In Amdavad (Ahmedabad), I stay at the Dada Bhagwan Foundation ashram. A neighbourhood uncle, loves playing chess. And while I don’t play the game often, I do have a penchant for it. So the uncle looks out for me to play the game whenever I am there. He plays chess daily. Often more than one […]
On Sadhguru’s CAA Video #1: Should Spiritual Leaders Give Their Views on Social and Political Matters?
When I saw Isha had published Sadhguru’s views on CAA & NRC, I chuckled. Because a backlash was inevitable. What I didn’t expect was that Modi & BJP would promote that video in such a big way. And hence, the backlash to it would also multiple that many times. One of the first comments I […]
Why did you choose bhramacharya? I asked a Jain Sadhviji (monk)
She said, “Because I didn’t get admission in college” “I have studied only till 10th standard. That was in Gujarat in Gujarati medium. I didn’t know any English. My family then shifted to Mumbai. But the college in Mumbai insisted that I should know some English in order to get admission in 11th std. But […]
6 AM blog post: My Efforts to Wake Up Early
A 6AM blog post to wake up early may be a fairly dumb idea. But I want to try it out nonetheless. I haven’t documented it here, but I have been looking to wake up early in the morning, consistently. Consistently is key, because I do wake up early on many days and do my […]
Year in review: life comes full circle in a way
It’s that time of the year, when I do a review and assessment of my year gone by. Along with that, I also have a self-evaluation assessment, which also happens at this time. So this Diwali & traditional New Year time have always been a reflective time of the year for me combined with ART […]
Where’s the Devi in Jainism?
As Navratri passes by once again, I find myself pondering on the Devi. It has been happening quite often. I find myself a bit flummoxed with the Devi. And I am realising it is a more deeply rooted matter than mere pondering. I can’t quite grasp it. And yet it is there. As I wondered […]
Mahatma Gandhi & Ramana Maharshi Connection [Ashram Talks]
In the ashram a lot of random things get said. Different ashrams have different levels of crap being spoken in a very normalized fashion. From a friend who had apparently been to another hippie place (not sure it can be called an ashram) said that Isha is really good in that respect that they very […]
मिथ्या मे दुष्कृतं : Michchami Dukkadam : Bringing Humility to my Actions
I was going through an English explanation/meaning of the Jain rituals like the Pratikraman. I have hugely propounded always that we should delve into the actual meaning of words and scriptures. And so I am always encouraging (pushing) my Jain relatives to delve into the actual meaning of the scriptures which they hold in high […]
Karma (कर्म)
A fairly misunderstood word in today’s day and age. The misunderstandings are natural because it is a deep reality that is not in our face nor obvious. We need to think and perceive the world with some depth. Moreover, in spiritual contexts the word has been used to mean many different things. And while it […]
A Mahashivratri without Shiva
This year, I spent my Mahashivratri in Silence. This is not common for me. Every year since 2006, I spend it watching the SJV / Isha program via TV or web-streaming or live at the venue. Here’s how it happened, I was on my 2 month cycle tour in Thailand. This was during the Mahashivratri […]