Stop being a Fool

May 28, 2024

One glance at the visitor, and Paglot Baba realised that, despite being successful, mental peace eluded him. Baba had come across such men. The man displayed telltale signs—restless mannerism, accentuated by fidgety fingers and a demeanour that displayed a genuine lack of gravitas required for a spiritual quest. Baba knew...

Who has seen tomorrow?

May 22, 2024

The thundering sound of drums marred the royal proceedings in Hastinapur. It was as if a major celebration were underway in the palace. King Yudhishthir was surprised. As a king, it was unusual that he wasn’t aware of any event. He sent a court guard to check what the hullabaloo...

Kumbharan’s Snores still Reverberate

May 14, 2024

The battle reached a crescendo, and Ravan found it exceedingly difficult against Ram’s army, which he had scoffed at a few days ago. One casualty after another jolted Ravan from his hubris-induced state. He realised it was time to wake up the sleeping giant, his brother Kumbhakaran. Long ago, Kumbhakaran...

Shorten The Line

May 7, 2024

Woe, thy name is life! That’s a statement constantly made by all of us. Ditto with Vedika. Named after knowledge, she felt the source of her name eluded her completely. She found herself consumed by the problems that plagued her life. She’d rue that she was the chosen one to...

Malignant Wild Grass

April 30, 2024

Chandragupta found Chanakya sulking since the time he came back from King Nanda’s court. He was aware of the humiliation that Chanakya endured there. Chandragupta left Chanakya alone, but when he noticed the latter stumble on wild grass, he extended his hand to help. However, Chanakya made it evident that...

Wisdom at the Gate

April 23, 2024

Condensing a tome is a gargantuan task; leave alone your complete writings. But trust the masters to come up with nuggets consisting of a few sentences that encompass the essence of thousands of words. On being asked by a friend, Socrates replied, ‘The only thing I know is that I...

The Reversal Mantra

April 16, 2024

X was forever discontent with the replies to his spiritual queries. That’s when he heard of a wise man known as Paglot Baba, or the mad guru. Similar to the Zen koan (paradoxical riddles) and Kabir’s ulat baasiyan (upside-down verses), Paglot Baba was known to dispense strange advice that made...

Ever seen a Python being employed?

April 9, 2024

As the headman of his village, Malukdas laid great emphasis on labour. That explains his disagreement with the priest, who fed the hungry villagers without making them contribute anything. The priest held the view that it’s erroneous to assume that humans provide food. It’s the Lord who feeds. Malukdas decided...

Beyond Duality

April 2, 2024

Eyes popped out, jaws fell, and mouths remained agape. The disciples had never heard anything like this before. Yet, here was their teacher, who had made this obnoxious statement: ‘If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him.’ He was merely repeating the revered Zen master Linji Yixuan’s words. Then...

Sandhikaal: The moment of transition

March 27, 2024

Haughtiness could be Hiranyakashyap’s second name. Son of a revered sage Kashyap and his wife Diti, he, along with his brother Hiranyaksh caused havoc around the three realms, especially since extreme powers were endowed upon them. Hiranyaksh’s vanquishing by Vishnu in the form of Varaha caused Hiranyakashyap to swear revenge,...