The summer of 91. The last exam had ended, and the vacations had begun. And so had my affair with the written word, again. Back in the 90s, we ran a neighbourhood library (now you know how I managed to read so much) and access to so many books made me delirious at times:) But …
Just as the sun, despite being lustrous, cannot shine without its rays, similarly, a king, even though he may be full of majesty, cannot be appreciated without capable servants. राजा तुष्टो हि भृत्यानाम् अर्थ-मात्रं प्रयच्छति ।ते तु संमान-मात्रेण प्राणैर् अप्य् उपकुर्वते ॥ ९१ ॥ rājā tuṣṭo hi bhṛtyānām artha-mātraṃ prayacchati |te tu saṃmāna-mātreṇa prāṇair apy upakurvate || …
To have gained and lost, is worse than not to have gained at all… Human life is all about striving towards something. Some work towards accumulating wealth, others strive hard to improve their quality of life. The journey towards our goals is hard, but the hope of getting there makes it worth the while. And …
As mentioned yesterday, am reading “The Anxious Generation” that is quite startling in terms of the subject matter – children are being rewired (actually have already been) and have transitioned from “play-based” childhood to “phone-based” childhood. A transition that will have lasting repercussions on the human race in general. I will write separately on the …
Tomorrow is Nirjala Ekādashi – a vrata without food and water. Started at sunrise, and will end the day after tomorrow, a bit post sunrise. 24 hours without food and water. Not as difficult as you think:) Also started a new book, that revolves around this central premise: “My central claim in this book is …
How do I start yoga? Quite a common question yes? Most people are used to enrolling in the neighbourhood yoga class, where the instructor quickly takes you through preparatory stretching, gets into simple postures and wraps it up with a 5 or 10 minute meditation routine. While this may work in a gymnasium or a …
What does it take to slow down nowadays? If you haven’t noticed yet, most of us spend our time in one constant stream of chatter. Calls, social media, WhatsApp, emails…checking the phone at the signal, taking calls during evening walks… Are we afraid of being with ourselves? Or do we feel that we are wasting …
Vakra means twisted, and hence Vakrasana is called the twisted pose. The Vakrasana yoga posture helps to tone the nerves around the spinal cord, strengthen our abdomen and stimulate the internal organs. This yoga asana helps reduce belly fat and lose weight – a major factor in helping diabetics control their blood sugar and lead an active …
Zen stories. They bring back fond memories. Of times I spent with my master – sometimes in larger groups, other times just with the uchideshis – live-in students. Kancho – my master – used to conduct meditation discourses, and in between the philosophy, we used to wait eagerly for the Zen stories to make their …
A person should examine his own deeds this way everyday – are mine comparable to animals or to that of the noble? The only person you really have to answer to – is YOU. That is a good thing, and a bad thing. Because whatever you do, you can hide from the whole world, but …
