Warrier's blog

Book On My Table I found the book 'The Difficulty Of Being Good' interesting, because the author accepts the real life situation that, we need not know all answers. Today, I was reading page 302 at random. By accident 'The Difficulty Of Being Good' appears as a subtitle on this page. I really stare at assertions like ...the epic 'is the content of our collective unconscious...We must therefore grasp the great book with both hands and face it squarely. Then we shall recognise that it is our past which has prolonged itself into the present. We are it'* Briefly : Let's experience the life's journey, watching the sideshows and playing our given role to our satisfaction. M G Warrier *V S Sukthankar

Friends Yesterday, I concluded my introductory note, somewhat abruptly, with the following remarks : "If we can't do anything about the evil around, can we not divert our resources and energy, attention and time towards doing good, listening good and talking góod? Why we should pay attention to doomsayers?" Till we vacated our Thiruvananthapuram house for letting out few years ago, my personal library had books like : 1 Six volumes of Mahabharata [Gita Press edition : Sanskrit Text with Hindi meaning] 2 Bhagavatam 3 Manusmriti 4 Brahma Sutras 5 Several Upanishads [8 or 10 with Shankara's Bhashyas] 6 Das Capital 7 Valmiki Ramayanam 8 Arthashastra 9 Logan's Malabar Manual 10 Monier William's Sanskrit to English and English to Sanskrit Dictionaries. 11 Shabdataravali [Malayalam] 12 Bhagavad Gita Swadhyaya by Nityachaitanyayati 13 History of RBI [3 Volumes] and many other precious books, numbering around a thousand. Now, here in Mumbai, the collection, which wa...

Friends Swami Sukhabodhananda*, sees Vijayadashami as an occasion to remind us the need to keep Ego at arms length : Swami actually talks about "Victory Of Awareness Over Ego" Let's make a beginning. The articles at A & B are copied from an email group in which I am a member. M G Warrier *Watch Swami speaking : https://youtu.be/ZqtRr41dUzk?si=G3_fxDsNPzUnGybe Vijayadashami Special Our common aspiration - The Economic Times https://share.google/P1QXiMRfuqaNyCl9y Synopsis Vijayadashami represents the victory of goodness over evil, as seen in various cultural narratives. Ram's defeat of Ravan and Jesus Christ's resurrection reflect similar themes of righteousness triumphing over darkness. Additionally, Michael's defeat of Satan in Christian scripture parallels these tales. Different cultures emphasize the idea that arrogance and injustice ultimately lead to destruction. The stories resonate with a profound human belief in the enduring nature of hope...

Friends Happy Vijayadashami (Vidyarambham @C) M G Warrier Vidyarambham : Vijayadashami, 2026 A Vidyarambham Vidyarambham is a traditional Hindu initiation ceremony in South India (especially Kerala, Karnataka, and parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh) where young children (typically ages 2 to 5) are formally introduced to the world of learning, literature, music, and the arts. Meaning and Significance Name Origin : Derived from Sanskrit words Vidya (knowledge) and Arambham (beginning). Timing : Celebrated on Vijayadashami (the final, auspicious tenth day of Navaratri), which honors Goddess Saraswati, the deity of wisdom and knowledge. Pooja Veypu : Books, musical instruments, and tools of trade are placed before Goddess Saraswati starting on Durgashtami/Mahanavami and kept undisturbed until Vijayadashami. The Ritual Process Seating : The child sits in the lap of a parent, grandparent, teacher (guru), or temple priest. Tracing on Rice or Sand : An elder holds the child'...

Friends Yesterday, when my daughter Reshmy was at home, I pointed to the shelf in which I had dumped my recent accumulation of books and told her : "If you are interested in reading any of them, you can finish reading and return later" From half a dozen books she scanned through in next 20 minutes, picked up one for reading and asked me : "Do you really read all these books?" I didn't tell a lie. Last week, we mentioned about the announcement of this year's Nobel for literature. And briefly discussed about the work of Anne Carson. Today, we will try to know more about her. M G Warrier A Yesterday's The Hindu literaryreview carries an interesting article captioned "Reading Anne Carson" by Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta (who is in IAS). I loved reading the write-up which will give the reader sufficient inspiration to dig out the original sources from which the quotes and anecdotes have been carefully picked up by the writer. B Famous and str...

Welcome To Warrier's Friends' COLLAGE, On 3rd Sunday October, 2026 Friends Between Mahabharata (MB) and Ramayana, for me, stories from Ramayana are more familiar. Though it converged and concluded with a relatively short war compared to the Trumpian type which goes on and on, changing goals and shifting goal posts, a narrative in a lakh stanzas, squeezing in 67 Upakathas, several Stutis, sciences and philosophies, geography, Astronomy & Astrology, MB will leave ordinary humans with a sense of having not done full justice to the epic's reading, after years of study. Ramayana's narrative is human, though one should not underplay the role of Rakshasas, monkeys and even squirrels. We can easily identify rakshasas (reverse of 'saksharas' or literates), monkeys and heads of state with brains smaller than that a squirrel possess, around us, or even in US. Here we are just venturing a peep into the diversities. M G Warrier A Ramayana The Valmiki Rama...

Welcome To Warrier's Friends' COLLAGE, October, 2026 Part IV Friends FM's averments in her speech and interactions at the 114th Meeting of the development Committee Plenary of the world Bank in Bangkok this week hover around a universal application of the Gandhian principle of Trusteeship. Mahatma Gandhi's theory of trusteeship is a socio-economic philosophy stating that the wealthy do not own their wealth, power, or resources outright, but hold them in trust for the benefit of society. [See B] M G Warrier A Mahatma Gandhi's theory of trusteeship Core Principles Non-Possession and Ethics : Wealth should be earned through honest labor and moral means. An individual is only entitled to an honorable livelihood; any surplus belongs to the community. Rejection of Violent Redistribution : Instead of violent class struggle or state-enforced confiscation (as advocated by radical socialism/Marxism), Gandhi preferred voluntary conversion of the rich into stewards ...