Why are you happy ...?

MySAR for 11th August

Raksha Bandhan, meaning "Knot of Protection" is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Hindus throughout the world. The festival stands for the beautiful relationship shared between brothers and sisters. A lifelong promise of protection is made on this special occasion. It exhibits the beautiful relationship of love, care and affection between siblings.  Rakhi is a thread That binds two souls in a bond of joy forever……. And today I’m remembering with joy…… The special tie We share and wishing you Happiness and Good luck always….. No matter how far we re, This day always bring back The happy days together again……. You are never far away from my thoughts. Sending you my love and wishes to say…… May you always be blessed With all that’s best in life ! Thanks dear Bhaiya For your warmth affection And your understanding, May our bond of love remain forever….. HAPPY RAKSHA BANDHAN ~~~❖☸❖~~~ Raksha Bandhan, also called Rakhi Purnima or just Rakhi, has deep rooted historical significance. There are various stories linked with the past mythology of the hindu religion. People believe and follow different stories from the past. The most famous and relied upon story of them all is that of Rani Karnavati of Chittor and the Mughal Emperor Humayun. Rani Karnawati was the widowed queen of Chittor, which had been attacked by Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat. The queen realized that defending her empire from the invasion was not possible for her and in lieu of protection and help, she sent a Rakhi to the Mughal Emperor, Humayun. On receiving the rakhi, the Emperor was overwhelmed and became emotional. He, along with his troops, immediately set out to protect Chittor from the invasion. Alas, he could not reach on time. The Sultan of Gujarat had, by then, reached the queen`s fortress. All the women, in the fortress including Rani Karnawati had performed Jauhar (mass suicide) by then. Humayun, on reaching the fortress, fought with Bahadur Shah and evicted him from the land. The empire was handed over to Rani Karnawati`s son, Vikramjeet Singh. Since then, the act of a sister tying a rakhi on the wrist of her brother indicates lifelong protection from him. Lord Krishna and Draupathi In order to protect the good people, Lord Krishna killed the evil King Shishupal. Krishna was hurt during the war and left with bleeding finger. Seeing this, Draupathi had torn a strip of cloth from her sari and tied around his wrist to stop the bleeding. Lord Krishna, realizing her affections and concern about him, declared himself bounded by her sisterly love. He promised her to repay this debt whenever she need in future. Many years later, when the pandavas lost Draupathi in the game of dice and Kauravas were removing her saari, Krishna helped her divinely elongating the saari so that they could not remove it.

Why Are You Happy...? Give Yourself Permission Just To Smile.. While watching me from her wheelchair nearby as I put some linen away one afternoon, Rosemary told me to stop humming. “I hate that you’re happy all the time and always humming,” she declared miserably. I finished what I was doing, closed the linen cupboard door, turned around and looked at her with amusement. “Well, it’s true. You’re always humming and you’re always happy. I wish you’d just be miserable sometimes.” This was such a typical viewpoint from Rosemary that I wasn’t surprised at all. I wasn’t always happy, but when I was it gave her something to moan about. Instead of responding verbally though, I just looked at her, then did a pirouette, poked my tongue out at her, and left the room laughing. She loved me for this, as when I came back into the room shortly after, she was smiling with mischief and acceptance. Never did she condemn my positive moods again in such a way. “Why are you happy?” Rosemary asked one morning soon after. “I mean, not just today, but in general. Why are you happy?” I smiled at the question, thinking how far I had come in myself to even be asked such a question. Considering what I had been going through in my own life while caring for Rosemary, it was a rather poignant question. “Because happiness is a choice Rosemary and one I try to make every day. Some days I can’t. Like you, I’ve had a hard life, in different ways but still hard. But rather than dwelling on what’s wrong and how hard I’ve had it, I am trying to find the blessings in each day and appreciating the moment I am in, as much as I can,” I told her honestly. “We have the freedom to choose what we focus on. I try to choose the positive stuff, like getting to know you, like doing work I love, not being under pressure to reach sales targets, and appreciating my health and every day of being alive.” Rosemary smiled, looking at me intensely as she absorbed my words. Rosemary wanted to be happy, she said to me later that day, but didn’t know how. “Well, just pretend to be, for half an hour. Maybe you’ll enjoy it enough to actually be happy. The physical act of smiling changes your emotions anyway Rosemary. So I dare you not to frown, complain, or say anything negative for half an hour. Instead, say nice stuff, focus on the garden if you must, but remember to smile,” I directed her. Reminding Rosemary that I didn’t know her in the past allowed her to be whoever she wanted to be right now. Sometimes happiness takes a conscious effort. Although a little hesitant at first, Rosemary began to give herself permission to be happy, letting her guard down more each day, sharing a smile often, which eventually turned into occasional laughter. Whenever one of her old moods would strike, where she would rudely order me to do something, I would just laugh and say, “I don’t think so!” Instead of becoming even ruder, she would laugh then ask in a kinder manner, to which I would happily oblige with no fuss. Source : Bronnie Ware (a writer, singer/songwriter, and songwriting teacher from Australia)