When Vedic kings faced an emotional dilemma or a moral crisis, they sought the wise counsel of Vedic sages called as Rishis. These Rishis, also called as Rajagurus or Royal Mentors, had a unique approach to counseling, which often empowered these kings to resolve their adverse situations simply by decluttering …

Shakti or Power is the essence of Rajyam or Leadership. There are those who consider themselves to be either “unlucky” or “undeserving” of power as they cannot comprehend the dynamics of attaining or retaining it. Those who consider themselves to be “deserving” of power are often the same who are unable to handle it. As a result, such people turn up as leaders who are used, misused and/or abused by those around them. They are branded as Ashaktas or incompetent by Kautilya a.k.a. Chanakya. Those who are most deserving of handling power, on the other hand, even without being in the position of power, are called Shaktas those who are deserving of power. Such Shaktas are capable of making changes that define the destiny of everyone and therefore can be easily understood as competent.

Bhakti seeks unconditional acceptance of everyone, without any conditions. Bhranti seeks conditional submission. Bhakti gives love; Bhranti often confuses one’s lust for love. Bhakti helps in sustenance – within and without; Bhranti destroys within. Bhakti stems from within in the absence of fear; Bhranti arises and harps on suspicion of the self as well as others. Bhakti seeks solitude; Bhranti yearns for adoration.

Jealousy of people is among the many things that come along with success and wealth. And it is by far the most potent threat as it could turn even a dear friend into a deadly enemy. And when that enemy continues to pose as a friend, enjoying proximity to you, (s)he becomes a Hitashatru.

Vedic Sanskrit word for criticism was निन्दा (Ninda.) The criticizer is निन्दक (Nindaka.) Whereas विनिन्दा (Vininda) & विनिन्दक (Vinindaka) stand for Unjust Criticism & Unjust Criticizer. Interestingly, in the languages that followed Vedic Sanskrit, the very word Ninda is synonymous with Vininda. In most Indic languages Ninda is unjust, unwise and is often, incorrectly, defined as अधार्मिक: (Adharmic) or against Dharma. According to the Vedic Rishis, the problem is not with criticism but with our अहंकारं or ego. What if our adversary is to criticize us with abuse but also say a few facts along? Why not only retain the facts and ignore their abuse? It’s incorrect to assume that someone says something, and we felt bad. We feel bad because of our attachment to our sense of ego, which in turn led us to ignore the truth in their words by holding onto their abuses with undeserving emotions.

Fear is natural. But just because it is natural does not mean it is essential for living. We fear things we do not understand. What we cannot understand we must try to understand. We can never fear the known – fear is always about the unknown.

Vedic Sanskrit word Aatmana or Atman is often translated as Spirit by a great many people. And hence the science, or knowledge, of Atman – Adhyatma - is translated as Spirituality. But is that an accurate translation?

There are times to fight, there are also times for retreat. We need not win all the battles in life. Some battles make us strong some teach us valuable lessons. To try and win all battles is vain; but to try and win losing battles is stupidity. Long before we can win, we must gracefully learn from our defeats. To make it worse, we neither considers patience nor perseverance a virtue; most see them as “vice.” The modern definition of success, the ones that are propagated by our business schools, the media organizations, and societies is clearly flawed. Success is not when we receive some award or when some magazine puts us on its cover, or a filmmaker decides to make a biopic. The Vedic idea of success is best explained by Krishna:

Since time immemorial people have often feared isolation. Nobody likes to live isolated and, therefore, seeks the constant company of people. Solitude is synonymous to loneliness – a lack of feeling that something is missing, a pain, a depression, a need, an incompleteness, an absence. They relate isolation to pitch darkness – a state of disconcertment. What people often forget is that even people can make them lonely. Therefore, various Vedic scriptures suggest, one should learn to establish a friendship with one’s self through Ekaanth and then there’s no way for himself to feel lonely.

Dharma is a Vedic Sanskrit word that comes from the root word Dhri or Dhriti which means “to sustain.” In an era where we are severely affected as a result of our “unsustainable actions” and are trying to find ways to find “sustainable living” understanding Dharma as a way of …