Life Manual

We all have been given this gift of life

But we don't know how to live

We forget to read the Life Manual

Today, this to you, I give

This Life Manual that I share

Is what I have experienced

It's not theory, it's practical

It's the way I have lived

Who are we? Why are we here?

This we were never taught

We live through life and soon it's over

But these questions, we forgot

Are we the body that lives and grows

And then finally dies?

Or are we something else, which at death

Into the universe flies?

What about the mind, do we have one?

Has anyone found the mind?

We can touch our nose and scan our heart

But the mind we cannot find!

Life is a journey from birth to death

There is no guarantee

We pay nothing for this precious gift

It is given to us for free

But there is a purpose for us on earth

Not to just live and die

Before this journey comes to an end

To find out, 'Who am I?'

We are not the body, we are not the mind

Nor the ego that we are told

The truth is different, we must realize

We are the Divine Soul

Instead of realizing this truth, we wander

In this world of many a thing

We crave for pleasures, but don't realize

Happiness is a state of being

Things don't make us happy

Nor people, or places give us bliss

Happiness is an inner thing

In life, this truth we miss

Everybody has problems; this is a fact

A problem free life is an illusion

Problems don't come to stay forever

Get rid of this delusion

We think time is ticking, but time is still

It is life that actually moves on

Moment by moment, we live our life

Till death, from the time we are born

What do we do when we start our day?

We just jump into it

We never learnt what life truly is

For this, we must silently sit

It's only when we spend time in peace

That we will experience joy

Then we will feel what true bliss is

It's amazing, oh boy!

But we don't stop to understand life

We are just running in this race

We increase our pace and get caught in the maze

Trying to be an ace!

Somebody told us, 'Success is Happiness'

So the wealth of this world we chase

In the end, our life is in a mess

Though we have gold, diamonds, and lace

But nothing belongs to us, don't we know?

We will leave everything behind

We come with nothing, we go with nothing

This truth �" when will we nd?

Those who try to understand life

They live with contentment

They don't let their greed overtake their need

They find fulfilment

There is a way to everlasting joy

And to experience Divine peace

For this, we must smell the flowers

And enjoy the rabbits and the geese

We are so busy in this material world

Spirituality, we do not know

Very few realize we are the Soul

Before the time comes to go

Life is a product given to us

But we don't unwrap this gift

The paper and ribbons are still around

Till that time when we don’t exist

We just exist, we don't really live

We don't discover what life is

Sinking in this world of material pleasure

Peace and bliss we miss

And so, I thought I'll write this book

Not just scratch my pen

But share with you what life truly is

Before my life comes to an end

We still have time, we can discover

How we must live our life

How we can find joy and peace

Escaping misery and strife

We have a choice, we have a free will

Everything doesn't depend on luck

The Universal Law of Karma does work

What we sow is what we will pluck

To think our thoughts, we have the mind

But it makes us wander, in fact

To  eliminate the stress and worry it causes

We must use our intellect

The intellect is a tool given to us

To discriminate black from white

To make important decisions of life

And to choose what is right

We live with passion and attachment

While nothing belongs to us

The way to joy is detachment

Just letting go, without a fuss

Why should we fear? Why should we worry?

Why be stressed and anxious, my dear?

Find the way to be happy

Right through the year

For this we must pause, not rush through life

This gift of life we must understand

Enjoy the mountains and the sunsets

Beautiful beaches and white sand

We still have time to realize the truth

Find out, 'Who are we?'

We are not the mind; we are not the ego

That constantly says ‘It's ME’

One day, the body will die

But the one who was alive within

Will carry all actions unsettled

And be born with a brand-new skin

How does death happen, do you know?

It's when the Soul inside departs

When the life power in us decides to leave

Then this chapter ends, another starts

Whatever we think and we call, ‘Ours’

People, possessions… everything

At death nothing will belong to us

We can't even carry a ring

What is death, have you ever thought?

Or do you just blink your eyes?

It's time to stop, to contemplate, to think,

Whenever somebody dies

We too will go one day, for sure

We will not be forever on earth

Every living being that lives

Must die, if it takes birth

But we don't realize all this

We are ruled by the monkey mind

Until we stop its constant chatter

The truth we will not find

For the mind is full of rotten thoughts

We suffer because of this junk

If we want to discover the true meaning of life

We must make the monkey a monk

There's one more thing to learn in life

That agony is caused by the ego

For if we want to nd our God

We must let go of our ego

Our Ultimate Goal is to realize God

Not in a temple, monastery or church

God lives within our heart

When will we start our search?

We all remain stuck in our religion

About God, it teaches us ABC

We need to grow and evolve spiritually

Then the true God we will see

God doesn't live on a distant planet

Somewhere far away

It's God that makes our heart beat

Each moment of every day

Most of us are ignorant

And think ignorance is bliss

How to live this amazing life

Alas, we just miss!

We live, we die, we are born again

Such is the life show

Karma will decide when we will die

When it is time to go

If we plant apples, we won't get mangoes

It's a law, don't you agree?

Such is the law, we die and take rebirth

From this cycle, we must be free

There is a way to escape Karma

And to escape from rebirth

If only we realize we are the Divine Soul

We won't return to earth

Realization is a rare gift

Not everybody this treasure can find

Those who truly love God

Transcend body, ego and mind

They discover they are the Soul within

In fact, they are Divinity

They don't see humans as bone and skin

They see God in you and me

This is the ultimate goal of life

For us to realize the truth

We must discover who we truly are

Get to the bottom of the root

But we are so busy consuming life

The Life Manual we do not read

All we know, is to clothe this skin

And our greedy body we feed

Having fun, life gets over

But hello! That's not the end!

Death is not the end of the game

Death is only a bend

It's time to stop and to start anew

Living life each day

Holding the Life Manual in our hand

And finding the right way

Understanding life is an important thing

Who are we? Why are we here?

Realizing the truth and then being free

Living without a tear

We can be conscious and live in bliss

We   can have joy and peace

If only we understand this product called 'Life'

But we must pay our fees

Then we will be free from problems and sorrows

We will only have joy and bliss

We will enjoy each moment of life

This treasure we will not miss

This Life Manual is a Divine gift

It shows us the way to live

To realize God in every Soul

As we give and we forgive

It's time to wipe out all that we've learned

Cleaning the slate of our mind

Living a new life with this Manual now

Joy, peace and bliss, we will find