For Whom Wealth Matters
November 7, 2018 Leave a comment
Happy Diwali !
Here are some profound thoughts on commerce and wealth drawn from mythology to reflect on this Diwali.
I’ll be sure to follow-up with an English synopsis ASAP.My apologies to all readers who don’t speak Hindi.
January 12, 2017 1 Comment
Chanchala, the restless and whimsical one, who does not like to stay in one place, is one of the names of Lakshmi . She loves to move around and so people are advised not to keep images of her in the house where she is shown standing; she may feel unwelcome and she may leave. So in traditional images she is always shown seated comfortably on a lotus.
The whole point of this rather visual characterization is to inform people that wealth loves to move. The value of wealth emerges only when it exchanges hands. Lakshmi’s symbol is her foot print and it is always drawn pointing into the house. The idea being to align the restless and mobile nature of the goddess with our own desire to see fortune favor us.
Realizing the criticality of Lakshmi’s movement, rituals were created to encourage the flow of wealth in society. Typically, on festival days people were advised to wear new clothes. New clothes meant income for the weaver which in turn meant income for dyers, spinners and farmers who grew the cotton and silk. People were also encouraged to break old pots and buy new pots in festival time thereby boosting the income of potters and the economy. In festivals like Dhanteras, people are encouraged to buy metal, especially iron and gold which in turn helped metal smiths and miners.Another important ritual was the exchange of gifts, especially food items, either prepared at home or bought from the sweet shop and shared with friends and neighbors. During festival time, the arts were encouraged thereby providing livelihood to artists. Musicians, dancers, singers, street performers were invited by landlords to entertain the village. Read more of this post
October 3, 2014 1 Comment
In mythology,Ravana is the son of a Brahmin father, the great sage Vishrava or Vesamuni and a Kshatriya mother, the Daitya rakshasa princess Kaikesi. His grandfather, the sage Pulastya, was one of the ten Prajapatis or mind-born sons of Brahma and one of the Saptarishi ,Seven Great Sages, in the first Manvantara.
Ravana was both aggressive and arrogant but at the same time he was also an exemplary scholar, an able administrator and great devotee of Lord Shiva.
Ravana performed an intense penance or tapasya to Lord Shiva, lasting several years. During his penance, Ravana chopped off his head 10 times as a sacrifice to appease Lord Shiva. Each time he sliced his head off a new head arose, thus enabling him to continue his penance. At last, Lord Shiva, pleased with his austerity, appeared after his 10th decapitation and offered him a boon. Ravana asked for immortality, which Shiva refused to give, but gave him the celestial nectar of immortality. The nectar of immortality, stored under his navel, dictated that he could not be vanquished for as long as it lasted.Ravana also asked for absolute invulnerability from and supremacy over Gods, heavenly spirits, other rakshasas, serpents, and wild beasts. Contemptuous of mortal men, he did not ask for protection from these. Shiva granted him these boons in addition to his 10 severed heads and great strength by way of knowledge of divine weapons and magic. Read more of this post
July 19, 2014 1 Comment
Draupadi is the daughter of Draupad,of the King of Panchala. She is the wife of the five Pandavas and is their Queen.She is the only Sakhi (female friend) of Krishna.
Draupadi is motherless as she emerged fully formed out of the sacrificial fire in response to her father’s wishes for a means to avenge himself against Drona. She is not the product of her parent’s deep desire for a child,rather she is a result of her father’s need for a child to accomplish what he can’t.
Draupadi’s relationship with the Pandavas is complex and at the heart of the Mahabharata.Of the five Pandavas, Draupadi favors Arjuna the most. She is in love with him, whereas the others are in love with her. Arjuna has won her in the Swayamvar, Arjuna is her Lord, and she is devoted to him.On the other hand, she is not Arjuna’s favorite wife.Arjuna’s favorite wife is Subadhra, Krishna’s half-sister. He also dotes on Abhimanyu (his son with Subadhra) not so his sons from Draupadi and Chitrangada. All of Draupadi’s husbands married other women, but the only time Draupadi gets upset and distraught is when she learns of Arjuna’s marriage to Subadhra. Subadhra has to go to Draupadi dressed as a maid, just to assure her that she (Subadhra) will always be beneath Draupadi in status. Read more of this post
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