यश्चेमां वसुधां कृत्स्नां प्रशासेदखिलां नृपः ।तुल्याश्मकाञ्चनो यश्च स कृतार्थो न पार्थिवः ॥ yaścemāṃ vasudhāṃ kṛtsnāṃ praśāsedakhilāṃ nṛpaḥ ।tulyāśmakāñcano yaśca sa kṛtārtho na pārthivaḥ ॥ Mahabharata Shanti Parva 17.11 A king who rules over the whole earth is not satisfied. But a sage for whom a piece of stone and gold are equal, is always content. …
An odd thing I notice nowadays. One, parents (like me) trudge down to the Emergency ever so often, this time for a chest congestion. I mean most receptionists at Al Zahra (where Rohāmrta was born) know me on a first names basis now, it’s that often. Two – we always end up taking a second …
A busy Navrātri, the leaving of a guest and the preparations for Deepavali. And Rohāmrta chooses this time to fall sick:) A usual cough and cold, with a bit of fever, but since he has been having this off and on for close to a month, the parents are worried. There are only that many …
As Navratri ends, the preparation for Deepavali begins. From one journey, to another. Deepavali is the biggest celebration in India, and the beginning of a new year. A lot goes into preparing for it – from cleaning our houses to cleaning our minds. Gifts to purchase, sweets to order, small dreams to fulfill. As I …
Read the previous part here… They fought in the skies, toe to toe, until the Devi lifted him, whirled him around and threw him to the ground. As he tried to get up, she grabbed her spear and pierced his chest with it, thus bringing him to his end. Śumba died, and the devas rejoiced. Their …
Time is a Circle? Einstein’s field equations predict a universe which curves back upon itself, such that anyone traveling in a wide enough circle across the cosmos would return to the point at which they began their journey. Although the present may lead to the future, the future leads to the past. Western philosophy is linear …
As Navrātri draws to a close, one tries to reflect on the past nine days. Vratā is tapas, a struggle to control and fight against your inner demons. A way to reset, a way to start afresh. The 10th day is a day of celebration. A celebration of your victory over yourself. For the battle …
Read the previous part here… The Devi smiled again. “Yes, it is true. They are very strong. But what can I do since I took that ill-considered vow, even though it was long ago? Go back and tell them what I said, and let them do what they think is proper in this situation.” Hearing the …
Read the previous part here… 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 …
We humans are complicated. I mean, things can be simple but we tend to make them complicated. We leave things unsaid, tasks undone and people incomplete. Our desires are not rational, our greed excessive and our satisfaction is elusive. We make things and situations harder than they actually are, and then search for solutions. We …
