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Yadyatkarma karomi tattadakhilam shambho tavaaraadhanam My Lord Shambo, My Lord Shiva, every act of mine is a prayer in your honour
‘Evil is never in a rush,’ reasoned Brahaspati. ‘It creeps up slowly. It doesn’t hide, but confronts you in broad daylight. It gives decades of warnings, even centuries at times. Time is never the problem when you battle Evil. The problem is the will to fight it.’
‘The distance between Evil and Good is a vast expanse in which many can exist without being either,
‘Often, our immediate reaction to a sudden crisis helps us save ourselves. Our response to gradual crises that creep up upon us, on the other hand, may be so adaptive as to ultimately lead to self-destruction.’
weak people never admit that they are responsible for their own state. They always blame either circumstances or others.
Ati sarvatra varjayet. Excess should be avoided; excess of anything is bad.
if the universe is trying to maintain balance, we must aid this by ensuring that Good is not enjoyed excessively. Or else the universe will re-balance itself by creating Evil to counteract Good. That is the purpose of Evil: it balances the Good.’
What makes a capable person truly dangerous is his conviction.
It is attachment that makes people forget not only their moral duties but even who they really are.’
the primary source of Evil is human greed. It’s our greed to extract more and more from Good that turns it into Evil. Wouldn’t it be better if this was controlled at the source itself? Can we really expect humans to not be greedy?
The purpose is not the destination but the journey itself. Only those who understand this simple truth can experience true happiness.’
‘Rather than the destination it is the journey that lends meaning to our lives,
we should be under no illusion that we are in control of our own breathing. We should realise the simple truth that we are “being breathed”; we are being kept alive because our journey serves a purpose. When our purpose is served, our breathing will stop and the universe will change our form to something else, so that we may serve another purpose.’
‘Duty must be performed for its own sake, not for the power and pelf it might bring.
‘It takes a very self-assured man to appreciate the talents of another,
‘People have a tendency to do what they want to do rather than what they should be doing.’
if there’s a victor’s version of events, then there’s a victim’s narrative that survives equally. For as long as the victors remain in command, their version holds ground. But if history has taught us one thing, it is that communities rise and fall in eminence just as surely as the tides ebb and flow. There comes a time when victors do not remain as powerful, when the victims of old become the elite of the day. Then, one will find that narratives change just as dramatically. This new version becomes the popular version in time.’
‘Honour must beget honour.
‘There is no wrong way to do the right thing.’
The Magadhans will be fighting only for conquest and glory. Those are weak motivations. You are fighting for vengeance and retribution. For your families and for the soul of your nation. You are fighting to stop the Somras that has killed your children and crippled your people. You are fighting to stop the scourge of this Evil. You have to fight to the end; until they are finished.
Valour begot respect, whether in life or in the aftermath of death.
we can go on about who learnt how much and from whom, but that is nothing but our ego, showing our desperation to prove that our culture is superior to others. That is a foolish quest. It is best to learn from everyone, regardless of the cultural source of that learning.’
Delusions create the most compelling of beliefs.
Circumstance is just an excuse for the weak to rationalise their failures.
Dharma matih udgritah; dharma is that which is well judged by your mind; think deeply about dharma and your mind will tell you what is right.
Dharmo rakshati rakshitaha; dharma protects those who protect it.
‘Two wrongs don’t make a right.’
‘It is not a wife’s duty to support her husband in his misdeeds. In fact, a good wife corrects her husband when he is wrong, even if she has to ram it down his throat.’
Indians believe that the body is a temporary gift from Mother Earth. She lends it to a living being so that one’s soul has an instrument with which to carry out its karma. Once the soul’s karma is done, the body must be returned, in a pure form, so that the Mother may use it for another purpose. The ashes represent a human body that has been purified by the greatest purifier of them all: Lord Agni, the God of Fire. By immersing the ashes into holy waters, the body is offered back, with respect, to Mother Earth.
Vayur anilam amritam; Athedam bhasmantam shariram Let this temporary body be burned to ashes. But the breath of life belongs elsewhere. May it find its way back to the Immortal Breath.
