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Some men and women were able to awaken the Parmatma within, and thus become Gods.
Passionate children have strong emotions that insist on finding expression. They laugh loudly. They cry even more loudly.
The eye moves before the hand does.
‘Withholding the truth is different from lying!’
Sometimes, truth causes pain and suffering. At such times, silence is preferred. In fact, there may be times when a white lie, or even an outright lie, could actually lead to a good outcome.’
Wisdom lies in moderation, in balance.
‘Do not rush to the “right answer”,’ clarified Vashishtha. ‘The key, always, is to ask the “right question”.’
greatness and goodness is a potential in a majority of humans, not a reality.’
‘Expecting people to follow rules just because they should is being too hopeful. Rules must be designed to dovetail with selfish interest because people are primarily driven by it. They need to be shepherded into good behaviour through this proclivity.’
‘A relationship is not just for fun, it is also about trust and the knowledge that you can depend on your partner. Relationships based on passion and excitement do not last.’
The government should not interfere with this natural process. It should merely establish systems that ensure the protection of the weak, giving them a fair chance at survival. Beyond that, it must get out of the way and let society find its own path. It’s not the government’s job to ensure that all achieve their dreams.’
apogee of the feminine way of life — of freedom, passion and beauty. At its best, it is compassionate, creative and especially nurturing towards the weak. But as feminine civilisations decline, they tend to become corrupt, irresponsible and decadent.’
The masculine way of life is defined by truth, duty and honour. At its peak, masculine civilisations are efficient, just and egalitarian. But as they decline, they become fanatical, rigid and especially harsh towards the weak.’
All efforts to impose the concept of the One God upon minds that do not respect diversity will only result in intolerance. The Upanishads contain this warning.’
Giving a sharp sword to a child is not an act of generosity, but irresponsibility.
the feminine way has other problems; most importantly, of how to unite their own behind a larger cause. The followers of the feminine way are usually so divided that it takes a miracle for them to come together for any one purpose, under a single banner.’
‘I believe leaders of the feminine way tend to shirk responsibilities. Their message to their followers is: “It’s your decision”. When things go wrong, there’s no one who can be held accountable. In the masculine way, the leader has to assume all the responsibility. And only when leaders assume responsibility can society actually function. There is clear direction and purpose for society as a whole. Otherwise, there is endless debate, analysis and paralysis.’
People will talk nonsense. It is, after all, their job.
accepting anything besides the promise of physical protection during the rakhi ceremony was an admission of the inferiority of women.
Dark clouds cannot hide the sun forever. One day, they will clear and true light will shine through.
‘Nobility is about being noble, Maa. It’s about the way of the Arya. It’s not about your birth, but how you conduct yourself. Being a noble is a great responsibility, not a birthright.’
weak people celebrate when twists of fate hurt their tormentors.
‘There is virtue in non-violence, no doubt, but only when you’re not living in the Age of Kshatriya, of violence. If in the Age of Kshatriya, you are among the very few who believe that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”, while everyone else believes otherwise, then you will be the one who is blinded. Universal principles too need to adjust themselves to a changing universe.’
‘A real leader doesn’t choose to lead only the deserving. He will, instead, inspire his people into becoming the best that they are capable of.
To the proud, the pretence of noble compliance is better than admittance of failure.
the strange thing about anger is that it is like fire; the more you feed it, the more it grows. It takes a lot of wisdom to know when to let anger go.
if a tactic has led to failure, then persisting with it unquestioningly, in the wild hope of a different outcome, is nothing short of insanity?’
karma is giving you a negative signal repeatedly, then it is not testing you, it is trying to teach you.
‘The Asuras are not bad people; they just have an understanding of dharma that is not valid for today’s world. Sometimes, the followers are good but the leaders let them down.
The only true One God is the one who picks no sides, who belongs to everything, who doesn’t demand loyalty or fear; in fact, who doesn’t demand anything at all. Because the Ekam just exists; and His existence allows for the existence of all else.’
Difficult times make men cling to their faith even more strongly. But if you base a masculine way of life on laws, then, possibly, when needed, the laws can be changed. The masculine way of life should be built on laws, not faith.’
when civilisation goes into decline, the people of the feminine are prone to divisiveness and victim-mongering. In the middle ages of the Devas, the caste system, which was originally based on karma and not birth, became rigid, sectarian and politicised. This allowed the Asuras to easily defeat them. When the later Devas reformed and made the caste system flexible again, they regained their strength and defeated the Asuras.’
There is something positive hidden in every negative, and something negative hidden in every positive. Life is complicated, and a balanced person can see both sides.
the current law favours men. Polygamy is allowed but polyandry is not.
A person becomes a Brahmin by karma, not by birth.
