Nihar Satpathy Quotes

We can then rightly presume that we live in a world which is guided by absurdity. The word 'absurdity' in this context contrasts with the term 'reasoning.' So we live in a world in which reasoning fails. It is a place where the causes do not always lead to the effect.

The act of worship being a universally practiced form of devotion to God, a majority of the world's population finds it as a convenient mode to experience communion with God. It is the easiest way to attain inner peace and be blessed with divine grace.

One important aspect of the Gita which remains is that even though it presents to us some diverse paths as a way of life, such as action, devotion, knowledge and meditation, it does not impose any of these paths on an individual. Rather, it leaves the choice to the people, because the followers of all these paths are essential for the smooth functioning of the world, and any en masse inclination towards only one of them would jeopardize the society by causing an imbalance in its system. The Gita also recognizes that the path that one should follow is determined primarily by the free choice of man as well as his inherent nature, which can be interpreted as a genetic inheritance he is endowed with.

Even though there is no certainty that the expected results of our work will manifest, we have to remain committed to our work and duties; because, even if the results are slated to arrive, they cannot do so without the performance of work.

We know that Hinduism believes in reincarnation. Such beliefs or theories have one purpose. It is to provide a plausible answer to our questions that would otherwise remain unanswered. We have questions such as, "Why should I perform work if the result is not likely to be seen; especially when death can visit me at any moment? And then: Why should death happen at all? And why do our kith and kin have to be engulfed in grief when we die? Is it not injustice and something not acceptable?" The Gita tries to assuage such feelings by stating that just as we attain childhood, youth, and old age, similarly, we also attain another body after our death. It is a continuous and cyclical process, and the wise ones should not have worries in this regard.

When we say that there is a perpetual clash between good and evil in the world, it does not necessarily mean that the confrontation takes place only between warring nations, communities, groups or individuals. It could also include the internal conflict that goes on within us. The elements of virtue and vice are present in every one of us. The question remains: Which of these elements are predominant in our inner selves? For example, the element of modesty in our nature may sometimes be overridden by arrogance, prompting us to act arrogantly. Thus, a continuous clash of good and evil goes on within the human being all the time

A true leader always leads by example, by demonstrating to others how the work is done. Sri Krishna, being a great spiritual leader of his time, also chose to perform certain worldly activities. Why? He explains, "If ever I cease to be vigilantly engaged in action, then people would follow my footsteps in every way and no one would perform action."28 The life of Krishna is marked by ordinariness. He did the earthly job of cow herding, and also indulged in romancing, dancing and playing the flute. He demonstrated a life for others to emulate. He led a balanced life with his strengths as well as frailties. His life was, therefore, not extraordinary. He was not an epitome of perfection. He showed others how to lead a normal, worldly life by himself performing all the actions and yet drifting away from it by reaching for higher ideals.

Truth may sometimes appear to be unpalatable and unreasonable. But ultimately, it finds its own way to establish itself.

Yoga is the way of our approach to the goal, that is, a way of getting connected to our objective. Etymologically, the word Yoga in Sanskrit means to add, to be united. In other words, it is the means to join or be united with our goal.

It goes without saying that the human mind is a powerhouse of hidden clues. It's only that we are not aware of it. All of us are endowed with an immense ability to resolve most of the questions that torment us. All that is required is to delve deep and unravel the rays of light that lie within the darkness of our mind. We have layers of wisdom that remain unexplored within us. What matters is a strong intent and resolve to reach out to our inner self to retrieve those answers.

One's lack of confidence over oneself contributes to one's downfall, even if such a downfall is avoidable. It diminishes whatever probabilities there are of overcoming the hurdles on the path to our success. It strips us of our ability to win a battle even when the circumstances favor us. Most of our strength, capacity and resilience gets nullified when we harbor the slightest of doubts over our own adequacies. The more the sense of insecurity, the closer we move towards defeat.