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Vaikuntapali: A Timeless Guide to Life's Lessons

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  As a kid, I loved playing Vaikuntapali (పరమపదసోపాన పటము or snakes and ladders) with my grandma using seashells. My mom, the resident rule enforcer, would constantly scold us for wasting our time. Fast forward to adulthood, and I've morphed into an anti-board game person. Their slow pace and long hours of sitting was a cruel test for my patience, a virtue I lack in abundance. With social media’s endless scroll of mind-numbing content, the irresistible lure of Netflix marathons, the dopamine rush of online shopping sprees, why would I bother wasting my time by rolling seashells (or dice) and moving wooden pieces. Why would any one select Feature phone over smart phone ? But then I stumbled upon a YouTube video about Vaikuntapali, and it sparked my dormant interest all over again. I started looking at the original game board (Thanks to Google's commitment to preserve the past) and I delved into a deep analysis, uncovering its profound symbolism and life lessons. It's like di...

Lessons from Sita

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The Ramayana is considered to be one of the greatest works of Hindu literature and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful stories ever told. Rama and Sita are the main protagonists of this beautiful story, directed originally by Sage Valmiki, and the same story has been rewritten into many different versions, interpretations, and languages over the centuries because it is one of the most influential and symbolic epics. It has been an inspiration to many poets, lyricists, directors, and musicians. Be it Valmiki Ramanyanam or Ramanand Sagar’s television series Ramayan, or Bapu’s Sampoorna Ramayanam, Be it Molla Ramayanam or Tulsa Das Ramacharith Manas, Be it Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s Ramayana Kalpavriksham or Ranganayakamma’s Ramayana Vishavruksham, Be it Tyagaraja Kriti or Ramadasa Keerthana or some folk song (now, many songs are running through my mind, situationally). What is running through your mind now? All of these versions of the Ramayana have something in common, and t...

Lessons from Nature

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Nature is our greatest, wisest and noblest teacher. A tree, flower, leaf, sun, pets, wild animals and everything around will teach us something. Only thing we should have to look into and be ready to learn. “Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.” – William Wordsworth Path to success is not straight forward. There will be many twists and turns. Be adaptable, be flexible and be tolerant to win the face of difficult odds.      Tolerance is as simple as trying to accept the fact the we live in the world of different opinions or behaviors that we don't necessarily agree with. Very often, we feel unsafe or threatened  because some one else express a opinion that is very different from ours. We need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to grow.  In many cases  tolerance results in increased understanding, better relationships and improved behavior. [Note : Tolerance should not be confused with toleration ]...

Life lessons from Karna

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  Karna is one of the most popular and complex character in the Mahabharata. Karna(Surya Putra) is the personification of   charity, valor, sacrifice and selflessness, however he also had some bad qualities which overshadowed his good qualities. There was always a dilemma whether to categorize him as a hero or a Villain.   Wait... why should we even try to categorize him? Do we have the right to pass judgment? Let’s consider Karna just as a character made complex by writer/fate/life/destiny/God to preach us a lesson of fortitude, sacrifice and acceptance, and focus only on the learning.   He went through a series of tragedies with/without his involvement/choice/knowledge are a proof of his misfortune.     Be a True Friend: It was Duryodhana who saw Karna’s capabilities. When everyone disregarded him and even insulted him, Duryodhana stood by him and embraced him. Though Karna and Duryodhana became friends for their own selfish r...

Leadership lessons from Rama

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      Today is SriRamaNavami, celebrated as the birthday of Rama. The Ramanaya(Rama’s Journey) Epic is the best action/thriller/romantic/emotional/family drama featuring the most handsome hunk Rama(Ajanubahum , Aravinda Dalaya Taksham) as the hero, the beautiful Sita (lacks metaphors to describe her beauty) as the heroine,  the arrogant Ravana as the villain, and Lakshmana, Hanuman, and others as supporting actors.   The director started writing Rama’s Journey with the intent of teaching various life lessons to humankind with lots of devotion and finally he had to divide it into seven parts: Bala kanda, Ayodhya kanda, Aranya kanda, Kishkinda Kanda, Sundara Kanda, Yuddha Kanda, and Uttara Kanda. Each Kanda deals with a particular period of Rama’s life. As Winston Churchill said, “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” We should strive to learn many leadership characteristics and gain motivation from role model R...

Chapter 8 (Abhyasa Yoga)

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In this chapter, Arjuna urges Krishna to tell him about the Supreme God and how one can identify and reach Him. Krishna explains how to worship God and attain Him. A person who thinks of Krishna when their last breath is taken will be with God and there will be no rebirth. Now I am really thinking about Krishna. I started imagining myself wearing a (very beautiful ) orange Saree with beads(No not made of Rudrakshas definitely, may be Ruby beads)  around my neck and some instrument( It doesn’t make any difference as I can play no instrument). Krishna is talking about death which is unknown to us. Let’s come back to our life and see how to apply this to our life. The theme of the chapter is, ' As You Think So You Become ' and it's all about how practice makes the man perfect! -> The world is desire-driven. Work on improving the quality of desires. Every move is out of resultant of desires whether you are watching a movie, going for a walk, eating food or sleeping . You wi...

Chapter7 : Gnana Vigna yoga

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Till 6th chapter, Krishna imparted knowledge to Arjuna on how to perform duties without expectation, sacrifice, self control and then do meditation. Chapter 7 opens with Krishna continuing his disclosure. He discusses jnana (knowledge) and vijnana (realization, understanding). He also emphasizes the importance of choosing the eternal Spirit over the ephemeral world. It’s a little bit complicated for me. I feel that this whole chapter can be explained through the means of one beautiful Telugu poem by Potana. ఇందు కల దండు లేదని సందేహము వలదు చక్రి సర్వోపగతుం డెందెందు వెదకి చూచినా నందందే కలదు దానవాగ్రణి వింటే  Meaning: When Hiranyakashyapa asks Prahlada where Vishnu is, Prabhlada responds by saying,"You do not need to doubt where Vishnu is. He is everywhere. Where ever you look for him, you can find him." ->Understand the power within us. We have infinite power and Bhagvadgita lets us tap into the power with in. How can we do this ? Does education/a degree teach us this ?...