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Russia dismisses ban on Geeta

December 31, 2011 A couple of days ago, I had a guest post by Jayendra on moves by prosecutors in the Russian city of Tomsk to ban the Bhagavad Geeta. The good news today is that the courts have now dismissed the case . The situation with reference to religious freedom is murky in Russia with the Russian Orthodox Church in many provinces anxiously watching the activities of other religious groups to ensure that these are do not work against the interests of the Church. There is anecdotal evidence that ISCKON has quoted to indicate that this has happened in this situation, too. The thing that galled me about the whole event was not the problems in Russia. It is the behavior that the Guardian headline indicates that shows the worst side of India's wonderful parliament. The headline is: "Bhagavad Gita trial in Russia closes Indian parliament" . The opening line in the story is: Indian politicians forced parliament to close on Monday in a protest against a Siberian trial c

Banning the Geeta in Russia

December 26, 2011 Guest post by my son, Jayendra. Comments on this blog will be emailed to him for a response In a shocking development, prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk are trying to get the Geeta banned on the grounds that the Bhagavad Geeta teaches "extremist" ideals. The Geeta is in fact, the total opposite. Krishna tells Arjuna to fight because it is his duty as a kshatriya to fight for Dharma or righteousness. Arjuna does not want to fight because on the opposing side are his cousins, uncles and grandfather. Although these may appear to be valid reasons not to fight, Krishna reminds Arjuna that although war is a horrendous thing, it is required to protect those who cannot protect themselves. In a more modern example, one can look at World War II. The USA was content to not take an active role in the help and protection of its allies in Europe until they themselves were bombed. If Arjuna, as a general in the Pandava army, had run away from the war to meditate an

Role Models - यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठ: 30 Pearls from The Week

December 21, 2011 On my way back to Singapore, came across the 30th anniversary issue of "The Week", the weekly news magazine published by the Malayalam Manorama group. The special edition breaks new ground for a popular Indian English magazine for its story on "Adi Shankara: Retracing a Great Journey" where they have traced the philosopher-saints ' path across India. Readers can get more info on Adi Shankara through a wonderful Chinmaya Mission book, "Shankara the Missionary" . The cover story on the main magazine features " 30 Pearls ", stories of 30 remarkable Indians who choose to be agents of change rather than accepting the status quo. I love this issue of The Week. I have tried to find links that will provide more information on these stars. In the past, I have discussed the value of Role Models in my first post on Geeta 3-21. Here are specific role models that appealed to me: Kabir Vajpeyi who has created the institution called BaLA

Break for Glory: The Known Universe - a Mindblowing video!

December 24, 2011 Through NASA's daily photo of the Universe website , I came across a mind blowing Youtube video posted by the American Museum of Natural History Naturally, my mind drifted to Him who is the supporter of this vast, ancient Universe as seen in Geeta 8-9. कविं पुराणमनुशासितार- मणोरणीयंसमनुस्मरेद्यः | सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूप- मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ||८-९|| kaviM puraaNamanushaasitaaraM aNoraNiiya.nsamanusmaredyaH . sarvasya dhaataaramachintyaruupaM aadityavarNaM tamasaH parastaat.h .. 8-9.. Whosoever, meditates upon the Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler (of the whole world) , minuter than the atom, the Supporter of all, of Form inconceivable, Effulgent like the Sun and beyond the darkness (of ignorance) Scientists hate it when religious seekers leverage science in support of their particular beliefs. To be fair, according to modern science, this whole Universe as it exists today is not evidence of an Intelligent Creator. However, for the spiritual seeker, a

Advice for the Newly Married - First Pray for the Other Person!

December 17, 2011 I have been away attending my nephew's wedding in Vadodara. Swamini Vimalanandaji had a nice piece of advice for my nephew, Manan and his bride, Rutvi. She said, "First pray for the other person, then for yourself." Huh? Are you wondering whether Śrī Kṛṣṇa actually squeezed in advice for newly-weds while teaching Arjuna n the battlefield of Kurkshetra? No, He did not. So why is this in a Geeta blog? Simple. Śrī Kṛṣṇa explicitly refers to the ideal seeker of Truth and the meditator as one who is सर्वभूतहिते रताः 'rejoices in the welfare of all beings' (verses 5-25 & 12-4). Our partner in life is the perfect test bed for developing such a mindset. One cannot seek the welfare of the world if one cannot start with the person we wake up next to every morning. Spirituality begins at home. Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

Law of Karma series.. Understanding birth, death and rebirth - 2

December 14, 2011 In my previous post on the Law of Karma , I highlighted Śrī Kṛṣṇa's emphatic declaration on the fact that everyone has had many lives in Geeta 2-12 and 4-5. Now, we can look at how Śrī Kṛṣṇa evolves this topic. At the end of chapter 1, Arjuna, the great Pāṇdava warrior is in a pitiable condition with a moral dilemma that can be summarized as: "I, Arjuna, am about to undertake a lot of killing which will result in untold suffering. The consequences for families and society will be endless. I, too, will incur sin in killing. Indeed, I will also incur the sin of causing the suffering of all those families who will lose their loved ones." In Geeta 2-7, Arjuna is spent after his appeal to Śrī Kṛṣṇa "Oh Kṛṣṇa, I am confused, धर्मसम्मूढचेताः. I am your disciple. Help me understand, what is good for me." Krishna breaks down Arjuna's problem to its fundamentals. Question 1: Who is this "I" who undertakes all actions and suffers the conseq

Strangers in our Homes - Controlling Sensory Overload

December 9, 2011 I have posted about the implications of the trend in which parents buy fancy stuff for their infants . In that post, I had this quote "Technology is also playing its part - with nearly one fifth of parents of children aged 0-4 years having bought a television for their baby's bedroom, rising to 28% of parents of children aged 15-24" from a BBC report on the buying habits of parents. That was depressing but the paper " Strangers in our Homes "by Dr Susan Johnson (link below) shows that researchers and academics have caught on and are actively recommending "no TV". Fortunately, even a mainstream body like the American Academy of Pediatrics now agrees as seen in this page, " Toddlers and TV " on their website. The page goes so far as to say, "Any positive effect of television on infants and toddlers is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interactions are proven. Under age two, talking, singing, reading

Gratitude on an Anniversary - second update!

December 6, 2011 - Geeta Jayanti It was June 25th 1993. We went to the hosts' home to pay respects to Pujya Gurudev . He had generously agreed to bless us at our wedding on June 27th. He was in his wheelchair, feet covered with warm shawls, even thought it was a nice June day in Princeton, New Jersey. As is usually the case, there were several people there to see him. One such was the secretary to the board of directors at a Hindu temple. He asked Gurudev to please agree to be present at the kumbhabhishekam (consecration ceremony for a Hindu temple) that was coming shortly. Gurudev gently declined it saying (not an exact quote): "I have told Him that in all these years, I have witnessed several such events. Nowadays, I can't go anywhere without a wheelchair. I have told Him, I will not go to Him in a wheelchair. If He wants me, He can come and get me." 18 years later, I recalled this incident when I heard verse 2-46. यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके | तावान्सर्वे

Gratitude on an Anniversary.. update

December 6, 2011 , Geeta Jayanti In my previous birthday post , I missed paying tribute to the greatest thing for me, Mother Geeta herself. I will simply quote the author of the Gita Dyanam on the beauty of the text. Shloka 7 is a prayer on behalf of all seekers: पाराशर्यवच:सरोजममलं गीतार्थगंधोतकटं नानाख्यानककेसरं हरिकथा संबोधनाबोधिताम् । लोके सज्जनषट्पदैरहरहः पेपीयमानं मुदा भूयाद् भारतपंकजं कलिमलप्रध्वंसिन:श्रेयसे ।। ७ ।। pArASharyachaHsarojamamalaM gItArthagandhotkaTaM nAnAkhyAnakakesaraM harikathA sambodhanAbodhitam.h | loke sajjanashhaTpadairaharahaH pepIyamAnaM mudA bhUyAd.h bhAratapaMkajaM kalimalaH pradhvaMsinashreyase || H H Swami Sivanandaji's translation reads as follows: May this lotus of the Mahabharata, born in the lake of the words of Vyasa, sweet with the fragrance of the meaning of the Gita, with many stories as its stamens, fully opened by the discourses of Hari, the destroyer of the sins of Kali, and drunk joyously by the bees of good men in the world, be

My Gratitude on a Birthday!

December 6, 2011 , Geeta Jayanti I launched this blog a year ago on Geeta Jayanti day that also happened to be Vaikuntha Ekadashi. On this first birthday, I recall with gratitude those who set me on this path of study: My mother: Having studied at the National School in Chennai, she was fortunate to have seen great Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Shri Chakravarti Rajagopalachari visit the school. With that early inspiration and in that atmosphere, she learnt Hindi and Samskritam. She loved to chant and that has rubbed off on me. Karma Yoga was in her blood. Nirmala Aunty, the Balavihar sevika who inspired hundreds of Balavihar children in Chembur where I spent my early years. Through the wondrous institution of the Balavihar, she taught Geeta chanting, took children to listen to Gurudev, and instilled a value for seva in those she taught Of course, Pujya Gurudev . More than anything, this blog is an imperfect reflection of what I gained through Him and the teachers He sent

Launching the Law of Karma series.. Understanding birth, death and rebirth - 1

November 24, 2011 Suddenly Karma is everywhere. A search on Youtube alone indicates that there are 343,000 videos, the same on Google indicates that there are 256 million entries that have something to do with karma. Pop culture entries include songs by Alicia Keys, John Lennon and Black Eyes Peas (bad language alert!) . There is even a car company in California, Fisker Automotive that makes a luxury car named Karma . Honestly, what goes for Karma in pop culture feels like moonshine instead of the divine soma that the ancient rishis prescribed for Yagnas. For one, most of the references still are within the context of a one-life world view. For most people who were brought up outside the Eastern traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Tao, Sikhism, etc) do not comprehend this whole story that we are not limited to this one life. The Bhagavad Geeta is a great source to comprehend this theory. First, Śrī Kṛṣṇa's emphatic declaration in chapter 2-12: न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं ने

The Great American Ritual - Black Friday

November 25, 2011 There is a great American ritual every year called Black Friday that is typically on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Stores open very early, sometimes at midnight and announce fantastic sales. As expected in the Bhagavad Geeta, this kind of sale encourages the wrong kind of response every year with crowds getting bigger and wilder. This year, the state of the economy is almost a tacit excuse for this kind of madness. The Youtube link below is a long one but you can stop watching after the first couple of minutes unless you take vicarious pleasure in scenes of mayhem (yes, that is normal but.... I am not judging). Once again, Śrī Kṛṣṇa got it spot on in 16-12 आशापाशशतैर्बद्धाः कामक्रोधपरायणाः | ईहन्ते कामभोगार्थमन्यायेनार्थसञ्चयान् ||१६-१२|| aashaapaashashatairbaddhaaH kaamakrodhaparaayaNaaH . iihante kaamabhogaarthamanyaayenaarthasa~nchayaan.h .. 16\-12.. Bound by a hundred ties of hope, given to lust and anger, they do strive to obtain, by unlawful means, hoards o

Indian Names in the Geeta - Ananya

November 21, 2011 There are many popular names today which seem to originate in the Geeta. I'd like to start with a popular girl's name - Ananyaa or अनन्या (not sure why boys are not named Ananya). The name is sourced from the Samskritam word अनन्य as in two popular verses in the Geeta: 9-22: अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ananyaashchintayanto maa.n; To those men who worship Me alone, thinking of no other, 12-6: अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते  ananyenaiva yogena maa.n dhyaayanta upaasate; Meditating on Me with single-minded devotion The dictionary gives several meanings of अनन्य ananya such 'as not attached or devoted to any one else', 'having no other', 'unique', 'undistracted'. In his talks on Chapter 12 in Singapore this month, Swami Swaroopanandaji used the meaning of 'having no other'. The 6th verse refers to that devotee who meditates upon the Lord 'having no other' thought or distraction. Then Swamiji said that Adi Sankarach

Swami Swaroopanandaji on भक्त लक्षण the Qualities of the Devotee

November 19, 2011 At different places in the Bhagavad Geeta, Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes the qualities of perfection. Swami Swaroopanandaji ticked off several such instances. In chapter 2, in स्थितप्रज्ञ लक्षण, there is an elaborate description of the man of perfect wisdom.  In chapter 5, Śrī Kṛṣṇa narrates the qualities of the perfect renunciate, सन्यासी।  In chapter 6, we come across the qualities of the one perfectly established in meditation.  In chapter 13, again we understand the qualities of one who has realized the Truth as being different from all fields of experience. In chapter 12, Śrī Kṛṣṇa highlights the qualities of the devotee and yet chapter 12 is unique in one respect. It is here that Śrī Kṛṣṇa repeatedly declares यो मद्भक्त स मे प्रियः, "such a devotee is dear to me." So, while the Lord loves everyone, yet the ones who love the Lord demonstrate the qualities that Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes in verses 13-19, such devotees are particularly dear to the Lord. To such a devote

Swami Swaroopanandaji - A Karma Yogi or A Donkey?

November 17, 2011 Just came across this report on study that indicates Indian work very long hours. During his talks , Swami Swaroopanandaji , referred to people who claim to be 'karma yogis' and offer the number of hours at work as proof. Swamiji had this to say: "Just because you're working hard or long hours, doesn't mean you're a karma yogi, just a donkey." Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

Swami Swaroopanandaji on Bhakti, Devotion

November 14, 2011 Swami Swaroopanandaji is in Singapore conducting talks on Geeta Chapter 12. Yesterday, he waxed poetic on the nature of Bhakti. Swamiji masterfully brought out the emotional aspects of Bhakti in explaining the essense of Geeta 12-2. As always the post is based on my notes and recollections. Any errors are entirely mine. मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते | श्रद्धया परयोपेताः ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ||१२- २|| mayyAveshya mano ye mAM nityayuktA upAsate . shraddhayA parayopetAH te me yuktatamA matAH .. 12-2.. Sri Krsna points out three essentials qualities of a true Bhakta or devotee: 1. मय्यावेश्य मन:  mayyAveshya manah - Whose mind is immersed in me. Such a devoteee is one who cannot be without the Lord. 2. नित्ययुक्त: nityayukta - steadfast, committed, constant. Guruji once “Hamari Bhakti hai Jo bhaagti rahti hai“ – our devotion is that which keeps running away. For instance, think of when you gave up meditation because a friend is visiting! 3. श्रद्धया परयोपेताः s

Habits - Best Friend, Worst Enemy!

November 13, 2011 My son and I were reading " The 7 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens " by Sean Covey. In the first page of the section titled Set-Up, under the heading "Who am I", was this (quotes partially excerpted): "I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure... "I am the servant of all great individuals and, alas, of all failures, as well... "Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.. The answer in the book is "I am Habit". Students of the Geeta are familiar with chapter 6, verses 5 & 6. उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् | आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ||६-५|| uddharedaatmanaatmaanaM naatmaanamavasaadayet.h . aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanaH .. 6\-5.. Let a man lift himself by his own self alone, and let him not lower himself; for, this

Gita for Everyday Living - book review

November 11, 2011 I came across a beautiful book, "Gita for Everyday Living" (ISBN 978-81-7823-520-2) published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore . This is a natural subject for review in this blog. The book is a reissue of a special edition published by Vedanta Kesari , the publication of the Math. It is a collection of articles on the Geeta by several eminent Swamis of the Ramakrishna order and other well known writers. I was attracted first by Chapter 4, "Sri Krishna, the Teacher of the Gita" compiled from Swami Vivekananda 's talks in San Francisco on May 26, 1900. "You find in Krishna that non-attachment is the central idea. He does not need anything. He works for work's sake. "He is the most rounded man, I know of, wonderfully developed equally in brain and heart and hand. No cobwebs in that brain, no superstition.. "Every moment [of his] is alive with activity, either as a gentleman, warrior, minister. Great as a gentleman, as a s

Love and Tenderness

November 5, 2011 Thanks to Samad Karadan for publicly sharing this. The original facebook photo can be found here . पिताहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः |९-१७ pitaahamasya jagato maataa dhaataa pitaamahaH .9-17 I am the Father of this world, the Mother, the supporter and the grandsire 9-17 Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

Is this God's will?

November 3, 2011 You can tell by now that Prof V Krishnamurthy 's talk at the International Gita forum resonated with me. I have posted twice about his talk, here and here . During the Q&A, a lady in the audience asked a very pertinent question. Again, all of the below this is based on my memory and notes, any inaccuracies are entirely mine. I hope I have captured the essence of the dialog between the lady and the Professor. You had mentioned earlier that we must have an attitude that everything is the Lord's will. I just bought several books and left it at my seat and in the time I was having tea during the break, someone seems to have taken them. I am angry that at such a sacred event, we think only good people come here, but even here there are still people who steal. Is this God's will?" Prof Krishnamurthy responded very compassionately. I may say that this is God's will but until YOU believe it in YOUR heart and look upon it like that, it is of no use

Break for Glory: 100 year old man completes a Marathon

October 31, 2011 Another break for glory (to celebrate the Lord's Vibhooti i.e divine glory). Remember, in Geeta 10-41 Sri Krsna says, "Whatever it is that is glorious, prosperous or powerful in any being, know that to be a manifestation of a fraction of My splendour". For me enough said, when I saw the news of 100-year old Fauja Singh completed the Toronto waterfront marathon . Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post.

No One is Incompetent! Karma Yoga - Transformation Technology

October 30, 2011 In discussing Bhagavad Geeta chapter 3, Guruji, Swami Tejomayanandaji , often refers to an adage in Samskritam: अमंत्रमक्षरो नास्ति नास्ति मूलमनौषधं । अयोग्य पुरुषो नास्ति योजकस्तत्र दुर्लभः ।। ama.ntramaksharo naasti naasti mUlamanauShadham . ayogya puruSho naasti yojakastatra durlabhah .. There is no alphabet(syllable) that cannot become a mantra, no root that cannot become a medicine. No one is incompetent, only the expert is rare (i.e. who can do make make a mantra of a syllable, a medicine of a root and transform an individual's capability). Many such adages are to be found in Sūktisudhā . This free translation with any attendant errors is entirely mine. Chapter 3 lays out the transformation methodology aka karma yoga. The foundation of karma yoga begins with the understanding that everyone acts based on their likes and dislikes (राग द्वेश). While that appears to be perfectly normal, in life there is a constant tension between what the situation demands of us

Shubha Deepavali - शुभ दीपावली

October 26, 2011 शुभ दीपावली | Shubha Deepavali. Happy Diwali. Wishing all readers a very auspicious Deepavali. May the Gītāchārya Śrī Kṛṣṇa shower you with prosperity and joy. My mind today goes to the second shloka of the Gītā Dhyānam. नमोस्तु ते व्यास विशालबुद्धे फुल्लारविन्दायतपत्रनेत्र | येन त्वया भारततैलपूर्णः प्रज्वालितो ज्ञानमयः प्रदीपः || namostu te vyAsa vishAlabuddhe phullAravindAyatapatranetra | yena twayA bhAratatailapUrNaH prajwAlito GYAnamayaH pradIpaH || Salutations unto you, O Vyāsa, of mighty intellect, whose eyes are like the petals of a fully-bloomed lotus, He who lit the lamp of Knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahābhārata. As Pujya Swami Chinmayanandaji says, All other kinds of knowledge that are known to us cannot by themselves be called knowledge since each one of them is limited, conditioned knowledge. Knowledge of physics, knowledge of chemistry, of astrology, of mathematics, none of them is KNOWLEDGE in itself but knowledge of something or the other.

Essence of the Geeta - Prof V Krishnamurthy

October 24, 2011 Previously, I posted Prof V Krishnamurthy's favorite Geeta shloka. To be fair to him, the Professor was not entirely satisfied. To do justice to the Geeta, he went on to describe the five central doctrines of the Bhagavad Geeta. The foundation of this understanding on Adi Shankaracharya's Geeta Bhashya in the introduction to Chapter 11. Let me be clear that the following is based on my notes and are not direct quotes of what the Professor said. According to what the Professor said at the International Gita Forum held on October 22 in Singapore, the Geeta covers 5 main topics: 1. Karma Yoga as crystallized in Geeta 3-30. See the post the Profesor's favorite verse linked above. 2. Bhakti Yoga as crystallized in Geeta 9-27. यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् | यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ||९-२७|| yatkaroshhi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshhi dadaasi yat.h . yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushhva madarpaNam.h .. 9-27.. Whatever you do, whatever you eat,

Are our Eyes fit to have Darśan of the Lord?

October 23, 2011. At the Singapore Gita Jayanti Krishna Manjari cultural event on October 8, 2011, Shri Makarand Bua Dasi was speaking about the desire of every devotee to have a darśan of the Lord. The real challenge is whether the devotee is capable of seeing the Lord's glory directly. He told a story of Swami Swaroopanandaji of Pawas in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. He was very keen to have darśan of Narāyaṇa. However, when Lord Narāyaṇa appeared before him, Swamiji was blinded by His glory and stayed blind for 28 days. Shri Makarand Buaji said that this explains why Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to bless Arjuna with divya-chakshuh (Geeta 11-8) or divine sight to enable Arjuna to have darśan of the Lord's ViśwarUpa - Cosmic form. In this context, Shri Makarand Buaji quoted a nice couplet by Sant Kabirdas . क्यूँ मेरे बिराग का तुझको मातम है ? क्यूँ मुझे न मिलने का तुझको गम है ? तू देखके क्या करेगा मुझको ? मैं देख रहा हूँ तुझको यह क्या कम है ? kyun mere biraag ka tuhjko maatam hai? kyun mujhe

Favorite verses 2 - Prof V Krishnamurthy

October 23, 2011 Continuing, the series on favorite shlokas from various teachers of the Bhagavad Geeta. Here is Professor V. Krishnamurthy , a well known teacher of Vedanta. Prof V Krishnamurthy was the second keynote speaker at the International Gita Forum held on October 22, 2011 as part of the Singapore Gita Jayanti 2011-12 celebrations. He picked 3-30 which we have seen many times on this blog: मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा | निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः ||३-३०|| mayi sarvaaNi karmaaNi sa.nnyasyaadhyaatmachetasaa . niraashiirnirmamo bhuutvaa yudhyasva vigatajvaraH .. 3\-30.. Renouncing all actions in Me, with the mind centered on the Self, free from expectation and egoism (ownership) , free from (mental) fever, fight! For other posts on 3-30, click on the following links: 1. Tiger Woods post 2. English football team . Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

Favorite Verses 1 - Dr Shankar Abhayankar

October 22, 2011 I am starting a new series where I ask people what their favurite Geeta shloka is. Yesterday, the International Gita Forum was held in Singapore as part of the 2011-12 Gita Jayanti celebrations. During panel discussion, I asked the keynote speakers what their favorite shlokas were. Dr Shankar Abhyankar picked 18-26 as his favorite. I do not have his own translation of it, so I will use my usual source which is Swami Chinmayanandaji's. If I manage to get a direct translation from Dr Abhyankar, I will post that update. मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वितः | सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकारः कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ||१८-२६|| muktasaN^go.anaha.nvaadii dhR^ityutsaahasamanvitaH . sid.hdhyasid.hdhyornirvikaaraH kartaa saattvika uchyate .. 18-26.. One who is free from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with firmness and enthusiasm, and unaffected by success or failure, is called a SATTWIC (pure) doer of action. 18-26 According to Dr Abhyankar: If everyone acted in the manner

Break for Glory - The Annapurna Elevation

October 16, 2011 I have decided to create a regular series of Vibhooti Yoga highlighting photographs or videos of great beauty and power in keeping with Geeta 10-41. यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा | तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम् ||१०-४१|| yadyadvibhuutimatsattvaM shriimaduurjitameva vaa. tattadevaavagachchha tvaM mama tejo.nshasambhavam.h .. 10-41.. "Whatever it is that is glorious, prosperous or powerful in any being, know that to be a manifestation of a fraction of My splendour". So here is my most recent discovery of His Vibhooti. Enjoy ANNAPURNA ELEVATION from warmeye on Vimeo . Having just travelled in the Lahaul and Spiti , this video brought back a lot of personal memories, too. For earlier editions on Lord's glories, click here . Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post.

Honor and Dishonor

October 14, 2011 Despite having lived in Mumbai for so many years, I was amazed when a rickshavalla told me that that tourists often wanted to know if stars such as Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan had real houses in Mumbai. Occasionally, some even paid him to drive past their homes despite having no chance of getting a glimpse of their hero. Similarly, when studying the Geeta, it is logical to wonder if the Bhakta (devotee), Jñāni (wise man) or Karmayogi (man of action) as described by Śrī Kṛṣṇa really exist in this world? Arjuna's question in chapter 2 is very direct: "Hey Kṛṣṇa! How do I know such people exist? If they do, tell me how they walk, how they talk, etc?" Take for instance, Geeta 14-25: मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः। सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते।।14.25।। maan-aapamaana-yostulyas-tulyo mitraaripakShayoH . sarvaarambhaparityaagii guNaatiitaH sa uchyate .. 14\-25.. He who is the same in honor and dishonor, the same to friend and foe, and

Fear and trembling on the social networks

October 8, 2011 Louis René Beres, Professor of Political Science at Purdue University, has an interesting post titled "A Core Anxiety: Fear and trembling on the social networks" . (I first a reference to this on Andrew Sullivan's Dish ). Some quotes that caught my attention: “Look at me, please,” is the unspoken but desperate cry of the public talker, or “texter,” or “Twitterer.” I am here. I am important. I have human connections. I count for something. I am not (heaven forbid) unpopular.” There exists a universal human wish to remain unaware of oneself. But this subversive hope always leads individuals to stray dangerously from their true personhood, and toward the deceptively available  security of the "herd". Sometimes, when a terror gang and a sports team effectively become competitors for group loyalty, any herd will do. Nothing important, in science or industry or art or music or literature or medicine or philosophy, can ever take place without some lone

The Drama of Chapter 1

October 6, 2011 Vijayadashami! Happy Dussehra to all. शुभं भूयात् । I know I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Last year on the occasion of Gita Jayanti celebrations in Singapore, I had submitted the following article for publication in the Gīta Vāṇī publication that the Gita Jayanti committee brings out. BTW, for those of you in Singapore, there is still plenty happening for this year's celebration. Please click on the Gita Jayanti Singapore link to discover for yourselves. Public talks on the Bhagavad Geeta rarely focus a lot on the 1st chapter of the dialog between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Yet, for the student of the Geeta, we gain an understanding of the transforming power of Śrī Kṛṣṇa‘s teaching, only when we digest the implications of what transpired in Chapter 1. Recall the background that led the Pāṇḍava and Kaurava armies to the battlefield in Kurukṣetra. Having lost the second game of dice, the Pāṇḍavās had spent the required 12 years in exile, followed by a year livi

Geeta in Literature - IF by Rudyard Kipling

September 12, 2011 I came across a nice YouTube video that is an animation of Rudyard Kipling reading his famous poem IF . The full text sourced from wikisource is below: If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same: If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And los