Attempting a thread on the Hindu fasting on Ekadashi.
I did see a couple of interactions over this topic.
Confession : I am only a couple of Ekadashis old in the fasting zone. Never fasted much before.
So I connect to the skeptic's doubts here. Read on.
My knowledge of what I am going to write is taken mostly from my Guru ji's interactions and some other pravachanas.
In Srividya, the fifteen tithis of a fortnight have fifteen tithi nitya devis, each presiding over a tithi.
On Ekadashi, the Devi is Neela pataaka - नीलापताका
नीलापताका or the one with a blue banner. A banner signifies victory. And blue signifies the endless space. Devi नीलापताका helps us fight the impossible.
Ekadashi, the tithi that comes after the first ten days also symbolises the ten Indriyas (5 sense organs and 5 limbs)+
A lot of our daily life is spent in a subconscious manner, catering to the demands of these ten Indriyas. The mind becomes subservient and makes body too subservient to their demands.
Ekadashi is one days we snap out of that control, attain a distance from the Indriyas and+
+Connect to the higher self. The day is dear to Vishnu, Shiva as well as Devi.
On Ekadashi, by consciously fasting, we make a habit of controlling the Indriyas through fasting (Nirjala or partial according to lifestyle and health conditions) & observe distance from the gross+
+
In my very very limited experience, I caught myself reaching out to munch a snack subconsciously and stopped myself at least 4-5 times through out the day.
I was wonderstruck at how strong the sensory power over body is. Ekadashi is an exercise to remain conscious and aware+
It is also an opportunity to be thankful to what we get and take for granted the other fourteen days.
Upavaasa is not just fasting.
It is also directing the body that is fighting against the Indriya demands towards spiritual activities (Japam, pooja, homam, bhajana, etc)+
+The Saadhana here is done with a body that has attained a certain control over gross demands. Done with full awareness than with a mechanical rhythm.
It detoxifies not just the body but also the mind that wavers sub consciously over a zillion unproductive thought threads+
I found myself much more aware, stronger and at peace on the next day.
Moderation of unnecessary eating, valuing what we otherwise take for granted, filling the sub conscious vaccuum with spiritual thoughts, repeating this exercise once every 15 days is bound to+
+make us holistically stronger at physiological, mental, moral and spiritual planes. We become conscious of transcient pleasures and pains and get to divert a craving towards a higher ambition.
We would be on the path towards better versions of ourselves.
End
SrimaatrenamaH
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Whether one is a supporter of Varna vyavastha or a critic, the reading and understanding of Varna system has to be done along with Ashrama and Purushartha.
Without those two, the comprehension of Varna system is dangerously half baked.
Sharing the bits I know about Author Income that eventually becomes a point of discussion in writer circles.
How much do authors earn?
When can I grow enough to become a Rowling or a Stephen King or an Amish?
Coming to Basics+
Traditionally published newbie authors start at around 8% royalty. That is, sale of a book priced Rs. 300 at full price fetches the author Rs. 24
If your monthly sustenance budget is say Rs. 50,000, you need to sell 2084 copies that month (and at full price) ++
Needless to say, selling that many copies needs a marketing investment where the returns are way too iffy. So,
*One book out there cannot sustain an author.*
Even in Self published cases where the royalty is supposedly 70% (Amazon KDP), the competitive pricing and lack of+
Karna, though 'abandoned', enjoyed the love of his foster household.
The Pandavas lost their father and were in a hostile household where they did not know how and when the next murder attempt will be made on them.
It is natural for Kunti to feel more protective for Pandavas.
On the day of Snatakotsava,
Karna was given full permission to display his skills and was cheered by the public too
He was only questioned when he sought a duel with Arjuna and also declared that he could kill him. That is when he was made the king of Anga by Duryodhana.
Those who decry Goddess worship in the name of crimes against women....
Their real objective is for the worship to stop and crimes to continue.
Otherwise they would take the opportunity to promote Goddess worship in order yo discourage crime. #Navaratri
Remember, India is the only place and Hinduism is the only civilisation that has Devi worship.
It is considered satanical by some misogynist religions. The so called progressives stand with religious misogyny today and are trying to guilt this very population+
+who took to streets after the horrific Norbhaya incident.
They are the same tribe that asks for mercy petition for rapists.
They are those who celebrate Mahishasura as some leader and call our Durga a prostitute.
They celebrate crime in this country. They celebrate peril.
Yesterday, soul sister @DimpleAtra had called for a solution we can come up with to battle the elitist gatekeeping in the publishing industry (Original thread by @sanjeevsanyal ). Here are my two paise +
A. What can the writers do? 1. Write that damn book.
Believe me, in the last six months or so, I encountered at least ten writers with promise who are not motivated to write because of the uncertainty w.r.t publishing.
Any thing can be done only if you have a workable draft.
Worst case (not necessarily, but that is a different topic), you can publish on platforms like Amazon KDP. In my case, the turning around started with KDP.
But WRITE. And WRITE MORE
2. Embrace Technology - Study how social media works and work on building your platform+