Shihan Rohit

Why wait?

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 …

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Of complications and allegories…

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 …

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Oh Kolkata, where art thou…

The spirit of the Pujo is something else in Kolkata. Kolkata. The name evokes memories of history, heritage, art, food…and Durga Puja. As the flight descends on this city, a breathtaking view emerges. Kolkata, dressed in all its finery, all set to welcome Maa Durga. The festive atmosphere is unparalleled, the enthusiasm undiminished. The taxi …

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What is good, and what is bad?

The concept of bad and good exists only in Western philosophy. Sanātana Dharma only speaks of action, and consequences. Every karmā, or every action, has consequences, which can be good, or bad for you. Depending on what your expectations or circumstances are. You have a choice of right action. That is termed as Dharmā. You …

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The enemy within?

You can fight an enemy who is outside, but how do you fight the enemy within? Spirituality is all about knowing yourself. If you are brutally honest in your assessment, you will find a lot that you do not like. You may also be disgusted in some matters – how can I think this way? …

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The great reset…

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 …

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Of math and life…

In mathematics, summation is the addition of a sequence of any kind of numbers, called addends or summands; the result is their sum or total. So is life – a summation of many moments that we experience. The result of all these moments and experiences is what we call living, isn’t it? So, do you want the summation to consist mostly instances of scrolling through social media and …

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The significance of number nine…

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु विष्णुमायेति शब्दिता । नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥  yā devī sarvabhūteṣu viṣṇumāyeti śabditā ।namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namaḥ ॥ The number nine holds special significance in our lives. In fact, we begin our journey with the number nine – that is the number of months we spend in our mother’s wombs. Yog shastras …

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And it begins…

Tomorrow is Mahalaya, the advent of the Devi… And the day after is Navratri… As always, I will be writing a series for the next nine-ten days, a bit of what has been written before, and a bit about my experiences this time. As before, I will be observing vrata for all nine days, eating …

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Of 14s and electronic q-tips…

The iPhone 14 is here, and so are the done-to-death “sell my kidney” jokes. Do I upgrade? Well, err…ummm….anyone looking for a Gold iPhone 12 Pro Max Fantastic 256GB? The airpods refresh seem tempting too. But then, so does gold, at a yearly low, and equities, that are expected to dip as recession hits the …

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