Religion is on the altar of British courts once again. A female employee of British Airways, Nadia Eweida, was grounded in 2006 for wearing a cross — considered a Christian religious symbol — for work. The employment tribunal ignored her pleas that she was a victim of religious discrimination. But in 2007 BA changed its policy to allow some religious symbols, like the Muslim hijab and the Sikh kara. Now the employee is back in courts again, seeking damages for the tribunal ruling.
This piece is an extract from 100 Roadblocks: Unblocked through the Words of Lord Krishna by Ajit Kumar Bishnoi and Anil Kumar Jha. The authors here have identified common problems afflicting mankind and tried to look for their solutions in the Bhagavad-Gita. From the chapter ‘Lack of Confidence’
There are many movements going on today that aim to change or improve the world in this time of global crisis. Almost everyone is encouraging us to become an activist in one form or another, for one cause or another. While I don’t doubt the necessity of this position, and have been an active for several causes myself, I wonder whether it is enough. David Frawley writes more.
The Bhagavad Gita, a scintillating jewel embedded in the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna set against the background of war. At the beginning of the poem, we learn that there is going to be a great war for the rule of a kingdom. On the battlefield, with armies of the Kuru clan ranged against each other, Arjuna and Krishna explore the necessity of war and the nature of the human soul.
When India fought the First War of Independence in 1857, and Bahadur Shah ‘Zafar’ was installed as emperor by the Hindus in Delhi for a brief period, his Hindu Prime Minister, on the emperor’s proclamation, made the killing of cow a capital offence. Earlier in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kingdom, the only crime that had capital punishment was cow slaughter. Subramanian Swamy writes more.
The distinguishing feature of pagan beliefs and cultures is their sense of the sacred— of sacredness as something that pervades the universe, its every nook and cranny, its every creation. Krishna in the Bhagavadgita (4.11) says: “All creatures great and small— I am equal to all; I hate none nor have I any favorites.” And this, as we shall soon see, extends to all creation, animate and inanimate.
There is a destiny or karmic pattern to our lives. Whatever exists in the realm of time must follow the rhythms of time and the law of cause and effect. The present fruit must be of the same nature as the previous seed. Whatever we are in body and mind must be the result of our previous physical and mental patterns. This destiny for some people is very fixed. David Frawley writes more.
By U. Mahesh Prabhu Feelings and emotions are explicit testimonies to the fact that we are men. But when we fail to tame them and flow with them, our life is on a sure path to disaster. There is a word in Sanskrit, which is largely unparalleled in any other language, called Stitaprajna. Simply translated [...]
The Bhagavad-Gita has long fascinated humanity and has inspired some of the greatest minds of all time. It is a short scripture with infinite significance packed into virtually every verse. The following are some comments of some eminent personalities of medieval and modern history.
Depression, according to recent statistics, is practically an epidemic, with over 70 million people suffering from its affects, such as a feeling of moroseness, uselessness, lack of energy, inability to sleep, and a poor attitude toward life in general, among other symptoms. Depression causes a pessimistic view of things. It also discourages enthusiasm and stifles one’s initiative. It may also produce despair and bring about sickness in the mind and body. It can make one resort to rash and thoughtless actions that a person may later regret. Much of the time such thoughts are completely unnecessary. Thus, it is imperative that we help cure depression so that people can live with more happiness, ingenuity, energy, and are thus able to reach a higher potential in life.Stephen Knapp writes more.
