Well, we have understood how to overcome tamas, and rajas. Next is sattva. But wait – sattva is a good guna, so why should we work on overcoming sattva? What form does Devi take in the next (and final) carita? Who does she fight with? Mala has been removed, Vikshepa has also been taken care …
Seeing Mahishasura fall, the entire legions of the asura armies perished. The devas celebrated and showered flowers on Devi Chandika, and sang praises in her name. The Devi, the mother of the worlds, had brought an end to the tyranny of the all-powerful leader of the asuras. The Devi Mahatmyam is an allegory – a …
The armies of the devas were mesmerised. They chanted in unison as their spirits rose after witnessing this huge spectacle. From his palace, Mahishasura wondered what was happening, and walked up to his window only to see nothing but a dazzling light. This was the glory of Devi Durga, and Mahishasura knew that he had …
But when you get rid of kāma, krodha and lobhā, that is just the first step. A celebration is not in order. There are more challenges on the way – challenges that will involve the Devi fighting with Mahishasura and Raktabija. How does she win? What is the inner meaning? Mahishasura is probably the first …
Read the previous part here… “This is because of the boon that Devi granted these asuras”, thought Sri Vishnu as he continued to battle them. “Only she can show me a way to get the better of them.” And so, Sri Vishnu prayed to Devi Mahāmayā, who appeared before him, and said… “Sri Vishnu, you have …
Suratha said “Oh revered Rishi! we are grieving. I lost my kingdom, yet I feel attached to everything that is associated with it. My elephant, my people, my treasury…And this is Samādhi. He was disowned by his family, and yet he feels affectionate towards them. He still thinks about their welfare. And so, both him …
Let me tell you a story… Two people met at an ashram in a forest. The first was named Suratha. A virtuous king, Suratha had lost a battle to a much smaller enemy, and when he returned to his kingdom, found that another powerful enemy had besieged his fort. He later found out that his …
Myths are things that never happened…but always are… Read More »
Navratri begins tomorrow. Some people asked me about the fasting – how long, what can be eaten, when and how to break it etc. Many many questions, only one answer. Don’t worry about it. The good thing about seeking (unlike belief) is that you are free to explore and find what works for you. By …
Once you observe Ekādashi vratā regularly, Navrātri is a breeze. Conditioning one’s body to work on reduced inputs helps in times of need, but if you keep a track of it, you will observe that you actually eat much more than you have to. Our ancestors used to hunt and farm and collect food, and …
A few months back, of my team members told me that she wants to write. Aha! She was interested in taking up content writing, and wanted to undertake a course. I suggested that she first practice to write, just write without any pre-determined topic or structure. It’s called free writing, in which one does not …
