How to Stumble into Infinity?

#MyTakeaway 

Let's say you are a scientist. You have a bunch of equipments that you need for your research. Would you allow any Tom, Dick and Harry to be around the equipment? You would care for those equipments more than you care your toothbrush right? 

In India we tend to worship all such equipments. The idea is to create the sense of sacredness around our work objects. Wherever there is sacredness there is honour and respect. Whatever you respect you care for it more. This feeling allows you to dive deeper into whatever you are doing. 

More than the rituals behind the worshiping, it's important to understand the reason behind those rituals. Otherwise even rituals can become a mere checkbox and not bring in the sense of honour, respect and gratitude. You need not do puja in traditional manner. Even if you do anything that honours your study and work material, you will still be able to dive deeper into your own work, allowing you to create better results. 

When you respect your elders, you take care of them with all your heart and then that helps you take better care of them. It allows you to go deeper into their needs. When you take care of them just because you have to, the quality of that care goes down. 

While I was watching The Crown on Netflix, I noticed that there are so many rituals to coronate the queen. She just doesn't sit on the throne the next day with a crown on her head. Had it not been for those rituals the crown would have become a hat. But since people have faith in God and those rituals link the Divine to the crown, people automatically start having faith in the crown. They start respecting the crown. And respecting the crown is very essential part of running the kingdom. 

This is applicable to our regular practices too. If we meditate as a 'checkbox' activity it won't have depth to it. If we treat our practices with honour and respect then we dive deeper into Self.

Maharshi Patanjali says this in Patanjali Yoga Sutra, 'सातो दीर्घा काले निरंतर सत्कार सविता दृढ़ भूमिः'. Anything you do for a long period of time, without a break and with respect and honour becomes firmly grounded in you. If you want to learn a language, keep learning for a long period of time, without a break and with respect and honour, that language will be firmly grounded in you. Let's say you want to learn how to sing, keep practicing for a long period of time, without a break and with respect and honour, the quality of your practice will enable you to go deeper into the Art of singing. 

Similarly, if you are keen to know more about yourself, take a sankalp for a long period of time, without a break and with the due respect and honour towards your practice. You will realise that you can go deeper in your meditation. 

Also know that Maharshi Patanjali has not asked you to do it forever. Because when you say "From today, I will meditate everyday" the resolution will crumble down after some time. Hence take a sankalp for a long period of time. It can be 30 days, 40 days, 90 days etc . It can vary from person to person.

Whatever you do do it with respect and honour. You will start noticing the difference.