A Spiritual Giant

Though small in stature, Srutidharma Das was a spiritual giant. He built communities, mentored hundreds of individuals, delivered inspired spiritual teachings, and, in the process, sacrificed all comfort without a second thought. He held back nothing, and it was my great fortune to witness this on a day-to-day basis for nearly two decades. He never…

Restricted Freedom

KOVIDA 2020 #5: Freedom Latest: UK Lockdown intensifies – no social visits, no whimsical shopping, no unnecessary trading, no avoidable traveling, no public gatherings. Everything will be police-enforced. We’ve seemingly lost our freedom. But… consider this: When ‘freedom’ means that everything is so available that we become familiar and complacent, what’s the benefit? If ‘restriction’…

Kovida Compass

KOVIDA 2020 #4: Kovida Compass The word “kovida” appears in a celebrated verse from the Bhagavata-Purana: “Those who are intelligent and philosophically inclined (kovida) should endeavour for that which is beyond the material world. Happiness derived from material sources is obtained automatically, just as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do…

Contradictions

KOVIDA 2020 #3: Contradictions Someone asked me if we should pray for the protection of our loved ones – of course we should! But it got me thinking. A deep fear about losing family and friends… but are we as worried about how we relate to them while their alive? A deep fear of disease…

Isolate, but don’t Stagnate

KOVIDA 2020 #2: Isolate, but don’t Stagnate Latest: Millions of people are lying low to limit the spread of COVID-19. Self-isolation and social distancing, they say, will help curb the crisis. Next problem: how do you cope with being cooped up for days on end? How do we use this time wisely? Consider the three…

COVID to Kovida

KOVIDA 2020 #1 Latest: COVID has hit 200,000 cases worldwide, triggering over 8,000 deaths. In Sanskrit, the word “Kovida” refers to one who is intelligent, wise and philosophically inclined. To appropriately respond to COVID, we each have to become Kovida. Positive affirmations, optimistic propoganda and comforting words are appreciated… but only go so far. We…

Intensity!

Lessons on the Road #6 Yesterday I parked my book box outside the festive merry-go-round. From morning to evening I heard the same 4-song playlist over and over again. These jingles hijack your mind! By the end of the day I found myself singing the line, “I wish it could be Christmas everydaaay,” in between…

Cold Showers

Lessons on the Road #5 It’s Monday morning. It’s cold, wet and windy. It’s time to face the world. It’s another day on book distribution! I remember returning from my first day on book distribution and being advised to do the unthinkable – “go and have a cold shower!” What! I’d already been standing in…

Great Expectations

Lessons on the Road #4 It’s the marathon! Scores, results, league tables and the seasonal time for (transcendental) competition. All of a sudden your performance, proficiency and position is in the spotlight, and it feels like everyone is watching, sizing you up. For some it’s entirely unnerving, for others it’s positively motivating. Some of us…

Cheaters to Teachers

Lessons on the Road #3 You have a 20-second window to make an impression – they stop, you size them up, put in a spiritual pitch, something interesting, inspirational and endearing, and wait for a reaction – hit, miss or blank… anything could happen! One thing is for sure – people are perceptive (more than…

Give me Hope

Lessons on the Road #2 Today he sits on the sidewalk, in minus degree temperatures, holding a ragged sign which reads “give me hope.” It’s a familiar sight that I’ve become somewhat desensitised to; I don’t think I can truly understand his situation. Seeing him sleeping rough, a few people throw in some coins, someone…

Bursting Bubbles

Lessons on the Road #1 It’s easy to get boxed into our own little worlds, sealed in a bubble and oblivious to reality, losing perspective and drowning in ethereal thoughts. It’s the familiar world of “I, me and mine” – a small world in which nothing very mystical, magical or memorable ever really happens. We…