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? …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
Read the previous part here… Mṛgāṅkavatī could not stop herself, and they spent many a night passionately, with Manaḥsvāmin transforming himself back into a woman during the day. After a few days, they heard about the minister’s son, who was on his way back from his teerth yātrā, and was about to reach home by …
Read the previous part here… “My dear, this story makes my body tremble, and my heart sinks. It feels as if I long something, but I don’t understand or know what it is…what is the meaning of all this?“ तच् छ्रुत्वा सो ऽङ्गनारूपो विप्रः पुन उवाच ताम् ।एतानि कामचिह्नानि नन्व् अपूर्वाणि ते सखि ॥ १२,२२.९१ …
