Author:hari
Like Sawai Jai Singh, the other warrior who toiled for the cause of Sanatana Dharma during the period of the downfall of the Mughal Empire was the ideal woman Ahalyabai Holkar. Before her were women like Jijabai (Shivaji’s mother) and Yesubai, the wife of Sambhaji, Shivaji’s son. Sambhaji who was caught and imprisoned by the Mughals did not convert to Islam despite the horrific tortures he endured, and finally died a martyr. After his death, Yesubai instead of giving the throne to her young son, Sahu, displayed magnanimity by giving it up to her brother-in-law, Rajaram.
A popular dhyāna-śloka (benedictory verse) for the Bhagavad-gītā is as follows:
bhīṣma-droṇa-taṭā jayadratha-jalā gāndhāra-nīlotpalā
śalya-grāhavatī kṛpeṇa vahanī karṇena velākulā |
aśvatthāma-vikarṇa-ghora-makarā duryodhanāvartinī
sottīrṇā khalu pāṇḍavai raṇa-nadī kaivartakaḥ keśavaḥ ||[1]
The Pāṇḍavas crossed this great war-river –
I shall narrate my recollections of certain public institutions in Bangalore. I have written elsewhere about political institutions.[1] I will reminisce about socio-cultural organizations here.
Ranade Society
One of the oldest among the institutions that sprung up for the upliftment of society and culture was one by name Ranade Society.
The next morning Duryodhana told Droṇa, “Ācārya, although Yudhiṣṭhira came as close as the eyes could see, you failed to capture him. Therefore it appears like you consider us as the enemy; even if the devatas were protecting him, if you put your mind to it, you could have captured him. It was you who was delighted and granted me the boon and now you’re drifting from your word. The noble ones should not dampen the hopes of those who have taken refuge in them.”
ಯದ್ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಮಹಾವ್ಯೋಮ್ನಿ ಕ್ರಿಯತೇ ತಚ್ಚರಾಚರಮ್ |
ತಸ್ಮೈ ಜ್ಞೇಯದರಿದ್ರಾಯ ನಮೋ ಭಾರತವೇಧಸೇ ||
(ವರದವಿದ್ವಾಂಸನ “ಜ್ಞಾನಪಂಜರ”ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನ)
(ಯಾರ ಅನುಭವಜನ್ಯಜ್ಞಾನವೆಂಬ ಮಹಾಕಾಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಕಲಚರಾಚರಗಳೂ ರೂಪಿತವಾಗುವುವೋ ಅಂಥ ಭಾರತಬ್ರಹ್ಮನಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ಆ ಕೃತಿಯೂ ಅದರ ಕರ್ತೃವೂ ನಮ್ಮ ಪಾಲಿಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಮತ್ತಾವುದನ್ನೂ ಉಳಿಸಿಲ್ಲ.)
वयमिह परितुष्टा वल्कलैस्त्वं दुकूलैः
सम इह परितोषो निर्विशेषो विशेषः।
स तु भवति दरिद्रो यस्य तृष्णा विशाला
मनसि च परितुष्टे कोऽर्थवान् को दरिद्रः॥
In Ramkumari, sex doesn’t merely remain on the plane of beauty or emotion but elevates itself to the status of a value. Her encounter with her employer, the wealthy lawyer and musical connoisseur Gore is one of the most splendid literary episodes. Indeed, Gore’s character is also quite an extraordinary creation of the author.
Vyāsa is said to have presented to Brahmā the topics discussed in the Mahābhārata thus – “In this work there are several secrets of the Vedas; my definitive siddhāntas on them; several details and descriptions of the Vedas compiled from the ṣaḍaṅgas and the Upaniṣads; matters pertaining to the three time periods – past, present, and future; unambiguous descriptions about the nature of the origin and destruction of birth, death, fear, and disease; the characteristics of the various varṇāśrama-dharmas; the vidhānas (metho