Thursday, May 23, 2019
Saturday, May 18, 2019
QV09.....Importance of prayers
We were discussing the essentials of Islam. The holy Quran lays lot of emphasis on regular prayers or Salat or Namaz as they are called.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
QV08.....How should we speak?
We were discussing the essentials of Islam. As a third commandment, the holy Quran says –
“Speak fair to the people”.What does ‘fair’ mean? Does it mean speaking sugar coated words as we see nowadays?
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
BookTalk: Upanishads – A journey into the unknown
In Today’s book talk I am going to discuss about my book “Upanishads – A journey into the unknown”.
The original title for this book that was in mind was – “Upanishads – A journey into the unknowable”. But then I changed it to the current title to avoid sounding a bit oxymoronic! If something is ‘unknowable’, there is no way you can know it!
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Thursday, May 9, 2019
QV06.....Why should one worship only Allah?
Continuing our discussion on the 5 essential commandments of Islam as listed by the Holy Quran, let us now see the second part of the first commandment. Quran says that one should worship Allah and only Allah. It quotes several past incidents when people had worshiped others as God and they were severely punished.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Essence of Islam
Quran spells out a long list of Do’s and Don't s to be adhered to
by a devout Muslim. Among these I feel the most essential things are
the following.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Show us the way
When you are on a spiritual journey it is important that you know how
to proceed towards your destination. There may be several paths. Some
may be easy, some extremely difficult. And some, that may take you
just in the opposite direction!
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Thursday, April 18, 2019
We are 'that'!
For the past several episodes, we were discussing how father Uddalaka tries to explain the unity of whole existence to his son Swetaketu.
Uddalaka arrives at his conclusion by systematically following the modern scientific approach – observation, experimentation and reasoning.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Forward reasoning
In the previous episodes, we saw how father Uddalaka traces the origin of the existence by backward reasoning. He continues, to show the same unity among all the existence by forward reasoning as well.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Material things are not everything
In the previous episode, we saw how father Uddalaka traces the origin of all material things to three basic components – Satva, Rajas and Tamas.
Various combinations of these three basic constituents result in various material forms that we see around us.
Our worldly science seems to say that material things are everything. But Upanishads disagree.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Two way inferring
The purpose of the story that we started discussing, namely the story of Uddalaka and Swetaketu was to declare the oneness of ‘everything’.
How do you say two things are same even though they appear to be different?
Thursday, April 4, 2019
The God can think!
I am just using a catchy title. By God I am referring to that root cause for the existence of this world. The Upanishads refrain from calling it by any name and they just refer to it as ‘Tat’ or ‘Sat’ - literally meaning ‘That’ or ‘Existence’.
Interestingly, many ancient scriptures – whether it is Bible or Quran or even the Upanishads have almost identical definition for God. They define God (or the ‘Tat’ in the Upanishads) as the one from which this world has emerged, the one that sustains whatever exists, and the one into which everything returns.
Interestingly, many ancient scriptures – whether it is Bible or Quran or even the Upanishads have almost identical definition for God. They define God (or the ‘Tat’ in the Upanishads) as the one from which this world has emerged, the one that sustains whatever exists, and the one into which everything returns.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
BookTalk: How and why of Yoga
“I read this book with keen interest …. The author has succeeded in providing a comprehensive account on how Yoga can be effectively utilized in alleviating stress in a way common man can understand. The author has critically analyzed the role of mind-body interaction in the genesis of stress, and how Yoga helps in normalizing it…”
Saturday, March 30, 2019
The reality behind this world
As I said earlier, worldly science tries to deal with the diverse things that exist in this world around us. In contrast, spiritual science tries to see the unified view of this apparently diverse world.
The main contribution of the Upanishads is to declare that the apparent diversity is only superficial. Underneath this diversity, there is unity.
So the story we have been discussing, namely the story of father Uddalaka and son Swetaketu, starts off with the fundamental question of “how did this world come into existence?”
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Knowing the essence is knowing everything
There was this great sage Uddalaka who had a son by name Swetaketu. Probably this boy was a bit too much pampered. So unlike other boys who normally went to school, this boy did not, even when he reached an age of 12 years.
In ancient India, a Brahmin boy was supposed to join the school at an early age of say 5 to 8. If he did not, he was ridiculed as ‘Brahma bandhu’ - someone who merely calls himself as Brahmin, but not actually so.
In ancient India, a Brahmin boy was supposed to join the school at an early age of say 5 to 8. If he did not, he was ridiculed as ‘Brahma bandhu’ - someone who merely calls himself as Brahmin, but not actually so.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Worldly science VS Spiritual science
We often use the word ‘science’ to mean a discipline that predominantly emphasizes on objectivity, verifiability, and precision. These three aspects are the corner stones of all our scientific endeavor.
Look at closely what we do in science. We try to differentiate things from one another, understand each of them distinctly, and use that knowledge to better interact with the world around, live a better life and so on. Ultimately, science aims at making our lives more secure and comfortable. I call it worldly science.
Look at closely what we do in science. We try to differentiate things from one another, understand each of them distinctly, and use that knowledge to better interact with the world around, live a better life and so on. Ultimately, science aims at making our lives more secure and comfortable. I call it worldly science.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Why does realization give lasting peace?
We started our story with Maitreyi asking her husband Yajnyavalkya about the way one can get eternal peace.
Yajnyavalkya first explained how our individual identities are only transient. These identities are given by our body and Mind. Mistaking the body/Mind as we is the root cause of our problems. It is the body/Mind that masks the real We.
Yajnyavalkya first explained how our individual identities are only transient. These identities are given by our body and Mind. Mistaking the body/Mind as we is the root cause of our problems. It is the body/Mind that masks the real We.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
BookTalk: Missing dimensions
In the last book talk I talked about my book “How does the Mind work?”. That was about our current scientific understanding of the Mind.
Interest in this most complex and intriguing entity namely the Mind, is not something new. Thousands of years ago the Greek philosophers and their counterparts in India researched this wonderful subject albeit with almost no gadgets that we have today.
Though many modern researchers would like to dismiss their finds as mere speculations, anyone who has studied their contributions probably would think twice before arriving at such hasty conclusions.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
How do we infer the oneness of everything?
In the previous episode, the sage Yajnyavalkya was saying that the different things we see around, are all one in reality. The differences are only superficial. If we look deep, we see that everything is one.
Yajnyavalkya gives couple of examples to explain what he is saying. He says
Yajnyavalkya gives couple of examples to explain what he is saying. He says
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Can worldly riches give you lasting peace?
In the previous episode, we started with the story of Yajnyavalkya and his scholarly wife Maitreyi. Though Yajnyavalkya wanted to part with all his wealth and give it to his two wives, one of them namely Maitreyi was not interested in wealth. She asked him a profound question.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Do you really love your family?
Of course you do. All of us love our husband, wife, children, parents and so on. Whatever we do is ultimately for their sake.
But did you notice something? We love our spouse, our son, our daughter, our friend, our mate, and so on and so forth. In all these relations what do we have in common? What else, it is we!
We love someone because that someone is related to us in some way. Not only related, but there is something that we get from them. That is the reason why we all love someone. Or else we won’t. So it is for our own sake that we love someone else.
But did you notice something? We love our spouse, our son, our daughter, our friend, our mate, and so on and so forth. In all these relations what do we have in common? What else, it is we!
We love someone because that someone is related to us in some way. Not only related, but there is something that we get from them. That is the reason why we all love someone. Or else we won’t. So it is for our own sake that we love someone else.
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Yes, you too can!
We started this Upanishadic story of Nachiketa with a question namely “what happens when someone dies?”. That is how even Nachiketa started. That was just a curiosity question.
But Nachiketa did not stop there. He kept asking questions, kept pondering. He rejected all that that may not lead him to the answers he was keen on getting.
He rejected all worldly pleasures for the sake of the answer to his question. He listened to Yama, the Lord of death who told him the real “story” behind death and the secret behind immortality.
Nachiketa finally attained the ultimate reality.
He rejected all worldly pleasures for the sake of the answer to his question. He listened to Yama, the Lord of death who told him the real “story” behind death and the secret behind immortality.
Nachiketa finally attained the ultimate reality.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
BookTalk: How does the Mind work?
In today’s book talk I am going to discuss about my book “How does the Mind work?”.
Let me start with an interesting story about some well known incident that happened way back in 1950s. That incident totally revolutionized the way we understand our Mind.
Saturday, March 2, 2019
You can do it in this life itself!
Many religions promise better life after you die. But this Upanishadic story that we have been discussing in the past several weeks says that it is possible to attain the ultimate realization in this life itself!
Interestingly, it says even the spirits or angels cannot do that which you and only you can do it as a human being. So it advises you not to miss this great opportunity.
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