January 2021
An Upper Bound for the Number of People in the Family
It is not possible for anyone to argue that a joint family should remain intact for eternity. Division at some point is inevitable and natural. Our śāstras have accepted it from the beginning. Segments connected with dāya-bhāga (division of property) and dattaka-svīkāra (adoption) are parts of the dharma-śāstra. This shows that the authors of the śāstras had the division of families under...
...Continued from the Previous Part
‘If that is the case, don’t feel sad; I’ll go there today; let your only son live; don’t worry about me; I’ve gained special powers; I’m not afraid of the consequences.’ She also agreed. In the evening he went to the palace along with the attendant of the army chief. The princess was like a creeper sagging due to the weight of flowers, haughty due to her youth. That night he worshipped Agni, got his sword,...
Problems escalated when the leaders of the workers were fired on flimsy reasons. The cases went to the high court, the leaders requested Shastri to be a witness in the case. The administration didn’t budge and appointed the then famous criminal lawyer from Madras, Mr. Norton. Mr. Norton had a stellar record when it came to winning cases he argued and used to charge an exorbitant fee of ₹10000 per day. The case came under the bench headed by...
The Importance of Contemplation
The Gītā has two intertwined streams of instruction. One is theoretical whereas the other is practical. The theoretical part is especially intellectual with an ascertaining of the truth using an analytical mindset. The practical aspect or sādhana pertains to the emotional mind. The mind when active is known as the citta – ‘Anusandhānātmaka-vṛttimad-antaḥkaraṇam cittam’ (‘The citta is the contemplative mind.’) The...
ಅನಂತರ ಚತುರ್ಮುಖಬ್ರಹ್ಮನೇ ಮಹರ್ಷಿಗಳ ಬಳಿ ಬರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆ ಹೊತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂಡ ವಾಲ್ಮೀಕಿಮುನಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಆ ಶ್ಲೋಕದ್ದೇ ಗುಂಗು: ತದ್ಗತೇನೈವ ಮನಸಾ ವಾಲ್ಮೀಕಿರ್ಧ್ಯಾನಮಾಸ್ಥಿತಃ, ೧.೨.೨೮. ಕ್ರೌಂಚವಧೆಯ ಧರ್ಮಾಧರ್ಮಗಳ ವಿಚೇಚನೆಯೂ ಕ್ರೌಂಚಿಗೊದಗಿದ ವೈಧವ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಮರುಕವೂ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಸುಳಿಸುತ್ತುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಇದು ಕವಿಯೊಬ್ಬ ತನ್ನ ಕಾವ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರೇರಕವಾದ ಘಟನೆಯನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಪರ್ಯಾಲೋಚಿಸುವ ಪರಿಯೇ ಹೌದು. ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಭಾವಗಳು ಈ ಮಟ್ಟದ ಕ್ಷೋಭೆಯನ್ನುಂಟುಮಾಡದೆ ಕಾವ್ಯರಚನೆಗೆ ತಕ್ಕ ಪ್ರೇರಣೆ ಒದಗಿಬರದು. ಹೀಗೆ ಪ್ರೇರಿತನಾದ ಕವಿ ತನ್ನ ತಾರ್ಕಿಕವಾದ...
Undivided Family
Whenever I think of the lives of our ancestors, a kind of anxiety envelopes me. Is there any future for joint family system in our country? Is it not declining at present? If we decide that this system is good from a broader perspective, is it possible under the current circumstances to keep it alive?
I find that the joint family system is helpful for the development of a quality namely self-expansion. In a family, if four or...
The Story of the Brave Vidūṣaka
Once upon a time, there lived a king called Ādityasena, in Ujjayinī. He was an Ekacakravartī, i.e., he was like the Sun who has access to the entire world on his one-wheeled chariot. Once, when he was travelling on the banks of river Gaṅgā, Guṇavarmā, a merchant saw the king. He came forward and spoke - ‘O king! I have a daughter whose beauty is unparalleled in the three worlds; you are the only befitting groom...
Oratory Skills
One can hardly forget V Si.’s extraordinary oratory skills. It was a celebration just to listen to him speak – he was fluent in giving lectures both in English and Kannada. Both the subject matter of his talk and the beauty of his presentation enraptured the audience. Lucid speech, broadminded thoughts, deep and wide study – all these came together to make him an eloquent orator. Even when he was given a topic only a few minutes...