Prasanta Behera Blog

I started watching this serial few weeks ago. I like it a lot .. because it contain history, action and adventure. But that's not the reason I am writing this blog ..  In the serial, the fight is all about two key issues; Land and Church/God. Uthred is fighting for his ancestral land which he has lost. He is always pulled into moral conflict that he has to accept the Church/God or else his morality is questionable (although there are enough church going people in the serial who do immoral things).   Uthred is always reminded that unless he accepts Church (which directly means God),  he is a heathen.  He challenges that assumptions again and again  and he says, "I am a warrior" and that's what I am suppose to do. Recently, when I was asked why I did not go to the temple, I said I went for biking. This was a perplexing answer ... why I did not make temple a priority over biking.  I said, I did not feel the need to go to temple, I find it conf...

During Maa's funeral, many people came to show the last respect. Most of them were friends whom I have known for a long time or from odiya community or family members. This is expected. But sometimes unexpected things happen. During the funeral I saw Ashok (a non-oriya) standing at the end of the funeral hall with his calm and blissful face. I was truly surprised but I felt good. Eventhough, I have known him for a very small time ... met him few times in Sacramento, I have felt the presence of his kind spirit. He came all the way from Sacramento on a Tuesday (taking a day off). I was totally humbled and I could not think of a way to express what he did. It was totally an unexpected shower of kindness and so I wrote an email to him  few days after. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Sept 5, 2015 Dear Ashok,  Sometimes when you are driving early morning and see the beautiful sky ... you feel amazed and bl...

Had a great hike today ... Started at 5:45 am. Beautiful. It was wet a but the smell of earth and the slight gentle bridge.

Today (11/21/15) is Maa's three month death anniversary.  "Love always triumphs over what we call death. That’s why there is no need to grieve for our loved ones, because they continue to be loved and remain by our side” I would like to talk about one important thing; Inner strength .  When I reflect back, it is amazing that she had such a deep inner strength.  Maa got married at the age of 14 to a big family. She had to cook for 30-40 people everyday. She told me that most of the days, by the time she ate (almost the last), not much was left. She used to fry some " Badi " and eat it. I always wondered why Maa likes to eat some "Bhaja" everyday .. a little bit of " Badi Bhaja " is required .. I see the connection now. I was born after 7 years of marriage ( Thanks God in one way) but also she had to deal with no kid taboo during that time.  My father was not with her during that time as he was finishing his Ph.D/working in Cuttack. She real...

I read 2 books on Aleph; one Paulo Cohelo and other by Amir Aczel (Mathematician). It was surprising to see the same word in two different contexts. but amazingly they talk about the same thing. Aleph - Paulo Cohelo  I am in Aleph, the point at which everything is in the same place at the same time.  When you are in Aleph, eyes becomes mirrors of our souls, mirrors not only of our souls, perhaps, of all the souls of all the people on this planet who are at this moment walking, talking ... Aleph - Borges According to Borges, another Brazilian author .. "A leph is a point in space that contains all other points. Anyone who gazes into it can see everything in the universe from every angle simultaneously, without distortion, overlapping or confusion." The "Mystery of the Aleph " book is the search for Infinity. This book describes the history for the search for infinity going back to 5th century BC to using Infinity as a important mathematical concept....

From  Paulo Cohelo's book Aleph. "I forgive the tears I was made to shed I forgive the pain and the disappointments, I forgive the betrayals and the lies, I forgive the slander and Intrigues, I forgive the hatred and the prosecution, I forgive the blows that hurt me, I forgive the wrecked dreams, I forgive the stillborn hopes, I forgive the hostility and jealousy, I forgive the indifference and the ill will, I forgive the injustice carried out in the name of justice, I forgive the anger and the cruelty, I forgive the neglect and the contempt, I forgive the world and all its evils" " I will be capable of loving, regardless of whether I am loved in return, Of giving, even when I have nothing, Of working happily, even in the midst of difficulties, Of holding out my hand, when utterly alone and abandoned, Of drying tears, even while I weep, Of believing, even when no one believes in me "   ----- This poem comes from heart but has the streng...

We all are warriors of light Helping others see Helping others pass the storm Enhancing the world everyday We are warriors of light! There is still darkness to be enlightened .. But it is coming from within The light is trapped like a black hole Not able to escape Look Warrior of Light Look Within... The veil of clouds surrounding our thoughts Blocking the light of hope to come about Thoughts entrapped Blurring the journey of life Look Within... Unknown Paths Unkown is the end But there is light within Find it .. dance with it Completely merge with it O! Warriors of Light We all are warriors of light Helping see ourselves Helping us pass the storm Enhancing my world everyday We are warriors of light! Note: The "Warriors of Light" phrase I picked it up from some story ... but the phrase resounded with me quite a bit. Prasanta 11/17/15

Part of the poem from Birago Diop - A p oet from Senegal. Listen to Things More often than Beings, Hear the voice of fire, Hear the voice of water. Listen in the wind, To the sighs of the bush; This is the ancestors breathing. ====================== There is m ore to this song but I found the above lines hel ping me toward s the journe y .... This is absolutely beautiful ..  

Finished the book... Some interesting thoughts from the book My Funeral We all are walking towards death. We should always be grateful to Death because it makes us think about the importance of each decsion The Missing brick How often, for the lack of one brick, we completely distort the original plan of our lives ... Spiritual Search Myth 1: The mind can cure everything Myth 2: Meat drives away the divine light Myth 3: God is a scrifice Myth 4: There is only one path to God The catholic and Muslim "It is shame that people see only the differences that separate them. If you were yo look with more love, you would mainly see what we have in common, then half of the world's problem would be solved" Face The Storms ... As with any storm, it bring with it destruction, but it also waters the field; and, with the rain, falls the wisdom of the heavens. As with any storm, it will pass ... I have, thank God, learned to face storms. ...

I found this funny ...

A friend of mine shared this poem. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qHWzN0E8wj0 Beautiful poem ... English Translation from: http://priyamsez.blogspot.com/2012/04/rabindranath-tagores-ekla-chalo-re.html?m=1 If they answer not to thy call, walk alone! Walk alone! Walk Alone! Walk Alone! If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall, O thou of evil luck, open thy mind and speak out alone!  If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness, O thou of evil luck, trample the thorns under thy tread, and along the blood-lined track travel alone! If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm, O thou of evil luck, with the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart and let it burn alone!

This is a story I read recently. In an old village in medieval time .. "A men puts cheese on a bread while eating breakfast but the bread falls down from the table accidentally.  However, the bread falls with cheese side up. His friends says that it's a miracle ... normally the cheese side is always down ruining the bread.  His friends says ... GOD is trying to say something .. some people say he must be a Saint... So, the people from the village decides to consult the High priest. They go to him and tell him the story. The priest says .. yes, that's interesting ..  He says, let me meditate on this for a day. Come back tomorrow. I will let you know. The priest is in a dilemma .. he can not neither say that God made a mistake .. nor can he can say that the man is a saint (his job is on the line). The next day, people go to back to the priest.  The priest says, God was correct. The bread fell exactly the way God wanted but the person put the cheese on the w...

Walk alone Walk at your own pace Do not worry about others Find your own pace Pilgrimage is Not abut places Not about people Not about soul mates It is about you It is about finding about oneself It is about finding your own pace Walk in the the dark .. Walk in the day light .. Walk in the rain . Alone ...   Experience the nature Observe small things A tree leaf turning red A small flower blooming on the side .. Feel the vibrations It speaks to you. Everything has an inherent vibration Find your own Harmonize it. Walk alone... Walk alone in the rain Walk alone in the dark Walk alone in the early morning But walk alone ... Because "I" is alone.

Silent is the universe. Silent is the ocean. From silence everything is born The word AUM start with silence and ends with it .. Understand the river .. River is the language which connects to the silent ocean. Understand the water... The water will speak to you .. Listen carefully . Understand the Silence. Emptiness which surrounds us everywhere … From atoms to universe, it is silent … Why are we afraid of silence? Let us embrace it. The same silence the soul experiences at the end. Let us understand the language of silence from the river Let the river connect us to the ocean of silence Let it help experience what we can not … At the end we are just epochs in this silent world. Prasanta 11/14/15

Using Microsoft face Recognition tool (https://www.projectoxford.ai/demo) Selfie in Bhawanipatna, Odisha, India in Sept, 2015.   Need to smile more ..   Star Wars .. it always makes you happy :-) May the force be with you and Enjoy the Life like you are in Star Wars all the time... Be Content and Happy!!

A friend of mine sent this... Let's try on Mona Lisa and find out ... the most famous and mysterious smile of the whole world ... 

Thoughts shared like a sea wave coming ashore Turbulent, anxiety abound ... not sure. Where it will end ... Will the waves land on a beach or meet  a rocky end. Fortune is on my side, Wide .. accepting .. Warm  .. magnanimous ... The gentle touch and the moments of silence All that is needed  … all that is needed … Moments passed by ... feels eternity ... It is time to go back  to the sea ... Let the wave of feeling get lost forever … Let it remain there for eternity… What was a wave .. now is  part of sea ... Completely merged but not lost. Isn’t that all we are? Cosmic dust … The thoughts and feelings remains And echoes …in the halls of cosmos for eternity until the end. But is there an end... - Prasanta (11/16/15)

From Paulo Cohelo's Aleph book. "It isn't what you did in the past that will affect the present. It's what you do in the present will redeem the past and thereby change the future".

Two disciples of two different masters talking ... My master is a man capable of doing miracles, that is why he is respected by all his pupils. I have seen him do things far beyond our capabilities. And your master? What great miracles can he do? My master’s greatest miracle is that he doesn’t need to display any great wonder, in order to show his pupils that he is a wise man – was the reply. Question: Why do we seek miracles from our masters to accept them? Even better  … why do we seek miracles from GOD?   Something to think about …

Bike Path: Here is the bike path: Total distance: 52 Miles Cities: Cupertino, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno Click on the square on the map below and you will see the points in the path The points will show in a list. You can click on the icons. The map is interactive. Have fun!   ====== Bike Log 12.12.15 - Did  ~32 miles. Went a bit to Palo Alto and then to Los Gatos downtown via Hwy 9.  Last Bike ride for 2015. Next Update in 2016. The date most likely will be March 19, 2016.  Enjoy your holidays! Bike Log 12.6.15 :  Woke up at 4:30 am. Normally I go for hiking but since it was going to rain, mentally, I had decided to skip today (also my left leg is sprained a bit). So, I decided to measure and fix my bike path.  I took the car and started driving at 5:30 am (beautiful). The path is now fixed. It is 52.2 miles (verified). I will publish the route with a map next week. Completed the first phase...

This hill reminded me of Piush watching telle tubies ....

Started hiking at 5:45 am alone. It was cold but felt very fresh ..

Be like a flowing river, Silent in the night. Be not afraid of the dark. If there are stars in the sky, reflect them back. If there are clouds in the sky, Remember, clouds, like river, are water. So, gladly reflect them too, In your own tranquil depths.   - Manuel Bandeira (Brazilian Poet)

A sacred burden is this life ye bear: Look on it, lift it, bear it solemnly, Stand up and walk beneath it steadfastly. Fail not for sorrow, falter not for sin, But onward, upward, till the goal ye win — Frances Anne Kemble

Be like a pencil when you grow up … There are 5 qualities in a pencil which if you manage to hang on to them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world .. (imagine you as pencil) 1st Quality:  You are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps ( We can call it God  or .. ) 2nd Quality: Now and then I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little but afterwards he’s much sharper. So, you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person 3rd quality: The pencil always allows us to use eraser ... to rub out our mistakes. This means, correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice. 4th quality: What really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So, always pay attention to what is happening inside you. 5th quality: It aways leaves a mark .. In some...

First time hiking to the upper meadow trail ... Started at 6 am Beautiful