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He may have lived badly. But he will die well.
Never confront a fool with his stupidity, though. It only incites a cycle of ego-driven, unproductive counter-reactions. Praising the ‘intelligence’ and leveraging the self-satisfaction helps further one’s cause.
It would be known as the temple of Ram’s God or Rameshwaram.
ancient code for a king. Avoid both trustworthy fools and untrustworthy experts.
‘The end exists only in our minds,’ said Ram. ‘Time never stops. So, there is no real end, is there? There is only the path. All of us are stuck with the means, for we will never reach the real end. Therefore, we have to think very carefully about the means. Innocent non-combatants cannot be killed, even if it is by omission and not commission. That is adharma.’
“A person often meets his fate on the road he took to avoid it”.’
Lord Parshu Ram, I beg you … Bless that descendant of Yayati and Sharmishtha. His sacrifice will not be in vain. It’s all for Mother India.
What is easily available is not often desirable. What was true among lovers is also true among warriors. It requires great wisdom and discernment to differentiate unavailability from desirability. But there is something about love and bloodlust which diminishes the ability to be wise.
‘The wise have always said that if you find yourself awake and troubled in the late hours of the night, when there is nothing that you can do about what troubles you, then the best idea is to simply go to sleep. That is what dharma dictates.’
Kaushik for Vishwamitra and Divodas for Vashishtha.
The top does not have endless space. The nature of a complex society makes the elite a small class.
The elite class is defined by one thing alone: power. Those who exercise power over others in their society are members of the elite.’
‘Maybe love is an illusion, maybe it isn’t. But even so, there is no reason we should not enjoy it while we feel it. Illusion or not. Only those who have not suffered the dreary desert of grief will deny the ethereal, even if temporary, comfort of love.’
‘Mritaih praapyah svargo yadiha kathayati etad anritam. Paraksho na svargo bahugunamihaiva phalati.’ Ram had recited a couplet from an ancient Sanskrit play: They say that only the dead are allowed to reach heaven. But that is false. True heaven is not beyond us in this life. It is right here on earth. With the one you love.
‘She is the morning to my night. She is the destination to my travels. She is the rain to my cloud. Whatever be the questions of my life, she is the answer.’
‘Why should there be any ego, Dada? I know my strengths. I also know my weaknesses. Every person should know these things. With honesty and without any self-delusions. For that is the only way to be the best you can
‘Freedom comes from understanding that there is no perfection. Nothing in this universe can ever be perfect. Nothing can have all qualities. Gold has no fragrance; sugarcane has no fruit; and sandalwood has no flowers. But that doesn’t take away their beauty, does it?’
What makes life worth living is figuring out what is worth dying for.
‘Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargaadapi Gariyasi.’ Mother and Motherland are superior to heaven.
a battle is never over till it’s over.
Don’t just look at your enemies without, also focus on the traitors within,
In a war, no one side has a monopoly on heroes.
‘Don’t just go to her. Go with her.’
‘You are healed when you remember rather than relive. For then you can smile with your heart…’
‘Life, at its core, is very simple, my son,’ Mandodari had said. ‘We build complicated nonsense around it to avoid looking at the simple truth. Maybe because the truth troubles us. Maybe because the truth makes us unhappy. And so, we waste our lives living a lie.’
power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Only the nation is most precious. Desh sarvopari.’
‘As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”’
There is no glory in war. Only pain and devastation.
Life. Vicious life. Lucky are those who escape early. The others are kept around long enough to suffer more.
in order to remove the effect we must first remove the cause. To remove the seven colours we must remove white light. To end the enmity, one of the foes must die.
Maranaantaani Vairani. Enmity ends with death.
The ancients say that young love is like coal. It burns brightly and with passion. Alas, it does not last often. But when subjected to pressure – immense pressure – it transforms into a diamond. A love that is strong – strongest – in this world.
If the universe spreads to infinity in every direction, then where is the centre? Is it even possible to find a centre within infinity? Wise men say that your centre is where you stand. Spiritually wise men say that the true centre is where your true love stands.
Grief is the ultimate reality of the universe.’
Grief is disheartened love,
Grief is love that has been bound by depression. Grief is not having the one you want to give love to.
“Wealth is like sea water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become,”