Krishna's Musings on Life

You may have come to this post thinking that I’m going to be writing about an abusive romantic partner. You’re wrong. I’m here to write about another man that broke me. My partner will only destroy me emotionally but I don’t know this yet because the future is yet to come. But this man. He broke me physically, emotionally, spiritually and every which way you can think of. Have you ever been raped? I hope to God your answer is no. Ma warned me, you know. She told me it was a broken marriage of broken minds from the beginning. But when you have been starved for love nearly all your life and all of a sudden, you come across a man willing to give it to you, there’s only one natural course of action, isn’t there? Let me be clear. This man was not my husband. He wasn’t my boyfriend. He wasn’t even someone I was attracted to. He was my best friend. And the first male in my life to show me affection because papa, he left when I was 12. We met at swim class. I was 16, shy, nerdy. Typical teena...

I want to know what Love is I want You to show me… I want to feel what Love is I know that You can show me… So goes the Sri Argala Stotram by Krishna Das. He was born Jeffrey Kagel in America. His experiences on the spiritual path led him to take up a Hindu name. He became a vocalist, singing primarily devotional songs to the Divine. And that’s who he is today. When I first heard the Stotram , I was mesmerized. What were these words, who was this man singing them? And why did it fill me with a deep need to weep, to profess my love to something or someone I didn’t even know? Roopam dehi, jayam dehi yasho dehi, dvisho jahi… Grant us Your Form, Grant us Victory Grant us Welfare, Remove all Hostility Over and over and over, this line repeats itself. A beautiful, melting, aching chorus bringing together our heart strings, connecting them to Ma’s beautiful locks so that every time She twirls, our hearts dance right alongside Her. Her magnificent form, rising so far above us that to perceiv...

So, you’ve just fallen in love. The very air around you seems soaked in romance, the unbearable summer heat suddenly feels like a cool breeze, the world around you is happy and you are wearing rose-tinted glasses. There’s nothing that could go wrong, you think. Every look, every touch is filled with joy and chemistry. You were made for each other. Little in the world is better than the feeling of love. What is love? It’s the feeling that pushes you to be the best version of yourself. All of a sudden, you find yourself putting your best foot forward. Your every gesture and action screams care and affection. All you want is for your partner to be happy. It’s you and her against the world. It’s you and him for life. Your bond feels unbreakable, entwined through lifetimes of togetherness. So, what happens a few years down the line? The newness in the relationship has worn off. You are familiar with your partner’s idiosyncrasies now. You know he always snores when he’s tired, she showers be...

What does the title mean? Let me tell you right off the bat so that you can move on from this article. In this day of lightning-speed browsing, I’ve already lost you, perhaps 😊 A healthy relationship is the ability to laugh at oneself and each other. Laugh with, not at. That’s it. If you have this, it’s all one needs. Of course, there are some other healthy relationship tips too that we could all make use of. After all, human beings are complex. However, if you take it easy, that’s half the job done. The sense of ease and joy that comes from being with a person who’s easygoing and light-hearted cannot be understated. Do you know the freedom of not walking on eggshells around a partner? It’s wonderful! Mostly because you can be you without worrying about how the other person may perceive your words. The other side of it, having a partner who’s sensitive and easily offended, also has its advantages. It may be surprising to hear but the fact is, having such a partner ensures that you a...

He gritted his teeth as he followed her movements on the map. It was the third time this week she’d taken the same route. Does she really not remember that we’re synced on Tracker? he thought. Or does she not care anymore? He shook off that question immediately. It wasn’t true. He knew she cared. It was just that she didn’t care enough anymore; if she had, she would have remembered that they’d synced each other’s phones to the Tracker app last winter, the night her car had broken down on the state highway in the middle of the night with a snowstorm brewing. It was the last time he’d allowed her to come and visit him. After six hours of wild emotions and grappling with the very real possibility of her death, the risk just didn’t seem worth it. She’d argued, of course, but he hadn’t budged. When had it all changed? How had she gone from the woman who drove hours to be with him just for one night to the woman who was now visiting her ex-lover three times in one week? Maybe they were just ...

Have you loved someone so deeply that life without them seems not just unimaginable, but unbearable? If so, I feel you. It’s not easy. It is, in fact, horribly difficult. My worst breakup was when my ex decided that he needed a break from us and left. He didn’t promise that he would be back even though I desperately wanted the assurance. The four months between the time he left and the time he came back were amongst the most uncertain and saddest periods of my life. I didn’t leave my house for weeks. I didn’t shower for days, I stayed in front of the TV, dully watching random cooking shows and series, songs and films, even the news when I wanted to focus on someone else’s misery, wondering if my life would ever be the same again. I cried so much that I threw up. Hearing my lifeless, hollow voice over the phone, my mother grew so worried that she came down to visit me, travelling overnight. She convinced me to come outside for a short while but we’d barely made it to a nearby café befor...