Month: April 2021

Of prayers answered…

Read the previous part here… She then performed the arghya, offering the guests water to wash their feet and hands, and then garlanded him with sweet-smelling flowers. Jīmūtavāhana, who as already deep in love, took it off and threw it around the neck of Malayavatī. She blushed, and looked at him with loving glances, her …

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Falling in love…2

Read the previous part here… “What is your friend’s name, and what beautiful family is she from?” The attendant replied… “She is the sister of Mitrāvasu, and the daughter of Viśvāvasu, the King of the Siddhas, and her name is Malayavatī.” एवम् उक्त्वा सहृदया सा तं जीमूतवाहनम् ।नामान्वयौ च पृष्ट्वास्य मुनिपुत्रं सहागतम् ॥ १२,२३.५१ ॥ तां …

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Kuro-obi -and then?

A black belt in Karate is an achievement…a big achievement. Its a culmination of years of blood and sweat, of hard toil, of pain and perseverance. A Kyokushin Karate black belt is even more treasured, since it carries with it a silent testimony of hard practice and a spirit of never-give-up. But what happens next? …

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Falling in love…

Read the previous part here… And so Jīmūtavāhana, his father and his mother, left that very night and went to the Malaya mountains. They made a small hut near a stream, one that was well-hidden by sandalwood trees, and lived a simple life, making do with whatever they could find, and caring for each other. …

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Renouncing a kingdom…

Read the previous part here… “Where are those ancestors of ours, who always thought this tree to be their personal possession? For which of them does it still exist, and which of them exists for it?” “And so, if you permit me father, I would like to worship this kalpa-vrksha, the one that grants all …

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Loving what you do

I know. As soon as you saw the title, you must have thought of it to be a cliché. I’ve heard and seen both sides of the argument. One side contends that if you have to spend 8-10 hours doing something, you might as well love it. Or, to rephrase, find something that you love …

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Noble thoughts…

Read the previous part here… He was named Jīmūtavāhana. He was courageous and yet compassionate, and attentive to the teachings of his gurus. When he grew up, his father made him crown prince, considering his noble qualities, and on the advice of his ministers. देव कल्पतरुर् यो ऽयम् अस्ति वः सर्वकामदः ।अधृष्यः सर्वभूतानां सैष पूज्यः …

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Getting an education

I am reading an engaging book – The Tell-Tale Brain, by Dr. V.S. Ramachandran. An interesting look at what makes us human, from a neurologist’s perspective. Dr. Ramachandran takes a look at the neurological structure of our brain, not through complicated instruments, but by basic methods and experiments, and comes to some very enlightening conclusions. …

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The Sacrifice of Jīmūtavāhana

Read the previous part here… “So tell me, o King, to whom did the princess Śaśiprabhā belong? To Manaḥsvāmin, or to Śaśin? “Remember, if you know the answer, and don’t tell me the truth, your head will burst into a hundred pieces!“ तद् राजंस् त्वं मम ब्रूहि तावत् कस्योपपद्यते ।भार्या सा संशयं छिन्धि पूर्वोक्तः समयो …

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Enough

Doesn’t sound like the next installment of the Vetāla series does it? Well, the fact is that it isn’t. I started to write everyday, a little more than a year back. Today, I have decided to end the streak. 365+ days is not bad in itself, but had to end someday. I feel it’s time …

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