July 2024
Was dharma established?
When Arjuna said he would not fight, what did Svāmi say? He said, “I stand for upholding dharma. This war is for the sake of that. This war will not end if you do not fight. Before you could even think of it, I have already destroyed those who were against dharma” (“mayaivaite nihatāh pūrvameva ।)” — 11.33
Did it happen so?
It did, temporarily. “vināśāya ca duṣkṛtāṃ” — destruction of evil-doers — happened. After that,...
4.7.4. Benevolence
Sāyaṇācārya never turned away people who sought refuge in him. If a band of poets walked barefoot on gravel to seek his patronage, he would ensure they went back on the backs of elephants. A witty verse observes: ‘One glance of Sāyaṇācārya’s is enough to rid a man of all his miseries. But something seems to be amiss with this one man. No matter how many times he presents himself before the minister, he remains destitute and...
Bhāsa’s plays contain quite a number of novel and fresh ideas and emotions. He also brings in proverbial statements through the dialogues of the characters; they inclusion bolsters the overall aesthetic experience. The following are examples from the Yajña-phala,
Can a sharp needle make a hole in water?
Once a lamp has lit another one, is there any difference between the two?
Does a tree refuse to provide shade and fruits to a person who has...
चन्द्रगुप्त विक्रमादित्य ने जो भी निर्णय लिए तथा जो भी संबंध स्थापित किये थे वे सब शास्त्रानुसार तथा परम्परानुगत प्रथा द्वारा मान्य थे। उसके शासन काल में सनातन धर्म का उत्थान अपने चरम शिखर पर था जिसकी कोई तुलना नही की जा सकती है। उसके शासन काल में विभिन्न वर्णों के मध्य सामंजस्य के अनेक उदाहरण है। के.एम.मुंशी कहते हैं –
वर्तमान समय की अपेक्षा उस समय में अन्तर्जातीय विवाह की स्वतंत्रता अधिक थी। अनुलोम विवाह (उच्च वर्ण के पुरुष का निम्न वर्ण की...
A similar example can be seen even in business : (1) Adhiṣṭhāna = Capital and site of business (2) Kartā: the businessman’s and his knack (3) Karaṇa: the stock and instruments of measuring weights and lengths (4) Ceṣtāḥ - advertising and other means of attracting buyers (5) Daiva - customers liking a product or otherwise.
Thus, effort is in the domain of humans; the decision on the results is in the divine domain. Since this is how the facts...
4.7. Illustrative Verses
As we have observed previously, the illustrative verses composed by Bhoganātha are of inestimable value to understand Sāyaṇācārya’s personality, his family life, Saṅgama II’s reign, and the overall socio-cultural milieu of the Vijayanagara period. These verses are primarily poetic compositions, and naturally they are tinged with hyperbole and fancy. The presence of such poetic devices only enhances—never diminishes—the...
Sonnavadi is a small village. It might have originally been called Svarṇavāḍi. Head of that village was a man called Sonnegowda. People often talked about Bhissegowda being one of his ancestors. Bhissegowda was a pāḻegāra (i.e. chieftain).
Around that time, Sonnegowda was an affluent farmer. Though he never was a pāḻegāra officially, his behaviour was typical of one.
Once every year, during the months of puṣya-māgha, around the time of dhātrī-...
We don’t know if there are more plays written by Bhāsa. We have been able to find fourteen now. Many compendiums of poems quote quite a few verses that are supposedly penned by Bhāsa; however, they don’t appear as a part of the fourteen plays we have discussed so far. It is, therefore, possible that he had authored a few more plays and such verses were part of those. Even if it turns out that he had authored only these fourteen plays, it is...
अपने छोटे भाई की सफलता के कारण रामगुप्त में ईर्ष्याभाव बढ़ने लगता है और वह अपने भाई को विभिन्न तरीकों से क्रूरता पूर्ण व्यवहार करता है। उसने अपने भाई की हत्या करने का षडयंत्र भी किया। एक रात अंधकार में छिपकर जब उसने चन्द्रगुप्त विक्रमादित्य पर आक्रमण किया तो चन्द्रगुप्त विक्रमादित्य ने जिसे आक्रमणकर्त्ता की पहचान न होने से, पलटवार करते हुए रामगुप्त को मार डाला। बाद में उसने ध्रुवदेवी से विवाह कर सिंहासनासीन हो गया। यही सार संक्षेप में...
There are two opposite energies hidden in music. One excites, inflames, and disturbs the mind. The other steadies it and calms it down. One helps in concentrating, the other perplexes the mind. One is for dhyāna, the other is for play.
There is pleasure in both types. Some people find pleasure in composure, some in hustle and bustle. Some people sit alone and forget themselves in samādhi. Some others dance incessantly, become tired, and forget...