गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहेकविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् ।ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पतआ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥ Gannaanaam Tvaa Ganna-Patim HavaamaheKavim Kaviinaam-Upama-Shravastamam |Jyessttha-Raajam Brahmannaam BrahmannaspataAa Nah Shrnnvan-Uutibhih Siida Saadanam || Among the Ganas (Group of Prayers), to you who is the Ganapati (Deva of Prayers), we offer this…
ॐ गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहेकविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् ।ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पतआ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥ ॐ महागणाधिपतये नमः ॥ Gannaanaam Tvaa Ganna-Patim HavaamaheKavim Kaviinaam-Upama-Shravastamam |Jyessttha-Raajam Brahmannaam BrahmannaspataAa Nah Shrnnvan-Uutibhih Siida Saadanam || Rig Veda 2.23.1 Om, O Ganapati, To You Who are the Lord of…
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi – the mind is the sixth sense – says the Bhagavad Gita. Swami Sivananda said that ‘the Indriyas are the prolongation of the mind’. Our mind…
“In breathing, as in everything in life, the numbers are staggering—indeed fantastical. Every time you breathe, you exhale some 25 sextillion (that’s 2.5 x 1022) molecules…
Krishna Janmashtami, also known simply as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.It is observed according…
Krishna, Kishan, Madhav, Banke Bihari, Gopala, Kanhaiya, Ranchhod, Parthasarathy, Ishvara…the many names and the many facets of the personality of the most loved God in…
Narayana and Nara are supposed to have taken form as Sri Krishna and Arjuna. They were almost like twins, working together living together, eating together, one being in…
A lot is spoken of the word “Budo”. Budō is a compound of the root bu (武:ぶ), meaning “war” or “martial”; and dō (道:どう; dào in Chinese), meaning “path” or “way.…
Yog is a way of life, that combines asanas (postures) and pranayama ( breathing), mudras (gestures) and bandhas (body locks)… Breathing is an essential part of…
We did it:) The first nation in the world to land at the South Pole of the moon! यशोधिगन्तुं सुखलिप्सया वा मनुष्यसंख्यामतिवर्तितुं वा | निरुत्सकानामभियोगभाजां समुत्सुके…
आदौ नित्यानित्यवस्तुविवेकः परिगम्यते । इहामुत्रफलभोगविरागस्तदनन्तरम्शमादिषट्कसम्पत्तिर्मुमुक्षुत्वमिति स्फुटम् ॥ १९ ॥ ādau nityānityavastuvivekaḥ parigamyate | ihāmutraphalabhogavirāgastadanantaramśamādiṣaṭkasampattirmumukṣutvamiti sphuṭam from Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, written by Jagadguru Adi Śaṅkarācārya First is enumerated discrimination between the…
Should we as a society, support the death penalty? More importantly, is it right? This seemingly innocent question can at first instance, be answered in a…
The “Bhagavad Gita”: A Biography by Richard H. Davis My rating: 5 of 5 stars There have been many translations of the Bhagavad Gita, which is perhaps the…
The reading habit is fast dying…its decline hastened by, among other things, our decreasing attention spans (thank you Social Media) and availability of lesser alternatives…
“According to Manusmiriti, there are six policies of dealing with such an issue – Sandhi (peace treaty), Vigraha (war), Yaana (preparation for war), Asana (neutrality), Samsraya (forming alliances) and Dvaidhibhava (double-dealing or pretending to be friendly). So…
Physics describes patterns in spacetime that correspond to particles moving around. If the particle arrangements obey certain principles, they give rise to emergent phenomena that…
The Bihar School of Yoga elaborates on the spiritual aspects of the jñāna and chin mudras. Jñāna means wisdom or knowledge, and jñāna mudra is a gesture of intuitive knowledge. Chin,…
Those who are familiar with financial planning know the importance of diversification of assets – allocating monies to different asset classes (property, mutual funds, stocks,…
Read the previous part here. Aha. So I wrote this yesterday, and opportunity presented itself today. Actually, I wouldn’t call it a welcome opportunity, but well,…
Damanaka replied -“Even in this difficult situation, my intelligence is intact… I will break their friendship. It is said… एकं हन्यान् न वा हन्याद् इषुः…
As with most people who are well-raised, well-educated and financially secure, Dr. Tokai only thought of himself… Men without Women, Haruki Murakami Who am I?…
On the banks of the river Yamunā, lies a place named Brahmasthala (the abode of Brahmins). There lived a Brahmin named Agnisvāmin (the lord of Agni), and he had…
Yesterday, saw Tom Cruise battle Hollywood’s interpretation of AI. The movies always speak of grandiose plans to take over the world. Which, however remote, is…
Sri Rama made Vibhishana the King of Lanka. Vibhishana wanted Sri Rama to take rest so that He could leave for Ayodhya, next day. But as Bharata is taking severe austerities and waiting for…
At Rama’s bidding Hanuman entered Lanka after getting Vibhishana’s permission and reported Rama’s success to Sita. Sita was stunned by the joyful news and remained silent. “Mother, why do you not speak…
Indrajit went to battle again. With his magic he became invisible and rained arrows on the vanaras. He tormented his opponents and tried to frighten Lakshmana. In the…
Kumbhakarna sallied forth into the battlefield. The vanaras were terrified when they saw the huge monstrous form advancing towards them. The mighty rakshasa killed hundreds of vanaras and spread panic in their…
Millions of vanaras were at work. They brought huge boulders from the hills and tall trees from the forests. Skilful workers laid them side-by-side and built a…
Meanwhile many things were happening in Lanka. Ravana was disturbed by the havoc wrought by a single vanara. The rakshasas urged Ravana to raise a. huge army and rout Rama and his vanara hordes. Vibhishana,…
Back among his own kind, Hanuman had a gripping story to tell. The vanaras were jubilant that the mission had succeeded. Hanuman gave Rama an account of all that had happened…
Hanuman heard the two incidents narrated by Sita with rapt attention, so that he might repeat them verbatim to Rama and so that, on hearing them, Rama would not have…
Maruthi of matchless intellect, climbed upon a lofty simsupa tree that was nearby and hid behind its leaves. Expecting the appearance of Sita from any quarter he…
In Lanka, Hanuman began his search examining every mansion and scanning every nook and corner. He entered the palace of Ravana and saw therein the Pushpaka Vimana, the magic vimana of Kubera, which…
All the vanaras helped in the search for Sita. One of the groups which went south learnt from Sampathi, the brother of Jatayu, that Sita was a prisoner of…
Vali was a very powerful warrior and possessed many boons against defeat and failure. Sugriva doubted if Rama, was a match for Vali. Rama showed his prowess by performing…
Near Pampa, the princes met a wise monkey called Hanuman who was the minister to Sugriva. Hanuman immediately took a liking for the princes and became a faithful friend…
Meanwhile in Dandakarnya Rama, returning exhausted from the deer-hunt, met Lakshmana on the way. Rama rebuked his brother for having left Sita alone in the cottage and feared that she…
Ravana spoke of his great prowess and wealth and asked Sita to go with him to Lanka. He made many promises and said Rama was unworthy of her. When all his…
Maricha, another rakshasa, would take the form of a beautiful golden deer and go to Panchavati. He would stray near Rama’s cottage. On seeing the enchanting deer, Sita was certain…
Thoroughly disgraced and bleeding all over, Surpanakha hastened to Janasthana where her brother, Khara, was the chieftain. Khara was enraged at the wrong done to his sister. Accompanied by his…
Rama was unhappy that the people of Ayodhya were forgetting their duties and daily cares in their love for him. He thought that if he stayed near Ayodhya…
Rama was deeply moved to hear the sad tale that Bharata told him. Bharata said, “Ayodhya is yours. How can I, a younger brother, bear the burden of ruling…
What started as a stop-gap arrangement, has now turned into a standard practice exercise routine. From the past few months, I have been taking non-essential…
Here in Ayodhya, Dasaratha never recovered from his grief. Soon the land was without a ruler and Bharata, who had gone to his uncle’s place, was sent for. The…
Rama took leave of Kaikeyi and went to his mother’s apartments. Kausalya was shocked to hear that her son must part from her for full fourteen years. Rama comforted…
The news that Rama was to be crowned thrilled the whole of Ayodhya. Everyone was happy—all except an old hunchbacked woman named Manthara. Manthara, who was an attendant on Kaikeyi,…
After a short while, Rama and his brothers, with their brides, started on their way back to Ayodhya. Hardly had they begun their journey when they were confronted…
Sriman Narayana, which is another name for Vishnu, asked the Devas to take courage and shed their fears. He assured them he would appear on earth as a mortal…
१९. य –यस्य विक्रममासाद्य राक्षसा निधनं गताः |तं मन्ये राघवं वीरं नारायणमनामयम् || ६-७२-११ “On the strength of whose valour many rakshasas lost their lives that valiant…
१३. स –स निर्जित्य पुरीं श्रेष्ठां लङ्का तां कामरूपिणीम् |विक्रमेण महातेजा हनूमान् कपिसत्तमः || ५-४-१ Having conquered by his valour the guarding deity of Lankapuri, who was…
तत्सवितुर्वरॆण्यंभर्गो देवस्य धीमहि धियॊ यॊ नः प्रचोदयात् We are all familiar with the Gayatri Mahamantra above. The Valmiki Ramayana contains 24,000 slokas divided into 7…
धर्मस्थापनतत्पर राम् ॥१०१॥ Dharma-Sthaapana-Tatpara Raam ||101|| 101: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who is Eager to Establish Dharma in the World. भक्तिपरायणमुक्तिद राम् ॥१०२॥ Bhakti-Paraayanna-Mukti-Da Raam ||102|| 102:…
स्वर्गतशम्बुकसंस्तुत राम् ॥९३॥ Svargata-Shambuka-Samstuta Raam ||93|| 93: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who was Praised by Shambuka who then Went to Heaven. स्वतनयकुशलवनन्दित राम् ॥९४॥ Sva-Tanaya-Kusha-Lava-Nandita Raam ||94||…
॥ उत्तरकाण्डम् ॥ || Uttara-Kaannddam || The Last Chapter आगतमुनिगणसंस्तुत राम् ॥८७॥ Aagata-Muni-Ganna-Samstuta Raam ||87|| 87: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who was Praised by All the Visiting…
भरतप्राणप्रियकर राम् ॥७७॥ Bharata-Praanna-Priyakara Raam ||77|| 77: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who brought Joy to the Life of Bharata after His return. साकेतपुरीभूषण राम् ॥७८॥ Saaketa-Purii-Bhuussanna Raam…
अहिमहिरावणचारण राम् ॥६९॥ Ahimahiraavanna-Caaranna Raam ||69|| 69: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who Destroyed Mahiravana (through Hanuman) who Trapped Him in Patala Loka. संहृतदशमुखरावण राम् ॥७०॥ Samhrta-Dasha-Mukha-Raavanna Raam…
॥ युध्दकाण्डम् ॥ || Yudhda-Kaannddam || The Chapter on Battle रावणनिधनप्रस्थित राम् ॥६२॥ Raavanna-Nidhana-Prasthita Raam ||62|| 62: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who Set out to destroy Ravana.…
॥ सुन्दरकाण्डम् ॥ || Sundara-Kaannddam || The Chapter on Hanuman’s meeting with Devi Sita at Lanka कपिवरसन्ततसंस्मृत राम् ॥५४॥ Kapi-Vara-Santata-Samsmrta Raam ||54|| 54: I take Refuge in Sri Rama,…
॥ किष्किन्धाकाण्डम् ॥ || Kisskindhaa-Kaannddam || The Chapter on Kisskindhaa, the Empire of the Vanaras हनुमत्सेवितनिजपद राम् ॥४९॥ Hanumat-Sevita-Nija-Pada Raam ||49|| 49: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Whose…
शूर्पणखार्तिविधायक राम् ॥४१॥ Shuurpannakha[a-A]arti-Vidhaayaka Raam ||41|| 41: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who caused Surpanakha pain for her wicked intentions. खरदूषणमुखसूदक राम् ॥४२॥ Khara-Duussanna-Mukha-Suudaka Raam ||42|| 42: I…
॥ अरण्यकाण्डम् ॥ || Arannya-Kaannddam || In the Forest दण्डकवनजनपावन राम् ॥३५॥ Dannddakavana-Jana-Paavana Raam ||35|| 35: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who Purified the Dandakaranya Forest by slaying…
॥ अयोध्याकाण्डम् ॥ || Ayodhyaa-Kaannddam || The Chapter on Ayodhya अगणितगुणगणभूषित राम् ॥२३॥ Agannita-Gunna-Ganna-Bhuussita Raam ||23|| 23: I take Refuge in Sri Rama, Who was Adorned with Inumerable Virtues.…
Nama Ramayana sums up the epic Ramayana written by sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama’s divine form, qualities and pastimes. It consists of 108 padas which are…
Nama Ramayana sums up the epic Ramayana written by sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama’s divine form, qualities and pastimes. It consists of 108 padas which are…
Nama Ramayana sums up the epic Ramayana written by sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama’s divine form, qualities and pastimes. It consists of 108 padas…
Many many years ago, in Bhāratvarsha, there was a kingdom called Dhārānagara. It’s king Gandharvasen, had four queens, and six well learned and powerful sons. It…
अयंनिजःपरोवेतिगणनालघु-चेतसाम्। उदार चरितानांतु वसुधैवकुटुम्बकम्॥ ayaṃ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā laghu-cetasām |udāra-caritānāṃ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam || 37 || This is mine, and that is yours – such thinking…
Akshayais a Sanskrit word meaning ‘unending’ or ‘indestructible’. On this day, the Pandavas received the Akshaya Patra (upon worshipping Surya deva), a vessel that never…
Well, almost. After a lot of visiting, reading and thinking (and dilly dallying), we finally settled for one just down the road. Building Blocks, they…
Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind.One said, “The flag moves.”The other said, “The wind moves.”They argued back and forth…
The great emperor Kṛṣṇadevarāya (Krishnadevaraya) had a lot of wise ministers in his court. The wisest of them was Tenali Ramakrishna. One day, a merchant came to…
I chanced upon a very elaborate arrangement for recycling in our community today. Long instructions written on separation of what constitutes plastic and what doesn’t…
द्विः शरं नाभिसन्धत्ते द्विः स्थापयति नाश्रितान् ।द्विर्ददाति न चार्थिभ्यो, रामो द्विर्नाभिभाषते ॥ Rāma doesn’t aim twice, he doesn’t give refuge twice, Rāma does not give…
If you thought overcoming Tamas was tough, you may already be finding Rajas more difficult to overcome. Technology has not just brought about a change…
Tendencies – a predisposition to think, act or proceed in a particular way. Indian philosophy speaks of Gunas, which are essentially tendencies that can be…
அமைந்தொருபால்கோடாமை சான்றோர்க் கணி. मध्ये स्थिता तुला द्रव्यं न्यायतस्तुलयेद्यथा ।तथा निष्पक्षपातित्वं माध्यस्थं लक्षणं सताम् ॥ (११८) To be unbiased like a balanced weighing scale, is a…
पितृदेवातिथीपिता विद्याप्रदानेन पण्डिताग्रेसरं सुतम् ।यदि कुर्यात्सुतस्यैतत् महत् साह्यमुदीर्यते ॥ The best thing parents can do for their children is to prepare them stand foremost in…
संयोगाभावे गुरुत्वात् पतनम् ॥५।१।७॥ Saṃyogābhāve gurutvāt patanam (5.1.7)In the absence of action, the object falls by gravity. कार्य्यविरोधि कर्म ॥१।१।१४॥ Kāryyavirodhi karma (1.1.14).Action is opposed…
पितृदेवातिथीनां च बन्धूनामात्मनस्तथा ।सत्कृतिर्धर्ममागेंण गृहस्थस्य वरा मता ॥ A good householder has five duties to perform – towards God, his ancestors, guests, family and himself.…
अकारादेव निर्यान्ति समस्तान्यक्षराणि च ।चराचरप्रपञ्चोऽय मीश्वरादेव जायते ॥ The alphabet begins with the “A” sound, so does the Universe begin with the universal consciousness. The…
शिरीषपुष्पमाघ्राणात् म्लानं संजायते यथा ।तथाऽतिथीनां वदनं स्याद् गृहस्थे पराङ्मुखे ॥ The delicate blossom of the anicham flower withers when merely smelled; an unwelcome look is…
இருள்சேர் இருவினையும் சேரா இறைவன்பொருள்சேர் புகழ்புரிந்தார் மாட்டு. Those who are content in God’s praise, are not affected by the delusions caused by good deeds and bad.…
Last night, I took corporate secretarial lessons from none other than Joseph Vijay, the star of the “very watchable but suspend your logic brain” Varisu.…
துப்பார்க்குத் துப்பாய துப்பாக்கித் துப்பார்க்குத்துப்பாய தூஉம் மழை. Thuppaarkkuth Thuppaaya Thuppaakkith ThuppaarkkuthThuppaaya Thooum Mazhai (12) All food is produced because of rain, which itself is food again.…
ज्ञातव्यं तत्वतो ज्ञात्वा संयमी यो भवेन्नर: ।महात्मनां गुणाज्ञानां कृपया स सुखी वसेत् ॥ (१२३) If one exercises self-restraint with knowledge and intent, he will be…
செய்யாமல் செய்த உதவிக்கு வையகமும்வானகமும் ஆற்றல் அரிது. Seyyaamal Seydha Udhavikku VaiyakamumVaanakamum Aatral Aridhu (101) The gift of heaven and earth is not an equivalent for help…
Only the most painful circumstances yield the most intense prayers. The uncertainty that lies in front of us makes us appeal to the higher consciousness…
यतो यतो निश्चलति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥ २६ ॥ yato yato niścalatimanaś cañcalam asthiramtatas tato niyamyaitadātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet From wherever the mind…
Gaya means “Vital energies” and trayte means “protects, preserves, grants liberation, gives deliverance.” In simple words, and language Gayatri means “May the divine light of the supreme being…
Chaulam is also called Cūḍākarma (चूडाकर्म) and Cūḍākaraṇam ((चूडाकरणम्) Chudakarana). Cūḍā means tuft (of hair) that is kept on the back side of the head…
The technology sector is apparently slowing down in the US. The threat of the looming recession, coupled with the larger threat of Artificial Intelligence wiping…
All our scriptures, including the great epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata) were carried forward in an oral tradition – with Sanskrit as the medium, and hence…
A cursory glance at Twitter trends throws light on the condition of social media today. Over 90% of those trends are bot-driven, an in-your-face attempt…
And today is the day when a birthday celebrates it’s Rajinikanth:) The release of a movie of Rajnikanth is a festival in itself…from the announcement,…
As with most people who are well-raised, well-educated and financially secure, Dr. Tokai only thought of himself… Men without Women, Haruki Murakami Who am I?…
Solving problems. Sounds challenging and exciting right? Depends. On the problem that you claim to solve. A standard question in VC funding lingo is –…
Thank you everyone for your suggestions and comments on my post yesterday. The community brain does help! Speaking of brains, I have recently discovered Haruki Murakami.…
It’s the season of sport. And upsets. First comes the huge upset win of Saudi Arabia over Messi…sorry, Argentina. And today Japan won against Germany.…
I saw Ponniyin Selvan 1 yesterday. I know some people (non-Tamil) were possibly disappointed, since they expected something on the lines of Bahubali, whereas PS1…
What started as a stop-gap arrangement, has now turned into a standard practice exercise routine. From the past two days, I have been taking non-essential…
Deepavali is known as the Festival of lights. Arguably the most well-known festival from India, Deepavali (or Diwali) is celebrated around the world, even in the…
“In breathing, as in everything in life, the numbers are staggering—indeed fantastical. Every time you breathe, you exhale some 25 sextillion (that’s 2.5 x 1022) molecules…
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…
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…
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…
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…
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु विष्णुमायेति शब्दिता । नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ yā devī sarvabhūteṣu viṣṇumāyeti śabditā ।namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namaḥ ॥ The number nine holds…
Dheena Karunakarane Nataraja…Neelakantane… A few days back I had written about Rohāmrta’s fascination for ‘The Wheels on the Bus’, an American folk song that turned…
Shri Raju Srivastava, best known for his Gajodhar bhaiyya performances, has passed. In an era where comedy is now synonymous with four-letter words and obscene…
Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind.One said, “The flag moves.”The other said, “The wind moves.”They argued back and forth…
श्री गणेश चतुर्थी – Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Chaturthī) or Vinayaka Chavithi (Vināyaka Chavithī) is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Ganesha.…
Asura is typically construed as evil, and is used interchangeably with Danavas, Daityas and Rākshasās, mainly because in English, they are all demons! But all…
गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहेकविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् ।ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पतआ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥ Gannaanaam Tvaa Ganna-Patim HavaamaheKavim Kaviinaam-Upama-Shravastamam |Jyessttha-Raajam Brahmannaam BrahmannaspataAa Nah Shrnnvan-Uutibhih Siida Saadanam || Among the Ganas (Group of Prayers), to you who is the Ganapati (Deva of Prayers), we offer this…
The unthinkable happened today. Usually, on the day of an India-Pakistan encounter, nothing else matters. From news channels to social media, only one thing trends.…