MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - Episode 326 - Powerful Innerself

MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 326

11th August 2025

#PowerfulInnerSelf

Wishing the readers a happy Rakshabandhan, celebration of universal brotherhood and a joyful Gokulashtami, celebration of knowledge and commitment.

Continuing our motivation from #BhagavadGita

धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च | यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम् || Bhagavad Gita 3.38||

dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśho malena cha yatholbenāvṛito garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛitam

It becomes essential to understand the translation of the words to understand the perspectives well:

dhūmena—by smoke; āvriyate—is covered; vahniḥ—fire; yathā—just as; ādarśhaḥ—mirror; malena—by dust; cha—also; yathā—just as; ulbena—by the womb; āvṛitaḥ—is covered; garbhaḥ—embryo; tathā—similarly; tena—by that (desire); idam—this; āvṛitam—is covered

#ThisAndThat

Lord Krishna used three analogies in this sloka. They are :

1.     As the fire is covered by smoke

2.     As a mirror covered with dust and

3.     The womb covers an embryo.

However, the connection between these three analogies has not been clearly explained. Lord Krishna leaves the comparison open for interpretation by using the words idam and tena, which translate to ‘that covers this’, probably purposely. It is a ‘million-dollar question’ what ‘this and that’ in this sloka refer to. Surprisingly, Lord Krishna left it unexplained (in this sloka). I feel for a reason. Lord Krishna left it open because there are multiple things in this world which could be better explained using these three analogies. Before listing them, let me explain the most common translation of this sloka.

#LustAndAnger

Most commonly seen translations refer tena to lust and anger, and idam to atma.  Thus, the widely used translation of this most meaningful sloka is

Lord Krishna to Arjun - As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo by the amnion, so this knowledge of the Self is enveloped by Kama and Krodha.

Before getting to the explanation of the above translation, let us analyse the reason behind most translators referring to tena as kama and krodha. For that, we need to understand the context behind this conversation between Arjun and Krishna.

Arjun, by sloka 3.36, asks Krishna to explain the factors that make humans sin against their will. As a reply to this sensible question, Krishna starts his discourse from sloka 3.37. In Sloka 3.37, Lord Krishna identifies lust and anger, born out of rajo guna, as the two most virulent enemies of humans and then jumps to Sloka 3.38 where he quotes these three analogies. Hence, the most relevant explanation of tena is lust and anger based on the continuity from the previous two slokas though the words kama and krodha are not mentioned in the sloka 3.38..

Lust and anger are like the smoke making the fire invisible, and the layer of dust making a mirror less useful. If lust and anger are compared to smoke and dust, what would the fire and the mirror mean? They refer to the atma, our inner self, clean, spotless and powerful self. Excellent analogy. Is it not? Let us go a little deeper on this.

Kama & krodha are therefore said to be the first two of the six evil tendencies in man – Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya. Kama is the captain of the team of inimical forces which harass mankind and stand directly in the way of Self-realisation.

The Lord describes Kama and Krodha by two significant epithets. Kama is all-devouring (Mahasanah). Like fire, it burns, consuming everything that is offered to satisfy its hunger for enjoyment. Fire is not extinguished so long as you pour oblations of oil and ghee into it. They only add to its consuming power. Such is kama. The attempt to satisfy it only makes it stronger and more clamorous for further and further enjoyment. How then can it be conquered? Let no fuel be added to the fire, and the fire weakens and dies in ashes. So also, let no attempt be made to satisfy kama, and it dies a natural death. The rejection of desire as soon as it is born is the best way to overcome it. Constant inquiry into the nature of the Self, which is bliss itself, will naturally eliminate desires from the mind. When man, by his birthright, is the very source and fountainhead of all bliss, why does he need small external objects to give him joy and pleasure? So, the seeker should constantly contemplate the blissful nature of his authentic Self, which is a positive and potent fire engulfed by lust and anger as the smoke.

These six enemies act with excellent coordination. If one is suppressed, another comes up. With different shapes and forms, they appear at unexpected times and in unexpected places, harassing the weak and unfortunate human beings.

Therefore, the Lord speaks inspiring words to the seeker to conquer the enemy with courage and determination, however long and hard the struggle may be.

Fire and Mirror are the two epithets used by modern management gurus. It is not surprising that Lork Krishna used fire and a mirror as analogies to explain something, an interesting management principle. What are the other possible interpretations of tena and idam? Wait for one week to read in the next episode of #MondayMusings.

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#PositiveNewsPage

For the Captain forever

Adapted from https://www.newindianexpress.com/

‘Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

But I with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.’

Walt Whitman penned O Captain! My Captain! in 1865 in memory of his father-like figure, US President Abraham Lincoln. Though the poet never met Lincoln, his verses became a lasting bridge, binding admiration, reverence, and the Captain’s enduring legacy.

Such bonds are rare in an age where loyalty often masks betrayal. Forget verses, which friend would pour their savings into treating the poor, purely in memory of a friend? Few, if any. Yet, in the quiet town of Manapparai in Tiruchy, a man on whose face time had etched the wisdom and weariness of seventy-odd years, R Chandrasekaran, has been doing exactly that for nearly three decades — keeping alive the spirit of service of his dearest friend, the late Dr V N Lakshmi Narayanan.

Hailing from Valanadu village, Chandrasekaran, a Political Science graduate, ran a modest medical shop with his wife, C Mangaiyarkarasi. The shop stood opposite Dr Narayanan’s hospital, and from across the road grew a friendship grounded in shared values. Dr Narayanan devoted his life to treating the poor, often refusing payment or accepting only small contributions from those who could afford it. The two families had been close for decades. Chandrasekaran’s father and Dr Narayanan were neighbours, and incidentally, Chandrasekaran himself was born in the doctor’s hospital. Over the years, the bond deepened. “Our friendship went beyond working together,” Chandrasekaran recalls.

In 1994, tragedy struck. Dr Narayanan died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving behind an irreplaceable void. Nearly two lakh mourners gathered for his funeral as a mark of respect for his service. Chandrasekaran stood alongside the doctor’s adopted son, V N L Srinivasan, performing the last rites as though he were a son himself. For him, the loss was personal and profound. Yet in grief, a resolve took root: his friend’s work would not end with his passing.

In 1995, Chandrasekaran founded the Dr VNL Trust in Manapparai to carry forward the doctor’s mission. Partnering with Aravind Eye Hospital, it began organising annual eye and general medical camps for the economically weaker sections.

Over the past three decades, the trust has conducted close to 100 free eye camps, benefiting more than 25,000 people. Of these, over 11,000 have undergone free cataract surgeries. Patients leave not only with restored vision but also with full stomachs — breakfast and lunch are served generously.

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Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly inspirational newsletter #MondayMusings every Monday in # LinkedIn so that the readers can start their work week on a positive note. Posted by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com).

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