All the random thoughts

The Guru was seated at his usual place. The Ashram was empty for a change. I walked in straight, without having to wait for a short darshan. "You seem to be in a hurry," the Guru smiled. "Not really. But I am a little agitated. You see, after that post on LLM, people started calling me a very good writer and even a philosopher." "Is that bad news?" "Indeed it is. Now I feel the pressure to keep up with that reputation. It’s as if I must churn out something deeply insightful every other day. I’m not that smart—I know it. But how do I keep looking smart? That’s stressful." "No one gives two hoots about who you are. They liked your post and said something nice. That’s it. The matter ends there." The Guru had this effortless way of grounding people. "I give more than two hoots about who I am," I blurted, my foolishness refusing to bend to his simple reasoning. "See this picture?" The Guru held up an ordinary ...

(This is in response to all those who asked me, "If Rama was embodiment of Dharma, what about Krishna?". I tried to answer and hope it makes sense) If Rama followed the path of destiny, making choices rooted unwaveringly in Dharma, does that make Krishna wrong for taking a more strategic, even seemingly unfair, approach in the Mahabharata? Was Krishna justified in orchestrating the deaths of Drona, Jayadratha, Karna, and Bhishma through unconventional means? Was he, in fact, being a hypocrite about Dharma? The difference lies in how each upheld Dharma in their respective yugas. Rama lived by Dharma — he walked within its established boundaries. He was Dharma personified, choosing personal suffering over deviation from righteous conduct. But Krishna did not simply follow Dharma — he manifested it. He stood in a time when Dharma was fractured and had to be re-established. He wasn’t just a participant in destiny — he was its architect. In the Ramayana, Rama lives in ...

In a world driven by reason, strategy, and measurable outcomes, the story of Rama from the Ramayana offers a striking counter-narrative. Rama's choices often appear illogical on the surface, yet they illuminate a deeper truth—one rooted not in reason but in Dharma. When Queen Kaikeyi asked King Dasharatha to exile Rama and crown her son Bharata, it was a move that defied logic. Every citizen of Ayodhya longed for Rama to ascend the throne. Kaikeyi's manipulation was transparent. Dasharatha was broken, Bharata would never agree to take the crown this way, and public unrest was a likely outcome. Logic dictated that Rama should stay, wait for Bharata to return, and overturn Kaikeyi's irrational demands. But Rama didn’t choose logic. He chose Dharma. As a son, his duty was to honor his father’s word—even if it was unfair or politically dangerous. Rama knew that upholding Dharma would cost him comfort, power, and perhaps the goodwill of the people. But he also knew t...

We live with the illusion of control—crafting plans, chasing passions, clinging to beliefs, loving some, hating others. Our world is a mosaic of viewpoints, pursuits, politics, and faiths. And our ego is built around our positions and possessions. Yet when death knocks, none of these seem to matter. There are moments that jolt us into this realization. A man murdered on his honeymoon. A cricket team's celebration sparks a stampede, killing 11 (how ironic !) Tourists are gunned down by militants, seemingly at random. A plane crashes—not just anywhere, but onto a hospital canteen, and spares a precious few while killing.many. Civilians die in the crossfire of conflicts they neither started nor supported. To the rational mind, it looks like chaos. But what if it's not? There must be a karmic algorithm at work—one we cannot see, let alone understand. Karma is not about punishment or reward in a simplistic sense. It’s a web of actions and consequences, entangled across time and life...

What complicates life, I believe, is not what happens to us — but the context in which we live it. Each of us walks through life carrying a story. A story shaped by our experiences, encounters, and the countless decisions we are forced to make. Over time, this story becomes our worldview. We’re led to believe we’re in control — that we shape our destiny with careful choices. But if you look closely, every decision we make is already shaped by what we’ve lived through. We’re not really in control. Yet we cling to the illusion that we are. And that’s where conflict begins — where differences in perception take root. Because each person sees the world through their own lens. Their version of reality feels right, and the more they experience, the more their belief hardens. More disagreement, more friction, and even more reinforcement of the same views. But everything changes when we step outside that context. In the presence of nature — vast, untouched, and free — things become...

When Gopanna, also known as Ramadasu, wrote: “Kaarunyalaya Bhaktavarada ninu Kannadi kaanupu Rama,” he was undoubtedly referring to experiencing Rama — our inner consciousness or Paramatma personified. It is not meant to be taken literally. When we had the darshan of Prabhu Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, these lines by Ramadasu came to mind. Yes, they are not meant to be taken literally, but the emotion one feels while looking at Ram Lalla is such that you can’t help but feel your sight has finally fulfilled its purpose. Personally, I couldn’t have asked for more during our entire Kumbh Mela yatra. It felt as if Mother Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati had conspired with Mahadev to grant us that incredible darshan of Prabhu Ram. There are many logistical aspects one could speak about at the Kumbh Mela — the efficiency of the Yogi administration, the commitment of all the personnel involved, the cleanliness, the cleaning workforce, the elaborate arrangements that are rarely seen in any I...