Everyday Geeta

February 20, 2012  Today's Vibhooti break comes courtesy of of NASA 's picture of the day website . The study of astronomy is fascinating since that is the only subject that now deals with time scales that approach what the Puranas speak about. For instance, the universe is said to be just over 13 billion years old, while Hindu cosmology projects that a universe lasts about 5.3 billion years (no other culture comes close). Again, astronomy makes a paradox of a word like "today". Some of the galaxies, like NGC2237 shown in the picture is 50 light years away i.e. the picture is possibly a representation of how that galaxy looked 50 years ago since that is how long it took light from that galaxy to reach us. So, we can't quite say this is how the galaxy looks "today". What I love is how the glory of science is revealed in this picture: Technology today allows these pictures to be assembled and distributed through the web There are scientists who love their

February 6, 2012 Geeta lovers will recall that Śrī Kṛṣṇa extols the virtue of solitude in Bhagavad Geeta 13-11. विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ||१३-११|| viviktadeshasevitvamaratirjanasa.nsadi .. 13\-11.. resorting to solitary places, distaste for the society of men. . . In his commentary, Pujya Swami Chinmayanandaji says: Whenever the mind is fascinated by an enchanting ideal, it loses all its contact with other preoccupations and becomes wedded to its own all-absorbing theme of interest. In this context, it is interesting that a recent book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain is now a best-seller. In her NPR interview, the author says: "We moved from what cultural historians call a culture of character to a culture of personality. During the culture of character, what was important was the good deeds that you performed when nobody was looking. Abraham Lincoln is the embodiment of the culture of character, and people

February 19, 2012 Once again, Singapore's Hindu community came together to beautifully celebrate the glory of the Bhagavad Gita through a mass Gita havan on the grounds of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Singapore. This was the culmination of the Gita Jayanti 2011-12 celebrations, sponsored and directed by the Marathi Mitra Mandal of Singapore. The pictures below show the breath-taking mūrti of Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur at the altar. Hundreds of devotees participated in the preparation of the yaGYa site, in the chanting and in the actual havan or homa. Beginning with a Ganesha homa, followed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Ashttotara and then the chanting of the entire Bhagavad Geeta with each verse accompanied by an offering to the homa, the event was an explosion of sattvic energy spread over 4 hours. The event brought to mind verse 9-16 in which Śrī Kṛṣṇa declares: मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम् ||९-१६|| mantro.ahamahamevaajyamahamagnirahaM hutam.h .. 9-16.. I am the MANTRA I am also t

February 9, 2012 Karma is a central subject of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Geeta. In Geeta 4-17, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says: गहना कर्मणो गतिः (gahanaa karmaNo gatiH) "imponderable is the nature (path) of action." The word karma (कर्म), in Samskritam means more than just action. It also means the result of the action, whether the result is immediate, comes in the future in this lifetime or encountered in a future lifetime. With this post, I am launching a new series, the Karma Chronicles, which will use contemporary stories to highlight the inexplicable nature of Karma. If you are a follower of the Eastern religions, this is easy to grasp. Those who're in the theistic Eastern religions (Hindu / Sikh) as well as those of the semitic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) would also attribute this to the inexplicable ways in which the Lord acts. I came across the story of Chase Blackburn , a linebacker for the New York Giants. He was pivotal in the Giants' victory in Super B

February 10, 2012 Thank you to all my readers. By Gurudev's grace, this blog has just crossed 11000 hits in less than 14 months. ।। जय भगवद्गीते ।। ।। Jai BhagavadGeete ।। ।। जय श्री कृष्ण ।। ।। Jai Śrī Kṛṣṇa ।। Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

January 30, 2012 Mahatma Gandhi's views on India's caste system are well known. Gandhiji was certainly not the first or the only leader to draw attention to the problems created by the caste system and the rigid attitudes that became ingrained in the Indian psyche. Yet, by making removal of untouchability central to the struggle for India's freedom, Mahatma Gandhi made the practice of untouchability intellectually, morally and most importantly, politically unacceptable in India. In our Geeta study group, we recently discussed the chaaturvarNa as described by Śrī Krsna in 4-13. चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः | तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ||४-१३|| chaaturvarNyaM mayaa sR^ishhTa.n guNakarmavibhaagashaH . tasya kartaaramapi maa.n vid.hdhyakartaaramavyayam.h .. 4\-13.. The fourfold-caste has been created by Me according to the differentiation of GUNA an d KARMA; though I am the author thereof know Me as non-doer and immutable. Śrī Kṛṣṇa insists that the

February 3, 2012 Bhagavad Geeta 2-47 is probably the most quoted shloka in the Geeta. कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||२-४७|| karmaNyevaadhikaaraste maa phaleshhu kadaachana . maa karmaphalaheturbhuurmaa te saN^go.astvakarmaNi .. 2-47.. Your right is to work only, but never to its fruits; let not the fruit-of-action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction. Pujya Swami Chinmayanandaji in his commentary on the verse says: In effect, therefore, Arjuna is advised: "All that is given to you now is to act and, having known the cause of action to be a noble one, to bring into the activity all that is best in you and forget yourself in the activity. Such inspired action is sure to bear fruit, and again, it has its own reward-spiritual." I recently borrowed a book from my nephew, Siddesh. The book is "Man's Search for Meaning" by Dr Viktor E. Frankl , a renowned psychotherapist and a survivor of several N