Author Archives: gokulmuthu

Sadhana Panchakam in the Bhagavad Gita

The Sadhana Panchakam of Sri Adi Sankaracharya is very popular. In that, forty sadhanas (साधना) or spiritual disciplines are given in five verses. Here is a set of five slokas in the Bhagavad Gita that gives a sequence of about … Continue reading

Posted in hinduism, spiritual life, vedanta | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Get the Most Out of Reading

Knowledge is the most powerful tool of human beings to lead a purposeful life. Next to personal communication with an expert, books are the primary means of transmission of knowledge. It is important to have a structured approach to get … Continue reading

Posted in culture, self-help | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Rumi’s Philosophy

(I prepared this as a part of an assignment for a course.) The Sufi tradition claims its origin with the Prophet’s son-in-law Ali abn Abi Talib. It has incorporated the teachings of several spiritual traditions around the world like Christianity, … Continue reading

Posted in religion, spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Three Goddesses of Navaratri

Navaratri is the annual Hindu festival of worship of God in the form of Goddesses for nine days. During the first three days, Goddess is worshipped as Durga, the Goddess of Strength. She blesses with good health, physical power and … Continue reading

Posted in culture, hinduism, religion, spiritual life, vedanta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Exercise on Introspection

Today in the weekly meeting of Vivekananda Study Circle, IISc, we did this exercise. This is partly based on what was taught by Jayanthi Ma’am in her TA/Psychology/Group Therapy course. It can benefit a lot of people. If you are … Continue reading

Posted in self-help | Leave a comment