#159 What makes you feel alive?
Joseph Campbell once said – I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.
And so, let me ask you the question which I asked a few others who were celebrating the entire family’s recovery from Covid, – What makes you feel alive?
32 year old Krish, a recent father of twins said – Seeing the innocence and gurgling laughter of my children fills me with so much love that I had not ever imagined. Feeling the gaze of his wife from the corner of his eye, he cleared his throat and lookingly fondly at her said, The mother of our children first made me feel alive during our courtship. Although I was thin and weak, her love and support made me feel like a Superman …like I had the energy and confidence to take on anything in this word. Love makes me feel alive.
He looked at his wife, She said – In this phase, a good night’s sleep is all I need to feel alive, refreshed and recharged with energy.
Atharva who was visiting them, a corporate executive said, ‘Working on different projects – seeing it grow from the seed of an idea to the tree of a product bearing fruits for the customer. Now that makes me feel alive.
Rahul who loved to trek said – Between the first wave and the second wave, it was great to go to Panchkedar in Uttarakhand, the crisp mountain air, the innocent mountain people, days of walking wherever the path takes me surrounded by the grandeur of nature. The mountains is where I feel alive.
Meena with a satiated look after eating the 20 th panipuri asked – If no one else is having these puris I will finish these off – The crunch of the puri with the chilled spicy water in it, the delicately spiced potatoes and the tangy, sweet and spicy chutney – all at once, is pure magic. This is best topped with succulent, melting in the mouth gulab jamun with Vanilla ice cream.
Every one laughed and Rahul remarked – No prizes for guessing what makes Meena feel alive.
Meena – I am a sensual person. Different flavours, beautiful fragrances, great music, soft golden light, a nice massage, a hot bath – with all my senses pampered, I feel alive.
Putting her hand around Meena’s shoulders, Latika said – It ‘s just so nice to meet you guys after two years. Not being able to meet you physically was so depressing. I felt dead. You know me – I am a sponge of people ‘s energy and hanging around people makes me feel alive.
Krish’s mother said – Let me give you some prasad from Tirupati Balaji temple. Going to different temples energises me as I recognise my different blessings. As they extended their palms respectfully to receive pieces of the delicious laddoo prasad, Mahesh sitting on the rocking chair looked up from the book that he was reading by Rebecca Solnit. He said – Reading makes me feel alive. And I quote
‘Nearly every book has the same architecture — cover, spine, pages — but you open them onto worlds and gifts far beyond what paper and ink are, and on the inside they are every shape and power.
Some books are toolkits you take up to fix things, from the most practical to the most mysterious, from your house to your heart, or to make things, from cakes to ships.
Some books are wings. Some are horses that run away with you.
Some are parties to which you are invited, full of friends who are there even when you have no friends. In some books you meet one remarkable person; in others a whole group or even a culture.
Some books are medicine, bitter but clarifying.
Some books are puzzles, mazes, tangles, jungles. Some long books are journeys, and at the end you are not the same person you were at the beginning.
Some are handheld lights you can shine on almost anything. They can be doorways and ships and fortresses for anyone who loves them.’
Everyone’s eyes lit up at this beautiful description as their minds drifted away to land on the cover page of their favourite books.
Krish’s father who was in his sixties – Well, the book that I can return to day after day is the Bhagavad Gita. It reveals the meaning of life and also how to feel alive every day, not just when you are doing your favourite activities. If you want to know more, ask Swaminiji.
All of them turned to me and one asked –How can we always feel alive?
I said – Feeling alive means life courses through our veins. The laws of karma fill up our experiences. All of you have so beautifully shared what makes you feel alive. To clarify further, these could fall under six or more domains.
Emotional domain – The colorful landscape of our emotions, particularly love, hope, optimism, excitement, wonder and thrill. If the movie of your life or the movie on the screen has this, we are raring to go. Laughter helps.
Physical domain – Our environment particularly greenery, flowing rivers, mountains and valleys. And so, we also try to bring some of it into our homes through plants and flowers around the house or a tidy house filled with beautiful things as per your esthetics. Rest, sleep, exercise, asana, pranayama too can be energizing.
Intellectual domain – Solving interesting problems or learning something that you did not know, a new book, or the latest game on the block wordle, how things work, a new software, productivity hacks etc
Sensual domain – Anything that is pleasurable to the senses – be it through sight, taste, fragrance, touch, sound. So watching performances, Listening to music, singing, dancing, painting are wonderful activities.
Social domain – Being with people, speaking, listening, serving them, seeing the change in their lives
Spiritual domain – Activities through which you relate to Bhagavan be it puja, bhajan, chanting, reading books, attending satsang etc
An awareness of all these domains is helpful because we can access more wells to draw energizing, refreshing water from. Depending on our personalities, we do what energises us.
So you see, every one can feel alive not just on the weekend but every day if you can design your day such that your preferred activities are there even for a short span of time.
Every day you can retrieve hope, optimism and enthusiasm from the never ending to do lists, the sigh of exhaustion and feeling low.
The question is – In each of our experiences of feeling alive, what is always present?
Bhagavan in the form of the intelligence and material that powers all the principles.
What makes up the intelligence and material of the physical laws of nature by which space, aakaasha accommodates, vayu, the air that moves, agni, the fire that warms, aapah, the water that flows, Prithvi, the earth that stabilizes and nourishes. It is Bhagavan.
What makes up the intelligence and material of the emotional laws of nature that connect events and different emotions, their layers, their depth of intensity, their many shades. It is Bhagavan.
What makes up the intelligence and material of the intellectual ways of us delighting at a new discovery and solving all kinds of problems from the monetary crisis to how to soothe babies to sleep. It is Bhagavan
What makes up the intelligence and material of the different objects around us, the people we engage with, and the senses that engage with the world. All the way it is Bhagavan.
Bhagavan is like the colorful embroidery thread that weaves the tapestry of your life – the landscape of the key events of your life, the twists and turns in the journey, the joys and sorrows – all of it.
Just one thread that runs through the whole cloth but has different names, colors, forms and functions.
What makes you feel alive – Five words all referring to Bhagavan.
What refers to the six domains and more
Makes – refers to the cause and effect relationship between the experience and you the experiencer
You refers to the material and intelligence that is Bhagavan
Feel – refers to the emotional laws
Alive is life itself that which always IS , in some form or the other.
That which is Bhagavan which is ever present as the intelligence and material that is you, in all your experiences.
So, you are the very life of all that makes you feel alive.
