chaotic order

Philosophy is often criticized to be an esoteric affair of Men who have no active life to pursue. So much so, that the essence and meaning of religion as a study of truth about ourselves has lost its relevance in the mists of time. The matters of the spirit (so to speak) in this modern age are relegated to indulgent pastimes that are exercised only as a distraction from the daily business of livin g. This is a profound tragedy because religion is probably the most practical science ever practiced; and to not understand the value of this pursuit undermines the entire intellectual heritage of Mankind across ages and civilizations. By Religion, obviously, I do not refer to Institutionalized faiths , but a living, dynamic, intense inquiry into the reality of one self. During my research the other day, I came across a wonderful story in the Vedas (the lore of Aryan tribes) that smacked of practical wisdom and investigative rigor. Here it goes : A learned sage walks into a palace and demand

The second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is in my opinion, the finest treatise on self confidence and the imperative need to get on with life, no matter what the consequences are. Arjuna is in a terrible state of psychological indecision. His whole life has been a preparation for this day of War. Every sinew in his body has been chiseled to wield the bow with an artistry that is unparalleled ; educated in the finest traditions of the age, under the most prolific masters available: this is his moment of truth; and lo!, the Gandiva slips from his fingers , his psyche is paralyzed and he stands before the lord completely bewildered. Then begins one of the greatest lectures ever delivered to a man in utter confusion : Sankya Yoga (the Book of doctrines), In Seventy two verses, Krishna summarizes the entire philosophy of existence clothed in a language and style that is poetic, deep, mellifluous and pregnant with practical wisdom. The 37th verse is my personal favorite. After taking Arjuna

As a young boy, I remember watching the classic fantasy movie “The clash of Titans” - a beautifully crafted Grecian mythological film : The Hero Perseus, a mortal battling all odds against demonic forces, aided in unexpected ways by forces unknown; eventually banishing Hades, the Lord of the underworld to his rightful place; and rescues pretty Andromeda from the jaws of death. A simple story, ofte n told and repeated in cultures across the globe in flavors that are local to it (Ramayana is one such story). As a child we were reared with these immortal heroes at our bedsides. They dominated our dreams, and in a subconscious manner, we aspired the same glory as them. The Superman’s, Spiderman’s and the Batman’s are then externalizations and manifestations of this inner need to transcend and extend ourselves, beyond the limited little self, that we are. They are our modern day heroes. We relish the accomplishments, miracles and physical impossibilities of these 'larger than life'

The Upanishadic texts often refer to man of spiritual temper as a “Dvijotthama” (translated as “twice born”) and the Christian texts to the birth of Jesus as “Virgin birth”. It is interesting that across cultures the same metaphorical motifs point to the same meaning, though, their symbolism's tend to get distorted and misdirected within the narrow contexts when used in different institutionalized faiths. Let me explain: All primitive mystical traditions speak of a physical birth through a mother’s womb and after a period of intellectual and cultural incubation within the social boundaries of the tribe, the young adult physically and psychologically is wrenched free from attachment to the mother and initiated into a larger role that he has to play in society, with new rules that are in consonance with observed laws of nature, procreation and the Universe as they knew it. A “Dvijotthama” then, is one who has shed his filial attachments ,puerile s ense of individuality, and moved in

Shyam  -  a testimonial It has been an honor and a deep pleasure to have known and seen Shyam grow, evolve, mature over the last decade. I remember meeting him for the first time in the office of NIIT Rajajinagar : a lean , unsure, friendly, gullible, genuinely brilliant young boy who was going through the motions of college rather effortlessly and had enough time to attend to pursue his varied interests in life. Between him and me: It was kind of bonding that happens naturally when two like minded  individuals gravitate towards each other, and I have ever since counted him as a part of very close inner circle of friends. I still remember the difficult choice that he had to make after his graduation when he had two good offers in his hand, and then decided to join the electronics industry . He has not looked backed ever since, and that is his great quality; the ability to take life as it comes and give it every ounce of energy, attention and intellect that he can be given to it. It

It is a cloudy and windy evening here in Salt Lake City. I returned from work at 5.30, took a swim, ordered in a Pizza from a local Pizzeria called the "Big Daddy", pulled up a couple of pillows behind me and continued my reading of a wonderful book of essays by Stephen Jay Gould - an evolutionary biologist. Dr Gould is arguably the best known and widely read scientist of our generation. A Paleont ologist by profession, but is widely recognized for his path breaking views on Darwinian theory of evolution and the articulate essays that he regularly wrote for the "The Natural History" magazine for a period of thirty odd years till his death in 2002. All his known essays have been collected in individual volumes edited by and prefaced by Gould himself. Since the time Darwin published his seminal work “Origin of species" in 1850, scientific thinking, buttressed by religious authority has been vociferously advocating, establishing and pontificating on an anthropoce

Will and Ariel Durant - A personal tribute and remembrance Mel Gibson’s great and controversial movie “Apocalyptic”, released in 2006, fictionalized the decline and fall of the famed Mayan civilization: it begins with the following graphical quote: ‘A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself within’. These are the words of Will Durant, written nearly  fifty years ago in the hallowed pages of his epic work “The story of civilization” in eleven volumes. In nearly thirteen thousand pages of immaculate writing, poetic audacity, delectable idioms and sweeping generalizations; both Will and his wife Ariel Durant spans the lifetime of human civilization in all its principal aspects with a finesse, grace and erudition that has never before been attempted , and In my opinion , can never be bettered in its execution. The work took them fifty years to plan and complete, and during that period, the husband and wife traveled the globe a dozen times, saw and r