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Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha Mahādeva Nāmāvaliḥ (drawn from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)

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  Foreword This nāmāvali has been composed in with inspiration, drawing directly from the words, phrases, and vision of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 7, verses 30 through 46 . These verses first reveal the transcendent greatness of our Swami as the Supreme Light beyond the three guṇas, inaccessible even to Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Indra. They then portray the boundless compassion of Mahādeva, who, seeing the suffering of all beings, gathers the all-pervading Hālāhala poison into his palm and consumes it for the protection of the worlds. The blue mark left upon his throat becomes not a blemish, but the ornament of the great and compassionate Swami. The purpose of this nāmāvali is twofold. First , it is meant to help us repeatedly contemplate the divine līlā of Swāmī and his immeasurable compassion as Nīlakaṇṭha Mahādeva. Second , it is an attempt at Bhāgavata-pānam , drinking deeply from the nectar of the Bhāgavata. May the repetition of these names bring to the hea...
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Rantideva: The Glory of Spontaneous Compassion and absolute Unselfishness

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  Śrī Śuka introduces the account of King Rantideva: rantidevasya mahimā ihāmutra ca gīyate The glory of Rantideva is celebrated both here and in the higher worlds. Bhāgavata Purā ṇ a 9.21.2   Rantideva was a king, but his greatness did not consist in sovereignty, wealth, military power, or even ritual accomplishment. His glory arose from the manner in which he responded to suffering. We are herewith reflecting on this story, only to know to what extend can a bhakta go, w.r.t. to manifesting unselfishness, as a natural act of compassion. This is being discussed in the context of nivrrti lakshana pārangatah example, during our Gita Mananam.   (Story of the Mahātma Rantideva )  A great king, with flourishing kingdom, was once afflicted by great famine, in which his subjects suffered, for the lack of food and water. He did his best to help, but eventually he had to give away all his wealth to support the people of his land. While doing so, he regarded ...
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Karmatā and Karma Yoga Buddhi - Metaphor of an episode from Adi Parva

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  Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna evaluated by Sri Droṇa In our satsangha, we have often used Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna to understand the difference between karmatā and karma yogi. Both are dhārmika. Both are noble. Both have deep reverence for elders, teachers and śāstra. Their inner posture differs. DISCLAIMER : Yudhiṣ ṭ hira is a far nobler and highly qualified aspirant than this essay may appear to give him credit for. I am undertaking this exercise only to help us recognize certain mental proclivities within ourselves, one way or the other. This essay is not an indictment of Yudhiṣ ṭ hira, the great mahātmā who gave us the Yakṣa-praśna and the Nahuṣa-praśna, and whose questions to Bhīṣmācārya gave us the great Śānti-parva and Anuśāsana-parva, containing more than 20,000 ślokas of teaching. The purpose here is limited: to showcase the subtle difference between Yudhiṣ ṭ hira and Arjuna, so that we may be inspired by the noble qualities that both embodied, while also recognizing th...
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