Trust the Divine and go with the flow

My story is one of learning to trust the Divine and going with the flow

I went to school in Dindigul. Our joint family has run a restaurant there since 1925. 

Around the time, when I was in 10th, we fell upon hard times. 

To save money - we had to move my school to the state board, but I did not know how to write Tamil - having studied Hindi as my 2nd language. An uncle stepped in and with his coaching, I passed nicely. 

This was my first experience of another door opening, when one closes.

After school, I went to do my B.Sc. While in college, I was active in student affairs. After I raised my voice against a particular injustice, I came into the bad books of the college teachers’ association. They took it upon themselves that I would spend an extra year doing my B.Sc.

In the exam that year and later in the supplementary, I failed by exactly 1 mark. The divine conspired again. Arrear exams were held early that year. Results came out in December itself. So, I passed my B.Sc. in 3 years only. No blemish on the mark sheet.

I wanted to do a MBA in Systems. I also wanted to imbibe wisdom from our Indian traditions. This seemed an either-or choice. I was in a fix. 

Around that time, Sringeri Math had launched a MBA program, with emphasis on Indian Shastras. I joined in the 2nd batch.

They did not offer a Systems Specialisation. With active efforts from our side, guest faculty from IIT Delhi stepped forward. That wish of mine was fulfilled too.

Talk about just-in-time bounties from the Divine.

One more - the biggest one - came to me when I was in 1st year MBA. I met my teacher. I continue to study under him. Whatever I am today is because of his grace.

The divine also wanted to teach me to stay away from things unethical. It took 2 tries on my part to quickly learn this.

A few friends and I developed an ERP product to manage excise and taxes. We did not find any takers, as customers wanted to manage two separate sets of books. I steered clear.

Later, I tried my hand at placement consulting. The first assignment had a whopping 10 Lakh billing. A little later, I found that this venture was going to enable online gambling. I was in a dilemma. 

Perchance, I heard my teacher speak his mind about righteousness. He said it is the duty of every citizen to support righteousness (Dharma) in every situation. I forewent the billing and steered clear again.

At this stage ,my teacher encouraged me to dive deeper into Yoga and study our Shastras. I did. They tasted sweet.

I sought my teacher’s permission to teach Yoga. He said yes.

A fellow student of our teacher was starting a retreat centre. I became part of the founding team. I taught yoga and curated content from the Shastras. 

7 years passed. I loved what I did. 

The founder had made promises to me that he was unable to keep. I was back on the road. No money in pocket. A desire to teach yoga, still burning strong. 

The divine stepped in once again - nay several times. 

I founded Shrimath Yoga in 2011 and against all odds, we have survived and thrived (see shrimathyoga.com). That is a story, for another day.

In this narrative, I do not talk about what I personally gained from practices such as Yoga Nidra, along the way. But, in difficult times, my practices sustained me and helped me move forward. 

To conclude, I salute my teachers and the Divine for bestowing me with an adventure that taught me once again what I was already supposed to know :)