Love actually...on Christmas day

December 26, 2007

Pardhu (me) had a beautiful experience this Christmas. That night, he watched an inspiring scene from a movie named " Love Actually " in which a little boy 'Sam' talks to his dad about his plans to impress a girl at his school. Well, the story goes like this (for those who haven't watched the movie). Sam, a ten year old boy falls in love with his classmate Joanna. But he dares not tell this to her, she being the coolest girl in the school and he, just another kid. He thinks she would despise him, if he says it out to her. As days were passing in despair like this, out of a blue, one nice day, he gets an idea to win his love. And he talks about it to his dad Daniel. Here goes the conversation:

Sam: Daniel! I have a plan.Dad: Thank the Lord. Tell me.Sam: Well, girls love musicians, don't they?Dad: Uh-huh.S:

Even the weird ones get girlfriends.D: That's right. For God's sake, Ringo Starr married a Bond girl.S: Whatever. There's this big concert at the end of term and Joanna's in it. I thought if I was in the band and played superbly, she might fall in love with me. What do you think?

D: I think it's brilliant, I think it's stellar.....Apart from the one obvious, tiny, little, baby little hiccup.S: I don't play a musical instrument?D:

Yes, sir.

S: A tiny, insignificant detail. There ends the conversation. And then, Sam buys a new set of drums and starts off. Day and night, he practices foregoing food and sleep. The noise of booms and slaps that emanated from his room initially, gradually turn into a wonderful rhythm and he becomes an awesome player only to put up an excellent show at school on Christmas day and win the love of his life. End of story.This scene instigated quite a bit of thought into Pardhu. " If constant practice with dedication and discipline can win a gf (girl-friend) for a boy, can't the same win for me a GF (God-Friend)? " , he thought.

He lied back on his bed in these thoughts and just before he slipped into sleep, he got an idea!! And then he started talking to his conscience about it. Pardhu: Hey! I have a plan!

Conscience: Thank the Lord. Tell me.P: Well, Swami loves a pure heart, doesn't He?C: Uh-huh.P: Even the poorest and dumbest get to win His love with just a pure heart.

C: That's right. That illiterate cowboy in the 1984 story got to

see Him, talk to Him. For God's sake, the tribal chap Kannappa made Him appear before him with

just one day of pure devotion..P: Whatever...There's this one

life-time I've got and Swami's in it now. I thought if I could live

this one life and live it superbly, with love and love alone, no

impurity in thoughts or words or deeds or whatever....I might win His

love. What do you think?

C: I think it's brilliant, I think it's stellar. Apart from the one, obvious, tiny, little, baby little hiccup.P: That I've got this constantly wavering mind, which was an impossible stuff even for sages with thousands of years of penance?

C: Yes, sir.Pardhu (with a smile): A tiny, insignificant detail. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~You must be wondering ....What's the reason behind Pardhu's seemingly audacious reply, getting ready to deal with the mind that was incorrigible to the biggest of the sages? Well, it's the knowledge of the same trick, which was successfully implemented by the little boy Sam in the story before. The 3 P's (purity, patience and perseverance) and the five D's (Dedication, Devotion, Discipline, Discrimination and Determination)

And those words that Swami said to a guy with exactly same name as him, sometime ago on a battlefield. " Sri Bhagavanuvaacha:Asamsayam Mahaa-Baaho mano durnigraham chalam

Abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena cha gruhyate " (Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 6, Verse 35) " Pardha, no doubt what you said is correct; the mind is very wayward; it is very difficult to bring it under control.

But by uninterrupted attention and discipline and by the practice of renunciation, it is possible to control it " . (Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - DhyanaVahini - Page 37: http://ineval.org/sai/Teachings/Dhyana/dhyana37.html

)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~pardhuhttp://a-life-in-love.blogspot.com/