Reaching There

What is purva-paksha?  Vaisheshik Darshan throughout the text is not afraid to question the observation and heavily relies on ' purva-paksha ' i.e. debating a former argument to solidify the proposition.  Vaisheshik Darshan  doesn't just state aphorisms, but it takes the reader (you) inside the mind of the author, as he grapples with observations & inferences. And this grappling often leads to counter-argument, which in the case of this  Darshan  is included in the text itself! You won't see any other philosophical treatise, other than Indic texts, where the counter-argument is part of the journey a reader has to take to deep dive into the topic for a clear understanding.  As we go through the proof of one of the nine  Dravyas  (substances) i.e. Atman ( misinterpreted as the soul in Western translation but actually means the reality of realization of our existence i.e. the true "I" ), the author uses counter-arguments to facilitate the proof. ...

A little bit about Swami Sarvapriyananda I've listened to Swami Sarvapriyananda of the Vedanta Society of New York for the last couple of years. His talks on Vedanta, Katha Upanishad, Yoga, and various other topics are a very important source to not only introductions to Hindu spiritual philosophy but help one to dive deep into this sea of knowledge with an anchor to guide as one unravels the knowledge. He talks about universal acceptance as well as how the Hindu mind accepts other religions as several paths leading to the 'one' truth. He is rooted in his philosophy of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism). He rarely talks about politics in his lectures and frequently talks about the acceptance of various spiritual paths leading to the same truth. A westerner's myopic view of Hindu nationalism In a recent speech, a question was asked from the audience; "how the current "Hindu nationalism" can be reconciled with the message of universal acceptance that Swami Ji...

As a young boy in my early teens, my role models were scientists, physicists, cricketers, authors, and some actors. I was inspired by their (hard) work and dedication to their field or profession or simply their charm in some cases. Luckily, it wasn't the age of Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, so I wasn't deluged by their views or opinions (or as journalists call sound bites) on each and every topic that's out there! I would follow them on news; as best as I could via TV and newspaper, remember this is in the era without social media i.e. the 1990s. I remember collecting newspaper clippings of some of these field leaders. I would make my dad buy some books if something was available. I made my dad buy me Stephen Hawking's book 'A Brief History of Time after I began admiring Hawking's simplicity and intelligence. My Role-models As I grew some of these professional leaders remained my role models. My interests became more streamlined but the impressions created b...