Meditations on Transcendence

 The concept of humans being like puppets in the hands of the divine, or under the influence of higher powers, is echoed in the *Bhagavad Gita* in several places. Although the text doesn't explicitly use the term "puppet," it does describe how living beings are controlled by higher forces, particularly the modes of material nature (gunas) and the divine will of God. Here are some relevant verses: ### 1. **Bhagavad Gita 3.27**    ```    प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः।    अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताऽहमिति मन्यते।।    ```    **"Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ,      Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate."**    Translation:      "All activities are performed by the modes of material nature. But the soul, bewildered by false ego, thinks itself to be the doer."    This verse implies that individuals are like puppets being moved by the modes of nature (goodne...

Tree is a strange thing. It comes in poetry and also as analogy in various conceptual explanations. Love under trees or singing songs rotating around trees in many famous bollywood songs is common. Why this fuss all about a tree? Even in Hatha yoga, tree finds its signature as Vrikshasana, the tree pose. Supposedly the tree teaches us to lead life as an observer instead of active participant. Act like a participant but think and feel like a observer. Great people have achieved enlightenment under a tree. from Gautama to Newton eureka moments are triggered in the shelter of a tree. From romance to knowledge to enlightenment to just afternoon nap, all happens under a tree. Many parts of a tree like root, branch, trunk has found its way in daily lexicon. For example, mooladhara chakra tuning helps one to get rooted. Sri Krishna has shown that a tree can explain the architecture and purpose of cosmos. Study the tree and climb away to liberating freedom is his message in 15th chapter Gita. ...

Global corona virus is creating Vishada means a poison like misery sad feeling in the mind of people. It is very similar to what Arjuna faced at the start of the kurukshetra world war when he was face to face with ones own family members. Many are questioning why the nature of this world is like this? Waves of issues, challenges come in one after the other. It may be personal misery, misery wave due to behavior of other people, or due to natural upheaval like floods, virus, forest fire, etc....Its the nature of the world. One cannot stop no matter the advancement in science and technology. The worldly challenges continuously evolve releasing newer version and we are always in a catchup game. What to do? Gita thru its 18 yoga techniques have the answer.  The vishada or questions that arise when in misery or frustrated unable to handle the constant barrage of challenges the world throws up. But during Vishada one has to find a very spiritually competent person linked to Krishna if ...