P R O F I L E

A Slice of Life
Gobind Thukral in Halifax

IN March this year, during my sojourn with a dear old friend in Halifax, I had a chance look at book lying in the family room. It had an intriguing title, “Live Beyond 139 years- Joyous and Wrinkle Free”. I thought it be another feel good book which the Westerners need badly to sew their torn lives. But since it was authored by Satpal Kaur Sodhi, an Indian or more precisely Punjabi born Canadian, it raised some curiosity. I took the book to the bedroom and spent next hour reading a part of the book. How the author conquered a debilitating stroke that had taken away her speech and how she was devoting her life to social causes further raised my curiosity to understand her experiences.

My friend, Jasbir Singh Bajwa who had known the family for past three decades or more was able to quickly arrange a meeting. It was pleasure talking to an informed couple. While Mrs. Satpal Kaur Sodhi is retired teacher who since 1998 is devoted, “to make the world a better place to live”, her husband, S.S.Sodhi, a retired professor of analytical psychology from Dalhousie University, Halifax is an enthusiastic psychologist.

The book priced low and published by Unistar, Chandigarh and  is worth reading and following in parts. One may not agree with some sweeping unscientific observations like that we are born with limited supply of breaths and life span is fixed and slow breathing helps…

Mrs. Sodhi doubles whatever she earns from the book or lectures or yoga and mediation classes and money goes to aid the needy and there are plenty even in Canada. Here are extracts from the interview.

Q. When you really felt like doing your bit for the welfare of your fellow beings?

A. “I retired in April 1998. Since then and until my stroke, a period of two and a half years, I must have presented about 50 workshops and keynote addresses at the provincial and the national level. Also, every Sunday in the year 2000, I did, Puari by Pauri, translation and interpretation of Japuji Sahib in our Gurudwara Sahib at Halifax.

 “I had the stroke on December 25, 2000. The initial reactions were those of anger, frustration and depression. Once I stopped grieving the loss, I surrendered to the Universal Will, (perhaps about three months after the stroke). I felt blessed and was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for all that was still working for me. The time had come to give back to the Universe – I had received enough.”

Q. How do you define your approach towards life and your philosophy to live a joyous long life?

A. “The ‘thinking’ mind is a very useful and powerful tool but can be very limiting when it takes over our life completely. The egoistical mind is influenced by greed, attachment, and selfishness. It perceives itself separate from all others and wants to promote itself instead of working towards universal good. The rational mind is a powerful device but needs to be operated under the guidance of deeper and the greater intelligence – the Universal Mind. Our mind has to be intuitive and connected with the divinity within us, with our higher and authentic self. We should be extra vigilant of our rational mind that can give us a very limited identity and does not allow us to come in touch with our larger self.”

Q. What exactly is the purpose life should be?

A. “The purpose of life is to provide selfless service to other human beings, to wish and work for universal good. There is a reason for which we have been created in the present physical form -- that is to alleviate the misery and suffering of other human beings. Life feels most meaningful when we are giving to others, sharing with others whatever we have – food, money, material goods, our unique talents, expertise and know-how –and sharing it unconditionally and without expecting any returns or rewards. Non attachment to the fruit of our actions is a powerful spiritual practice. We need to do our dharma in the present moment, in this physical form and not be attached to a potential reward of salvation in the life after. We achieve Salvation right here in this life when we are anchored in the ‘here and now’, and when we are giving our best to the present moment,  doing whatever job or role we have been assigned –son, daughter, parent, teacher, friend, listener and journalist.

“Self reflections and contemplations are great disciplines to develop and expand our consciousness; however the intent is not to take us away or escape from the world, but to help us live fully in it and to be fully present for any experience. We have not been sent in this world of six billion people to lead an isolated existence. Living in the ‘here and now’ we become aware of the beauty and the miracle of life that unfolds all around us in our day to day life.” 

Q. What is this awareness about the universe and how it develops?

A. “Any kind of progress--social, economic, spiritual, political, physical and mental health—can be achieved and maintained only when a critical mass of people believe, practice and are motivated to work and contribute towards such change. Universal brotherhood is achieved when we believe that we are all a part of the same Universal Spirit. Then we do not play sum-zero games. Then we are not working for ‘me’ but rather for the universal good. We become aware of that there is abundance of everything—wealth, health, prosperity, spirituality, freedom to live optimally-- for the whole creation. We become aware that there is no need to be greedy and hoard anything for fear of not having enough. We are born into this world to relish and enjoy the abundance of this universe and facilitate the enjoyment of this abundance for all others.”

Q. I shall appreciate your comments on the following: “The aim of the life should be no more to control the mind, but to develop it harmoniously , not to achieve salvation here after, but to make the best use of life here below; and not to relies truth , beauty and good only in contemplation, but also in the actual  experience of daily life: social progress depends not upon the  ennoblement of the few but on the enrichment of democracy: universal brotherhood ca be achieved   only when there is an equality of  opportunity in the social, political and individual life.”

A. “If I had to give one general comment on all the above, it would be this: Developing a compassionate mind is a necessary and essential condition to realize the purpose of our life. Practicing compassion in all situations, towards us and others, is the most powerful attribute for fighting social injustices, and for any of the changes to take place. Each one of us has to take a personal responsibility to connect with our compassionate self which happens to reside in all of us.”

[Email: psodhi@ns.sympatico.ca]

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