3This sub was initially conceived to strengthen focus on Hindu scripture and a life based on dharmic principles advanced by scripture. Application of dharma, if you will. While that aim remains unchanged, it is necessary that we use the tools at our disposal to do so. Such cognitive tools include modern scientific thought. So as we move forward, we encourage the drawing of parallels between science and scripture, the use of knowledge of science to understand and apply dharma in its various forms.

Who is your female dharmic hero? Why?

Can be someone from history, purana/itihasa or even modern day.

How do we strive for and achieve age the 4 attainables - dharma, artha, kama and moksha - in various stages of life - brahmacharya (childhood, studentship), grihasta (marriage, householder), vanaprastha (retirement), sanyasa ( renunciation of the world and total alignment with the sat i.e. the ultimate truth).

Note: While the dharmas for varna + ashrama are bundled together, we can only look at the ashrama portion for our discussion. Ashrama = that which is replete with industry (shrama). It is a station in life that is dedicated to a particular set of practices and efforts towards life fulfillment.

1. Where will you find the phrase "dharmo rakshati rakshitaH" ( dharma protects the one who protects it) ? - 1 Mark. Bonus 2 points for quoting the full sloka from which this phrase is extracted and its meaning

2. "Satyameva Jayate " (truth alone triumphs) is part of India's natonal emblem. Where is it excerpted from? -1 mark. Bonus 2 points for quoting the full sloka from which this phrase is extracted and its meaning

3. Who is Bharata after whom Bharata varsha is named ?- 1 mark.

4. Who is Lopamudra? What is her significance in Devi worship? - 2 marks

5. Charaka, Sushruta are usually credited with pioneering medicine. However, it was neither who "created" CHyawanaprasha. What is the story of this herbal concoction and who created it? - 2 points

Who is your favorite hero who upheld dharma?

Post jokes, humorous anecdotes, puns, satire from Indian literature, slice of life.

As always all of our readers are free to start this thread every Thursday.

Vivekananda famously said his favorite was "abhIH" - fearlessness.

1. Name the gnyana (incorrectly written and pronounced as jnana) avataras of Vishu, Shiva and Devi - 3 marks

2. Who was born from Brahma's yawn - 2 marks

3. Who is the author of Mandukya Karikas?- 1 mark

4. What is the name of Shivaji's mother? - 1 mark

5. How many "mukti kshetras" (pilgrim centers that carry energy to grant salvation)are there. Name as many as you can. - 8 marks (n.b. the marks are a giveaway hint to part of the question :-)

Many who have been on a spiritual pursuit will have despaired about progress, questioned their path. Patanjali says this is common and there are 8 obstacles that people face. *

Vyādhistyānasaṁśayapramādālasyāviratibhrāntidarśanālabdhabhūmikatvānavasthitatvāni cittavikṣepāste'ntarāyāḥ||30||

Sickness (vyādhi), mental inefficiency (styāna), doubt (saṁśaya), negligence (pramāda), idleness (ālasya), non-abstention --lack of control-- (avirati), erroneous perception (bhrānti-darśana), the state of not attaining (alabdha) to any yogic stage (bhūmikatva) (and) unsteadiness --anavasthitatva-- (anavasthitatvāni). Those (te) mental (citta) projections (vikṣepāḥ) (are) the obstacles (antarāyāḥ)||30|| *

These obstacles present themselves as

*Duḥkhadaurmanasyāṅgamejayatvaśvāsapraśvāsā vikṣepasahabhuvaḥ||31||

Pain (duḥkha), feeling of wretchedness and miserableness (daurmanasya), shakiness or trembling (ejayatva) of the body (aṅgam), inhalation (śvāsa) (and) exhalation --praśvāsa-- (praśvāsāḥ) appear or arise (bhuvaḥ) together with (saha) the (aforesaid) projections (vikṣepa)||31||*

The way to surmount them is to keep at it single-mindedly

*Tatpratiṣedhārthamekatattvābhyāsaḥ||32||

For (artham) keeping that back --i.e. for stopping those mental projections-- (tad-pratiṣedha), the practice (abhyāsaḥ) of (concentration on) a single (eka) principle (tattva) (is recommended)||32||*

Krishna in the Gita says

"shraddhavan labgate gnyanam"

Shraddha is defined as faith in the guru and in scripture.

Sai Baba of Shirdi said the same in different words. Two things required to attain the truth- "shraddha, saburi(forbearance)" .

How have you attempted to overcome obstacles? What qualities must we inculcate to be successful in this?

Every Friday we will celebrate one hero who upheld dharma against odds and became a hero to mankind. Upholding dharma could be by way of sacrifice, teaching and spreading knowledge, guiding others in the path, fighting for what is right, fighting for the country, remaining steadfast in everyday dharma etc.

Today we remember the rishi Madhava Vidyaranya. Madhava was born into a poor brahmin family at a time when Muslim rule was strangulating Hindu dharma. He dreamed of re-establishing the glory of a dharmic rule and empire but realized he did not have the resources to get started. He performed severe penance to Goddess Lakshmi (Bhuvaneswari) who appeared before him and asked him to state his wish. He said he wanted wealth that he can utilise for the cause of dharma. The goddess responded that he did not have sufficient good karma in this lifetime to be wealthy and that she will grant his wish in the next life. Madhava immediately discarded his yagnyopavita (sacred thread) which is tantamount to aatura sanyasa (instantaneous renunciation and monkhood. Sanyasa is considered a whole new birth for the person who chooses this path). Having done so, he stood before the goddess and said , "Mother, I am now a sanyasi. This is a rebirth for me. Hence grant my wish". The goddess was so moved by his sacrifice for the cause of dharma, that she rained riches where he stood.

This is the second instance in the Sankara lineage where Lakshmi showered physical gold and wealth when entreated by a sage. The first instance is of Sankaracharya himself summoning the goddess with his Kanakadhara Stavam

Vidyaranya Swami was a highly learned and enlightened scholar. He later became the pontiff of Sringeri math, wrote many great philosophical works including the Sarvadarsana Sangraha and Vedanta panchadasi. He is also the author of Sankara Vijaya, the authoritative biography of Sankaracharya. Madhava Vidyaranya's Sankara Vijayam is revered as Guru Charitra and is aa parayana grantha (i.e. a holy book that is read according to prescribed schedules and rituals, usually for a specific intention) to many.

Vidyaranya became the raja guru (guru to the king) of Vijayanagara Empire and presided over its establishment. The Vijayanagara empire is one of the most glorious periods of recent Indian history and up until ~600 years ago or so, during the reign of Krishnadevaraya of this empire, India was so rich that gemstones were sold in heaps on pavements.

Vidyarana Swami had a camp office at Hampi and the current ashram and Virupaksha temple were established during his time.

His supreme sacrifice - giving up all worldly pleasures for the cause of dharma and using all resources at his disposal - knowledge, tapasya, wealth given by the goddess etc.- for the cause of dharma and creating a legacy that is revered to this day makes him our hero this Friday.

++++++++++++++++++++

As always, all our readers are welcome to remind the rest of us every Friday, of a hero and their dharma.

Post jokes, humorous anecdotes, puns, satire from Indian literature, slice of life.

As always all of our readers are free to start this thread every Thursday.

I'll start. There is a story of a monk giving out a sermon on mithya i.e. how everything in the world is an illusion. As he was pontificating, a mad elephant started running through the crowds and naturally the crowds scattered away in fear as did the teacher. While running away someone from the audience panted alongside the teacher and asked him why he ran away from the elephant. If everything is mithya, isn't the elephant also illusory? Teacher pants back "gajam mithya, palayanam mithya" - The elephant is illusory and so is running away from it!

Daya is one of the 4 legs of dharma, the other 3 being satyam (truthfulness), tapas(religious/spiritual practices) and saucha (cleanliness - of mind and matter-). This is explained in the BHagavata purana.

It is also one of the 10 yamas according to Patanjali yoga.

Mercy - although I'd prefer to call it grace- has been extolled as one of the greatest gifts to give or receive. It has been personified as a shakti (consort) of the Brahman. Vedanta desika write a 100-verse poem called daya satakam.

Are there justifiable instances when grace should be withheld?

Note: The title phrase is borrowed from Shakespeare (ref: Merchant of Venice)

Ashadha Pournami (the full moon day of the month so ashadha in the Hindu calendar) is observed as the day of the guru. It is also called Vyasa Purnima in whose honor it is observed.

The Krishna panchakam (Jagadguru Krishna + the 4 sanatkumaras - sanaka, sanandana, sanatkumara, sanatsujata), the Vyasa panchakam (Veda Vyasa + his 4 primary disciples - Jaimini, Paila, Vaisampayana and Sumanta), Sankara panchakam (Sankaracharya + Padampada, Sureswara, Hastamalaka and Trotaka) and swaguru panchakram (one's guru and 4 generations above in the lineage) are remembered and worshipped on this day.

r/anvesha offers its respects to the Guru embodied by the mother, the father, the guru, the deity, the upadhyaya and the acharya.

Do post your own experiences, thoughts, quotes etc. on your favorite gurus.

Even though it is a non-Hindu holiday, honoring one's father is always in.

Post your thoughts on fatherhood and fathers.

What do the scriptures say about the characteristics of a true guru? How does one go about finding such a guru? Is one necessary at all?

During the battle of Kurukshetra, Krishna has a private conversation with Karna to try and convince him to defect to the Pandava side. In the course of this, Karna narrates his tragic life , injustices, losses, persecution , heckling , loss of honor and position, loss of kshatriya privileges and humiliation for being a suta putra (son of a charioteer, therefore lower caste) that he had to endure all through his life due to Kunti's abandonment of him as an infant.

Krishna in turn soothes him with his own life story, stating how there were plots to kill him even before he was born, even though born a kshatriya how he had to be sheltered in a Vysya's household, the numerous attempts on his life as an infant, having to move lock , stock and barrel (he had to move his entire city) to a different place to keep safe and all this only in his childhood, what to speak of the injustices he had to face as a growing and grown man.

It is obvious that Krishna had to endure more than Karna but Krishna remained victorious in life and never gave in to despair or despondency. His advice to Karna was "never be a victim to your circumstance. Stand firm in your inherent assiduity and intellect (niSTha and buddhi). Don't let external factors cow you".

This is a beautiful lesson for all of us facing difficult situations or losing hope or surrendering to circumstances because we believe we cannot win. Rise above!

Sakuntala entered into a consensual relationship with Dushyanta, a king of low character, who later abandoned her. She was basically deceived by Dushyanta in that she did not know his true colors. However, once her son, Bharata was of age, she went to Dushyanta's court to ensure her son had his rightful place in the world - that of a prince and prince-regent. When Dushyanta refused to acknowledge her, she stood strong, brought Duhsyanta to his knees by reminding him of her spiritual power that could destroy him and his kingdom and of his duty towards his son and of his son's rights to the kingdom. She asked nothing for herself, made sure that Bharata was comfortably settled and went back to the forest to live her life.

(Note: Kalidasa's version of Sakuntala is pure fiction. The above version is the true story from the Mahabharata).

Compare to Kunti who summoned the Sun God and had Karna as a result. Agreed she was a virtually a child when this incident happened and did not have the emotional or psychological maturity to handle the situation which led her to abandon her divinely-begotten son. However, what is tragic and susceptible to (just?) criticism is how she approached Karna during the battle of Kurukshetra, revealed herself as his mother but asked him to spare her other 5 sons, by implication asking him to sacrifice himself in the battlefield.

Sakuntala is a strong woman with high spiritual practice and true feminist. Kunti, OTOH, allowed herself to be a victim of her circumstances. Even as a full grown adult and king-mother, a woman of some power and say over matters, she took the cowardly way out and continued to penalize Karna.

We see the weakening of womanhood in the same yuga (Dwapara) over the span of a few 100 years in Sakuntala and Kunti. Motherhood also lost its sheen as womanhood dampened. What are your thoughts on what led to this change? Is it circumstances? Is it a misinterpretation of one's dharma and karma?

Post jokes, humorous anecdotes, puns, satire from Indian literature, slice of life.

1. What is the name of Arjuna's shankha ? - Easy ,1 mark

2. Who gave us the Vishnu sahasranama that we chant in this yuga and under what circumstances? - easy, 2 marks

3. Who was Kalanemi reborn as? - Intermediate, 2 marks

4. Who enslaved Garuda and his mother, Vinata? - Intermediate, 2 marks

5. Who is considered advaita tatva adhishtana daiva (i.e. the presiding deity of the concept of advaita)?- Difficult, 3 marks

I will give a hint for this if anyone wants it.

Our moderator /u/thecriclover99 designed the sub's logo. It was their idea to have this tree and I think it is very appropriate to what we are trying to do here because,

sri-bhagavan uvaca urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham asvattham prahur avyayam chandamsi yasya parnani yas tam veda sa veda-vit

Translation available here : BG15.1

We adopted this logo to indicate the deep and outspread roots of sanatana vaidika dharma and its evergreen and numerous branches, with the tree itself giving us shade, cool breeze, and calmness.

Thank you /u/thecriclover99 !

"janani janma bhUmisca swargaadapi garIyasi"

Hindu scripture, right from the rig veda have repeatedly extolled the virtue of motherland, mother earth and of patriotism.

maata bhUmiH putrOham pRthivyAh ( atharvana veda*)

The earth is my mother and I, her son

upahUta pRthivi mAtOpamAm pRthivI mAtA hvayatAm ( Rg Veda)

I have invoked the earth as my mother; may she also invite me to be her son

Post your views on why and how we awaken patriotism, unite patriots and, both individually and collectively, make the world a better place. Quotes and references to scripture are highly appreciated.

yE grAmA yad araNyam yAh sabhA adhi bhUmyA | yE sangRamaH samitayastESu cAru vadEma tE || (atharvana veda)

Be it a village (of simple folk) or a forest or civilised society or a battlefield, that I find myself in, may I always speak well of thee, my motherland

We will do a follow-up thread on interdependence of nations, a term used by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarvepalli_Radhakrishnan

What ancient principles do you still embrace and what are still relevant to us in in this age?

What have we lost and must bring back for a just and prosperous world?

Edit: The word prabhava has many meanings and the popular saying can also be translated as "Dharma becomes efficacious through practice"

1. vidvatvum cha nrpatvam cha - nai va tulyam kadaachana

swadese poojyate raaja - vidvaan sarvatra poojyate

There is no comparison between scholarship and royalty (here it means ruler). The king is revered in his own country; the scholar everywhere.

i.e. rishi > raja

2. yasya nAsti swayam pragnyaa, saastram tasya karoti kim

lochanaabhyam viheenasya, darpanam kim karishyati

What good is bookish knowledge to him who is not capable of independent thought. What good is a mirror to a visually challenged person?

Mere memorisation or reading of scripture and literature is not useful. Application of the acquired knowledge is what distinguishes a scholar.

Post jokes, humorous anecdotes, puns, satire from Indian literature, slice of life.

Note: Any of our readers are free to start this thread every Thursday.

1. Name 3 of the pancha maha kavyas (5 great poetic works) in Sanskrit - 6 Marks. Extra credit for naming all 5

2. This is a Raja Ravi Varma painting. Who is depicted in the picture and what is happening? - 2 Marks

3. Name 2 astika darsanas and 2 nastika darsanas - 4 marks. Extra credit for naming more.

4. How many main upanishads are there?- 1 Mark. Extra credit if you can name any

5. Who is credited with saying " janani janma bhumi sca swargaadapi gariyasi" (Translation" Mother and Motherland are superior even to Heaven") -2 Marks

Post your favorite quote and why it is your favorite.