Who am I? - Part 1

Hello all,

Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to take another step towards your life path and find another small aspect of it that takes you towards the whole puzzle. Last week we discussed the life path and how each of us has been given a chance in our physical reality to put to use our best talents towards our own life. Many capture it and many don't. Each one, except for the mentally challenged, has been given our own set of unique tools. It is our duty to use it in our life.

Now, some are very aware of their talents, some are not. I have written about my own struggles to understand who I truly am. So, as that has been already discussed, I don't want to write about it again. But let us discuss, how each one should ask the question, 'Who am I?'  Yes, Who are you? Any idea who truly you are? Of course, we can say, I am a mother, daughter, friend, wife, career woman, or a man, father, son, friend, business executive, computer specialist, teacher, painter, every single thing under the Sun.

Who, I, am, Who, are, you, Self, enquiry, Ramana, Maharshi
Who am I? Who are you?
Image courtesy - Pixabay.com

Yes, we are all that. But are we really that? Because most of the things listed here are the roles, jobs, work, or attitude we wear. Yes, we are a mother or a father. But that is the role we play with our kids,  from our purest and deepest heart. Yes, that is the most important role many times we take in our own life. It is totally important. But when we fully concentrate on our kids alone, what happens? They grow really well, they become great in their own lives, then they have their kids, it goes on like that.


Can you see something missing here? We are bringing up our kids very lovingly and beautifully. True. But where are we in this picture? We are nowhere in that picture. This same attitude we teach our kids as well. 'Put your kids in front of you.' Once they get a good job and life, they would also put their kids in front of them. There is nothing wrong to bring up our kids beautifully as very productive future citizens. But in between, we should not forget us as well. So, now back to the question. Who are we?

Remember, all the Philosophy we have already discussed? Remember, why we came to this Earth in the first place? We came to this realm to fulfill our Soul contract. Okay, Soul contract. Now, what is that? We have discussed many times, that underneath all this physical body we are pure energy or pure consciousness or the Soul. We came to this realm to have our Soul lessons and then use it towards our life. For that, we have been given a set of tools or talents to work with.

Now, what do we do? Many times we are not aware of our talents. Many times we don't use it. Many times we want to go for the career the world, family and the peers take. So, now what happens? We have moved away from our true talents. For example, basically, I am a writer and a Spiritual Counselor. But I went behind Biotechnology and Science. How much ever I tried to make a career out of Biotechnology, it was just not happening. Why? What was the reason? My Soul didn't sign a contract, for me to become a Biotechnologist. My Soul signed up to become a writer and a Spiritual Counselor. It was not interested in me becoming a Biotechnologist. It has other lessons to learn, which would ultimately lead me to the current career I have. So, it obstructed me in which ever way it could. I had obstructions galore towards Biotechnology, with toxic bosses, toxic environments, limited projects, and more. The perfect storm in a perfect cup. My Soul contract is to do this for my life, whatever I am doing right now.

Soul Contract: What is a Soul contract? I would explain this as I have understood. Before taking birth each of us has signed a contract, first towards ourselves, that this is what I would be for this lifetime. Then we have signed a contract with others that we would play these specific roles in their life as well. So with our parents, we have a contract from the Soul level, in other words, a Soul connection that we would play their son or daughter's role. With our kids, we play the role of a mother or father. With our spouse the role of a husband, wife, or a partner.Same with our parents towards us and others towards us.Like this, we play our hearts out. But remember these are not just thin physical connection as we perceive. These are connections that span lifetimes and even several of them.
  That is why we feel such a strong connection with our family members. We have been together around the block for maybe several lifetimes. In one, we may be the daughter. In the next, we may be the father or the brother. So, this true connection we come with, to improve another person from their Soul level through hook, crook or any whichever way is the Soul contract. Same way they towards us.

Have you seen? Many times in our life we have a very tough person, who would not budge a little away from their stubbornness. They are like a bull. We hammer our head against that particular person. But our head breaks open and we become aware. This tough cookie is the person who is really making us realize who we are. They have the toughest job around the block. Many times they themselves have no idea, as they may absolutely have no awareness of this role and the drama is being played from the Soul level. They have to take the role to be a tough influence in our life so that, there is no other way, but we have to search for answers from within. This tough cookie can be many times us, on our own lives as well.

The second we turn inward, who is sitting inside? We come in contact with our own Soul. So even that worst influence a person had on our lives, when we become aware shows, all this was a drama that was happening to bring our focus totally to ourselves so that we can start our evolution at the Soul level.

But nowadays what are we really doing? Look around. We, almost every one of us has forgotten about our own Soul contract. We are totally focused on others, whether our children, our spouses, our parents, our friends, or social media. Most of the life we are involved in bringing up our kids. We also teach them to totally concentrate on their own children as well. Suddenly once the kids are grown up and gone, now we have nothing to do.

During those years when we were bringing up the kids, we never looked at, are we doing what we came here to do. Many times the Soul does speak to us through insights and intuitions. But we in our focus on our own life, career, kids and more, just ignore it. We end up usually doing nothing towards our own Soul growth. This is why when the kids have gone looking for their own lives we feel a helpless and hopeless feeling. Because the eternal spring of love from the Soul was never nurtured. Now, it has become dry, by the time we turn attention towards ourselves.

So, it is very much imperative, even while we are bringing up our own kids we also need to find what we need to do to be content and satisfied. We need to concentrate on our Soul contract as well. The contract can be as different as day and night. For a person running after his or her career, it may be to stop and enjoy more of family time. For a person who is bogged down with family relationships, it may be to concentrate more on oneself. It can be anything. For a person, it can be using his/her music to inspire other people, while for another person it may be to maintain a garden.

But with this Soul contract, we have already been provided the necessary talents, and passions. Sometimes it is totally hidden. Other times it may be as visible as a two-year-old kid singing heavy duty Indian Carnatic vocal music. Sometimes it is slightly visible and we have to improve on it. Other times we have to dig deep within. Now, who has the responsibility to find it? For my life, me and for your life, you. This is the very personal life journey we have to take to find, the answer to the next question -Who am I?

Who am I? Let me ask. Who are you? Any idea? Yes, you are the mother, father, aunt, uncle, wife, husband, friend, business person, computer professional and more. But really, Who are you? Can I give you the answer? Unfortunately, no. Because I can only find, Who I am, not who you are. That you yourself have to find by asking the question yourself, "Who am I?" This is called 'Self-enquiry'.

Here, I want to introduce a great personality, who lived in this Earth recently. He was called the 'Wise sage of Arunachala', Ramana Maharshi. He always asked his followers to do Self-Enquiry as 'Nan Yar?' (Who am I?) He used to tell his devotees, the only question one needs to enquire oneself is Who am I? Who am I? and Who am I? Here, I am keeping the site where you can download a copy of the essay prepared from the questions answered by Ramana Maharshi - 'Who am I?' I myself am planning to read it.

Ramana, Maharshi, Arunachala, sage, Nan, Yar, Who am I, Annamalai
Ramana Maharshi - The wise sage of Arunachala!
User: G. G. Welling - Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 606603, Tamil Nadu, India
[CC BY-SA 4.0 ]from Wikimedia Commons

The words of Ramana Maharshi is million times wiser than what I have to write. So, hope people would read it. Now, yes three years back, I did this same Self-Enquiry, which showed me the talents I have that I am now using towards my blog and Quora questions. Does this bring mental satisfaction and contentment for me? Immensely! I totally feel content and blessed that I am able to share the little bit of knowledge I have been bestowed with.


The mind: Now, what is the biggest obstruction to this Self-Enquiry? Any clue? Of course, the 'Markada' (monkey) that makes us jump through fire hoops. Yes, our mind. The same mind that can make us go crazy with jealousy, anger, greed, envy, lust, ego, and more. The same mind when controlled and disciplined take us to the highest realms of pure thought. That is why all yogis and sages say, 'A person who has controlled his/her mind is called a Master'. Jesus and Buddha were Masters. Sankaracharya was a Master. Paramahansa Yogananda, Yukteswar Giri, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, and Vivekananda were Masters.

But is it only asked of the Masters to control their mind? No, each one of us is capable and supposed to do it. Only after we bring our mind into control, we can even think about how to utilize it. Think about it. For example, we are preparing for a major exam, which is in another ten days. While we sit for study, we feel we want to know what is on the TV, or who is saying what on the social media. What is happening in the news, or we feel like having a snack, going to the restroom, or checking up on our phone. Do you think our studies would progress? No. The same way a distracted mind would allow nothing to progress or proceed. That is why first we have to control our mind.

An uncontrolled mind is a 'Markada' (monkey). It tries to go everywhere always. It would swing on the branches of the mind, it would jump from one tree to another tree (from one thought to another thought), it would howl (make noise), thump the chest (attention seeking). It would create ruckus (unnecessary fights), it would distract with whatever tool it gets, News, politics, social media, internet, anything, and everything. This is an uncontrolled mind.

Now, a controlled mind is Ganesha (Elephant headed God). Ganesha is well known for his disciplined student like attitude. In Hinduism, before putting the kids to education do Vidyarambham ( a ritual to initiate the studies), to acquire great knowledge and talent. But the Vidyarambham itself we start with writing a sloka to Ganesha and bowing to him. Why? Because, he is the God who removes obstructions and blocks. True. One thought process.

There can also be another thought process we can have. We are praying to Ganesha to bring in us, the attitude of the 'eternal student'. Ganesha is the eternal student. He always studies or is in thought. So, by praying to Ganesha we are asking him to fill us with his essence, that of the eternal student. As you may know, out of all the Gods, Veda Vyasa who wrote Mahabharatha, asked Ganesha to be the scribe, to write Mahabharatha. For Vyasa, it was imperative that whoever writes Mahabharatha should not literally copy down his words, but also should understand the meaning and put his own nuances to make the sloka of the epic beautiful and elegant.

Ganesha, student, eternal, wise, knowleageable, scibe, writing
Ganesha - The eternal student and scribe!
Adityamadhav83 [CC BY-SA 3., from Wikimedia Commons

Ganesha with his deep knowledge and wisdom was the perfect person to be the scribe. He would understand the meaning, would ask questions if he didn't get the gist of a sloka, he would wait, think to understand the meaning and write. He would challenge Vyasa to understand the meaning, but not to show the egoistic attitude. The attitude of Ganesha is what we need for our physical school/college/University studies as well also for the study of our life, spirituality and more.


Can we bring that attitude of the eternal student, humble in front of our higher Self or the divine, very open to the notions or perspectives that we are going to be shown, challenge the status quo we are living, remove the lower attitudes we have. Even being in the fear of the unknown being courageous enough to take the next step in faith, having the persistence to go another day, with the will power to follow the path, being authentic to our very core, and having the discipline to persist. There may be even more qualities we may need to walk our own path of the sacred contract.

That is the journey of the path of the 'sacred contract' or life path we have to take. And always it is a solitary journey. But not as solitary as going to the Himalayan mountains and meditating. But as solitary as living in this physical world, being with everyone while pursuing our lifepath as well. 

As already this post has become pretty long we will discuss the next part the following week. Finishing with a great quote from Ramana Maharshi about Ganesha and the path we have to pursue. Truly divine blessings to get a quote from Ramana Maharshi about Ganesha himself. I just searched. ;-)))) The power of the divine behind this endeavor, in a nutshell. I surrender this blog post at the Lotus feet of Ganesha and Ramana Maharshi. Here is the original quote.

"All talk of surrender is like stealing sugar from a sugar image of Ganesha and then offering it to the same Ganesha." You say that you offer up your body and soul and all your possessions to God, but were they yours to offer? At best you can say, 'I wrongly imagined till now that all these, which are Yours, were mine. Now I realize that they are Yours and shall no longer act as though they were mine'. And this knowledge that there is nothing but God or Self, that 'I' and 'mine' do not exist and that only the Self-exists is jnana. It is enough that one surrenders oneself.

-Ramana Maharshi, as quoted in Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words (1996). 

I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉

Next week: Who am I? - Part 2
Note: Images from Wikipedia Commons and Swaroopa Blog.

Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".  

 
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