Book Review : Open Eyed Meditations

This book is the brainchild of Shubha Vilas, an Engineer with a degree in Patent law. He is a a motivational speaker, life coach & a story teller of repute ! He has authored the series of books on Ramayana-Game of Life which has become a bestseller !

 The cover of "Open Eyed Meditations "depicts the side view of a human face with neck with various colors in circular pattern as if they are the colours of the aura .There is purple, blue, green, yellow & in the centre as if signifying the eye or the deep mind, , it is red. Towards the neck, it is orange. The cover is very much in keeping with the title of the book symbolizes , the human mind which will benefit by meditating on goodness of others.

 The book begins with Acknowledgements to various people whom the author considers to be his gurus...namely, the founder of ISKON & H.H.Radhanath Swamy among others. Next is the introduction wherein the author says that this book is a compilation of wealth collected from Epics on Vedas.Though , it is inspired by Vedas, it is molded to reflect & solve problems of the world in its present state.

 The book lists problems that we encounter in todays' age in our places of work, at home, etc. It gives superb insight & ways to deal with it. Many stories from Ramayana & Mahabharata are narrated connecting the present day situations to the tales. This makes the book very interesting. Many of these tales , may have been heard & yet , when portrayed in today's  context, carry deep insight & lessons for us. The author writes that sometimes analyzing too much can bring grief & paralyse us. Our talents may sometimes isolate us & make us unlikable. He also talks about letting go & not holding on. He speaks about how X factor can influence success or mar it in spite of hard work, talent etc. He has penned a chapter on Valentine's day & the happiness quotient,both very current topics. He also talks about friendship, & how to keep it blooming in these times .One tale is about how though Jatayu  failed in rescuing Sita, he was happy. This was because the muhurta had changed as a result of Jatayu’s fight with Ravana. This  was  the beginning of Ravana’s annihilation & Sita’s return to Rama. Hence, success & failure can be misleading

 He narrates all points with tales of Krishna & Rama & how their life stories can inspire us to lead a fulfilling life ! The book is divided into  64 chapters spread over 279 pages. Short chapters goad the reader to read faster ,The synopsis at the end of each chapter summarize the ideas beautifully.The book is published by FiNGERPRINT! BEL!EF.

As the author states in the introduction , " Its definitely not a one time read but surely warrants a meditative one ."We will need to come back to the ideas in the book time & again to gain wisdom & up our happiness quotient.And thereby peace for all.

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Mute therapy.

She wanted to scream her lungs out .Still ,she decided not to .After all ,she had promised herself,that she would let things be.She would take it all, in her stride.She was trying an experiment.She was trying to keep calm .This act of being a mute witness, was so unlike her.Any reaction, howsoever small & insignificant, would lead to a  torrent of words, from her side.

She went berserk with her words.Her daughter would retort back .And then, arguments would flow thick & sharp.It was repeated every now & then ,day in & day out.Her daughter was aping her ,she felt.She had been told so, by her friends & well wishers as well.They asked her to calm down & they argued, that her kid would calm down as well.She was unsure, about the outcome, in case, she kept silent.She was afraid of trying.She was enjoying the daily screaming .Was she ?

No ,in fact, she had got tired of the daily fights of words, with her kid.She wished her kid was as obedient as other kids.How other parents handled their children ? Were they as impossible as her daughter or worse off ?Was it because, her kid missed the father, who was busy touring ? She had no answers.

She tried meditation & it did calm her down a bit.Then, as she got busy with her daughter's badminton classes, she gave up meditation.She had no time.She was busy throughout the day catering to her kids demands,household chores  & other things.

Then,that day , as she sat reading her favorite magazine ,she read about the positive effects of staying calm.She read how one must remain a mute witness & stop reacting.Just keep observing & stay quiet.The argument was that things go from bad to worse as we argue endlessly.She decided to try this out.

It was weekend & she felt some peace & quiet may change things.Even if nothing changed,it could not get worse.When her daughter screamed, that she wanted some pancake for  breakfast ,she just got up & made it.She did not argue.Her kid gobbled it up.Then, her daughter  skipped studying & watched the idiot box.She had no homework,she informed her mom.She kept silent through all her daughter's tantrums.Her kid took ages to take bath that day.Not once ,did she remind her daughter to take bath.By sunset,her kid took a bath & surprised her.

She went for her evening walk .Her daughter had kept a glass of chilled lemonade for her ! She smiled as he sipped it.Her kid came & hugged her.Her daughter promised her, that, even she, will try to stop shouting, to get her way.After all, her daughter said they must behave, as friends behaved.

She was overjoyed.Just a day of silence, had achieved so much ! Silence is a great healer . It worked beautifully.It was the therapy ,they both needed-perhaps,she needed it more than her kid.

She decided to try being silent, more often.After all ,the reward that followed was worth it !

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Fulfilling life !

Leisure is basically relaxation -doing our own thing -things which we like . Leisure is like a paid holiday ! In these stressed times,we pine for relaxation.


I have a washing machine,a microwave ,a mixer grinder ,a computer ,etc -many gadgets to make life easy for me.Out of these ,the washing machine is arguably the best as it has made me independent of my maid for washing clothes.I can put on the machine at my convenience.I can also wash ,towels,curtains,woollens, bedsheets- in fact, all types of  fabrics-thick & thin.Moreover ,the machine wrings the clothes so dry, that it just takes a few hours to be completely dry.Earlier ,the clothes would be dripping water all over the house & one could sense a monsoon session in progress ! In our matchbox size flats,this is a pre -essential !


With the assistance of Surf Excel Matic,my washing problems have decreased many times over.I have to just rub it on the stain ,grease mark etc  & put it in the washing machine.After the washing cycle is over ,I have to strain  my eyes for the fabric which had got  stained ! This also means, that now ,I have more time at my command than before.I have more time to unwind.I save money as I can wash stained clothes at home instead of giving the clothes to the laundry.


There are lots of things that I do in these extra hours that have become available .I am a book lover .I love reading.I have plenty of books & also keep adding to my bookshelves.I read books many times to relax & recharge.They widen my viewpoint & also add new perspectives.I love reading thrillers,humour,politics etc.


I watch reruns of shows on the idiot box if I have missed my favourite ones.I  also chat with my chums on the net .I have started blogging too & that also needs that I continue reading a lot.Blogging has its rewards & how ! I am a participant, in this Surf Excel Matic contest wherein I have to list out things which  I would do if I had two extra hours in a day !


I am in this contest to win prizes & get famous ! Also ,I make it a point to read blog posts of other contestants & promote their posts so that they in turn, promote mine ! I may not win .Still, this ensures that people, visit my blog.This in itself, is great, in this age, when it is difficult to command attention even for a few seconds ! All this reading on the net keeps me up to date !

My leisure has made me seek avenues to improve myself.One of this has been my improved cooking.From a reluctant cook to an innovative one,I have travelled far ! I even have a blog wherein, I note down my recipes with snaps of the dish ! I now  find time to pray & draw rangolis which I click & put on to my blog.My Deepavali rangolis turned out pretty well & got compliments !


Since my housework has eased ,I recently applied for a home based job opportunity.I  was initially skeptical about my sincerity.I felt, that after a long gap from work,I may be unable to do justice & that too from home.I have proved myself wrong ! I am thrilled to be working & I continue to add new tasks for myself.

Like yesterday evening only,I attended a meditation session.I got a CD there & I practised it in the morning.This will relax me further & make me more productive. I plan to continue my meditation to recharge myself on daily basis ! All said & done ,extra hours for me has improved & rejuvenated me ! I am happy now with my self .

All this has been possible,  because of the many gadgets that I have & products like Surf Excel Matic ! I am sure ,many can find a renewed zest for life once they are able to relax & enjoy life ! Then life will be like child's play ! We must have the inclination,then obviously ,we will find  the time for our passions,hobbies,ideas etal.This would make life truly fulfilling !