jabdakhata

The twin pillars of Selfless work and renunciation are further elaborated in subsequent chapters. In the 6th chapter called dhyana yoga the point of equality of the two paths of yoga and renunciation are further emphasized as Gita claims that true sannyas or renunciation is renunciation of false ego in the form of fruits of work. Work one must, but one should give up false senses of ownership and fruits thereof. The greatest peace is derived from work where no sense of ownership is attached as attachment and aversion are causes of all miseries in this world. Therefore a true Yogi and a sannyasin never takes to inaction, nor does he resort to attachment to the action. Then this chapter leads an aspirant step by step to that highest goal and also assures them that even if they fail in achieving the highest aim, all is not lost, because good work is always rewarded and one normally strives for perfection over many births. Each successive birth and attempt towards perfection propels one

Coming back to battle of 10 kings - according to Rik Vedic hymns this battle took place between king Sudas and Ikshakus on one side and an array of 10 different tribes - Yadus or Yakhshus, Anus, Turvasus, Purus, Jamadgnyas, Shivis, Matsya, Bhrigus, Parshus, Parthavas and several other smaller tribes. All of these names are familar to are who had studied Mahabharata carefully. Bhrigu was the father of Chyavana and his clan had been embroiled in several wars with Kshatriyas. Jamadagni belonged to Bhrigu clan and Parashurama was the most illustrious among them. They were related to Viswamitras as Kushik's son Gadhi, king of Kanyakubja was the father of Viswamitra. On the other hand Richika, the son of Bhrigu was the father of Jamadagni and married Satyavati, the daughter of Gadhi according to Mahabharata.  Vasistha's clan was the Kulapurahit or priest of the Ikshakus. Sudas was the king of Panchala. Initially with the help of Viswamitra, Sudas crossed Sindhu and did a huge y

The earliest history of India never appears in history books owing some biases on the part of historians, notably Indian ones who follow their foreign masters and stick to the colonial baggage of disparaging their own legacy and jewels. Our Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata have many consistent historical anecdotes, and yet they are never considered as a historical evidence by our scholars, simply because they do not contain dates and that these are dubbed as mythology. While it is true that there are poetic exaggerations in these scriptures (Puranas are the least reliable of all these, however they are also most rich and varied), if we study them carefully and analyze them after discriminating between sand and sugar in Sri Ramakrishna's language, we shall see that there are beautiful consistencies in different narratives on the genealogy side. Atleast they should have been subjects of serious research. Atleast many scholars have now considered Mahabharata as a largely authentic sourc

Gita rests upon two pillars - of sacrifice and renunciation. As stated by Sri Ramakrishna, Gita is the word Tagi (or Tyagi - one who has renounced - according to Sanskrit grammer both the words are same) repeated 10 times.  The word sacrifice is of great significance. It first appears as the word "Yajna" in the 3rd Chapter - Yoga of Action. According to Gita, every action in this world can be construed as a sacrifice and an action devoid of the spirit of sacrifice is no action at all - it is vikarma or adverse action. The 3rd chapter talks about the procreation and the ecological cycle as a grand sacrifice and also proclaims that the ideal action is one which is done in the selfless spirit of sacrifice as that does not cause any bondage. Action driven by impulses of anger and desire are born out of ignorance and thereby cause bondage, but inaction is not a way to gain knowledge for those who have not renounced action and are still ignorant of the Self. In 4th Chapter this

In professional life, many women, who are at the helm, or in important positions, can shine through the selfless work that was the cornerstone of Holy Mother’s life. By working not for name, fame or position, but solely for the greater common good, by naturally loving and displaying genuine concern for others, a woman can be in much higher position of respect than she can by merely being aggressive or ambitious. That she is no inferior intellectually to men is a proven fact. Her assertion for superiority and demand for respect today probably stems from the centuries of indignity that she had to bear. However she needs to rise above such petty competition of genders and inferiority complex and assert her superiority through her core strength – universal motherhood. She is the mother of all, therefore she is inherently above all. This is once again proven as a fact in Holy Mother’s life. The Mother did not need to be aggressive or to unjustly assert herself. She was naturally above eve

Women play a pivotal role in maintaining family. Today’s nuclear family lives are becoming increasingly complicated because of the intolerance of the partners towards each other. Relationships based on mutual respect and love, which found its pinnacle in the relationship between Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother, are lacking. Although both men and women are equal partners in a successful marriage, it is women who play a key role in terms of guiding and harmonizing, being naturally more compassionate, kind and loving of the two. The relationship, as is proven in the life of many devotees, can improve dramatically if one or both the partners take refuge in vidya maya, i.e. rise above ego, jealousy, possessiveness and intolerance by taking a cue from the life of the Holy Mother. That relationship should be based on sacrifices and respect, like the ideals shown by the living Gods themselves. Competitiveness, vying for each other’s attention, possessive attachment, intolerance and egoti

In today’s world we are seeing a great transformation. Interconnectedness, esp. through the digital world has opened up many new opportunities through mass education and awareness. The success of materialism in promoting a better life for all has brought in its wake the evils of manifold desires, dissatisfaction with status quo, disenchantment and general lack of peace and harmony. Perhaps these are all outcomes of the quality of rajas, or intense activity, accompanied by intense passion. Rajas is necessary for material prosperity, but it needs to be controlled by Sattva or the quality of peace and tranquility. Else we would see preponderance of misery and actions led by desires leading to many unintended consequences as we see in our society today – corruption, crime, atrocities, struggle for supremacy, rage and untold miseries. As Swami Vivekananda pointed out, even in the rank atheist we see an urge, to love and to be loved, to find peace and happiness. People do not know where

In some of her teachings we see the grand fusion of ideals of Vedanta with everyday life and these are relevant for all people of all ages. She said – “There is no greater wealth than contentment (with what we possess) and no greater quality than forbearance.” “Forget your individuality and try to understand your real nature”. “One who regularly thinks about the divine, how can he/she be ever in trouble?” “When one never expects anything from anybody, then only one can have equal love towards all. Love mired with desire and expectation is no love.” [i] Her last statement was that to have a lasting peace one should never look into the faults of others, but rather find one’s own faults, in a bid to improve oneself and transcend one’s nature. She stated the purpose of life as realization of the divinity and emphasized on taking refuge in God through renunciation of selfish desires. One should always take resort in truth and do good for the sake of doing good, by depending on God, as

The whole life of Holy Mother is an illustration of how one can reach perfection through tireless and selfless work, how one can forget and forfeit all egos in working for others, how one can shoulder great responsibilities without slightest display of power, through complete detachment. She is a shining example of chastity and boundless love for all and sundry – pavitrata swarupini. Her love for the great master is probably a demonstration of that divine love which Sri Radha possessed for her beloved God, or the love which mother Mary possessed for infant Jesus. She did all her material duties with a grace that is incomparable and yet, devoted her life for the spiritual welfare of her innumerable sons. She had the intellect and ability to be the God mother of one of the greatest philanthropic and spiritual organizations of the world, directed it in times of great crises, and yet, she never once displayed her superiority. It was love and only love that endeared her to people who came

Bhagavat Gita, in its essence, talks about two ideals of human life – a complete renunciation of actions or Karma Sannyas, and being in action but renouncing the fruits of action – karma phala tyaga. Sri Krishna advises us, who are in the world, who needs to work, to sacrifice the fruits and in the end surrender to Him completely. Through complete and total surrender comes total renunciation. There are others, great teachers, holy men and saints, who do not need to work. They are the sthita prajnyas, one who is established in Self. Sri Ramakrishna adds in the Gospel that even a person who does not need to work, one who has renounced actions completely, sometimes work for the welfare of all, out of compassion for ignorant mankind, to dispel ignorance and to bring light to masses. It seems Sri Ramakrishna, the avatar varistha, the greatest among all such teachers, belonged to the first type. He had renounced all actions, took external sannyas, and yet, came down to live in the material

Sister Nivedita had said about the Holy Mother that Sarada Devi is the final word of Sri Ramakrishna as to the idealism of Indian womanhood. [1] Then she puts forward a question herself, as to whether she (Sarada Devi) is the culmination of an old ideal or the beginning of a new ideal? Miss Josephine McLeod had said that Sarada Devi is the ideal which Indian women will have to reach in the next three thousand years. To understand the Holy Mother and her contribution to womanhood in general and Indian womanhood in particular, these two comments are extremely important, as they both come from extremely learned, erudite, well respected Western devotees whose culture and upbringings were vastly different from that of traditional Indian culture. The two remarks are actually complementary. Together they help in unraveling one of the greatest personalities of all ages, an ideal so vast that it would probably take many more centuries to understand her and emulate her life. Swami Vivek