Mahesh Prabhu's Blog, page 49

Is it Possible to Live without Desires?

Every Vedic texts from Vedas, Aranyakas, Upanishads to Vyasa’s Mahabharat, Valmiki’s Ramayana until Kautilya’s Arthashastra heralds the importance of understanding our true self – Atman – first and foremost, before anything.

The idea that Atman as “Soul” is incorrect. That is because “Soul,” virtually a semantic concept, is a part of the human body. Atman, on the other hand, is our real self. The Vedic Rishis and Rishikas repeatedly suggest that we are neither the body nor the mind.

The idea...

Kautilya’s axiom to peace, power and prosperity

“Kautilya” or “Chanakya” inspires a great many of his admirers even to this day. A legend who played a pivotal role in building a great empire that unified India under a single rule – is often compared with 16th-century renaissance author Niccolo Machiavelli. Although it could be considered– Kautilya was a genius way ahead of his time and had a vision beyond the statesmanship of the western world. It becomes evident when we read his version of Artha Shastra.

As strange as it may sound Kautily...

Uprooting Weakness and Awakening Power: A Vedic Kautilyan Perspective

Every person has a weakness, according to conventional wisdom. It varies from person to person; it also depends on people’s perspective. What one may perceive as weakness may be considered strength by others. We have no solid definition of “weakness” per se. It won’t be wrong to suggest that the lack of understanding “weakness” is itself our greatest weakness.

Weakness is primarily an emotional state which cripples our ability to deliver on our duties and external functions effectively. Ther...

Understanding Economy from the Vedic Perspective of Karma

Economics is an integral part of our lives – whether we understand it or not, it plays a crucial role in the way we live, perceive as well as work. Personal or professional, our lives are always affected, directly or indirectly, by significant economic initiatives and programs run by governments around the world. As a “global village,” governments are more concerned about economic consequences than military ones, this is the reason why we haven’t had a world war since the dawn of a globalized...

Vedic origins of Rationalism

Does Vedic literature, starting from the Vedas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, up until Arthashastra, qualify as “religious” scriptures? Do they, in any way, promote misguided ideas like blind beliefs? Are they bereft of rationalism? Do they discredit rationalism? Or are they built on the very foundation of rationalism?

To answer these questions, we need to understand the very definition of rationalism, first & foremost.

Rationalism is known as the practice or principle of bas...

Rituals and Traditions

Long ago, a village in northern India was facing a severe rodent infestation, to counter the menace almost every house purchased cats at attractive prices. However, during the Ganesha Chaturthi – since the mouse (also a rodent) is considered a vehicle of Ganesha – the elders of the village decided to cage all the cats to prevent them from eating the mice. Years passed, and the rodent infestation became history, the cat population also dwindled. Yet, for over a hundred years people made it a r...

Kautilya’s strategy for defeating militant Islam in the West

This article by U. Mahesh Prabhu is part of The Kautilya Project of Vedic Management Center

A battle is an armed conflict; war is a series of battles. Wise sages have declared that war is a result of disturbed and imbalanced minds. “You can win all the battles and still lose the war,” say some, and it is true. Look at the state of the United States-led coalition forces, in Iraq and Afghanistan particularly. The troops although equipped with the most sophisticated tactical tools and lethal wea...

The Timeless Wisdom of Rajagurus on Leadership

Kings from the early Rig Vedic period had mentors whom they held in the highest regard. They were called Rajaguru. Rajaguru essentially translates to Guru of the King.

King Bharat, after whom India is also called Bharath, had Bharadwaj. King Rama had Vashistha, Mauryan King Chandragupta had Kautilya a.k.a. Chanakya a.k.a. Vishnugupta, founder of Vijayanagara Empire – Hakka and Bukka – had Vidyaranya, the list goes on. These Rajagurus never stayed in the capital or in grand palaces. They were...

Kautilya on Mindful Leadership: Overcoming Limitations

This article by U. Mahesh Prabhu is a part of The Kautilya Project

“Even great men are with their own limitations,” says Kautilya in the Artha Sutras, and, “Men of wisdom learn to annihilate them.”

All humans are born with limitations – there are things we can and cannot do. There are things we can and, yet, don’t do. There are things we don’t like and still do. All these signify limitations of mind. The mind plays a pivotal role in all that we need to do. Unless the mind is won, there’s n...

A Myth called “Artificial Intelligence”

We’ve created machines that help us perform our tasks better and faster. These machines, like mobile phones, are being called “smart.” But smartness stems from intelligence – the myth that “brain is intelligence” has already been busted. We don’t understand the brain either, leave alone intelligence. Given this, how can we even claim to have created something about which we’ve no substantial knowledge of? How can we understand our mind and intelligence to recreate it artificially? U. Mahesh P...