37. Story of Daksha Yajna (Shiv Puran)

The sages aid, Romaharshana, you have not told us the story of the quarrel between Daksha and Shiva which led to Sati's death. You have only mentioned it in passing. Tell us the story now.

Romaharshana related the following story.

Daksha's daughter Sati was married to Shiva. One day, the gods, the demons and the sages went to visit Shiva and Sati in the Himalyas. Daksha accompanied the other gods on this visit. When the gods arrived, Shiva was seated and did not get up. He showed no special honour to Daksha because Daksha happened to be his father-in-law. Daksha interpreted this as a sign of disrespect. He felt insulted.

Subsequently, Daksha arranged for a yajna and sent invitations to all his other sons-in-law and their wives. He did not invite Shiva or Sati. But Sati heard about the sacrifice and resolved that she would attend it, invitiation or no invitation. In a beautiful vimana, Sati travelled to her father's house.

Daksha was not at all pleased to see Sati. In fact, he ignored her completely and devoted all his attention to his other daughters. When Sati wished to know the reason for this, Daksha told her that this was because of her husband, who happened to be a worthless fellow and did not deserve any respect. Hearing this, Sati gave up her life.

The mountain Himalaya had prayed that Sati might be born as his daughter. Sati was born as his daughter Parvati and married Shiva again. This story you already know.

Several years later, Daksha resolved to hold an ashvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice) in the Himalayas.

The gods and the sages were all invited to this sacrifices, although Shiva was not amongst the invites. The sage Dadhichi did not like this slight to Shiva and he boycotted the yajna in protest.

Parvati heard about this sacrifice and she began to incite Shiva to do something. Shiva created a being named Virabhadhra. Virabhadhra shone with energy and he had thousands of mouths and eyes. His hair glistened like lighting and his hands were full of all sorts of weapons. When he spoke, it was like thunder. From his body, Virabhadra created a female demon named Bhadrakali.

What are our orders?, asked Virabhadra and Bhadrakali of Shiva.

Go and destroy Daksha's yajna, was the order.

To help them in their endeavour, Virabhadra created several other demons from parts of his body. All of them had a thousand arms and carried weapons. Virabhadra, Bhadrakali and these other demons headed for Daksha's sacrifice.

When they got there, they found that the sacrifice had already started and the sacred fire was burning. The sages were reciting hymns and the gods were watching. Musical instruments were being played. Virabhadra roared and the sound of the roar was so terrible that several of the gods began to run away. The earth shook with the sound of the roar. There were tidal waves in the ocean.

Daksha was frightened. But he summoned up courage and asked, Who are you and why have you come here?

We are Shiva's servants and we have come to take part in the sacrifice, replied Virabhadra.

Virabhadra and the other demons then proceeded to burn down the structure where the sacrifice was being held. They tied up the priests and threw all the offerings away. With their weapons, they attacked the gods. Whatever resistance the gods tried to put up was taken care of by Virabhadra's trident and Bhadrakali's spear. The goddess Sarasvati lost her nose and the god Agni lost his arms.

The sage Bhaga had his eyes gouged out and the sage Pusha lost all his teeth.

Virabhadra sliced off Daksha's head and gave it to Bhadrakali, who proceeded to kick it around as one kicks a football. Thousand and thousands of gods died and the sacrifice became a battlefield.

Vishu tried to fight it out and he and Virabhadra shot arrows at each other. But one of Virabhadra's arrows struck Vishnu on the chest and he fell down unconscious.

Spurred on by Brahma, the gods began to pray to Shiva. These prayers pacified Shiva and he asked Virbhadra and Bhadrakali to refrain from causing any further damage.

Brahma asked, What about the gods who have been killed? Please bring them back to life, Since Shiva's anger had been appeased, he restored life to the dead gods. Those who had lost parts of their anatomy got themb ack again.

But what was to be done about Daksha? His head could not be found.

A goat's head was therefore stuck onto Daksha's body. Thus restored to life. Daksha begged forgiveness of Shiva.

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35. Story of Nandi (Shiv Puran)

There was a sage named Shilada. He once saw that his ancestors were being tortured in hell. When he tried to find out why this was so, he was told that htis was because Shilada did not yet have a son.

To obtain a son, Shilada began to pray to Shiva. He prayed for a thousand years. At the end of the tapasya, Shiva appeared and offered to grant Shilada a boon. Shilada wanted the boon that he might have a virtuous son.

A few days later, when Shilada was ploughing the land, he discovered a baby boy on the blade of theplough. The boy was as bright as the sun and the fire. Shilada was frightened and started to run away. But the boy called after him, Father, stop. Father, stop, A voice was then heard from the sky.

This voice told Shilada that this was the son he had wanted. Since this son would make everyone happy, he was to be named Nandi.

Shilada brought nandi home to his mermitage. He taught his son the Vedas, the arts of the medicine and fighting, dancing and singing and several other sacred texts. All this Nandi mastered within fifteen days.

When nandi was seven years old, two powerful sages arrived in Shilada's hermitage. Their names were Mitra and Varuna. Shilada worshipped them and presented Nandi before them. The sages blessed Nandi with the words, Be learned, be faithful to your teacher.

Shilada said, Sages, why didn't you bless my son with a long life?

We couldn't, replied the sages. Your son is going to die when he is eight years old. That is written in his stars.

Shilada was crestfallen to hear this, but Nandi consoled his father. He promised his father that he would do something so tha this fate would have to be rewritten. He would pray to Shiva. And when he met Shiva, he would ask of him a boon.

Meeting Shiva, exclaimed Shilada. I had to meditate for a thousand years before I could get to meet Shiva. How do you expect to meet Shiva in the one year tha tis left to you?'

Wait and see, father, replied Nandi. Shiva is difficult to meet if you only perform tapasya or thirst for knowledge. The secret lies in faith and devotion. I will manage.

There is a river named Bhuvana. Nandi entered this river and began underwater prayers to Shiva . His efforts pleased Shiva so much that Shiva appeared before him.

What boon do you want? asked Shiva.

Please grant me the boon that I may be devote to you, replied Nandi. I don't want to be born become old and die.

Shiva granted Nandi the boon tha the and his father would get to live in Shiva's residence in Shivaloka. Shiva's companions are known as ?ganas. Shiva made Nandi ganapati, the chief of the ganas and retained him as a perpetu ? companion. Shiva also gave Nandi a wonderful garland to wear.

As soon as he put this garland on, Nandi became resplendent with three eyes and ten hands.

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33. Story of Chandrashekhara (Shiv Puran)

Parvati once asked Shiva, Lord, tell me, why do you wear a crescent moon on your forehead? What is the story behind this?

Shiva told her the story.

Earlier, Parvati had been born as Sati, the daughter of Daksha. As Sati, she had been married to Shiva. Since Daksha insulted her husband Shiva, Sati gave up her life.

When Sati died, Shiva no longer found pleasure in anything. He began to live in the forest and started to perform tapasya. Such was the power of the tapasya that any trees or mountains that were near the place where Shiva was meditating used to be burnt into ashes. As Shiva moved from place to place, the earth started to burn and wither away . The gods were greatly alarmed at these developments. They went to Brahma to seek advice as to how the earth might be saved.

Brahma, said, Let us take the moon god Chandra with us and make a present of him to Shiva. Chandra's visage is so pleasing that Shiva may feel happy and pacified.

The gods placed Chandra in a pot of amrita (a life-giving drink). They also had another pot that was full of poison. With these two pots they went to Shiva and offered him the pots.

Brahma said, The gods have brought you two pots. Please accept them.

Shiva first accepted the pot that contained the amrita. As soon as he did this, the crescent moon came out and got fixed to Shiva's forehead. Next Shiva accept the pot of poison and touched it with his middle finger. He touched his throat with the finger and the throat became blue. That is the reason why Shiva is known as Nilakantha, blue of throat. And because the moon is like a crown to Shiva. Shiva is called Chandrashekhara.

At the sight of the moon, Shiva was pacified.

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27. Story of Ghushna and Ghushnesha (Shiv Puran)

The twelfth and last of the jyotirlingas is named Ghushnesha.

To the south, there is a mountain named Deva. A brahmana named Sudharma used to live there. His wife was called Sudeha. Husband and wife were righteous and regularly prayed to the gods. They had only one reason for complaint: they had no son. Sudeha was especially disturbed at this. Other women tended to insult her because she had no son.

Sudharma decided to conduct an experiment. He plucked two flowers and offered them in front of a sacred fire. He mentally associated one of the flowers with having a son and asked his wife to choose a flower. Unfortunately, his wife chose the flower that was not associated wtih having a son. From this Sudharma concluded that they were not going to have a son and he did his best to console Sudeha.

But Sudeha refused to be consoled, she was miserable.

Why don't you marry again? asked Sudeha. Perhaps you will then have a son. Marry my niece Gushna.

No, replied Sudharma. You love her now because she is your niece. But if she does indeed have a son, you will become jealous and will come to hate her.

Sudeha convinced her husband that this would never happen. So Sudharma married Ghushna.

Every day, Ghushna made a hundred and one lingas out of clay and worshipped them. When the day's prayers were over, she immersed the lingas in a pond. When one lakh lingas had thus been worshipped, Ghushna gave birth to a handsome boy. Shiva had taken pity on Sudharma and Ghushna.

But when the son was born, Sudeha's nature changed. As her husband had warned her, she felt jealous. She thought that Gushna got more important and she was treated like a maid. In the middle of the night, Sudeha slew the boy with a knife and threw the dead body into the pond. This was the pond where the lingas had been immersed.

As was her wont, Ghushna got up in the morning and began to worship a linga. Blood was discovered on the bed, the boy could not be found and everyone raised the alarm. But Ghushna was not distracted by this racket and did not leave her prayers. Shiva was so impressed with Ghushna's devotion that he restored her son back to life. He also wished to kill the evil Sudeha with his trident, but Gushna begged for her aunt's life and Shiva spared Sudeha. Shushna's act of forgiveness so impressed Shiva that he wished to grant Ghushna another boon, apart from restoring her son.

Ghushna desired that Shiva might alwaysbe present in a linga near the pond. This is known as Ghushnesha.

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11. Story of Ganesha (Shiv Puran)

The door to Parvati's place was guarded by two of Shiva's companions, Nandi and Bhringi. But Parvati's companions, Jaya and Vijaya, didn't like this at all. They thought that there should be a guard who would be answerable to Parvati rather than to Shiva. It was Parvati's place, not Shiva's. Moreover, Shiva was in the habit of walking in at awkard moments, and Nandi and Bringi never stopped Shiva. Jaya and Vijaya asked Parvati to do something about this.

Parvati took some clay of a pond and fashioned the clay into a very handsome son. She dressed the son in beautiful clothes and jewellry. He was named Ganesha. Parvati told Ganesha, You are my son. Stand at the gate and do not allow anyone to enter.

Ganesha picked up a rod and began his duty as sentry. Parvati went to have a bath.

Soon Shiva turned up with his companions. Where are you going? asked Ganesha. You cannot pass. My mother is having her bath.

I am Shiva, answered Shiva.

Who is Shiva? retorted Ganesha. I don't know of any Shiva. You cannot go in.

Shiva tried to ignore Ganesha and enter, but Ganesha started to beat Shiva with the rod. Shiva then asked his companions to remove this upstart. But they only got thrashed by Ganesha in the process.

Nandi tried to grasp one of Ganesha's legs and Brhringi the other. But Ganesha uprooted a wooden door and beat them so hard that they fled. The gods and the sages all came to see what the uproar was about.

Shiva told Brahma, Why don't you try to pacify that creature?

Brahma advanced to reason with Ganesha. But Ganesha didn't know Brahma; he thought that this was another one of Shiva's companions. He therefore grabbed Brahma and tore off Brahma's beard by the handful. Brahma fled in pain.

This had become a matter where Parvati felt her pride to be at stake. So she kept Ganesha supplied with weapons. The gods attacked Ganesha with all sorts of weapons. He drove them back.

Vishnu told Shiva, This fellow can only be killed with some trickery. Otherwise, he seems to be invincible.

Ganesha flung a mace at Visnu and hurt him considerably. He struck down Shiva's bow with another mace. Vishnu and Ganesha then began to fight, with the sudarshana chakra being used by Vishnu and maces by Ganesha. While this duel raged, Shiva crept up stealthily from behind and cut off Ganesha's had with his trishula (trident). This was the trickery that Vishnu had planned for.

When Parvati learnt of Ganesha's death, her ire was roused. She got ready to destroy the universe and everyone was alarmed. Narada was sent to Parvati as a messager. He was to try and pacify Parvati. But Parvati agreed to relent only if two conditions were satisfied. The first condition was that Ganesha should be brought back to life. The second condition was that Ganesha should be accepted as a god and should enjoy all divine rights.

These conditions wre readily accepted. Ganesha's headless body was cleaned and bathed. But the head could not be found. It had been lost in the heat of the battle. Shiva sent his companions out with the head of the first living being that they saw. This happened to be an elephant with one tusk. The elephant's head was stuck onto Ganesha's body and Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined their powers to bring back life to the dead body.

Shiva accepted Ganesha as his son. He also made Ganesha the lord of all his companions, the ganas.

That is why the elephant-god is called Ganapati. It was also decreed that worship to any god would be useless unless it was preceded by prayers to Ganesha.

Chaturthi tithi is the fourth lunar day. Krishnapaksha is that part of the lunar fortnight during which the moon wanes. Since Parvati created Ganesha in the month of Kartika and on chaturthi tithi in krishnapaksha, that is the day on which Ganapati is worshipped.

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6. Parvati Ki Tapasya (Shiv Puran)

But Parvati had fallen in love with Shiva and she didn't know what she could do about it. She thought of Shiva all the time.

One day the sage Narada came and told her, Shiva is only pleased with tapasya. Without tapasya, even Brahma and the other gods do not get to see Shiva. Why don't you perform tapasya?

Parvati decided to do what Narada had asked her to. She asked her parents for permission. Her father agreed with alacrity. Although her mother Menaka was not at all keen that Parvati should perform difficult tapasya, she too eventually agreed.

Parvati gave up her jewellery and handsome clothes. She wore deerskin instead. There is a peak in the Himalayas known as Gouriskikhara. It is there that Parvati went for her tapasy. The meditation was very difficult. During the monsson Parvati meditated while seated on the ground. In the winter she mediated under the water. Wild beats dared not harm her. All the gods and sages assembled to see this wonderful tapasya. The gods and the sages also began to pray to Shiva. Lord, can't you see that Parvati is performing difficult tapasya? They asked. No one has meditated like this before. No one will meditate like this in the future. Please grant her what she wants.

Shiva adopted the form of an old brahmana (the first of the four classes) and appeared at Parvati's hermitage. Parvati welcomed the old man and worshipped him with flowers and fruits.

Why are you meditating? asked the brahmana. What is it that you want?

I wish to have Shiva as a husband, replied Parvati.

You are indeed stupid. Said the brahmana. That is like giving up gold for a piece of glass or giving sandalwood for mud. Does anyone give up the water of the Ganga and drink water from a well instead? Marry one of the gods instead, go and marry Indra. Shiva is a stupid fellow. He has three eyes and five faces. His hair is matted and his body is smeared with ashes. He wears snakes as garlands. He is always accompanied by ghosts, He has no clothes and no wealth. No one knows who his parent are. He live sin the forst and his throat is blue with poison. I think you are making a big mistake. Forget about Shiva and don't waste your life.

The brahmana's words angered Parvati. It is you who are stupid, she said. You don't know a thing about Shiva. He is the lord of everthing. You have insulted Shiva and cursed am I that I made the mistake of worshipping you. You are again going to say something nasty about Shiva. But before you can do that, let me go away. I shall not stay to hear Shiva insulted.

As Parfati was about to depart, Shiva adopted his own form and said, Where are you going? I thought that you were praying for me. You can't forsake me now. I am not going to let you go. Ask for a boon.

Please marry me according to the prescribed rites, replied Parvati.

Shiva agreed and Parvati returned home.

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5. The Burning of the God of Love (Shiv Puran)

The gods decided to follow Brahma's advice. But how could it be ensured that Shiva and Parvati fell in love with each other? The king of the gods was Indra and the god of love was Kandarpa or Madana.

Indra summoned Kandarpa. You have to help us, said Indra. There is no other way out. Shiva is performing tapasya in the Himalayas. Parvati is also in the region. Make sure that the two fall in love. That is your job.

Kandarpa went to the place where Shiva was meditating. And as soon as the god of love appeared, the place took on the traits of a spring which was pernnial. Flowers bloomed and bees buzzed among the flowes. Cuckoos sang and fragant breezes started to waft throught the forest. Shiva tried to concentrate on his meditation. But he kept getting distracted.

While all this was going on, who should arrive there but Parvati? She was so beautiful that Shiva was smitten with love for her. Parvati also seemed to like Shiva.

But life is never simple. Shiva was, after all, Shiva. He realized that something was wrong. How could his meditation have been disturbed? How was it that the season seemed to be spring although it had no business to be spring? When Shiva glanced around, his eyes fell on Kandarpa who was hiding. He realized that it was Kandarpa who was responsible for all this mischief.

Shiva was angered. He had a third eye in the middle of his forehead. From this third eye flames sprouted and these flames burnt Kandarpa to ashes.

Kandarpa's wife was Rati. When Rati saw that her husband had been burnt to ashes, her grief knew no bounds. At first she lost consciousness. When she recovered, she lamented, Woe is me. What is going to happen to me? My husband, my love, where have you gone?

The gods and Rati sought out Shiva. They explained that it had been no fault of Kandarpa's. He had been asked to disturb Shiva's tapasya because of the Tarakasua problem. What would happen to Rati now?

Shiva replied, What has happened has happened. Nothing can be done about kandarpa now. He will eventually be born in the city of Dvaraka as Krishna's son Pradyumna. Rati will then be reuntied with Kandarpa. But till such time, let her simply wait.

The gods dispersed, still despondent. The matter of Shiva and Parvati's marriage had not progressed at all.

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3. Creation (Shiv Puran)

There was water everywhere. In the water, Vishnu created a huge egg (anda). He then himself entered the egg in his huge form.

Meanwhile, Brahma started to pray. From the powers of his meditation he created several sages (rishis). Kardama, Daksha and Marichi were among them. Marichi's son was Kashyapa. Daksha had sixty daughters and thirteen of them were married to Kashyapa. The children of Kashyapa and these daughters became adityas (gods), daityas (demons), danavas (demons), trees, birds, snakes, mountains and creepers. Thus was the world populated.

A being named Rudra, who was none other than Shiva himself, was also born from Brahma. Rudra lived on Mount Kailasa. Daksha's daughter Sati was married to Rudra.

But Daksha and Rudra did not like each other. Daksha arranged a yajna (sacrifice) and he did not invite Rudra to attend this sacrifice. Although Sati was not invited either, she went to attend the ceremony . But Daksha insulted her so much that Sati gave up her life in protest. This so angered Rudra that he sent his companions to destroy the sacrifice, disrupt the ceremony, and kill all the gods who had gone to attend it. This was done.

But Rudra was subsequently pacified and brought the dead gods back to life. The sacrifice was completed. Sati herself was reborn as the daughter of the mountain Himalaya and his wife Menaka. She was known as Parvati and she was again married to Rudra or Shiva.

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Sochana Kya Jo Bhi Hoga Dekha Jayega

One feel Lonely when people whom they love leaves them.
Its not easy to forget everything and smile.
But one should remember if they become sad and don`t care about themselves
then other people who are still there will get hurt.

Life is full of ups and downs.
One should not leave hope.

Life goes on. If you are alive even after being in worst situations of life, then
believe that no one is bigger than GOD and he wants you to be in his shadow.

Keep Chanting "Shree krishna Sharnam Mamah" like I do whenver i feel low.
and keep the attitude "Sochana Kya Jo Bhi Hoga Dekha Jayega".

& Do the things for others if possible which you expect from the GOD.

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 6

"It was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the
voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the
same questions which exercise us"

Emerson's reaction to the Gita


"As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow
countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. For this reason, I am very
excited to see the publication of Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
It will help to stop the terrible cheating of false and unauthorized 'gurus' and 'yogis' and will give an
opportunity to all people to understand the actual meaning of Oriental culture."

Dr. Kailash Vajpeye, Director of Indian Studies Center for Oriental Studies, The University of Mexico


"The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive one, of the summaries and systematic
spiritual statements of the perennial philosophy ever to have been done"

Aldous Huxley


"It is a deeply felt, powerfully conceived and beautifully explained work. I don't know whether to
praise more this translation of the Bhagavad‐Gita, its daring method of explanation, or the endless
fertility of its ideas. I have never seen any other work on the Gita with such an important voice and
style. . . . It will occupy a significant place in the intellectual and ethical life of modern man for a long
time to come."

Dr. Shaligram Shukla Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 5

"If truth is what works, as Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there must be a kind of truth in the
Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is, since those who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing
in the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people."

Dr. Elwin H. Powell Professor of Sociology State University of New York, Buffalo


"There is little question that this edition is one of the best books available on the Gita and devotion.
Prabhupada's translation is an ideal blend of literal accuracy and religious insight."

Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins Professor of Religion, Franklin and Marshall College


"The Bhagavad‐Gita, one of the great spiritual texts, is not as yet a common part of our cultural
milieu. This is probably less because it is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind of
close interpretative commentary upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here provided, a
commentary written from not only a scholar's but a practitioner's, a dedicated lifelong devotee's
point of view."

Denise Levertov, Poet


"The increasing numbers of Western readers interested in classical Vedic thought have been done a
service by Swami Bhaktivedanta. By bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already
known to many, he has increased our understanding many fold."

Dr. Edward C Dimock, Jr. Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization University of Chicago


"The scholarly world is again indebted to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although
Bhagavad‐Gita has been translated many times, Prabhupada adds a translation of singular
importance with his commentary."

Dr. J. Stillson Judah, Professor of the History of Religions and Director of Libraries Graduate
Theological Union, Berkeley, California


"Srila Prabhupada's edition thus fills a sensitive gap in France, where many hope to become familiar
with traditional Indian thought, beyond the commercial East‐West hodgepodge that has arisen since
the time Europeans first penetrated India.”Whether the reader be an adept of Indian spiritualism or
not, a reading of the Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is will be extremely profitable. For many this will be the first
contact with the true India, the ancient India, and the eternal India."

Francois Chenique, Professor of Religious Sciences Institute of Political Studies, Paris, France

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 3

"When I read the Bhagavad‐Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else
seems so superfluous."

Albert Einstein


"In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad‐
Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."

Henry David Thoreau


"The Bhagavad‐Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which
is manifested by actions."

Dr. Albert Schweitzer


"The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link
with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states 'behold we are not an
earthly but a heavenly plant.' This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter
15 of Bhagavad‐Gita."

Carl Jung


"The Bhagavad‐Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of
action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander
purpose of the universe."

Prime Minister Nehru


"The marvel of the Bhagavad‐Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables
philosophy to blossom into religion."

Herman Hesse


"I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad‐Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire
spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence
which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which
exercise us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 2

"The Bhagavad‐Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is
the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending
and incarnating is to relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are
opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be
perpetually within reach of all humanity."

Ramanuja


The Bhagavad‐Gita is not separate from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully
reveals the true import of this doctrine which is transmigration of the soul. On perusal of the first
chapter of Bhagavad‐Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the
second chapter has been read it can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the
ultimate goal to be attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness
are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad‐Gita
and try to ascertain the truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to
relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto
the Supreme Lord.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati



I seek that Divine Knowledge by knowing which nothing remains to be known!' For such a person
knowledge and ignorance has only one meaning: Have you knowledge of God? If yes, you a Jnani! If
not, you are ignorant. As said in the Gita, chapter XIII/11, knowledge of Self, observing everywhere
the object of true Knowledge i.e. God, all this is declared to be true Knowledge (wisdom); what is
contrary to this is ignorance."

Sri Ramakrishna


Maharishi calls the Bhagavad‐Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical
life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level."
Maharishi reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of
everyone.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi


The Gita was preached as a preparatory lesson for living worldly life with an eye to Release, Nirvana.
My last prayer to everyone, therefore, is that one should not fail to thoroughly understand this
ancient science of worldly life as early as possible in one's life.

Lokmanya Tilak


I believe that in all the living languages of the world, there is no book so full of true knowledge, and
yet so handy. It teaches self‐control, austerity, non‐violence, compassion, obedience to the call of
duty for the sake of duty, and putting up a fight against unrighteousness (Adharma). To my
knowledge, there is no book in the whole range of the world's literature as high above as the
Bhagavad‐Gita, which is the treasure‐house of Dharma nor only for the Hindus but foe all mankind.

M. M. Malaviya

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Manager's Mental Health

Sound mental health is the very goal of any human activity ‐ more so management. Sound mental
health is that state of mind which can maintain a calm, positive poise, or regain it when unsettled, in
the midst of all the external vagaries of work life and social existence. Internal constancy and peace
are the pre‐requisites for a healthy stress‐free mind.
Some of the impediments to sound mental health are:
• Greed ‐ for power, position, prestige and money.
• Envy ‐ regarding others' achievements, success, rewards.
• Egotism ‐ about one's own accomplishments.
• Suspicion, anger and frustration.
• Anguish through comparisons.
The driving forces in today's businesses are speed and competition. There is a distinct danger that
these forces cause erosion of the moral fiber, that in seeking the end, one permits oneself immoral
means ‐ tax evasion, illegitimate financial holdings, being "economical with the truth", deliberate
oversight in the audit, too‐clever financial reporting and so on. This phenomenon may be called as
"yayati syndrome".
In the book, the Mahabharata, we come across a king by the name of Yayati who, in order to revel in
the endless enjoyment of flesh exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for
a thousand years. However, he found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments ultimately unsatisfying and
came back to his son pleading him to take back his youth. This "yayati syndrome" shows the conflict
between externally directed acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and inner value and conscience
(intrinsic motivation.)

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The source of the problem

The reasons for this sorry state of affairs are not far to seek. The Western idea of management
centers on making the worker (and the manager) more efficient and more productive. Companies
offer workers more to work more, produce more, sell more and to stick to the organization without
looking for alternatives. The sole aim of extracting better and more work from the worker is to
improve the bottom‐line of the enterprise. The worker has become a hirable commodity, which can
be used, replaced and discarded at will.
Thus, workers have been reduced to the state of a mercantile product. In such a state, it should
come as no surprise to us that workers start using strikes (gheraos) sit‐ins, (dharnas) go‐slows, workto‐
rule etc. to get maximum benefit for themselves from the organizations. Society‐at‐large is
damaged. Thus we reach a situation in which management and workers become separate and
contradictory entities with conflicting interests. There is no common goal or understanding. This,
predictably, leads to suspicion, friction, disillusion and mistrust, with managers and workers at cross
purposes. The absence of human values and erosion of human touch in the organizational structure
has resulted in a crisis of confidence.
Western management philosophy may have created prosperity – for some people some of the time
at least ‐ but it has failed in the aim of ensuring betterment of individual life and social welfare. It has
remained by and large a soulless edifice and an oasis of plenty for a few in the midst of poor quality
of life for many.
Hence, there is an urgent need to re‐examine prevailing management disciplines ‐ their objectives,
scope and content. Management should be redefined to underline the development of the worker
as a person, as a human being, and not as a mere wage‐earner. With this changed perspective,
management can become an instrument in the process of social, and indeed national, development.
Now let us re‐examine some of the modern management concepts in the light of the Bhagavad Gita
which is a primer of management‐by‐values.

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Old truths in a new context

The Bhagavad Gita, written thousands of years ago, enlightens us on all managerial techniques
leading us towards a harmonious and blissful state of affairs in place of the conflict, tensions, poor
productivity, absence of motivation and so on, common in most of Indian enterprises today – and
probably in enterprises in many other countries.
The modern (Western) management concepts of vision, leadership, motivation, excellence in work,
achieving goals, giving work meaning, decision making and planning, are all discussed in the
Bhagavad Gita. There is one major difference. While Western management thought too often deals
with problems at material, external and peripheral levels, the Bhagavad Gita tackles the issues from
the grass roots level of human thinking. Once the basic thinking of man is improved, it will
automatically enhance the quality of his actions and their results.
The management philosophy emanating from the West is based on the lure of materialism and on a
perennial thirst for profit, irrespective of the quality of the means adopted to achieve that goal. This
phenomenon has its source in the abundant wealth of the West and so 'management by
materialism' has caught the fancy of all the countries the world over, India being no exception to this
trend. My country, India, has been in the forefront in importing these ideas mainly because of its
centuries old indoctrination by colonial rulers, which has inculcated in us a feeling that anything
Western is good and anything Indian, is inferior.
The result is that, while huge funds have been invested in building temples of modem management
education, no perceptible changes are visible in the improvement of the general quality of life ‐
although the standards of living of a few has gone up. The same old struggles in almost all sectors of
the economy, criminalization of institutions, social violence, exploitation and other vices are seen
deep in the body politic.

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Gita Saar for Management Gurus (In Short)

One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita which is considered to be one of the first revelations from God.
Bhagavad‐Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical
life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level."
Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight.
(Mental health has become a major international public health concern now). To motivate him the
Bhagavad Gita is preached in the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as counseling to
do his duty while multitudes of men stood by waiting. It has got all the management tactics to
achieve the mental equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situation. The Bhagavad Gita can be
experienced as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Bhagavad Gita means song of the Spirit, song
of the Lord. The Holy Gita has become a secret driving force behind the unfoldment of one's life. In
the days of doubt this divine book will support all spiritual searches. This divine book will contribute
to self reflection, finer feeling and deepen one's inner process. Then life in the world can become a
real education—dynamic, full and joyful—no matter what the circumstance. May the wisdom of
loving consciousness ever guide us on our journey? What makes the Holy Gita a practical psychology
of transformation is that it offers us the tools to connect with our deepest intangible essence and we
must learn to participate in the battle of life with right knowledge?
The Holy Gita is the essence of the Vedas, Upanishads. It is a universal scripture applicable to people
of all temperaments and for all times. It is a book with sublime thoughts and practical instructions on
Yoga, Devotion, Vedanta and Action. It is profound in thought and sublime in heights of vision. It
brings peace and solace to souls that are afflicted by the three fires of mortal existence, namely,
afflictions caused by one's own body (disease etc), those caused by beings around one (e.g. wild
animals, snakes etc.), and those caused by the gods (natural disasters, earth‐quakes, floods etc).
Mind can be one's friend or enemy. Mind is the cause for both bondage and liberation. The word
mind is derived from man to think and the word man derived from Manu (Sanskrit word for man).
"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all
living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy."
There is no theory to be internalized and applied in this psychology. Ancient practices spontaneously
induce what each person needs as the individual and the universal coincide. The work proceeds
through intellectual knowledge of the playing field (jnana yoga), emotional devotion to the ideal
(bhakti yoga) and right action that includes both feeling and knowledge (karma yoga). With ongoing
purification we approach wisdom. The Bhagavad Gita is a message addressed to each and every
human individual to help him or her to solve the vexing problem of overcoming the present and
progressing towards a bright future. Within its eighteen chapters is revealed a human drama. This is
the experience of everyone in this world, the drama of the ascent of man from a state of utter
dejection, sorrow and total breakdown and hopelessness to a state of perfect understanding, clarity,
renewed strength and triumph.
Mind is very restless, forceful and strong, O Krishna, it is more difficult to control the mind than to
control the wind ~ Arjuna to Sri Krishna

In this modern world the art of Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at
home, in the office or factory and in Government. In all organizations, where a group of human
beings assemble for a common purpose irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, management
principles come into play through the management of resources, finance and planning, priorities,
policies and practice. Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of
human effort.
Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses irrelevant, says
the Management Guru Peter Drucker. It creates harmony in working together ‐ equilibrium in
thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance, products and markets. It
resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical, technical or human fields, through maximum
utilization with the minimum available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of management causes
disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even depression. Managing men, money and
materials in the best possible way, according to circumstances and environment, is the most
important and essential factor for a successful management. It should literally transform how people
think and help them finally realize the potential of a truly universal knowledge that is wisdom.

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Finding Love Again

Life partners, lovers, friends, companions – they all have different names through out our lives. No matter which stage of life we find ourselves in, we all seek companionship of one kind or another.

So, the story goes..

You have lost a spouse from a terrible disease or a tragic accident, someone you relied on each and every day for even the smallest of things. Someone who captured your heart and made it go pitter patter. Someone who was the peanut butter to your jelly.

I imagine you wonder if you would ever be happy again.

Some years later, along comes someone, an old friend, someone reliable, kind and someone you are comfortable with. It’s like your batteries have been put on a charger and zap… you smile, not just a simple smile, but one of those curling toes and goose bump smiles.

You feel alive again, you feel needed, wanted and loved in a way you questioned if it was possible ever again.

A beautiful story – finding love again.

What is being replaced is emptiness & lonliness, what’s being replaced is a tear of sadness for one of joy.

Peace

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Friendship, Love, Romance - Everyone has a story

Everyone has a story...
It's not how you tell it,,,
It's How You LIVE it..!!!

Friendship, love and Romance are special part of life...
To Live for your dream is the only thing that makes you go on & on & on...

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Bhagavad Gita and Management World Management Lessons from India

The despondency of Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita is typically human. Sri Krishna, by sheer
power of his inspiring words, changes Arjuna's mind from a state of inertia to one of righteous
action, from the state of what the French philosophers call "anomie" or even alienation, to a state of
self‐confidence in the ultimate victory of "dharma" (ethical action.)
When Arjuna got over his despondency and stood ready to fight, Sri Krishna reminded him of the
purpose of his new‐found spirit of intense action ‐ not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his own
greed and desire, but for the good of many, with faith in the ultimate victory of ethics over unethical
actions and of truth over untruth.
Sri Krishna's advice with regard to temporary failures is, "No doer of good ever ends in misery."
Every action should produce results. Good action produces good results and evil begets nothing but
evil. Therefore, always act well and be rewarded.
My purport is not to suggest discarding of the Western model of efficiency, dynamism and striving
for excellence but to tune these ideals to India's holistic attitude of "lokasangraha" ‐ for the welfare
of many, for the good of many. There is indeed a moral dimension to business life. What we do in
business is no different, in this regard, to what we do in our personal lives. The means do not justify
the ends. Pursuit of results for their own sake is ultimately self‐defeating. ("Profit," said Matsushitasan
in another tradition "is the reward of correct behavior." – Ed.)

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