Kumbh is a churning of the mind
By Pranav Khullar At the heart of the Kumbh tradition is the story from the ‘Bhagavat Purana’, of tussle between gods and asuras for the amrit-kalash, pot of nectar, which...
View ArticleVipassana Brings Peace
-VALLABH BHANSHALI Whenever we experience agitation, frustration and disharmony, we tend to look for their causes outside of ourselves. We even blame ourselves. In either case, there is a lack of...
View ArticleThe power to create a better world
By Anuttama Dasa Krishna explains in the Bhagwad Gita, “Whatever action a great man performs, others will follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.” On January 6,...
View ArticleWe are islands within ourselves
By Esther David As soon as the coronavirus spread its fangs all over the world, followed by a lockdown and curfew, I felt like an island surrounded by a sea of conflicting emotions. Nine months...
View ArticleThe pangolin and other vulnerable species
By Narayani Ganesh Recent reports indicate that the pangolin, a scaly animal resembling the anteater which has been around for some 40 million years, is losing its numbers to poachers and...
View ArticleEscapism and Renunciation
-NARAYANI GANESH How is renunciation different from escapism? Escapism is seeking escape from worldly responsibilities, from having to make decisions, from dealing with conflicts.… At best, it is...
View ArticleAwareness of who you really are
By Rajiv Vij Calm, relaxed, restless, anxious, confident, unsure, envious, grateful. As my thoughts drifted, I felt all these emotions in just the past hour. And these are only the ones I noticed....
View ArticleFrom Joy to Eternal Bliss
By Ashutosh Maharaj Once there was an affluent merchant. He owned many palatial houses and factories. One of his mansions suddenly caught fire. The merchant was devastated. Seeing his grief, his help...
View ArticleIdeate on Paramatma for real progress
By Shri Shri Anandamurti Self-awareness arises as a result of clash. The awareness that arises as a result of physical clash is termed crude physical awareness, for it remains associated with matter....
View ArticleThe Real Power Yoga
-SWAMI VEDA BHARATI We often hear phrases like ‘power yoga’, ‘power breathing’ and perhaps even ‘power meditation’. These phrases convey images of aheavy punch delivered by a wrestler or a country...
View ArticleThe self is our real soulmate
By Soma Chakravertty Many of us have read the ‘Panchatantra’ story of the blue fox, who fell into a tub of indigo while being chased out of the washerman’s house, where he was trying to...
View ArticleTake refuge in prayer
-SWAMI VIDITATMANANDA Endeavour, time and God’s grace are required for successful accomplishment of any undertaking. Reaping a good harvest requires ploughing and sowing of seeds. Then we need to give...
View ArticleDifficulty is nature’s act of kindness
By Swami Sukhabodhananda Kindness is defined as the ability to be considerate towards one’s enemies. Is nature a kind enemy? A question that haunts people is, ‘Why should there be so much unkindness...
View ArticleEmbracing the uncertainty principle
By Valson Thampu Marx’s indictment of religion as the opium of the masses points to a core human perplexity. What is reality? How are we to relate to it? Or, how are we to not...
View ArticleDo We Need More Laws?
-RADHANATH SWAMI We have the largest constitution in the world. Laws, rules, regulations and restrictions are sometimes seen as impediments to our freedom and existence. There is inherent inertia...
View ArticleTo forget is not such a bad thing after all
By Narayani Ganesh In Chinese mythology, Meng Po is the goddess of forgetfulness. All along, we’ve been encouraged to cultivate a strong memory; that we need to remember events and incidents, good and...
View ArticleMaintain your balance at all times
By Dhruva Bhargava An entity attains wholeness once its opposing constituents are in equilibrium. For example, the nucleus of an atom has a gross component, that is, protons of same charges bound...
View ArticleHow should I relax?
-ANANDMURTI GURUMAA With today’s high stress levels, relaxation seems like a dream. An ageing Mullah Nasruddin was suffering from insomnia. His relatives and friends tried everything to help him get...
View ArticleProtest culture vs patient planning
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan It is often seen that whenever a group wants its demands to be met, it takes the route of protest. However, it is not just a question of protest. The real...
View ArticleHeartfelt Prayers
-‘ABDU’L-BAHA The impulse to pray is natural. What is important, however, is not the physical act of praying but the spiritual state induced by prayer. Brief and joyful prayer is superior to long,...
View Article