thisisme

Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Tam tatha krupayavishtam ashrupurnakulekshanam| Vishhedantamidam vakyam uvacha Madhusudhana||1|| Madhusudhan, then addressed the lamenting, helpless, dejected Arjuna- Kutastvaam kashmalamidam vishame samupasthitam| Anaaryajushtam aswargyam akeertikaramarjuna||2|| Klaibyam ma smagamah partha naitad tvayyupapadyate| Kshudram hridaya dourbalyam tyaktvottishta parantapa||3|| Arjuna, from where has this idea of cowardice, of lowliness, of ill fate, polluted your mind at this hour of need? Don't surrender yourself to this unmanly attitude as this doesn't suit you. Give up your unheroic attitude and stand up to fight the war.  Arjuna replied,  Katham Bheeshmamaham sankhye Dronancha Madhusudhana| Ishubhihi pratiyotsyaami pujaarhavarosudhana||4|| How can I aim arrows in the war at my beloved Bheeshma and Aacharya Drona?  Gurunahattva hi mahanubhavaan Shreyo ...

  Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood||      To understand this chapter, let us understand the circumstance of the war in brief. Dhrutarashtra and Pandu are brothers. Dhrutarasthtra is the elder one, but he is blind. Pandu is the stronger one, but is cursed by some sage that he would die the moment he physically indulges with his wife. Distraught by the curse, Pandu goes to Himalayas along with his two wives- Kunti and Madri. The kingdom now falls in the hands of the blind king- Dhrutarasthra.  In the meantime, Pandu's wife, Kunti has a boon that she can beget children from anyone she desires just by reciting a mantra. Pandu, on learning this, asks her to invoke devatas to father her children. Kunti first calls Yama- the keeper of Dharma and prays for a son. Thus she bears his child who is later named as Yudhishtira or Dharmaraja. Next, she gets a son from the powerful, Vayu a...

  Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Yadyapyete na pashyanthi lobhopahatachetasaaha| Kulakshayakrutam dosham mitradrohe cha paatakam||38|| Katham na jneyamasmaabhihi paapaadasmannivarthitum| Kulakshaya krutam dosham prapashyadbhirjanaardhana||39|| Though these Dhartarasthras whose minds are clouded by greed, are not able to see the sinister outcome of deceiving our own friends and well wishers, the sin of causing death of so many people, how can we, who know about all these sins, not think of avoiding them? Kulakshaye pranashyanthi kuladharmaaha sanaatana| Dharme nashte kulam krutsamadharmobhibhavatyuta||40|| Adharmaabhibhavaat krishna pradushyanthi kulastriyaha| Streeshu dushtaasu varshneya jaayate varnasankaraha||41|| Sankaro narakaayaiva kulaghnaanaan kulasya cha| Patanthi pitaraha hyeshaam lupta pindodaka kriyaaha||42|| Doshairetaih kulaghnaanaam varnasankara kaarakaihi| Utsaadyante j...

Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Na kaankshe vijayam Krishna na cha raajyam sukhaani cha| Kim no rajyena Govinda kimbhogai jeevitena va||32|| Yeshaamarthe kaankshitam no raajyam bhogah sukhaani cha| Ta ime avasthitaa yuddhe praanaanstyaktva dhanaani cha||33|| ( Arjuna, shattered by the thought of the dire consequences of the war, continues) Krishna, I don't desire victory, I neither desire for the land nor for the luxuries. Govinda, what is the use of land, luxuries and life (after this massive destruction).  We desired victory, land and luxury to enjoy with our beloved ones and flaunt our power in front of our rivals. But, in this war most of them will lose their lives and wealth too will be lost.  Aachaaryaha pitarah putraastathaiva cha pitaamahaaha| Maatulaah shwashuraah poutraah shyaalaah sambandhinasthatha||34|| Etaan na hantumicchhami ghnatopi Madhusudhana| Api trailokya raajyasya...

Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Tatraapashyat sthitaan paarthaha pitrunatha pitamahaan| Achaaryaan matulaan bhrathrun putraan poutraan sakheenstatha||26|| Shwashuraan suhrudaschaiva senayorubhayorapi| Taan sameekshya sa kounteyaha sarvaanbandhoonavasthitaan||27|| Krupaya parayaavishto visheedannidamabraveet| Dhristhvemam swajanam Krishna yuyutsum samupasthitam||28|| ( When his chariot is parked in the center of the war field), There, Arjuna sees his  Gurus, uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, in-laws, well-wishers assembled for the war as part of either of the armies. Seeing all his relatives there, he says to Arjuna, "Seeing my own relatives gathered here eager for the war ,  Seedanthi mama gaathraani mukham cha parishushyati| Vepathushcha shareere me romaharshascha jaayate||29|| Gaandeevam sramsate hastaattwakchaiva paridayhate| Na cha shaknomyavasthaatum bhramateeva cha me manaha||30...

Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Atha vyavashtitaan drushtvaa dhaartarashtraan kapidhwajaha| Pravrutte shastrasampaate dhanurudyamya pandavaha||20|| Hrushikesham tadaa vakyam idamaaha maheepate| (Arjuna uvaacha) Senayorubhayormadhye ratham sthaapaya me achyuta||21|| On seeing the well organised army of the sons of Dhritaraashtra, the one who had monkey in his flag(Arjuna), getting his weapons ready, told Krishna, "Achyuta, take my chariot to the centre of both the armies". Yaavadetaannireeksheham yoddhukaamaanavasthitaan| Kairmaya saha yoddhyavyamasmin ranasamudyame||22|| Yotsyamaanaanaveksheham ya ete atra samaagataaha| Dhaartarasthrasya durboddheryuddhe priyachikeershavaha||23|| Because, I want to have a look at all those who have eagerly gathered here for the war to assess with whom I have to fight. I want to see all those who have happily chosen  to fight persuaded by the ill-wille...

Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Tasya sanjanayan harsham kuruvruddah pitamahaha| Simhanaadam vinadyoccchai shamkham dadmuhu prataapavaan||12|| ( On hearing that Duryodhana ordered Dronacharya to protect Bheeshma at any cost) To please Duryodhana, the elder most among the Dhartarashtras,  their brave great grandfather(Bhishma) blew his conch which sounded like a roar of a lion.  Tatah shankaashcha bheryascha panavaanaka gomukhaha| Sahasaivaabhyahanyanta sa shabdastumulo bhavat||13|| ( Following his lead) Numerous drums, trumpets, conches, horns were blown together creating a cacophony in the warfield .  Tatah shwetairhayai yuktai mahati syandane sthitou| Madhavah pandavaschaiva divyou shankhou pradadmatuhu||14|| Then, Krishna and Arjuna, seated in a huge chariot pulled by white horses, blew their celestial conches(in response)  Paanchajanyam Hrishikesho Devadattam Dhananjayaha...

Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Asmakam tu vishishta ye taannibodha dvijottama| Nayakah mama sainyasya sanjnaartham taan braveemi te||7|| ( Duryodhana continues telling to Guru Dronacharya) As a custom I will mention the names of some of the captains in our army. You ought to know the privileged warriors on our side. Bhavan Bheeshmascha Karnascha Krupascha samitinjayah| Ashwatthama Vikarnascha Soumadattistathaiva cha||8|| You, Bheeshma, victorious Krupaacharya, Ashwatthama, Vikarnascha, Soumadatti's son - Bhurishravas Anye cha bahavah shurah madarthe tyaktajeevitaha| Naanaashastra praharanaaha sarve yuddha vishaaradaaha||9|| There are other brave-hearts, who are adept at the art of war and competent in wielding various weapons, who have given up their love on their lives to fight on my behalf.  Aparyaptam tadasmaakam balam Bheeshmabhirakshitam| Paryaaptam twidameteshaam balam Bheemabhiraksh...

||Om| May the Lord Ganapati bestow his blessings upon the seeker to understand the Geetashastra as it needs to be understood|| Dhrutarasthra uvacha- Dharmakshetre kurukshetre samaveta yuyutsavaha| Maamakah pandavah chaiva kimakurvata sanjaya||1|| Dhrurasthra asks Sanjaya, "In the land of Kurukshetra where righteousness would be decided, what are my sons and pandavas who have gathered to fight doing? Sanjaya uvacha- Drushtvaatu pandavaanikam vyudham duryodhanastada| Aacharyam upasangamya Raja vachanamabraveet||2|| Duryodhana, having seen the organised army of the Pandavas, approached his guru(Dronacharya) and said, Pashyetaam panduputraanam aacharya mahateem chamoom| Vyudhaam drupadaputrena tava shishyena dheemata||3|| Look at the huge army of the sons of Pandu(Pandavas). It is organised by your own disciple-- the son of Drupada.  Atra shura maheshwasa Bheemarjuna sama yudhi| Yuyudhano Viratashcha Drupadascha maharathaaha||4|| There are valorous warriors with powerful bows whose st...

There are sunlit castles on the other side of the moon; There's endless hope beyond the horizon; There's bountiful harvest on the unseen land; There are tulip gardens on the other side of the mountain. There's always a fairy tale in the unremembered parts of a dream; There are thunderbirds beyond the heavy clouds; There is always an angel looking over me when I am not seeing; There are huge magical ships on the other side of the sea; There's powerful magnetism in the void of the black hole; There's a sort of solace at the moment of waking up from a deep sleep; There's perpetual happiness in the choices not made. I am not interested in all that is unseen - What fascinates me is the power the unknown gives, Of imagination, of endless potential; Like a beautiful bubble reflecting the whole spectrum of colours - Beautiful, till it crumbles under my touch. There's an ecstasy in the unknown, Like window-shopping on a million possibilites. 

Can't name the feeling- 1. There's a different pathway for this process Unexplained by the anatomy that I know. It starts at the pit of the stomach,  Moves to the chest tightening it, Forms a lump in the throat and gets stuck there.  The lump stays there uncomfortable It doesn't know what next.  2. There's a shadow hidden within me. It's dark, emaciated, two dimensional, with shabby hair and ragged clothes. Just a silhoutte. It writhes, whines in silent cries, pulls it's hair with both the hands. It so desperately wants to scream aloud and come out of the prison that is my body. But it can't.  3. Then there are times when there's nothing. No feeling, no yearning, nothing tastes good, no desire to own anything, no energy to move even an inch, no motivation, no love. Even if I let my mind wander, it knows no place to go. Its then that I feel like vanishing. I wish for Thanos' snap so that I vanish into thin air. I hear Prof Sluggerhorn saying - Poof. I...

As my friend and me were overtly expressing the rantings of our minds about the unfathomable secrets of life, we both came across a single dilemma. The ultimate tenet of any philosophical theory that strives to preach happiness is to find happiness in oneself. This brings us to a major moral predicament- “Doesn’t giving importance to one’s own happiness amount to selfishness?” As I traced this thought through the alleys of my limited knowledge, I found the  nearest possible answer in few verses from Bhagavatgeeta- प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्ाान्पार्ामनोगिातन। आत्मन्येर्ात्मना िुष्ट: स्थििप्रज्नस्तदोच्यिे।। (Chapter 2) When Arjuna asks Krishna about the nature of a sthitaprajna(one who has attained happiness), Krishna answers that when a person vanquishes all the desires of the mind and finds happiness in his own self, he becomes a sthitaprajna.  यस्त्वात्मरतिरेर् स्याि्आत्मत्रुप्तस्च मानर्:। आत्मन्येर् च सन्तुष्ट: िस्य कायाम्न तर्द्यिे॥ (Chapter 3) A person who enjoys his own compa...

( I had jotted down some rantings of my mind in the past few months- 1.ಮೊದಮೊದಲು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮನುಷ್ಯರನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ' ನಾನೂ ಹಿಂಗೆ ಆಗ್ಬೇಕು ' ಅಂತ ಅನಿಸುತಿತ್ತು. ಈಗ, ' ಇವರೆ ಇಷ್ಟೊಂದು ಜನ ಇದ್ದಾರಲ್ಲ, ಮತ್ತೆ ನಾನೊಬ್ಬಳು ಯಾಕೆ? ' ಅಂತ ಅನಿಸುತ್ತೆ. ನನ್ನ ಪಾಡಿಗೆ ನಾನು ಜೀವನ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗ್ತೀನಿ. 2.On the Road less taken by Rober Frost- When we take the road less taken, the road that everyone else takes becomes a question mark for us... A doubt will always linger - what if I had chosen the other road? When we choose one road in that yellow wood, it's not about how much it's trotted, it’s just about the road not taken. Because the road not taken by us will always remain a - WHAT IF. 3. I have bought the autobiography of Carl Jung that's mentioned in this book, though I haven't started reading it yet) On Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman - This book isn't for everyone. But it was perfect for me. It's for overthinkers, perfectionists above 40, because it preaches to go easy o...

HIM: Life is a stage. You are given a role to perform. Always remember that.   Me: I know. That’s why I want to give my best performance. I delve into the character that I play so intensely that my performance seems natural. I get engrossed so much in the roles I play, that I forget till the play is over that this is just an act. I laugh, grow and cry from the bottom of my heart. I love and hate people putting all my emotions into the story. I do this so that my work is appreciated, and I get better and better roles for my next plays.  HIM: Of course. You will be rewarded. You will get the highest award for acting. If you have chosen to act the roles of being a hero, newer opportunities to act as greater heroes will come to you. If you are good at being a villain, your next roles will be worse villains. Either way, you would have done justice to your job. But who will you be when the play ends?  Me: I will be waiting for another play, another role. I will live the life of...