Who Am I?

  Maharaj: " People would scarcely believe if I said that life in this world is like photography. Those who trust the Guru's words as Truth, might believe in it and appreciate this analogy. The photography starts from the day of conception, nine months prior to birth. The child's parents are first chosen to pose for this picture, followed by the picture of the world and of the entire Universe, including the stars and planets. It is as if these pictures assigned the fate of the child. It doesn't stop there. All that could be seen with the eyes, heard by ears, felt by the sense of touch and smelled by the nose, are captured. How is this photography conducted? The child is too innocent and helpless to understand or perform it all. In fact, the Cosmic intelligence, a quality of Sattva, which is called Hiranyagarbha, takes care of the process that is known as 'birth'. A Chemical in the Sattva does the job. Then this life force is separated from its source(...

Michael Ignatieff, whom I have long admired since reading his superb biography of  Isaiah Berlin , has given us some fascinating reflections on the subject of Consolation, illuminating the Book of Job and the Psalms in a most enlightening way. His talk, the first of several on the subject of Consolation, can be found on BBC Sounds  here .