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Modern thoughts of an ancient Philosopher - Gaius Musonius Rufus - Part II

'The study of philosophy is more essential to a king than to common people’, says Musonius. He explains this to one of the kings of Syria who came to him. His idea that a king should study philosophy seems to have its origin in Plato’s concept of philosopher-kings. (Rajarshis). Musonius says that it is the job of the philosopher to diagnoise good and evil, useful and useless, helpful and harmful. A king must study philosophy, otherwise, it will not be clear that he knows justice and what a just decision is.

Modern thoughts of an ancient Philosopher - Gaius Musonius Rufus - Part I

Musonius Rufus!  A totally unfamiliar name, until I came across the “Discourses ” by Epictetus. When my young friend Arjun Bharadwaj who has learnt Greek and German and holds Masters degrees in Sanskrit and Engineering gave me some writings regarding the life and lectures of Gaius Musonius Rufus, I was quite amazed to read his views that were so liberal, free from bias, so relevant to all ages. He has covered a wide range of topics, such as philosophy, education of women, marriage,  family life and homosexuality.

Mahābhārata – Episode 10 – The Birth of King Kuru, Meeting Sage Dhaumya

[The following sub-stories appear in the Ādi Parva of the Mahābhārata, Adhyāyas 158–74] The brave Pāṇḍavas travelled day and night and arrived at a holy place called Somaśravāyaṇam. Arjuna, the bravest among them all, carried a fire-stick to light their path and also as a means of protection. In an isolated corner of the Gaṅgā, the king of the Gandharvas was engaged in water-sports with several women. He heard the Pāṇḍavas approaching and was enraged.

मानवस्य मूलभूतचोदनानुरोधं रस-पुरुषार्थसमीक्षणम्

तिर्यग्जन्तुभिः सह मानवः कतिपयांशेषु साम्यमावहति। आहार-निद्रा-भय-मैथुनानीत्येतानि सर्वजन्तुसाधारणानि; यानि मूलभूतचोदनानीति कथ्यन्ते। प्रथमं तावदेतेषां स्वरूपं परिशीलयामः।

Demystification in SL Bhyrappa's 'Parva'

To analyse and explore the roots of life, the nature of truth and evil and to probe into human relations, Dr. SL Bhyrappa makes use of myths, legends, rituals and rites in his novels. This gives him ample scope to comprehend contemporary life against the backdrop of the past, and to interpret the past from the contemporary view point. Myths related to natural phenomena such as rain, the spring season, rivers, floods, mountains, cataracts and eclipses are effectively used in ‘Vamshavruksha’, ‘Jalapatha’, ‘Grahana’, ‘Parva’ and other works.

The Tradition of Kshatra in India: The Brilliance and Accomplishment of Chandragupta Vikramaditya

Several historical evidences including some coins attest that Ramagupta assumed power after the demise of Samudragupta. We also have a play titled Devichandragupta authored by Vishakhadatta. However, the complete play is unavailable today. The extant version is available in the form of fragments of about five or six acts. The towering scholar, Dr. V Raghavan has compiled all of this in the appendix of his work, Bhojashrungaraprakasha.

Mahābhārata – Episode 9 – Bhīma and Bakāsura, Pāṇḍavas in Pāñcāla

In the meantime, the other Pāṇḍavas returned home after their daily round of seeking alms. Looking at Bhīma’s face, Yudhiṣṭhira guessed that there must be something amiss and asked his mother, Kuntī, “What is it Mother? What does Bhīma want to do? Has he told you about it and got your approval?” She narrated the day’s events and said, “Bhīma has embarked upon this task only on my advice. He is going to help the brāhmaṇa’s family and also liberate the town from the clutches of the evil rākṣasa. He has undertaken a tremendous task!” Yudhiṣṭhira was not satisfied with her answer.

ಬಾಲಖೇಲನದಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮವಿದ್ಯೆ

ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಆಟವೆಂಬುದನ್ನು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೇ ಮೀಸಲಾಗಿಸುವುದುಂಟು. ದೊಡ್ಡವರು ಆಟವಾಡಬಾರದೆಂದೇನೂ ನಿಯಮವಿಲ್ಲ. ಅಲ್ಲದೆ, ದೊಡ್ಡವರ “ಆಟ”ಗಳೂ ಬಲುಬಗೆಯಾಗಿರುತ್ತವೆಂಬುದು ಬೇರೆಯ ಮಾತು! ಸದ್ಯಕ್ಕದು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ, ಅಸ್ತುತವೂ ಹೌದು. ಏನೇ ಆಗಲಿ, “ಬಾಲಸ್ತಾವತ್ ಕ್ರೀಡಾಸಕ್ತಃ” ಎಂದು ಚರ್ಪಟಪಂಜರಿಕಾಸ್ತೋತ್ರವು ಹೇಳುವಂತೆ ಬಾಲ್ಯವನ್ನು ಬಗೆಬಗೆಯ ಖೇಲನವಿನೋದಗಳಿಂದಲೇ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಿಸುವುದು ಸಹಜ, ಯುಕ್ತ.

சிவ-ராம-கிருஷ்ணன்: குடும்ப சித்தாந்தம்

சிவனை வர்ணிக்கையிலே, நாம் அவனது பண்பு மற்றும் வடிவினை எடுத்து விளக்காமல், அவனது உருவகங்களையே எடுத்து விளக்கினோம். ஏனெனில் மனித இயல்பினைப் புரிந்துகொள்வதென்பது சுலபமான காரியமல்ல. ஆனால் ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட சமூகத்தினரிடையே பொதுவான பல தன்மைகளைக் காண முடிகிறது.

நமது சம்பிரதாயங்களில், சிவன் ‘அவதாரம்’ ஏற்பதில்லை. மாறாக, விஷ்ணுவோ பல அவதாரங்கள் ஏற்று வருகிறான். இதற்கென்ன காரணம்? நாம் குடும்பத்திலோ அல்லது ஓர் அமைப்பிலோ வெவ்வேறு கதாபாத்திரங்களாக அங்கம் வகிக்கிறோம். ஆனால் ஒரு தனி நபராக, நாமே நம்மிடத்தில் நடிக்க வேண்டிய தேவையில்லை. தனி மனித லட்சணத்திற்கான அவ்வடையாளமாய் சிவன் விளங்குகிறான்.