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Nididhyāsana hetuvat Mananam

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  Nididhyāsana hetuvat Mananam Mananam that functions as a direct aid to nididhyāsana Traditionally, Vedānta presents a clear progression: śrava ṇ am → mananam → nididhyāsanam For Vedānta sādhakas who have received the īśvarānugraha to develop Advaita-vāsanā, there comes a stage where śrava ṇ am has ripened into mananam. Having reflected deeply on the teachings and their import, in accordance with the guru–sampradāya, the mind naturally begins to yearn for nididhyāsana. At this stage, Mananam is no longer confined to the removal of intellectual doubts. It becomes oriented toward assimilation, directly supporting nididhyāsana. The reflection is existential and inward-facing, not merely conceptual. In other words, this is mananam that already carries the texture and direction of nididhyāsana. In such a phase, especially when vāsanā-kṣaya has not yet fully taken place, certain questions tend to arise naturally: Are the fluctuations I noti...
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2026 Ekādaśī fast schedule (Seattle, WA) + Abridged Padma Purana Accounts for each Ekādaśī

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Below is the 2026 Ekādaśī fast + pāraṇa (break-fast) schedule , for  Seattle, WA local timings from mypanchang.com, by Sri Pundit Mahesh Shastriji (Panchang Ganitha, Panchang Siddhanti).  Tue, Jan 13 — Shattila Ekādaśī (2026) Tithi: Ekādaśī till Jan/14 04:23 Fast: Tue, Jan 13 Break fast (Smārta): Wed, Jan 14 after 13:11 Wed, Jan 28 — Bhishma (Jaya) Ekādaśī (2026) Tithi: Ekādaśī till Jan/29 00:25 Fast: Wed, Jan 28 Break fast (Smārta): Thu, Jan 29 07:40–09:33 Thu, Feb 12 — Vijaya Ekādaśī (2026) Tithi: Ekādaśī till Feb/13 00:56 Fast: Thu, Feb 12 Break fast (Smārta): Fri, Feb 13 07:20–09:20 Fri, Feb 27 — Amalaki Ekādaśī (2026) Tithi: Ekādaśī till 09:03 Fast: Fri, Feb 27 Break fast (Smārta): Sat, Feb 28 06:52–07:13 Sat, Mar 14 — Papamochini Ekādaśī (2026) Tithi: Ekādaśī till 20:46 Fast: Sat, Mar 14 Break fast (Smārta): Sun, Mar 15 07:22–09:45 Sat, Mar 28 — Kamada Ekādaśī (2026) Tithi: Ekādaśī till 19:16 Fast: Sat, Mar 28 Break fast (Smārta): Sun, Mar 29 06:54–09:26 Mon, Apr 13 — V...
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Karna's Death Scene in Villibharatham

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போரை நிறுத்துமாறு கண்ணன்‌ விசயனுக்குக்‌ கூறி, வேதியர்‌ வடிவு கொண்டு Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna to stop the battle and, taking the form of a Brāhmaṇa, approaches Karṇa. கன்னனை அடைதல்‌ எத்‌ தலங்களினும்‌ ஈகையால்‌, ஓகை வாகையால்‌, எதிர்‌ இலா வீரன்‌, மெய்த்தலம்‌ முழுதும்‌ திறந்து உகு குருதி வெயிலவன்‌ கரங்கள்போல்‌ விரிய, கொத்து அலர்‌ அலங்கல்‌ மகுடமும்‌ கவச குண்டலங்களும்‌ உருக்‌ குலைந்தும்‌, கைத்தலம்‌ மறந்தது இல்லை—விற்‌ குனிப்பும்‌, கடுங்‌ கணை தொடுத்திடும்‌ கணக்கும்‌. 236 அத்த வெற்பு இரண்டு விற்கிடை எனப்‌ போய்‌ ஆதவன்‌ சாய்தல்‌ கண்டருளி, முத்தருக்கு எல்லாம்‌ மூலமாய்‌, வேத முதல்‌ கொழுந்து ஆகிய முகுந்தன்‌, சித்திரச்‌ சிலைக்‌ கை விசயனை, “செரு நீ ஓழிக!” எனத்‌ தேர்மிசை நிறுத்தி, மெய்த்‌ தவப்‌ படி.வ வேதியன்‌ ஆகி, வெயிலவன்‌ புதல்வனை அடைந்தான்‌. வேதியன்‌, “இயைந்தது ஒன்று அளி” எனலும்‌, சுன்னன்‌, “தரத்தகு பொருளை நீ சொல்லுக!” என்ன, வேதியன்‌ அவனது புண்ணியத்தை உதவ வேண்டுதலும்‌ “தாண்டிய தரங்கக்‌ கருங்‌ கடல்‌ உடுத்த தரணியில்‌ தளர்ந்தவர்தமக்கு வேண்டிய தருதி நீ எனக்‌ கேட்டேன்‌; மேருவினிடைத்‌ தவம்‌ பூண்டேன்‌; ஈண்டிய வற...
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Adhikāra, Harmony, and Vedānta in a Flattened Society

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A recent discussion among friends, triggered by contemporary political anxieties and broader civilizational questions, gradually converged on an old yet enduring theme within Hindu thought: How should Vedānta be shared in a modern, open society, and for whom is it most fruitfully taught? At the heart of this reflection stood the Sri Ramakrishna Mission , an institution that has shaped Hindu thought, practice, and public engagement for more than a century. Far from being a narrow theological debate, the discussion touched pedagogy, sociology, and the long arc of India’s civilizational renewal. The Enduring Vision of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission The Sri Ramakrishna Mission draws its spiritual DNA from Sri Ramakrishna himself, whose life embodied two inseparable currents. Many Paths, One Culmination Sri Ramakrishna lived multiple forms of upāsanā, including Śākta, Vaiṣṇava, and Śaiva disciplines, not as parallel or competing systems, but as a progressive spiritual unfolding. These lived ...
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Misplaced Tears and Rightly Placed Grief - ātmānam anuśoca tvam kim anyam anuśocasi

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  Misplaced Tears and Rightly Placed Grief Recently, a dear friend wrote to me after listening to a pravacana-kartā speak of Kar ṇ a’s nobility at the moment of his death, as portrayed in Villibhāratham   that glorious Tamil re-telling of the Mahābhārata rooted in the genius of Śrī Villiputtur Ā ḻ vār. “His narration brought tears to my eyes,” he said, “aided by the vivid imagery of the movie and Śirkāzhi’s voice in the background.” And honestly, who wouldn’t be moved? Villibhāratham is a testament to the bhakti and genius of Sri Villiputtur Ā ḻ vār. His imagination, while clearly a departure from Vyāsa’s Mahābhārata, is soaked in daivī sampat – divine qualities. Take Kar ṇ a. In Vyāsa’s text, Kar ṇ a is a deeply grey character – dazzling brilliance mixed with grievous and tragic blind spots. In Villibhāratham , those grey shades are deliberately “optimized”: his nobility is amplified, his conflicts softened, all to uplift the target audience and inculcate refi...
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