One fine day, Lord Vishnu was enjoying the cosmic dance of his Isht, Lord Shiva. Seeing the dance, Lord Vishnu’s weight grew heavier, which made Adishesh, the magnanimous serpent, gasp for his life. As the dance ended, Lord Vishnu’s body became lighter. These subtle though significant changes mesmerized the Adishesh; he asked, “O Lord! How …
After a surge of passion, Brahma Ji lost his fourth head, and hence the fourth Veda disappeared. Only three Vedas were supposed to guide mankind. In the same era, Rishi Atharva appeared and absorbed the essence of Brahma’s fourth head, thereby assimilating the fourth Veda. Rishi Atharva presented his plea to Shiva and said, “Venerable …
गुरु बनाम शिक्षक मेरे मन में हमेशा से सवाल रहे हैं… जीवन को लेकर, खुद को लेकर, और इस सफ़र को लेकर जिसमें मैं बढ़ रही हूँ। कोई कहता है – ज़्यादा जानो, कोई कहता है – ज़्यादा महसूस करो। लेकिन दिल के किसी कोने में मैं बस यही सोचती हूँ… मुझे वास्तव में रास्ता …
We all know the story of Angulimala, the infamous bandit in the Buddhist lore. But, do you know about his birth? Let’s take a glance.बौद्ध धर्म में कुख्यात डाकू अंगुलिमाल की कहानी तो हम सभी जानते हैं। लेकिन, क्या आप उसके जन्म के बारे में जानते हैं? आइए एक नज़र डालते हैं। One fine night, …
نہ میں مومن وچ مسیتاں ، نہ میں وچ کفر دیاں ریتاںنہ میں پاکاں وچ پلیتاں، نہ میں موسیٰ نہ فرعونبلھیا کی جاناں میں کوننہ میں اندر بھید کتاباں ، نہ وچ بھنگاں نہ شراباںنہ وچ رنداں مست خراباں، نہ وچ جاگن نہ وچ سونبلھیا کی جاناں میں کوننہ وچ شادی نہ غمناکی، نہ میں …
Uttam Brahmacharya or Supreme Celibacy/Chastity In our journey towards self-realization, we have explored how vairagya (detachment) serves as the foundation for practicing key virtues such as shaucha (purity), satya (truth), samyam (restraint), tapasya (penance), and tyaga (renunciation). These virtues in turn lead us to a life filled with kshama (forbearance), mardava (humility), and aarjava (simplicity …
So far we have seen how, in order to imbibe the spirit of the first three (uttam kshama, uttam mardav and uttam arjav), the next five (uttam shaucha, uttam satya, uttam samyama, uttam tapa, and uttam tyagya) virtues, which are the solutions of the first three, have to be followed. From today we will see …
Paryushana Parva—Eighth Day: Uttam Tyaga or Supreme Renunciation The possession of material things is a form of violence. The term tyag means to renounce, give up, relinquish, or abandon. Many sages have wisely stated: “It is not what we acquire in this world, but what we renounce that truly makes us rich.” As the saying …
Paryushan Parva – Seventh Day – Uttam Tapa (Penance or Austerities) Tapasya (penance) involves curbing worldly attractions and desires. The purpose of penance is to keep cravings and passions under control, as overindulgence inevitably leads to suffering. By practicing penance, we invite positive karma into our lives. Penance is essentially self-discipline through fasting, meditation, study, …
Paryushan Parva – Sixth Day – Uttam Sanyam (Self-Control) “Enjoyment has its limits, but self-control knows no bounds.” – Mahatma Gandhi. Self-control, or Sanyam, is the supreme power by which we protect all living beings through unwavering restraint. It involves renouncing the pleasures offered by the five senses – touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing …