When he fell terminally ill, Kabir decided to shift from Benares to Maghiyar, against the wishes of his followers. It was believed in those days (and even now) that if one dies in Benares, one goes straight to heaven, whereas death in Maghiyar leads straight to hell! Kabir’s disdain for religious hypocrisy and religious beliefs…
2025: Another Year of Cementing Words (With a Smile)
As 2025 slips quietly into history, it leaves behind another satisfying year of relentless typing, enthusiastic pondering, and happily overworked fingers. It’s been a super year of writing, sprinting across territories as varied as politics, social issues, religion, environment, entertainment, sports, health, humour—and the occasional philosophical detour where answers are optional but questions are mandatory….
MORAL SHORTCUT LEADS TO SILENT EROSION OF ETHICS
I recall that, years ago, when I undertook a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine in India, I obtained a special permit to have my ‘darshan’ of the deity. The privilege obtained through personal ‘connection’ enabled me to bypass the miles-long queue of devotees behind me, who had been waiting for hours. Contrary to my pious…
SIGNIFICANCE OF THOUGHT
“Thoughts become words, words become behaviour, behaviour becomes habits, habits become values, and values lead to destiny.”— Mahatma Gandhi In the creation of words, behaviour, habits, values, and ultimately destiny, everything begins with a thought. If destiny is the consequence of thought, then thought itself is shaped by our feelings, attitudes, knowledge, and experiences. These…
MORAL SHORTCUTS: THE SILENT EROSION OF ETHICS
Most of us like to believe, most of the time, that we are reasonably ethical in our dealings with society and honest enough in our dealings with ourselves. We carry an inner certificate of good conduct, rarely examined, and often renewed automatically. Yet there are moments, under pressure, convenience, fear, ambition, or sheer fatigue, when…
Does Everything Have Consciousness—Or Only Us? Promod PuriDecember 2, 2025HinduismEdit”Does Everything Have Consciousness—Or Only Us?” Post navigation Previous What is the difference between you and me, and a spoon, a table, a stone, or any object or thing? All are physical matters. But we have consciousness; others don’t. Or maybe they have it, which we don’t assume….
WHAT CAUSES OUR BEHAVIOUR AND DIFFERENCES OF OPINION?
Our mood, nature, style, and behaviour shape how we understand and interact with our family, friends, situations, and the society around us. A significant part of this comes from our physiology—the biology that underlies how the body works. This includes the physical and chemical processes, hormone activity, and brain functions that influence our level of…
Sikh Tradition of Langar Goes Beyond Gurdwaras
Langar, the 500-year-old tradition introduced by Guru Nanak, is among the most sacred and transformative pillars of Sikhism. More than a kitchen and more than a meal, langar is a living expression of radical equality. As Guru Nanak declared, “Na koi bada na koi chhota”—no one is high, no one is low. The word langar…
The Swastika: A Universal Symbol of Humanity’s Heritage
Prof. Suresh Chander The swastika is one of the oldest and most universally recognized symbols in human history, transcending time, geography, and cultures. Its use has spanned thousands of years, appearing across civilizations and continents, from the ancient Indus Valley to pre-Columbian Americas and from East Asia to Europe. Despite its association with a specific…
Progressive Hindu Dialogue 