Thou shall not speculate.

The Mahabharata is a scripture which conveys all the eternal teachings in a story form hence, guides us to differentiate right from wrong.

With the example of the Pandavas who lost everything in gambling, the scriptures tell us that those who cheat are winners in gambling-- like shakuni who was on the side of the kauravas, cheated and made the pandavas lose all.

After the war the Kauravas lost everything they had won 

So the scripture clearly warns us that 

(1) one cannot win by gambling 

(2) those who cheat win

(3) Further no one can keep the wealth he has earned by gambling—it brings no true benefit. Ultimately one loses all such accumulated wealth.

Because only virtue can bring true benefit—hard work is virtue which brings benefit not gambling.

I am writing this article because now a days speculation has become a trend in the shares and commodities markets—the so called futures trading.

Futures trading or trading in other derivatives is when you buy more than the money you have and sell the things you do not have.

Example—if one feels that the price of share or commodity is going to go up he will buy the quantity for which he does not have money, so he cannot take delivery he can only adjust the loss or profit as per price fluctuation.

Similarly if he feels that the price of share or commodity is going to go down he will sell it without possessing the same again he will adjust only the profit or loss again as per price fluctuation

The powerful who can manipulate the markets for a certain time are the winners rest common man lose all.

However markets are eternal, they were present since eternity they will always be there, so no one can manipulate them for long.

In the seventy’s the billionaire bunker brothers and the royal family of Saudi Arabia; speculated in silver it ended in a disaster. 

Time and again we hear big names that control the markets but they all vanish.

Futures markets are for a legitimate purpose of booking trades in advance to safe guard against price fluctuations or for hedging that is safe guarding against risks----people who just try to make fast money always lose.

I have learned this the hard way; if after reading my article it brings about a change in someone, it will make me very happy.

Maya---why is it an illusion?

Once I had this question about maya in my mind and just happened to open a page of a book at random; it was swami rama’s book; I got my answer.

One day swami rama went to his guru to clear his doubts on maya;his guru simply told him “tomorrow morning I will show you what maya is.”

The pupil could not sleep at night in the hope that tomorrow he is going to meet maya.

In the morning on their way back to their cave from the Ganga; his guru rushed up to dry trunk of a tree and wrapped himself around it; and cried out to his disciple to free him.

At first swami rama was afraid to go near the tree fearing that the tree would entrap him as well; but later tried to help his guru, but could not free him.

Exhausted he stopped to think; he realized that it was not possible for a dead tree trunk to entrap anyone; he said to his master “how is this possible the tree has no power to hold you; what are you doing?”

His guru laughed and said “this is maya”

We ourselves attach with worldly desires and then say that they have entrapped us.

Now the disciple understood that avidya {individual ignorance} and maya {cosmic illusion} were one and the same.

Does not the literal translation of maya---ma meaning no/not and ya meaning that; say it all, “that is not” but which appears to be real.

So the next time when we are attracted to something; let us not blame maya, but understand that we ourselves have created this bondage, like the guru who hugged the tree and started shouting that the tree has entrapped him.

swami writes that after explaining the philosophy of maya to him his guru further told him.“When we devote our mind, energy, and resources to believing in that which is non-existent, then it appears to exist, and that is maya. Don’t contemplate on evil,devils, sins, avidya, or maya and thereby put yourself in a state of stress and worry. Even spiritual people become preoccupied with blaming the world for their lack of progress. This weakness is significant in creating obstacles. For lack of sincerity, honesty, faithfulness, and truthfulness we do not realize that which we are. 

We project our weaknesses and think that the objects of the world are the source of our obstacles.”

He also told him to practice non-attachment and constant awareness. He said, “The strongest of bondages is created by attachment, which makes one weak, ignorant, and unaware of the absolute Reality. Maya, or illusion, is deeply rooted in attachment. When we are attached to or have a desire for something, it becomes a source of illusion for us. Those who are free from attachments and have directed their desires toward spiritual growth are free from the bondage of maya—illusion. The less attachment, the more inner strength; the more inner strength, the nearer the goal.

Vairagya and  abhyasa—non-attachment and constant awareness of absolute Reality—are like two wings of a bird which can fly from the plane of mortality to the height of immortality.

Those who do not allow their wings to be clipped by the illusion of maya can attain perfection.   

yogananda paramahansa had very rightly said “To tear the veil of maya is to pierce the secret of creation”

After writing this post I kept thinking about the sentence “When we devote our mind, energy…..to believing in that which is non-existent, then it appears to exist”    

Does this not explain the principle that our thoughts materialize; we and our surroundings are what our thought waves are.

We are capable of creating our own world with our thought patterns; simply because thoughts are energy and energy materializes.

Bahadur Shah Zafar---The Emperor who wrote his own Epitaph with a burnt stick on the wall.

The empire was theirs—all the land belonged to them—the treasury was theirs—all the currency was issued by them—for they were the mighty Moguls—The rulers of the land—their last crowned Emperor was Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Though not as powerful as his predecessors; he still collected taxes and had an army.

He posed no threat to the British power in India, till the day there started the Indian Rebellion of 1857 .

Already 82 years of age at that time, when the soldiers met him, he gave his public support to the rebellion, even though he was against the open looting, killing and disorder created by the rebelling soldiers.

Later he was exiled to Rangoon, Burma by the British.

His health soon deteriorated and he requested the British to let him return to die in his beloved land—they did not agree.

As his last wish he requested the British to arrange for his burial in his beloved land—they did not agree.

He was a great poet, On his dead bed he wanted to write his last words, the British did not even give him  a pen, paper or ink. 

Then with a burnt stick this devout Sufi wrote on the wall; his last poem his own epitaph.

The immortal words of Raja bahadur shah zafar.

He writes that: He for his burial did not even get two yards of land, in the land of his beloved.

He who was the Emperor –all belonged to him—did not even get a burial place in his land.

लगता नहीं है जी मेरा उजड़े दयार में किसकी बनी है अालम-ए-नापायेदार में बुलबुल को पासबाँ से न सैयाद से गिला क़िस्मत में क़ैद लिखी थी फ़स्ल-ए-बहार में इन हसरतों से कह दो कहीं और जा बसें इतनी जगह कहाँ है दिल-ए-दाग़दार में इक शाख़-ए-गुल पे बैठ के बुलबुल है शादमाँ काँटे बिछा दिये हैं दिल-ए-लालाज़ार में उम्र-ए-दराज़ माँगके लाए थे चार दिन दो अारज़ू में कट गए, दो इन्तज़ार में दिन ज़िन्दगी के ख़त्म हुए शाम हो गई फैला के पाँव सोएँगे कुंज-ए-मज़ार में कितना है बदनसीब “ज़फ़र″ दफ़्न के लिए दो गज़ ज़मीन भी न मिली कू-ए-यार में

lagtā nahīń hé jī mérā ūjař'é dayār méń kiskī banī hé ālam-e-nā-pāyedār méń būlbūl ko pāsbāń se na saiyyād se gilā qismet méń qaid likhī tthī fasl-e-bahār méń kaeh do in hassretoń se kahīń aur jā bas'éń itnī jageh kahāń hé dil-e-dāGhdār méń ik shāKh-e-gūl pe baiTh ke būlbūl hé shādmāń kānTe bichā diye héń dil-e-lālāzār méń umr-e-darāz māńg ke lāye tthe chār din do ārzū méń kaT gayé do intezār méń din zindagī ke Khatm hué shām ho gayī p'hailā ke pāoń soyeń-ge kūńj-e-mazaar méń kitnā hé bad-naseeb zafar dafn ke liye do gaz zamīn bhī na milī kū-e-yār méń

 Translation:

My heart has no repose in this despoiled land

Who has ever felt fulfilled in this futile world?

The nightingale complains about neither the sentinel nor the hunter

Fate had decreed imprisonment during the harvest of spring

Tell these longings to go dwell elsewhere

What space is there for them in this besmirched (bloodied)

Heart

Sitting on a branch of flowers, the nightingale rejoices

It has strewn thorns in the garden of my heart

I had requested for a long life, I received four days

Two passed in desire, two in waiting.

The days of life are over, evening has fallen

I shall sleep, legs outstretched, in my tomb

How unfortunate is Zafar! For his burial

Not even two yards of land were to be had, in the land of his beloved.

How can we rely on our fortunes? What material things will we take with us?----even the Emperor lost it all-----but left his immortal words.

What have we gained.........

Once a householder came to pay his respects to the Maha Yogi Goraksha {one of the nine nath’s} 
With folded hands, he said: “Oh Respected One, your sacrifice is great, for you have given up the whole world for God.” Goraksha replied with folded hands: “Oh Respected One, Your sacrifice is greater than mine for you have given up the infinite God for this finite world.”