GardenTalk03-A dwarf can be a giant!

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There is an interesting story in the ancient Indian mythology. Apparently, there was a wicked King by name Bali. God wanted to minimize his menace to mankind. So, God took the form of a dwarf – Vamana and approached the king asking for 3 foot holds of land. 

The king thought – “Afterall a dwarf! How much land he can lay his foot on?” So, he agreed to give him that much land. 

(Mind11)-Early attempts to know the Mind by the Greeks

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For the past several episodes I discussed our current scientific views about our Mind. I took some interesting excerpts from my book “How does the Mind Work?” while explaining the scientific views.

In the next few episodes, I am going to pick up some interesting ideas about the Mind from my book “Missing dimensions in our current understanding of the Mind”.

My idea is to approach the Mind from both sides – modern science as well as ancient philosophy, pick useful things from both, and finally take you to regions beyond the mind itself! So, stay tuned till the end of this series.

(Mind10)-The biggest puzzle!

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We started our discussions with the fundamental premise that brain and mind are almost synonymous. One by one, we saw how many aspects of our mind can be mapped on to the activities of the brain.

We said that our feelings, thoughts, consciousness and even the so called ‘free will’ are all just happenings in our brain. We were almost close to concluding that even the illusive entity namely the soul does not exist. We can explain everything about our existence without taking recourse to concepts like soul etc.

But do we really have all the answers?

GardenTalk02-Miracle makers

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Now-a-days one keeps coming across many Gurus, who use miracles to attract more followers. They write books on their mystic experiences; put up internet ads promising wonderful results if you enroll in their courses.

But we often close our eyes to miracles that have been going on around us since ages and still very active. But these miracle makers don’t put up ads, nor they are interested in our ‘donations’. 

Are you aware of them?

(Mind09)-Do we really have a free will?

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We often think that what really makes us different from inanimate things is the ‘free will’ that we are supposed to be having.

An inanimate thing like a fan for example, can start, stop, run slowly or very fast, not on its own but only when we switch it on or off, or when we tweak the regulator. That is because the fan is not alive, though it can move. It does not have a will of its own. It just does what we want it to do.

(Mind08)-Are you conscious?

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I know it sounds a bit absurd to ask such a question. It is like asking someone whether he or she is asleep! If you are not conscious, there is no way you can answer my question.

GardenTalk01-Self propelled endless store of nutrients

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I see spirituality in most of what I do. To me gardening is not just a hobby or pastime, but a deep involvement with the nature around. Some form of meditation, some way of universalizing.

(Mind07)-What is thought?

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You probably have noticed that our thoughts are often influenced by our past experiences and memories. One Guru of recent times even goes to the extent of dismissing thoughts as just a jumbling of memories and nothing else!

(Mind06)-What is our brain made of?

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Brain is such a complex part of our body that you may need a detailed book to understand that. That is what I have attempted to do in my book “How does the Mind work?”. But still, what I have presented in that book is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

(Mind05)-Faith can do miracles!

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Homeopathy is one medical discipline which can cure any disease without any harmful side effects. Nor does it need any invasive procedures, not even any painful pricks. Just take some sugar pills and you can cure yourselves.

(Mind04) Love – not divine after all!

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Love is one of the human emotions that is often eulogized to the extent of raising it to divinity! Not that animals don’t exhibit this emotion. But they probably don’t believe in God as we do 😉
 

(Mind03 ) Are you getting old?!

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It is all right. Everyone does. That is the natural process. Have you noticed the first symptom of getting old? Yes, you guessed it right. You start forgetting things!

Not that you forget everything. You still remember all those nasty things you did in your younger days. Those happy carefree days, those scolding you got from your parents for no fault of yours, and so on. But somehow, you start forgetting where you just left your mobile phone or the spectacles!

(Mind02) Are you left brained or right brained?

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You probably have heard about this. Some of us are supposed to be left brain dominated and others right brain dominated. Not that we have two brains. What it means is that in some of us one of our brain ‘hemispheres’ plays a dominant role.

(Mind01) Mind your own busyness!

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When some one fools around a bit too much with a long poky nose, we tell that person - “Mind your own business!”
But unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, Mind IS my BUSYness!

MB21-Why was Krishna right in doing what he did

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No, I am not playing the devil’s advocate. But I am only trying to look deeper and see whether there is any justification to whatever Krishna did; Whether Vyasa really convey the intricacies of righteousness or Dharma through his master piece namely the Mahabharata.

MB20-Was it really a war of righteousness?!

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For the past several weeks, we have been discussing the great Indian Epic namely the Mahabharata. 

As we saw, the most significant part of this story is the final war in which millions were massacred – brothers killed brothers, students killed their teachers, sons killed their parents and grandparents, friends killed their friends, and so on. It was a saga of brutal killing and ‘fight unto death’ with utter disregard to right and wrong.


In that case, how was the war called the war of righteousness? Apparently, the author of this Epic, namely Vyasa, is supposed to have written it to convey what righteousness is all about!

MB19-One last act of deceit!

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As we discussed in the previous episode, the stage was all set for the final act of this drama of war of righteousness!

Duryodhana had emerged from his hideout from beneath the lake. Though tired, he was ready to fight his archrival Bhima in a last ‘do or die’ act. Bhima who was waiting all along for this opportunity was all the more ready.

MB18-The devil quoting the bible

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Well, we are discussing a story that probably took place when Bible was not even there. I am just using a popular phrase!

After the death of Karna, that we discussed in the previous episode, the Kauravas were totally disarrayed. Duryodhana was struck by immense grief. He not only lost his best friend, but also lost the last surviving warrior who could possibly win him the kingdom that seemed to go into the hands of the Pandavas.

MB17-The Sun finally sets

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Many of us remember righteousness only when we are at the receiving end. When all is well with us, we don’t care for right and wrong. But, when we are helpless, suddenly we remember righteousness and start preaching others about how they should act!

MB16-Ashwatthama’s last minute bid to end the war

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Having promised his elder brother Yudhishthira that he would slay Karna that day, Arjuna along with Krishna rushed to the battle field looking for Karna.

Karna too was all set. He had made up his mind that either he would kill Arjuna that day or get killed by him. There was no way both could return from the war field live that day.

MB15-Frustration blinds even the wisest!

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Most of us tend to make silly mistakes when we are frustrated and desperate. Our wisdom evades us and we make fool of ourselves. Probably, that is what happened to Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas.

MB14-You are helpless if fate conspirers against you!

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That is what happened to Karna, the great friend of the Kaurava King Duryodhana.

Karna was actually an abandoned child brought up by a poor charioteer. So, all through his life, he was ridiculed as a ‘Soota Putra’, meaning a charioteer’s son.

MB13-Drona killed by deceit!

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After the slaughter of great warrior Abhimanyu by deceit, the saga of deceit continued with either side resorting to all kinds of unfair means to kill each other.

MB12-All is fair in love and war!

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At least that is how the saying goes and many of us really think so! But not so in a war that was meant to be a war of righteousness – or Dharmayuddha.

MB11-Drona – The Ancient Indian test-tube baby!

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Today we are all familiar with the procedure called In-Vitro Fertilization, which has come as a boon to many a mother who cannot conceive naturally. 

In common parlance, the babies born by such a procedure are called ‘test tube babies’, though they are really not born in a test tube per se. Only the fertilization of ovum by the sperm takes place outside the body of the would be mother, in a Petri dish – ‘test tube’ under controlled conditions.

But not so, in the case of Drona – if you believe what the story says. Drona was a true test tube baby!

MB10-Winning by ‘hook or crook’!

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After the fall of Bhishma, there was some hope that the war would end. Bhishma tried his best to dissuade the Kauravas from further massacre.

But the evil Kauravas were far from reforming. They somehow wanted to eliminate the Pandavas ‘by hook or crook’ as they say.

MB09-Amba finally takes her revenge!

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Having come to know about Bhishma’s decision not to confront Shikandi, or Amba in her previous birth, both sides, Kauravas as well as Pandavas were charting out their way ahead.

MB08-Shikandi – a transgender hell bent on revenge!

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Even great people commit heinous mistakes. So did Bhishma. And the result was Shikandi.

In his previous birth, Shikandi was the eldest of the three daughters of King of Kashi. In that birth his name was Amba. How Amba became Shikandi is a sad story which we will discuss now.

MB07-Bhishma’s Achilles heel!

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As promised to the Kauravas, Bhishma continued to wreak havoc on the Pandava army day in and day out. Thousands of soldiers and great warriors on the Pandava side were killed by raging Bhishma.

MB06-What do you do if God wants to kill you?!

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When you are in difficulties and when your life itself is at stake, you pray to God for help. What if God himself tries to attack you? You have no one else to turn to. Nor you can do anything to protect yourself.

That is what exactly must have happened to Bhishma.