R. Radhakrishnan's Blog, page 3
July 17, 2024
The many ways to wisdom. The Rishi, the housewife, and the Butcher.
In Hinduism, there is the concept of dignity of labor and also the pursuit of material wealth. If somebody tells you Hinduism looks down upon the pursuit of wealth or material things, don’t believe them.
In Hinduism life has four goals.
Dharma
Artha
Kama
Moksha.
All these goals are interlinked.
Artha is the pursuit of material wealth. But this pursuit of wealth should be with Dharma.
The wealth should be acquired by legitimate means.
One should follow ethical ways an...
June 27, 2024
The Lost City: Treasures from India’s past.
In childhood, I read and enjoyed many stories of lost cities that would be filled with treasure.
As I grew up those memories faded and I knew that there were no lost cities filled with treasure. Life was humdrum and filled with the daily grind of practicality.
But there are lost kingdoms and cities full of treasure and I got a glimpse of that when I stumbled upon Sondhini.
In the early nineties, India was just waking up to its strengths and its ancient heritage. I was posted in Madh...
June 25, 2024
Sexuality and the Apsara. The birth of Urvashi.
An Apsara dancing in abandon.We looked at spirituality in the earlier blog and Indian Philosophy is full of spiritual advice and we have many persons pontificating about spirituality. India, they claim, is a spiritual land.
How boring it all seems sometimes when we hear the frequent admonishments, restrictions, and what have you. Did our ancestors really tell us to lead drab and dull lives? Was sex taboo, a necessity for just procreation?
No, all these ideas came to us over the ages,...
June 23, 2024
Spirituality.
How important is spirituality in your life?
Spirituality is often confused as being religious. How many times have we heard someone say I am very spiritual I go to church regularly or I visit the temple daily or I pray five times.
People also misconstrue spirituality as austerity and give up this or that.
Spirituality is much more than all this. it is a journey of self-realization and it is unique to each individual. It is the growth of the self. A growth of your awareness of the world ...
June 19, 2024
Dhambodhabhava The King with a thousand armour.
Our epics are itihasa, stories based on past events. Many a time the stories are linked together and cover different eras and periods. Each story is independent and yet dependent on earlier tales.
Maybe it is done to ride on the popularity of another tale or maybe a popularity multiplier. Who knows? But let’s look at one such tale from our mythology.
Today we look at the story of Dhambodhabhava.
Sugreeva, the Vanara king, was cursed to be born as an Asura, a demon, as he had caused his ...
May 30, 2024
Why do we cremate our dead in Hinduism.
Funerals are grim and a time of grief for many. Religion tries to reduce grief in many ways. The rituals associated with funerals are one of the methods to get the living to leave their grief behind and get in with their life.
In Hinduism, reincarnation is a core concept, and the aim of life is to attain moksha freedom from this cycle of rebirth.
Our ancestors understood change was difficult especially when we had no information about where we were going. That meant the soul would hang...
May 28, 2024
Savarkar
On 28th May 1884 was born a man who personified revolution with his focus and passion, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, or as he is popularly known, Veer Savarkar.
There are many myths and misconceptions about him. And sadly he is not given his due as a freedom fighter, as a revolutionary who inspired the young men of his era and instilled fear in British hearts.
His active years as a revolutionary were between 1900 and 1912 much before the Gandhi era.
Savarkar was highly educated ...
May 18, 2024
Why are many Hanuman idols red in colour?
Hanumanji.How many times have you seen an idol of Hanuman and wondered why he is shown as red in color or in some places he is covered with Sindoor? ( Vermilion)
People will tell you, that red is the color of power strength, and so on. Or some philosophical or symbolic theory. So dull.
In the tales we hear as children, there is a much more interesting tale and it is all about Bhakti.
Ram was ruling Ayodhya and it was an idyllic time. Everyone was happy and Hanuman was especially hap...
May 8, 2024
The Legends of Kerala : The Ernakulam Shiva Temple. Or how Ernakulam got its name.
Once upon a time, Ernakulam was a sleepy little town lapped by the waters of the Arabian Sea.
Today it is the commercial capital of Kerala, a self-obsessed bustling town that seems to always be in a bit of a hurry.
At the centre of the town overlooking the Arabian Sea is the temple of Shiva which we call the Ernakulathappan temple. This is because the deity here is considered to be the guardian of the town.
It is located on the Durbar Hall grounds or you can say it t...
The Legends of Kerala : The Ernakulam Shiva Temple.
The main deity Once upon a time, Ernakulam was a sleepy little town lapped by the waters of the Arabian Sea.
Today it is the commercial capital of Kerala, a self-obsessed bustling town that seems to always be in a bit of a hurry.
At the centre of the town overlooking the Arabian Sea is the temple of Shiva which we call the Ernakulathappan temple. This is because the deity here is considered to be the guardian of the town.
It is located on the Durbar Hall grounds or you can say it t...
