Reflections

 Navigating the Real World Through The Gita:  Karm, Inaction, the Inevitable Blowback, and Yogakshem We speak of The Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta often; we even state that it is applicable to modern life. Yet, few of us daily people try to articulate what it means in a real world context. In this small thought experiment, I am attempting this daunting task – please forgive me for any errors – they arise from my own lack of understanding. I am not a Guru – just a learner studying the book daily for at least 10 years.   When analyzing the Bhagavad Gita, it is easy to get lost in theoretical theology. But the Gita is, when applied, a manual for navigating the real world. In a recent discussion, I found myself categorizing the concepts of Karm and Akarm into four distinct parts: .        Understanding karm or akarm , Thinking about others' karm, Focusing on your own karm, and Finally, forgetting (rather than just forgiving) others' karm. (Before I proceed – t...

   DUTY & STRESS USING DETACHMENT, {SPIRITUALITY} AND A SIMPLE TOOL TO DESTRESS UNDERSTANDING DUTY What exactly is Duty? What are its parameters? And, from a spiritual perspective, what is the link – if any, between Duty and Detachment? How do we gain from the combination of these? And what is the practical real world application of this concept if any? Before we can understand these questions, we need to appreciate the concept of duty in depth.   Duty  : This word does not just refer to your current job at a professional level, and self/family at a personal level. Neither are these independent of each other. There are several levels of duties enjoined on an individual; these are :  Duty towards Self, Duty towards Family, Duty towards Employment Place / Organisation {Not towards person - key difference}, Duty towards Community & Society, Duty towards Nation, Duty towards Humanity, Duty towards Environment This is the full concept of a Human Being's Duty ...

My fascination with Ramkrishn Mission started about ten months ago, when I chanced into a Mathh near Dandekar Pul in Swargate Pune. It was a place of sublime beauty, with a lovely environ and calming holy presence in it. It was – and is – pleasing to the heart, the mind and the body. Over time, I got to know of the Ramkrishn Mission Publication, and started purchasing books to read. While this book is the first that has reached by blog for a review, there are others – several – which will also be reviewed in the due fullness of time. WHAT SHALL I DO? The current book is titled “ What Shall I Do? ”, and is penned by Swami Harshanand. This is a book that is aimed at the youth, though its contents are applicable to everyone, at least for the first half of the book. The book is told in the backdrop of a young man, Ravi, who is desirous of taking Sanyas early in life , and become a monk, and the resistance he faces. That is the subject of the first chapter, and the last 40-o...

An article in The Hindustan Times today caught my eye -  Fewer than half of new MBA graduates getjobs as economy sputters, trend at 5-year low . The articles open with a hard punch to your gut : “ Job offers for fresh management graduates in India are at a five-year low, official data show, a trend experts blame on a sluggish economy as well as a mismatch between the years-old curriculum and industry expectations…. In 2016-17, just 47% of Master of Business Administration (MBA)   graduates got placed on the campus, a dip of 4% over the previous year, marking a five-year low. At 12%, the drop was far sharper for postgraduate diploma holders. ” Image Source : from HT Article linked above I said this on my blog nearly 4 years ago - there is a dire need to revisit the MBA Curriculum; but it isn’t the only aspect of this problem . I say this with authority, as I have seen both sides – having been a Visiting Faculty, as well as a current Industry Veteran. There is an issue ...