has all the sweetness gone? Why am I feeling so lonely now? Why is this suffocation? This fear? T...

Y es, some things in my life can always wait... And some things can not. My parents would, often, remind me of this... But then, I always took what they said for granted... I wanted some things NOW! Yes, some things in my life had to happen when they had to... Including some of my mistakes, and the hard blows from them. "Sweet heart," my parents had told me, "Wait for the drizzle till the Monsoon comes." They had told me, "Wait for the dreams till the night comes." I thought they did not want me to be happy Now... I thought they did not understand my heart's needs... So, I sought drizzle in a hot summer... I longed to dream before the night would come. I only came out bruised and bleeding... But then, there was a drizzle of another kind - Right in the midst of hot , hot summer... I saw dreams of another kind - Right with my eyes wide open! I saw the skies and heard a 'voice', Which, perhaps, I would never, ever have he...

I n my last post, I recounted a story narrated to us by one of our Sunday school teachers. The moral of this story was: God knows what we think… and He sees what we do. There is no place in this world, where we can hide from Him. I was very small when I heard this story… and, as I told you in my post, some things in life, always, stay in our minds. This story has. Another story comes to my mind. Mrs. Satyawati was a lean, fair and gentle soul. She was our teacher in first standard. Yes, about forty-seven years ago. I still remember this Panchatantra story she had narrated to us. In fact, it was in the form of a musical; she had so beautifully sung it and enacted to us, the little ones. I still remember how I had cried in the class… and, how I had come home and recounted the story to my parents… So passionate was my teacher’s presentation that it would not go even till I go. One late evening, a cow was returning to her home through a jungle. A hungry tiger came to attack her. S...

O nce, a Sunday school teacher gave each of her little students a small object and asked them to hide it anywhere they liked. “Only thing you remember, my sweethearts,” the teacher told them, “that no one should see you as you hide it.” The little ones were excited. They ran around to find the loneliest place – far from any one’s sight – and, one by one, they came back and stood before their teacher. But, even after twenty minutes, Eddie had not come back. Finally, when he appeared, his face was sunk. “Teacher, I could not find any such place to hide this thing,” he said stretching the object before his teacher. “What happened my child?” the Sunday teacher asked Eddie, “Tell me, why didn’t you find a place to hide it?” “But, teacher, there is no such place, any where around,” the little Eddie cried, “Wherever I went to hide it, I felt God was watching me.” The teacher affectionately held innocent Eddie close to her. The earlier Sunday, she had taught her children in the class, ...

V ibha* is preparing for her twelfth-standard Board Exams. She is an extremely intelligent and organized person, and, in general, doesn’t need to be coaxed about her studies. She is very clear about her goal: Chartered Accountancy. She has the right aptitude and the right attitude, both, for achieving her goal. I feel really glad and fulfilled when I teach her for these reasons. Yes, I like those who know where they are heading, and who are self-motivated. They inspire me; and, as a teacher, I get highly motivated to teach them with all my passion… I go the extra-mile to teach such students. Today, I casually I asked Vibha this: “Vibha, what motivates you to work hard on your own… without being reminded of all the time?” For a while, Vibha hesitated to answer my question. I thought she had not thought of this as it had been a kind of habit for her to work so… very natural. But then, there was something she wanted to tell which seemed to be the answer to my question. I encouraged he...

W hat did I first think of when I woke up this morning? Did I think of something happy or something sad? Did I think of someone dear to my heart or someone my mind feared? Who was my morning angel? What was this day’s my maiden prayer? Who was the one I feared… and why? Who was the one who brought me hope, strength and peace? Who is the one who rules my heart even to this hour of the day? Who is the one who rules my mind? Why do I need good angels in my life? Why do some constantly coup against me? Why do I still bless them? Why do I still believe that Heaven is here – right amidst my sorrows? Why do I look for newness in the old? Why do I see a King’s banquet in my daily bread? Why does goodness be the only treasure I must seek? Why should I not believe in dying with a bitter heart? Why should gratitude be my only prayer? Why should not I lose faith in my home… my simple home? Why should not I search for God somewhere away from my own soul? What...

Y es, I wish I had a life of no worries… I wish I had rich parents, great mansions… And a hundred servants to serve… I wish I had half-a-dozen young and beautiful wives… And scores of children from them… I wish I remained forever young… forever lucky… Forever on my golden throne, Right under the canopy of an everlasting full moon… I wish there was snow in the bright summer… And drizzle in the cold winter… I wish I had friends who never deserted, Neighbors who never argued, And children who never disobeyed… I wish I had strength of an Achilles... The looks of a Cleopatra … And grace of an Eklavya… I wish I were born in another planet… Under another star… For another purpose… I wish I had wings of a Falcon… The heart of an antelope… And smile of a lovely Saturn. My planet is this. Earth! My star is this. Sun. My life is this. Of joys and sorrows…Of flights and fears… Of love and desertions… Of scorching heat and biting snow. I...