- In honor of Kuttichettan, and his enterprising tribe…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 asuras were not considered evil. Here are some of the niruktas (etymologies) of the root word asu. Asu can mean, prana – life breath, life- force; in this sense, asura means ‘one who brings, gives prana’ …
In honor of Kuttichettan, and his enterprising tribe… Read More »
- On being satisfied with life…भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः, तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः । कालो न यातो वयमेव याताः तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः ॥ bhogā na bhuktā vayameva bhuktāḥ, tapo na taptaṃ vayameva taptāḥ ।kālo na yāto vayameva yātāḥ, tṛṣṇā na jīrṇā vayameva jīrṇāḥ ॥ Vairagya Shatakam by Bhartṛhari Pleasures aren’t satisfied, only we are consumed by our …
- Of juniors and seniors…We have been trained to learn the wrong way. The system of education that we went through encouraged spoon feeding of information, with little regard to understanding concepts – a focus on rote learning with the sole objective of clearing examinations. This type of learning, frankly, requires un-learning, if we are to compete in the …
- Searching for God?या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी |यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुने: || 69|| yā niśhā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti sanyamīyasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ What all beings consider as day is the night of ignorance for the wise, and what all creatures see as night is the day for the introspective yogi. …
- And here it comes!Here it is! Another Apple event, and another set of iPhones, iPads and AirPods to wow our senses and empty our bank balances. I love their products. But surely there is an end, or at least a slowing down, to the continuous line of phones that they come out with every year? How many times …
- The origin of grammar…There is an interesting story as to how Panini, the originator of Sanskrit grammar, received knowledge from Shiva. He was supposed to be the dullest of the students in a group that was studying from a Guru in Taxila, Taksha Shila. The other boys were very intelligent. Panini was the most stupid, the least intelligent, …
- Ganapati Bappa…Moriya!I had written this around a year back, and it stays as relevant as it was then. Have a read:) ॐ गं गणपतये नमो नम: I usually write my blog live – which means I log in, create a new post and start to write. I do not edit, I do not think much – …
- Sri Ganeshaya Namah!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 the Ganas (Celestial Attendants or Followers), we Offer our Sacrificial Oblations,You are the Wisdom of the Wise and the Uppermost in Glory,You are the Eldest Lord (i.e. ever Unborn) and is of the Nature of Brahman (Absolute Consciousness); You are theEmbodiment of the Sacred Pranava (Om),Please come to us by Listening to our Prayers and …
- Oh how we love to procrastinate…How does one end up with so many things to do and so little time? Work, ideas, new projects, personal plans…the days fly past and the plans and ideas just keep coming and..well, lie in a few corners of your mind, from where they occasionally spring to life only to be summarily dismissed much like …
- The power of learning…In India, there is no official Dance Day, but I guess we never needed it. Just a glimpse of the Nataraja, is enough to know how deep-rooted classical dance has been in our culture. The नाट्य शास्त्र, (Nāṭyaśāstra), of Bharata Muni, was compiled five centuries before Christ, and is the primary reference text for Indian classical …
- The first sign of intelligence…अनारम्भो हि कार्याणां प्रथमं बुद्धि-लक्षणम् ।आरब्धस्यान्त-गमनं द्वितीयं बुद्धि-लक्षणम् ॥ १२७ ॥ anārambho hi kāryāṇāṃ prathamaṃ buddhi-lakṣaṇam |ārabdhasyānta-gamanaṃ dvitīyaṃ buddhi-lakṣaṇam || 127 || The first sign of intelligence is to not begin any task. The second sign of intelligence is to always finish a task that has been started. And so, Sthirajeevin let out a series of groans, …
- A rose by any other name isn’t a rose anymore…ॐ दिवं च रोह पृथिवीं च रोह राष्ट्रं च रोह द्रविणं च रोह।प्रजां च रोहामृतं च रोह रोहितेन तन्वं सं स्पृशस्व ॥ dívaṃ ca róha pr̥tʰivī́ṃ ca roha rāṣṭráṃ ca róha dráviṇaṃ ca roha /prajā́ṃ ca róhāmŕ̥taṃ ca roha róhitena tanvà1ṃ sáṃ spr̥śasva // Raise the standards of all the aspects of your life, raise the …
- Hitotsu, wareware wa!A few people contacted me after reading yesterday’s post. We thought Karata was a sport, like tennis or cricket, said an overwhelming majority of those I interacted with. What you say seems like it has a lot more to offer… Well, the short answer is – YES! Here is a brief that I had written …
- Common dear, lets throw a punch now…I am wanting to enroll my daughter into karate and I am finding such a hard time looking for a good school and a good teacher. Every Shihan I see my mind automatically compares them to you, and others at Kyokushin…You set the bar too high 🙃 An old student of mine messaged this to …
- I love it when…I love it when you hold my hand with your tiny fingers and then grip it tightly and fall asleep… I love it when you open your mouth so that I can feed you and then spill half of it out, back onto my palm… I love it when you try to stand by yourself, …
- Do stories have to be proved?A few months back, someone told me that they had received credible information (via WhatsApp), that Sita had not actually travelled to Lanka. The story goes that she created an avatar of herself, and Ravana then took her along instead. Hmmm… Anyways, my response was – what does it matter if she went to Lanka, …
- Of Sridevi and the creator economy….The past two days, we introduced Keshav to Sridevi:) The best actress of her times, an untimely death snatched her away and left us bereft of a talent that has not yet been seen again. But she lives on, through the extensive body of work that she created over the years, starting from when she …
- The power of the spoken word…There have been a lot of things said about good speech, but the first phrase that comes to mind is Kabir’s famous doha – बोली एक अनमोल है, जो कोई भी बोले जानि । हिये तराजू तौलि के, तब मुख बाहर आनि।। – words are priceless, and so weigh your words well, before you speak. Our ancestors …
- Nara and Narayana…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 two bodies. The association of Sri Krishna with Arjuna, so inseparable, is an illustration of the inseparable relation between God and man. यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धर: ।तत्र श्रीर्विजयो …
- Let’s celebrate!Every year on this day, the post remains the same. As I mentioned yesterday, Sri Krishna Janmashtami is one day that I feel at peace. Actually I feel ecstatic, and at peace, and joyful, and content all at the same time. Somehow I think that it’s the closest that I’ve got to bliss, and the …
- Celebrate – HIS birthday is coming…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 the Hindu pantheon – Sri Krishna. God is all-powerful, controls the Universe – fear God, they say – since He is looking at all your bad deeds and will punish …
- How sweet is your devotion?The Madhurāshtakam of Sri Vallabhacharya sounds like a bit excessive at first glance. The lyrics have too much sweetness in them, it is literally in every line. But then, “Madhuram” does not mean sweet – it doesn’t translate into English very well. The attitude of a devotee expressing the emotion that exists between a lover …
- Tri-ceratops!Three recommendations per week – one book, one song, one article. No lengthly explanations, reasoning, reviews or gyaan. And no particular theme. This week: Book: After the quake – Haruki Murakami Music -Yaman – Gat in Matta Tal – Ravi Shankar and Allah Rakha https://music.apple.com/in/album/yaman-gat-in-matta-tal/1734426516?i=1734426518 Article – Cities and Ambition – Paul Graham https://paulgraham.com/cities.html See …
- Color me red…One of my favorite times of the year is just a few days away. श्री कृष्ण जनमाष्टमी is on Monday. It’s a bit odd- I really don’t have any over-the-top celebration. Maybe it isn’t even as per vidhi. I just clean the temple thoroughly, decorate it with flowers and perform a simple Aarti, then eat …
- And what do you give away?After the great battle of Mahābhārata was over, the victorious Pāndava brothers organized the Ashvamedha Yagna. At the end of this ceremony, King Yudhishthira gave costly gifts to the priests and donated very large quantities of food, gold, cattle and other forms of wealth to the poor and needy. Everyone praised Yudhishthira for his generosity …
- On the occasion of Gayatri Jayanti…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 illuminate our intellect, so that we can tread on the path of righteousness”. Gayatri is the Mother of all scriptures (Vedas). She’s present wherever her name is chanted. She’s very …
- A bond that transcends…Rākhī derives from the Sanskrit rakṣikā, a join: rakṣā protection. Raksha Bandhan is observed on the last day of the Hindu lunar calendar month of Shraavana, which typically falls in August. The expression “Raksha Bandhan,” Sanskrit, literally, “the bond of protection, obligation, or care,” is now principally applied to this ritual. Until the mid-20th-century, the …
- I me myself…If I am not for myself…who will be? If I am for myself alone…who am I? If not now…when? And if not you…who? Four phrases that shook me when I heard them. Hillel the Elder was a Jewish philosopher who lived over 2000 years ago. While I have not read his teachings extensively, I am …
- Rishabh Anna – Shubhashayagalu!Well deserved! Rishabh Shetty just won the Best Actor National Award for his once-in-a-lifetime performance in Katara. Specifically, in the climax. Here is what I wrote of it, when I saw it around a year back. Time to revisit it:) How does 16 become 400? I finally saw Kantara. And loved it. For once, priests …
- Three’s a crowd…Three recommendations per week – one book, one song, one article. No lengthly explanations, reasoning, reviews or gyaan. And no particular theme. This week: Book: The Tell-Tale Brain – by V.S. Ramachandran Music -Horizons – by Dustin O’Halloran & Ane Brun https://music.apple.com/in/album/horizons/1413698654?i=1413698662 Article – The Perks of Being a Late Bloomer https://coffeeandjunk.com/late-bloomer/ See you next …
- Of independence and rna…Two important days coming up. The 77th day of our independence on the 15th, and Sri Krishna Janmashtami on the 26th. Two events that shaped the future of our nation. The birth of Sri Krishna was an important pillar in the foundation of our spiritual journey, and obtaining independence from foreign rule was an important …
- On secrets…A few bits from the Panchatantra – on secrets:) अपिस्वल्पतरंकार्यंयद्भवेत्पृथिवी–पतेः।तन्नवाच्यंसभा–मध्येप्रोवाचेदंबृहस्पतिः॥१०७॥ api svalpataraṃ kāryaṃ yad bhavet pṛthivī-pateḥ |tan na vācyaṃ sabhā-madhye provācedaṃ bṛhaspatiḥ || 107 |||| “Brhaspati has stated that any work, be it big or small, should not be discussed in an open court. षट्–कर्णोभिद्यतेमन्त्रश्चतुष्कर्णःस्थिरोभवेत्।तस्मात्सर्व–प्रयत्नेनषट्कर्णंवर्जयेत्सुधीः॥१०८॥ ṣaṭ-karṇo bhidyate mantraś catuṣkarṇaḥ sthiro bhavet |tasmāt sarva-prayatnena ṣaṭkarṇaṃ varjayet sudhīḥ || 108 || …
- The qualities of a good sevak…अनभिज्ञोगुणानांयोनभृत्यैर्अनुगम्यते।धनाढ्योऽपिकुलीनोऽपिक्रमायातोऽपिभूपतिः॥७९॥ anabhijño guṇānāṃ yo na bhṛtyair anugamyate |dhanāḍhyo ‘pi kulīno ‘pi kramāYāto ‘pi bhūpatiḥ || 79 || A king may he rich, or of a renowned family or of a great dynasty, but if he does not recognise the good qualities of a servant, he will lose the services of that servant. असमैःसमीयमानःसमैश्चपरिहीयमाण-सत्-कारः।धुरियोनयुज्यमानस्त्रिभिर्अर्थ-पतिंत्यजतिभृत्यः॥८०॥ asamaiḥ samīyamānaḥ samaiś ca …
- What’s the point of the Panchatantra?I buy second hand books from many places in Dubai, one of them being www.bookhero.ae. Was there yesterday and got talking to the owner about books and writing when the conversation moved to the Panchatantra. Like most others, she thought of the Panchatantra as a collection of children’s tales, and so I just had to …
- Hasta kaiko hai?After yesterday’s disastrous attempt at watching the monstrosity that was Indian 2, I needed a redeeming piece of cinema to make it worth my while. Thankfully, Chandu Champion reinforced my belief that good cinema can still be made in Bollywood. And yes, this is Karthik Aryan’s breakout performance, one that will be counted among his …
- Of Manchurian and marma galore!Indian2 is like the Gobi Manchurian that tasted great when you were young, but now you find too oily and salty… My review of the torturous 20-odd minutes that I braved before giving up. And I rarely give up on a movie – however bad it is. So you can imagine the travesty that Sankar …
- Three blind mice in a world that cannot see…Three recommendations per week – one book, one song, one article. No lengthly explanations, reasoning, reviews or gyaan. And no particular theme. This week: Book: Bibliophile – by Jane Mount Music -Sareri Hovin Mernem – by Lena Chamamyan https://music.apple.com/in/album/sareri-hovin-mernem/1039303141?i=1039306103 Article – We are all confident idiots! https://psmag.com/social-justice/confident-idiots-92793 That was this week’s edition of the Three. …
- Do you know what you are capable of?The issue is not that you are not capable of doing it…the issue is that I know you are capable but you don’t. A phrase (or a close derivative) that I have found myself repeating often – to karate’s who I taught, to employees, even to family. The starting point for most people is “I …
- Jai Jai!A couple of years back I had written about Keshav’s fascination for Kuldeep Pai’s channel, along with the Cocomelon phase (one that ended thankfully). Back to the present. The past two months has been Jai Jai TV time. Ram Siya Ram, Hanuman Chalisa – the works. Our pal dutifully asks for his Jai Jai TV …
- A book for the times…Around a year back, I read this intriguing book called ‘The Fourth Turning’ by Neil Howe and William Strauss. This was written in 1996, yet is very relevant not just today, but I guess throughout time. On time, the authors write about three concepts of time. “Over the millennia, man has developed three ways of thinking …
- A weekend well spent…It’s not often that you manage to squeeze in two beautiful movies on the same weekend. The past two days were exceptional considering that we watched two amazing movies, one closer home and another from halfway around the globe. Manjummel Boys and She Said. The one in Malayalam reinforces the fact that the best movies …
- Watch silently…Conflicts starting across the world… People against each other – choosing sides… I am right and he is wrong..this is mine and that is not his… My country, my house, my family…rest be damned… Let’s watch this unfold on social media… Bombs falling, people slaughtered… All from the comfort of our couch… And don’t forget …
- Fasting is the best medicine…The Vedāntā advocates mitāharā – mitā means moderate and āharā means food. It is one of the yamās of Yoga. Eat on time, when you are hungry, and the right kind of food. Ayurvedā also advocates regular fasting. लंघनं परम् औषधं Langhanam param aushadham – or fasting is the best medicine. Science has also conducted a lot of studies on the subject. Fasting …
- SHAME!What happened to Angela Carini is just not sport. Letting a biological male into the ring with a female is not sport. Ruining her dream, unfairly, is not sport. Males should compete with males, and females with females. You want to win? Train hard, train harder than everyone else, step into that ring and prove …
- Medals medals where art thou…It’s the Olympics once again. And it’s us once again, clamouring for more than just 1 or 2 medals, and cheering every match in the hope that we land that elusive gold or silver, or at least a bronze. And once the Games end, the same comment on our lips – Why does a nation …
- The Dreaming…So, I was reading about iron ore mining in Australia, and I came across a passage that took me on a tangent. This part of the book addresses the history of mining in that part of the world and the blatant disregard that mining companies had for the lands held sacred by the original inhabitants, …
- Of ballpoints and sunken ships…Why can’t China make a ballpoint pen? There is what’s regarded in China as a “classic” question of manufacturing. The manufacturing powerhouse of the world finds it difficult to make this, despite making 80% of the world’s pens. As it turns out, the ballpoint of the ballpoint pen—a tiny metal ball bearing that “mimics the …
- I, Pencil…I am a lead pencil—the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write. Writing is both my vocation and my avocation; that’s all I do. You may wonder why I should write a genealogy. Well, to begin with, my story is interesting. And, next, I am a …
- Did you know?Read something intriguing and amusing today. Did you know that Germany was once the leading producer of glass, but at the onset of World War I it abruptly halted glass supplies to Britain, which urgently needed it for binoculars and artillery. A war effort, held hostage because soldiers can’t see where to aim! Also, Germany …
- Three’s company…A newsletter that does not waste time in coming to the point. Three recommendations per week – one book, one song, one article. No lengthly explanations, reasoning, reviews or gyaan. And no particular theme. This week: Book – A Short History of Nearly Everything – by Bill Bryson Music – Vilambit Impressions – Ustad Zakir …
- Hi Ted!I haven’t given a Ted Talk as yet, but then, Ted was never around. Public speaking is not easy. There are many who speak in public, there are some who speak to the public and a few to who the public speaks back. I have seen a lot of the first two, but a handful …
- Choices and consequences…What role does choice play in our lives? I read a book somewhere that spoke about parallel realities. Every time we are faced with a choice, we make one and our lives go forward from that point on. But there is a possibility that the other choice is also made, and reality splits there so …
- Of annadaataas and chakki aataas…Ok the title was just to complete the rhyme. Nothing about chakki aata here. However, a lot of talk about money today. India’s budget has been announced. Personally, the only thing the middle class used to look for (and still does) were tax cuts and better allowances. However, the biggest elephant in the room (besides …
- Of Nara and Narayana…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 two bodies. The association of Sri Krishna with Arjuna, so inseparable, is an illustration of the inseparable relation between God and man. यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धर: ।तत्र श्रीर्विजयो …
- Of teachers and Teachers – part 2गुरुरेव परा काष्ठा गुरुरेव परं धनं । यस्मात्तदुपदेष्टाऽसौ तस्माद्गुरुतरो गुरुरिति ॥ १८॥ gurureva parā kāṣṭhā gurureva paraṁ dhanaṁ | yasmāttadupadeṣṭā’sau tasmādgurutaro gururiti || 18|| Advaya Taraka Upanishad, Śukla-Yajuveda, Ślok 18 A Guru is the culmination, the zenith, a Guru is the greatest wealth you can possess. A Guru teaches you the ultimate truth, and that …
- Of teachers and Teachers…We may remember Teachers Day as the day when we decorated the blackboard (or green board, as was in our case), and wished our teachers and thanked them for teaching us well. We may not have understood the importance of teachers day then, as we do now. Today, we live in different parts of the …
- Outage outrage…Thank you Apple. So here is what supposedly happened – one file in a kernel update was corrupted, and Windows crashed worldwide. One file – thousands of computers affected, and as a result, disruptions across sectors – from airlines to banks and markets. From the USA to Australia. Reminds me of something in Hindi – …
- And then there were three…Started my second newsletter on LinkedIn. Called Three. A newsletter that does not waste time in coming to the point. Three recommendations per week – one book, one song, one article. No lengthly explanations, reasoning, reviews or gyaan. And no particular theme. This week: Book – The Anxious Generation – by Jonathan Haidt Song – …
- Small bites, always:)I had been wanting to write regularly from quite some time. It did happen in fits and starts, but didn’t go on to be consistent. We often wait to find the optimum conditions to start anything – be it a new exercise routine, or a new project, or a new way of living. Big or …
- A trip to the book store…A trip to the bookstore… A trail mostly forgotten By most of us who find ‘better’ things to get busy with… A trip to the bookstore… A joyful journey to an exciting destination of discovery… A trip to the bookstore… one that brings back fond memories of Mecca Stores and a once in a month …
- Watch your thoughts, they become words…where is this from?“Watch your thoughts, they become words;watch your words, they become actions;watch your actions, they become habits;watch your habits, they become character;watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” This quote is a favourite of many Instagrammers and finds its way to many WhatsApp message inboxes in a ‘good morning’ wrapping. It has been attributed to …
Watch your thoughts, they become words…where is this from? Read More »
- Of bad experiences and good ones…Dr. Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist and author of “Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence”, writes that we humans share ancestors with “bats, begonias and bacteria that go back at least 3.5 billion years.” Hanson describes these ancestors as living in a world of carrots and sticks. Carrots are rewards (food, sex, shelter), and sticks …
- Aparigraha…Time commitment – 10 minutes everyday This exercise is simple. All you need to do, is write something that no one else will see. Just you. But, you have to follow a short process, and a few house rules. Write at the same time everyday – Can be in the morning, or in the evening, or …
- Would you like to prepare for death?Time commitment : 10-15 minutes, after every yogic practice The standing joke in yoga classes, is that everyone’s favourite pose is śavāsana. Most people think of this āsana to be easy, but nothing could be further from the truth. Yoga Guru Shri B.K.S. Iyengar has called it “the most difficult āsana to master.” And he did know more than a thing or …
- Don’t do anything!Time commitment – 10 minutes every alternate day From observing, to observation. From total involvement, to no involvement. The no-mind exercise has a simple procedure – DON’T DO ANYTHING FOR 10 MINUTES. You may think that this is the easiest exercise of the lot. It isn’t. On the contrary, it is the most difficult exercise for …
- Take a walk…Time commitment : One hour every week We spoke about connecting with nature in an earlier post. This exercise is an extension of the “walk in the park” aspect of that exercise. A few points to note: No devices – Not even a mobile (especially not a mobile). You may be tempted to take photographs on the …
- Embodiment…Yesterday, we had a look at how Sanatana schools of thought address the concept of collective effervescence. Today, let’s look at embodiment. Most religions usually prescribe some kind of movement that marks the activity as devotional. Such movements are proven to enhance feelings of communion, similarity and trust, which means it makes a group of …
- Collective effervescence…In his book – The Anxious Generation – Jonathan Haidt speaks about “drawing on wisdom from ancient traditions and modern psychology to tray to make sense of how phone-based life affects people spiritually by blocking or counteracting six spiritual practices: shared sacredness; embodiment; stillness, silence, and focus; self-transcendence; being slow to anger, quick to forgive; and …
- How valuable is your attention?Tristan Harris, a former ethicist at Google, created a PowerPoint presentation for his fellow Google employees in 2013. Titled – A call to minimize distractions and respect users’ attention, Harris noted that products made by just three companies – Google, Apple and Facebook – were shaping (and now controlling) how humanity spent it’s limited attention …
- Five commandments…1. Question every requirement. Each should come with the name of the person who made it. You should never accept that a requirement came from a department, such as from “the legal department” or “the safety department.” You need to know the name of the real person who made that requirement. Then you should question it, …
- On public speaking…“In fact, public speaking anxiety may be primal and quintessentially human, not limited to those of us born with a high-reactive nervous system. One theory, based on the writings of the sociobiologist E. O. Wilson, holds that when our ancestors lived on the savannah, being watched intently meant only one thing: a wild animal was …
- Not again!I visited the doc yesterday – the allergy was getting the better of me. He prescribed some nasal sprays and an allergy tab, and so I walked down to the pharmacy to get them. They made me wait more than an hour, and then informed me that the request had been declined. Declined – by …
- Sniff sniff…againOk. So it’s been a while since I had the allergy attack and unfortunately I’ve fallen sick (again) and it’s the same sniff sniff and cough cough. This should not become a regular affair:( Have to work something out to prevent it from happening again and again. Anyways, sick time meant down time but I …
- On leisure…What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full …
- On rediscovering one’s passions…Passions, hobbies, favorite passtimes, avocations, obsessions.. Known by many names – but the feeling is the same. We have known this feeling, many times in life, when engaging in pursuits that no one forced us to, but in which we lost ourselves, we lost the track of time. We found the flow that so well …
- 1563…1563. That’s the number of days since I first started writing this blog regularly. Not a day missed – I wrote through sickness and health, through the birth of Rohāmrta and his sickness and health as well. Through the busy days (most) and the not-so-busy days (very few). What I don’t have in literary genius, …
- Aren’t we all addicts?Aren’t we? IoS has a feature called “focus”. For those minutes and hours that we need to spend on one thing, without any distractions. This from the world’s leading manufacturer of all things distraction. I love it how technology companies create a problem, and then go about claiming to bring you solutions to the said …
- On Rasas…A couple of years back, I read 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 …
- On the restless mind…The mind has a tendency to be restless – to constantly keep thinking of hundreds of things at once. Even when you sit still, the mind is never still. It keeps making up stories, analyzing imaginary scenarios, depending into daydreaming….The whole process of yoga is aimed at calming this restless mind. Asanas serve no greater purpose …
- On rites of passage…A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. Various cultures around the world, especially the older ones, have detailed rights of passage for both boys and girls. Among Native Americans, for …
- Epi what?Epishura. Now, chances are that you have not heard of this. Nor had I. Epishura inhabits Lake Baikal, the largest source of freshwater in the world. It contains 23% of the worlds’s freshwater, and is renowned for it’s pure H2O. But how does the lake remain so clean? The answer lies in a zooplankton species …
- The love of tradition…अणुभ्यश्च महद्भ्यश्च शास्त्रेभ्यः कुशलो नरः।सर्वतः सारमादद्यात् पुष्पेभ्य इव षट्पदः।। – Skilled people learn from every source, be it big or small, much like honey bees, who collect nectar from all types of flowers. Writing about the Panchatantra opened a whole new world to me, one what stayed with me for over half a year, and 165 posts. I …
- Studies and careers…I am an engineer…yet never worked a day in engineering… How many here are like me? What do you think of it? The adage goes that in India(especially the South), you are either a doctor, or an engineer. A lot of us have gone through the engineering degree, but went on to MBAs, and further …
- On those who serve…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 || …
- Happy International Day of Yoga…I got a lot of requests to write more on the 8-fold path of yoga – that some refer to as Ashtanga Yoga or Raja Yoga. I know that it gets a bit confusing at times – after all , there are so many terminologies and variations – ashtanga, raja, bhakti, karma, kriya, gyana – …
- Of gains and losses…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 …
- What happened to our neighborhoods?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 …
- The anxious generation…Today was Nirjala Ekādashi – a vrata without food and water. Started at sunrise, and will end 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 that these two …
- Just breathe!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 …
- AAo twist karein…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…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 …
- Let’s Kanban it!The Emirates is closed for four days. A long weekend, that is actually a full week of holidays. And so I decided to use this time to relook at our internal work processes, lay the groundwork for the next level of services that we intend to offer, and in general, perform a spring-cleaning of sorts. …
- A subhāşita…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 …
- Just six…Is human life the result of many coincidences and random chance? Or is it instead the fine-tuning of the laws that govern it which have led to our existence? And if this is the case, what is the origin of this fine-tuning? These very questions were addressed by Sir Martin J. Rees, Astronomer Royal and Royal …
- A favorite of mine…Not many songs touch a chord the way this one does. Melody, classical touches and beautiful picturisation, an ode to my favorite Krishna, what else could I ask for? Muripaala Mukunda – from Bahubali – The Conclusion. Here are the lyrics for those who don’t understand the beautiful language of Telugu! Muripaala Mukundaa…Oh lovely mukunda …
- Of ideas and courage…Read this somewhere… The thing that gives people courage is ideas. And it is not only courage that comes from ideas; it is determination; it is the power to act, the power to go on acting coherently. For though it is true that most ideas are the rationalizations of feelings, that does not mean that …
- Main, Narendra Damodardas Modi…Ok, a lot of you knew this post was coming, isn’t it? Well, I don’t have to take you through the journey of the man – most of you already know it, or at least some parts of it. Today, I want to speak about learning. Constant learning. Modiji is an exceptional politician because of …
- Silappadhigaramதேரா மன்னா செப்புவது உடையேன்எள்ளறு சிறப்பின் இமையவர் வியப்பப்புள்ளுறு புன்கண் தீர்த்தோன் அன்றியும் வாயிற் கடைமணி நடுநா நடுங்கஆவின் கடைமணி உகுநீர் நெஞ்சுசுடத் தான்தன்அரும்பெறல் புதல்வனை ஆழியின் மடித்தோன்பெரும்பெயர்ப் புகார்என் பதியே அவ்வூர்ஏசாச் சிறப்பின் இசைவிளங்கு பெருங்குடிமாசாத்து வாணிகன் மகனை ஆகிவாழ்தல் வேண்டி ஊழ்வினை துரப்பச் சூழ்கழல் மன்னா நின்னகர்ப் புகுந்தீங்குஎன்கால் சிலம்பு பகர்தல் வேண்டி நின்பால்கொலைக்களப் பட்ட கோவலன் மனைவி thaera manna seppuvadhu udaiyaenellaru sirappin imaiyavar viyappappulluru punkan theerththon anriyumvaayir kadaimani naduna nadungaaavin …
- True intentions…Here is the previous part… As they moved towards deeper waters, RaktaMukha got frightened, held the crocodile tightly, and said “KarālaMukha, please swim slowly. These waves and splashing water on me, and I am afraid that I will drown!” KarālaMukha heard him and thought to himself “I have reached the deep sea now. RaktaMukha is …
- The pigeon and the hunter…The story of the pigeon and the hunter This is one of the more heart-breaking stories of the Panchatantra, but one that is so beautiful that it flows into your soul and warms it up with love and hope. I have kept it in shloka form, so that it can read like a poem, and …