a question of answers

i realised there were a few unanswered questions in some of my earlier postings. in this posting i try to answer them to the best of my ability!

in the posting about 'the ultimate why' i had posed a few questions - what is the ultimate answer for all our whys? is there one single answer that answers all our whys?

ok, here's my take on this.

i believe that all our 'whys' lead to one final answer.

why do we do everything that we do?

we do everything that we do because we want to be happy, to achieve fulfilment and to feel complete.

even if we believe we are doing some actions like charity or some sacrifice for somebody else's benefit, if we look within ourselves closely enough, we have to admit that we are doing it because we derive some sense of fulfilment or satisfaction in these actions.

in fact, i would go to the extent of saying that there is not a single activity, word or thought that we undertake other than for fulfilling our own desires and for our own happiness.

do you agree?

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and i was also told that there was a missing link in my posting about the 'evidence of reincarnation'.

in this posting i wanted to present the case of my kids as evidence of reincarnation. but i think the idea didn't come through clearly.the point i was trying to make was that 2 kids in the same family can be so different. now, the only logical reason to explain this huge difference is the personality package that they seem to have 'inherited' or brought along with them.

some of you might argue and say that the differences can be explained as genetic. but then my counter would be - what defined their unique genetic structure which in turn defined their unique personalities with its specific traits? are these traits truly 'carried forward' from some previous life or are these only just some accidental combinations of certain proteins in their dna strands?

i don't know about you, but i can't accept the theory that i am what i am because of some random 'accident'!

what do you think?

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evidence of reincarnation

here's the ultimate evidence to prove the theory of reincarnation beyond any doubt - my own kids!

my son, prasann, is going to turn 7 in october. after my daughter, sunanda, who completed 3 in may, was born, we suddenly realised how much of an angel our son is :-)

(click one of the following links to see their pic - http://picasaweb.google.com/ckguruprasad/TripToMahabaleshwar/photo#5063979959940848338
http://picasaweb.google.com/ckguruprasad/Picsmar2006/photo#5008812688469998018)

prasann and sunanda are as similar as chalk and cheese.

1. prasann might protest vehemently, but will not do anything that he is not supposed to unless he has got permission from his mother. (he knows who's the boss at home!)

but sunanda will stare her mother in the eye and continue to do what she pleases.

2. prasann is not a very social person. he would rather sit and watch a movie, or play a computer game, or go through some car magazines than go out and play with the other kids.

sunanda prefers to stay out or go to her friend's house than come home on her way back from her 'day care centre'.

3. prasann can't stand the sight of fruits. he just about manages to eat some mangoes (the alphonso variety). he eats without a fuss but is quite choosy about his food and rarely experiments.

sunanda likes fruits and is quite game to try out some new variety of fruit even if it doesn't look very appealing. she would take a bite of whatever it is that we are eating, diplomatically say it is good, and then politely decline another serving.

4. prasann is currently into his 'cars' phase. this was preceded by planes, trains, auto-rickshaws, and cooking utensils.

sunanda never went through any of these phases. she prefers books, puzzles, animals.

5. prasann is deeply influenced by religious practices and he instinctively prostrates to swamis & brahmacharis (monks).

sunanda does not quite the like the idea of doing this at all, nor does she feel any pressure to ape her brother.

6. and the clinching evidence is displayed in full glory at the dining table. after prasann finishes his meal, which usually ends with a generous serving of curd-rice (here's the recipe - http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/3925/recipe_rice_15.html), you would not be blamed if you assumed that a mini-typhoon hit his plate which also smacked his face while retreating! the effects can be seen over a significant radius beyond his plate.
and sunanda, the way she expertly handles the cutlery, can be easily mistaken for someone the 'brits' left behind when they departed indian shores. she is neat, meticulous and a dainty eater.

all of us have our own views about reincarnation. but most parents with more than one child will agree that our children make us pause and wonder about this theory, if convince us about it!