Pearls of Wise

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, August 29, 2021. 7:04. AM. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Festival of Rakhi has a special place in the hearts of all sisters and brothers because on this day, they reinstate the commitment to their pure relationship. But does it hold the same richness that it began with? Do we know why it started or has it become „just one of those things we Indians do‟? We know the literal meaning of Rakshabandhan – the bondage of protection and as per tradition, sisters apply „tilak‟ on the forehead of their brothers, tie a colorfully decorated “rakhi’ or thread on their brother‟s wrist, and offer sweets as a token of their love. In return, the brother vows to protect his sister under all circumstances and of course, gives his sister „kharchi‟ or a gift. But do we stop to wonde...

 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ Saturday, August 28, 2021. 7:07. AM. --------------------------------------------------------------- The operation of the Gunas of nature, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas is noticeable in the spiritual quest as in everything else. The result is that when something new or exciting occurs, it tends to provoke the rising of Rajas and an attempt to grasp and enhance the ego-gratification of the event. Rajas however has its limitations and eventually there is a reaction that either brings on the rise of Tamas, in the forms of ignorance, darkness or inaction; or, if balanced, it can bring the rise of Sattwa. Sri Aurobindo cautions that as real experiences arise in the sleep or dream states, the practitioner of the yoga will be tempted to invest more time and focus on these states than on the activities of the waking state, in order to further the experiences and g...

 ---------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, August 27, 2021. 7:08. AM. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: In this world of stress, violence and corruption, what is your message for youth starting out in business? We must know that the whole world is not corrupt. There are a few people who indulge in corruption. We must also remember that corruption begins where the sense of belongingness ends. Nobody can do corrupt practices with those whom they think belong to them. Wherever there is sense of belongingness, corruption becomes simply impossible. Corruption begins where the sense of belongingness ends. So, you need to educate people in values where the sense of belongingness is extended. This is what i call spirituality. Spirituality is that which enhances the ...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thursday, August 26, 2021.7:03. AM. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥ १२ ॥ na tvevāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ Krishna effectively imparts to Arjuna the understanding that death is but a transition, not an extinction. With this right perspective, Arjuna drops all considerations of death. He then starts enquiring about life itself, with all its undulations. Krishna’s answer to Arjuna’s enquiry is one that Swamiji has been exposing tirelessly for the past 65 years from innumerable platforms across the world. Before going into Krishna’s analysis, Swamiji challenges us with a question, “What is your life?” – something most have never thought about. Considering the amount of time and energy we spend studying and analyzing the subjects we require...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, August 25, 2021. 7:12. AM. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Utsahavardhakaya is one who creates enthusiasm or generates inspiration in the hearts of his devotees. Inspiration : Some people provide motivation, others instigation, but the best give inspiration. Instigation pulls us down, motivation takes us forward and inspiration takes us upwards. Enthusiasm inspires us to raise ourselves to a higher plane. If one is tämasic, it motivates one to become rajasic. If rajasic, it encourages one to become sattvic. The sattvic, are inspired to go even beyond sattva; the worldly are enthused to follow the spiritual path; those on the spiritual path are inspired to take it seriously and attain God. Just being in the company of great saints and sages helps us to develop an ...

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday, August 24, 2021. 6:43. AM. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pooja is performed at two levels – external and internal. At the external level, we may not be able to offer a golden throne, jewels or expensive ornaments to the Lord. However, mentally, even though it costs nothing to offer the most exotic things, we offer a small coconut in our prayers! Similarly, to make our outer life prosperous, we require a lot of effort. But to enrich the inner life, we are not dependent on external means. #Misplaced Value : Normally, we applaud a person for his achievements, but we respect him for what he is. We have divided the world into haves and have-nots and continue to admire and honour the ‘haves’. As long as we persist in this erroneous attitude, there will always be degrada...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, August 23, 2021. 7:41. AM. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  MAHATMYAM : Srimad Bhagavatham is honoured as the Elixir or Essence of all Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads. It is called the “ripe fruit of the tree of Vedic Literature”. This denotes the sweetness of Bhagavatham, the visible form of the Lord. How attractive is the beautiful form of Krishna?! No superlative adjectives can describe HIS enchanting beauty and charisma. Just a glimpse of the Lord, and you will be spell bound! Bhagavatham is called “Prathyaksha Krishna” as it is the embodiment or visible form of Divinity in its completeness. As you go through Bhagavatham with total mental involvement, you will merge with the Lord in a divine love. It is like a “salt doll” diving into the o...