Vidwan Ranganatha Sarma

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 13

The dialogue between Yājñavalkya and Maitreyī (bṛhadāraṇyaka) continued “Maitreyī,  The husband doesn’t become your beloved because he is the husband, but...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 12

The victory of Yājñavalkya (bṛhadāraṇyaka) continued Then Uddālaka joined the debate, “Yājñavalkya, I know the sūtra, which encompasses, the here and thereafte...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 11

The story of Śvetaketu and Pravāhaṇarāja (chāndogya) continued The king was sad to know this. “Such a thing can be imparted only to a worthy śiṣya who has prov...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 10

The superiority of Prāṇa (Chāndogya) continued The mouth (tongue) came forward, “Let me go away for a year. Then you’ll all know my value.” saying so it went a...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 9

Upakosala (Chāndogya)  continued After three agnis instructed Upakosala, one amongst them, Gārhapatyāgni said, “Upakosala, I’ve four bodies, Pṛthvī, Agni,...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 8

Satyakāma jābāla (Chāndogya) continued The night was over. Satyakāma finished his morning routine and started his journey back to the gurukula with the herd of...

ವ್ಯಾಕರಣಶಾಸ್ತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡುಬರುವಂತೆ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನ ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸಪದ್ಧತಿ

ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದೆ ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸಪದ್ಧತಿ ಹೇಗಿತ್ತೆಂಬ ವಿಚಾರ ಕುತೂಹಲಕರವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ವಿಷಯವನ್ನು ನೇರವಾಗಿ ವಿವರಿಸುವ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳು ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲ. ನಾಲಂದ, ತಕ್ಷಶಿಲೆ, ವಿಕ್ರಮಶಿಲೆ, ವಲಭಿ ಮೊ...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 7

Satyakāma jābāla (Chāndogya) In the past, education would mean learning the vedas and allied branches like vyākaraṇa (grammar).  The student had to leave...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 6

Jānaśruti (Chāndogya) Once there lived a noble king called Jānaśruti.  His practices were rooted in dharma and always involved in dāna. He had arranged da...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 5

Uṣasti (Chāndogya) Once the kingdom of Kuru was struck by famine. All the crops were laid waste by hailstones.  In an abject village in that kingdom calle...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 4

Whatever comes next is the crux of the kaṭhopaniṣat. This is where Naciketas asked Yama to answer his question. His question surprised Yama. Not willing to answ...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 3

Naciketas (from kaṭhopaniṣat) Naciketas was the son of the ṛṣi Vājaśravas who belong to the Gautama gotra. Though a child, he was scholarly; contemplative. His...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 2

The victory of the Devas (from Kenopaniṣat) The Paramātman is the creator and sustainer of the world, omniscient, omnipotent. The main aim of our lives should...

Stories from the Upaniṣads - part 1

Prologue The upaniṣads occur at the end of each of the vedas. Hence they are known as the vedānta. Or they are the conclusion or the ultimate truth. It is firm...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 30

265. Sopānārohaṇa-nyāya Climb the stairs one by one to reach the top. It's impossible to jump from one floor to the next. It is dangerous too. Likewise any acc...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 29

257. Simhāvalokana-nyāya A lion would pause for a while when going around, observing what is happening on its rear and then proceed further. That is its nature...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 28

248. Śvaśrūnirgacchokti-nyāya The mother-in-law is the one at the helm is the import. A beggar doing his daily round of begging came to a house. The daughter-i...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 27

238. Śākhācandra-nyāya The moon is shown to the kids by pointing it out amidst some branches. If the kid sees through the gaps in between the branches he sees...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 26

230. Vṛddhakumārīvākya-nyāya An old unmarried woman is called vṛddhakumārī. In the treatise, mahābhāṣya we find this nyāya described. Devendra, the king of dei...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 25

217. Rāsabharaṭita-nyāya Rāsabharaṭita means the braying of the donkey.  The donkey starts on a high decibel. But it keeps diminishing. On the surface if...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 24

207. Yat karabhasya pṛṣṭhe na māti tat kaṇṭhe nibadhyate The master fastens an unbearable load around the camel’s neck! Camels are known to bear huge loads. Wh...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 23

193. Mallagrāma-nyāya A village where wrestling is the main vocation is called mallagrāma. Malla means wrestler. Since the majority of the population consists...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 22

185. Bhṛṅgakīṭa-nyāya Bhṛṅga means the fly/bee. It is also called bhramara. It builds a nest out of mud. It brings in other insects and uses them. The bhṛṅga g...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 21

178. Bhakṣite'pi laśune na śānto vyādhiḥ ‘Even after eating garlic the disease remained.’ Garlic is forbidden as per the śāstras. Notwithstanding that, it also...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 20

169. Bakabandhana-nyāya Capturing the crane. Someone asked the strategy to capture a crane. The strategist suggests the following: “Keep a lump of butter on th...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 19

157. Piśācanāṃ piśācabhāṣayaivottaraṃ deyam To make the piśācas understand, we should converse in their own language (piśācabhāṣā). They wouldn’t understand Ka...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 18

147. Paṅkaprakṣālana-nyāya Paṅka means marshy waters, prakṣālana means to cleanse. Why would one put their hands in the marsh and then cleanse it? It is better...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 17

138. Na hi svato'satī śaktiḥ kartumanyena śakyate It is impossible to impart some power which we don’t have in the first place. Milk has the inherent capacity...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 16

130. Na hi bhikṣuko bhikṣukāntaraṃ yācitumarhati satyanyasminnabhikṣuke When there is someone who isn’t a beggar in the vicinity one beggar shouldn’t beg from...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 15

123. Naṭasāmājika-nyāya An actor portrays many characters on stage, may it be Rāma or Bhīma. He provides the connoisseurs a feast of rasa by showing the sorrow...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 14

115. Dīrghaśaṣkulībhakṣaṇa-nyāya When eating large/long śaṣkulīs i.e. chakli all the five sense organs feel happy! Since they are large, let's assume that we h...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 13

107. Tuṣyatu durjana-nyāya “Let the wicked be happy” is the import of this nyāya. When the point raised by an opponent is impertinent, the debater agrees to it...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 12

97. Takrakauṇḍinya-nyāya Takra means buttermilk, the householder instructs the cook: "Serve curds to the brāhmaṇas; serve buttermilk to Kauṇḍinya!" Kauṇḍinya t...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 11

88. Caurāparādhānmāṇḍavyanigraha-nyāya Māṇḍavya was punished for the crime committed by the thieves. The story of Māṇḍavya comes in the Ādi-parva of Mahābhārat...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 10

79. Ghaṭīyantra-nyāya For irrigating the fields in the villages there will be a contraption with a wheel fitted to the wells called ghatīyantra. Some of the cu...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 9

72. Gaṇḍasyopari piṭakaḥ samvṛttaḥ A boil on a tumor. When there is no end for trouble this nyāya is used. There is a proverb in kannada which roughly translat...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 8

60. Kulyāpraṇayana-nyāya Kulyā means a channel. People dig up channels so that the water can be transferred to the fields to irrigate the crops. The main purpo...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 7

46. Kadambakoraka-nyāya The buds of Kadamba trees are the topic of this nyāya. These buds bloom simultaneously.  If one blooms it's a given that all will...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 6

32.Ākāśamuṣṭihanana-nyāya Punching the sky! Spending effort on futile things! Punching the sky would just lead to exhaustion but won’t hurt the sky in any mann...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 5

25. Antardīpikā-nyāya This nyāya is concerned with the lamp in a house. In the light of the same lamp, someone reads, someone writes, some others do other work...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 4

17. Asañjātavirodha-nyāya Interpretation should happen in such a way that there is no room for inconsistencies. Even in treatises which are honest there might...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 3

9. Ardhajaratīya-nyāya Scholars are especially fond of using this nyāya. But there is some debate regarding the import of this nyāya. There are no significant...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 2

Nyāyas 1.Agniśikhā-nyāya The flames of fire always go up. With the breeze it might tilt slightly but still goes upwards. Whether someone is good or bad, if he...

Sandarbhasūkti - part 1

Preface We come to know the expanse and depth of an ocean only when we see it through our own eyes. The same holds true for Sanskrit literature, one would know...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 12

The war ended. Laṅkā was captured. Hanumān conveyed the news of Śrīrāma’s victory to devī Sītā. Was there any limits to her joy? “Soumya! Nothing in this world...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 11

Even the strongest of the rākṣasas couldn’t stand before him as his breath itself felt like a tornado. They tied their waists and exerted themselves for the cau...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 10

In Madhuvana All the vānaras were eager to narrate the events to Sugrīva. They found the Madhuvana on the way. They were all enticed to drink the Madhu. After...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 9

Good luck to Bharata Bharata has started his journey towards Citrakūṭa along with his army. His aim is to bring Śrī-rāma back. On the way they see the maharṣi...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 8

Ayomukhī Ayomukhī is another Śūrpaṇakhā when it comes to her conduct. While her story is a minor one, it makes one aware of how many such shameless rākṣasa wom...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 7

The punishment for a lustful woman The pot bellied woman took Lakṣmaṇa’s words as the ultimate truth. Unaware of the humour she again goes back to Śrī-rāma. Sh...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 6

He is described as ‘smitapūrvābhibhāṣī’, someone who always has a smile before he talks. There are many instances which proves that he had a great sense of humo...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 5

The avarice of the brāhmaṇas It seems as though when Brahma created the brāhmaṇas he also gave them the gift of poverty! We have heard a number of stories whic...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 4

The humour in Śrīmad-rāmāyaṇam has always appeared in the most appropriate places. Humour always demands an awareness of the world around us. Only someone who c...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 3

There is a uniqueness in hāsya as opposed to the other rasas. It is enjoyed by one and all. This rasa has the power of entertaining everyone from small kids to...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 2

Vālmīki also finds mention in the Śrīman-mahābhāratam too. In the sabhā-parva (7.19, *7.14 in critical text) Vālmīki’s presence in the court of Indra is mention...

Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 1

कूजन्तं राम रामेति मधुरं मधुराक्षरम् । आरुह्य कविता-शाखां वन्दे वाल्मीकि-कोकिलम् ॥ [Continuously singing the sweet syllables rāma, perched upon the bra...

Epilogue: Brahmanandavalli

May the Guru Sri Krishna Grant us Auspiciousness!

The Method of the Bhagavatam

The Four Vyuhas of Vishnu

Bhakti as an Enabler of Jnana

The Glory of Bhakti in the Vishnupurana and the Bhagavatam

Who is an Outsider to the All-Pervading Srikrishna?

Srikrishna's Childhood Pranks and the Philosophical Tenets of the Bhagavatam

The Tenth Skanda of Bhagavatam

The Nature of Moksha and Srimad Bhagavatam

The Life of Srikrishna in the Vishnupurana

Surya Vamsa and Chandra Vamsa in the Vishnupurana

The Creation Process Described in the Vishnupurana

The Real Education that Puranas Offer

Advaita Darshana in the Vishnupurana

The Spiritual Tenets of Vishnupurana

Importance of the Vishnupurana

Dating of the Puranas and Interpolations

Eminence of the Puranas

The Eminence and the Philosophy of Puranas