Mahesh Prabhu's Blog, page 48

The True Nature of Vedic Knowledge & Wisdom

Vedic texts, starting from Vedas, Upanishads, Aranyakas, Brahmanas, Vyasa’s Mahabharata, Valmiki’s Ramayana until Kautilya’s Arthashastra, are often described as “religious scriptures.” That is not just inaccurate but also misleading.

Vedic texts do not mention any “God” or, even, “Gods” per se. They do mention gross elements, namely: Prithvi, Agni, Toyam, Vayu, and Akash. Vedic texts explain how these elements of nature make this body happen and therefore seeks to honor these elements and, a...

The Financial Security and Kautilya’s Arthashastra

A significant amount of our energy today is being spent in building our careers, and organizations, in the hope to have a financially secure future. Starting from our schooling, college education until professional skill development, we invest heavily to achieve this end.

And yet our lives are marred by insecurities making our lives overwhelmed by stress and anxieties. All the promises of “great jobs” of academia and “a promising future” of the employers tend to fall short and you eventually...

The Unmistakable Connection between Yoga, Ayurveda, Arthashastra & Vedic Management

The word Vedic comes from the root word Vid, meaning Wisdom. Vedic scriptures, of which Yoga & Ayurveda are an integral part, is not a one size fit all approach. It is a distinct approach, where every individual first begins by understanding one’s true self, or Atman, followed by one’s own body, or Sharira, and Mind, or Mana. It is in every dimension, a path of self-discovery, self-betterment, and constant self-improvement.

No matter what you desire, or achieve, in life. Nothing will make sen...

Bandhu & Bandhanam: The Vedic Wisdom on Relationships

The word Bandhu in Vedic Sanskrit stands for Relatives as well as Friends. The word Bandhanam, which comes from the root word Bandha, means Bondage. Are relationships bondage? Cannot relationships be liberating as well?

Most people think that relationships are of the body. The idea such as “because this person is related to me by blood, is my relative and, therefore, I must be more caring and considerate towards this person…” is a misconstrued idea. Such ideas are most certainly natural, but...

How can practitioners of Yoga & Ayurveda benefit from Kautilya’s Arthashastra?

The word Yoga comes from root Vedic Sanskrit word Yuj, which means The Path. However, the Yoga, as we know it today, i.e., as an exercise, is Ashtanga Yoga. Also, Patanjali did not invent the Ashtanga Yoga as it is wrongly believed by many. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are mostly a collection of teachings from various Rishis and Rishikas who preferred to stay aloof from the material world by shunning all sorts of recognition. Even the four Vedas which form the essence of Vedic teachings were initi...

Bhakti versus Bhranti: Devotion versus Delusion

A lot is made of “Bhakti” by commercially driven “spiritual” institutions and individuals. “Bhakti to Guru is crucial,” they often say. “Bhakti” to such opportunists is little more than absolute and unquestionable loyalty to the Cult and its leader, often labeled as “Guru.”

Guru is not a “spiritual leader”; a Guru can be anyone who has taught you something crucial in your life. A true Guru seeks nothing; expects nothing. The Guru consists of two words, namely Gu meaning Ignorance and Ru mean...

Dhyana & Prarthana: Why Meditation is not Praying

The Mind is a mystery which even modern science is yet to comprehend fully.

According to Rishis the mind, even though emanates from the body, is neither the body nor the brain. Mana or Mind is that which helps us understand the world outside. It is that intangible component in this body that makes tangible known. It plays a crucial role in our physical existence.

According to Rishis the mind, even though emanates from the body, is neither the body nor the brain. Mana or Mind is that which he...

Mantra: As the Idea that Creates, Sustains or Destroys

Mantra is by far the most misused as well as abused word of Vedic Sanskrit. The mantra was never some “spell” reciting which you could recite to “magically” summon “divine powers” or “superhuman intervention.” Mantra is also considered by many to be synonymous with yet another Vedic Sanskrit word Shloka.

Rishis and Rishikas, sages of Vedic era, wrote Shlokas or hymns enumerating their experiences, knowledge, and wisdom; which they considered are crucial in sustaining balance in life; to find...

A Threat might be Real, Fear is Optional, but Hate is always Detrimental

In Vyasa’s Mahabharata right before the war, Pandava Prince Arjuna is disillusioned in the battlefield, just before the beginning of the Great War. His opponents are his relatives and friends. Bhishma the person who cared him more than his biological father, Drona his beloved Guru, Kripa his teacher and all those who played a pivotal role in his making, were present to fight against him.  Not fighting would mean certain death and yet Arjuna wanted to let it all go. He did not want to fight.

T...

Resolving Emotional Crisis with Vedic Leadership Counselling™

Are problems an essential part of life? Where do the problems come? Why do we use quick fixes instead of resolving these problems completely?

Most people, facing a multitude of problems in their life, do not tend to ask, let alone find answers to, these questions. When you do not ask intelligent questions, you fail to resolve those problems and as a result face an absolute crisis, where salvaging becomes difficult.

A Perspective is a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something,...