Meaning: People behave in an extreme manner during the time of their destruction.

In times of destruction, our intellect fails and the fall is unstoppable. This reminds me of the famous truth:
God may give a lot to bad people, but will leave them halfway.
God may not give much to good people, but will hold their hand forever.

Remember Kurukshetra (the war between Good and Bad)… The Kauravas had an incredibly huge army. But, they lost to Pandavas. Here is a possible fictional conversation~
Kauravas: Hey… Our army is freaking huge & mighty. We have 100,000…0 knights, warriors and soldiers with us. What do you have? Huh!
Pandavas: We have the God himself with us!

The path to victory is never easy. Being on the path of righteousness alone is not enough. A display of courage, discipline, perseverance and hard work is needed to be a winner in Life. Most importantly, we need the god’s grace. Some may call it “luck”, some others call it “timing”.

Meaning: Liberation of oneself and service to humanity

This is also the Motto of Ramakrishna Mission which is based on the philosophy of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. The main aim in the life of an individual is the liberation of oneself as well as to serve others. Each human being is gifted with enormous moral and spiritual potential. The only thing one has to do is work towards the discovery and development of that potential.

“When total freedom (liberation) is kept as our goal, and attempts made accordingly, values of pure love and selflessness are generated as positive side-effects of this sadhana. Welfare of the world, though not an aim in itself, is a natural fragrance of this endeavour. Seeking liberation is not ‘all or none’ phenomenon; it is a gradual process of realizing the blissful essence of everything in and around us.”

Meaning: One has to work for one’s own upliftment.
This should be your approach to understanding spiritual philosophy. Always do your duty and perform sacred acts. Your spiritual evolution is your own responsibility.

Though this word is used in the context of spirituality, it can be applied to our material world as well. Only with self-will can one accomplish his goal. Through this self-effort, one can make even the weirdest of his dreams come true. But it requires a display of courage, discipline, perseverance and hard work to be a winner. Help yourself!

Below is an abstract from The Gita to provide context to the word Uddharedatmanatmanam…

“Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone, let him not lower himself;
for this self alone is the friend of one self and this self alone is the enemy of oneself”
(Ch-VI-5 from The Gita)

For many, God is a magician who grants boons on request. But, thats not true! We have read about the great Kurukshetra, where Sri Krishna demonstrated the essence of Life. He delivered the Bhagavad Gita, and showed the way to Arjuna. He never took up arms, but gave the required clarity and stood by the side of righteous effort.

Sri Krishna makes it very clear that we are the ones who should perform the action, and the fruits will bear in time. There can be no results if there is no effort!

“No one is superior (ajyeshthasah) or inferior (akanishthasah). All are brothers (ete bhratarah). All should strive for the interest of all and should progress collectively (Saubhagaya sam vavridhuh)”.

Ref: Rig Veda

Meaning: Greed is the cause of sin.

Just as fire dries up a vessel of water, greed dries up the contentment of mind. When greed enters the mind, contentment is pushed out and when contentment comes in, greed has to beat a hasty retreat.

There is no limit for greed. It thirsts for more and more, and does not hesitate to snatch what belongs to others. The only way to remove greed from the mind is to cultivate the virtue of contentment.

Meaning: Entertain yourself with the wealth earned by your own hard-work through righteous means.

Ref: Tapovan Prasad (May ‘07)

In the Katha Upanishad, the concept of shreyas and preyas are discussed in detail. Shreyas means that which is good, beneficial and conducive to well-being in the long run. Preyas means that which is only attractive and provide momentary joy, but is harmful in the long run.

Human beings are naturally attracted towards the pleasant, and care less about what is good and correct. But to become great leaders, we should differentiate between Shreyas & Preyas, and relate them to the decision making elements in our lives. Our goal should be to embrace Shreyas, and dump Preyas.

Here is a translated excerpt from Katha Upanishad.

The better is one thing, the dearer is another thing; these two bind a man in opposite ways. Of these two, it is well for him who takes the better; he who chooses the dearer fails of his object.

The better and the dearer approach a man; Going round them, the sage discerns between them. The sage chooses the better rather than the dearer; The fool chooses the dearer, through lust of possession.
(Selections from the Upanishads, pp. 37-38)

Ref: The Vedanta Kesari

Meaning:
Happiness be unto all,
Perfect health be unto all.
May all see good in everyone,
May all be free from suffering.

This is a prayer for the prosperity and welfare of humanity. There is an adage that says we will be happy only if people around us are happy. Pray for welfare to all, and you will be blessed.

Ref: Wikipedia

(Source: Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram)

The essense: The one who takes long strides is called Mahakramah. It is essential to take long strides in order to achieve anything note-worthy in life. But, many fear to take even the first step towards the goal. Risks are a part of the journey to reach the destiny. So, leap ahead with enthusiasm, determination and the required skill to accomplish your dream.

A Mahakarma is one who performs great deeds. We should always set our goal very high, and strive to reach it. There is no fun in setting low goals in order to give no chance for failure.

He who sets his goals very high, and succeeds in achieving it becomes Mahateja, shining with the brilliance of success. Maha-Uragah means the great snake, referring to the entity that can empower others.

So, when you take long strides and perform great deeds, you become brilliant and a great leader who can motivate and empower others. When such a person performs great yajnas, he becomes Mahakratuh. The two aspects of yajna are sacrifice and worship.

The greatest sacrifice is when you offer yourself in self-sacrifice - Mahahavih. Only with sacrifice, things are achieved in this world. A person when he meets all the above qualification, he is GREAT.

Ref: Tapovan Prasad

Here is the last mantra of Rigveda… A verse which is dedicated to the human world and is a prayer for harmony and peace among us.

(Source: Concluding part of Rigveda)

Meaning: Let there be oneness in your resolutions, hearts and minds. Let the strength to live with mutual co-operation be firm in you all.

This mantra comes back to the simplicity of the fact of being human: a union of hearts and a oneness of spirit, the overcoming of isolating individualisms by harmonious living together, because Man as person is always society and yet not plural.

Ref: Last Mantra

Since “annam” (Food), is recognized to be the ultimate source of all Energy, the Upanishad exhorts us to take great care in conserving and using it wisely. There are 3 great commandments that have been issued in this regard:

(Source: Taittiriya Upanishad - brghuvalli)
Meaning:
“Do not abuse Food!”
“Do not discard Food!”
“Grow Food in abundance!”

Food is what drives existence, and restores energy. Don’t ever abuse food. Its proved by research that Food prepared and consumed with contentment keeps you more healthy, and brings good thoughts.

Food being the most important element for survival, its our dharma (duty) to make sure everyone gets enough of it. Serving food (anna-dhaana) to fight starvation is supposedly the greatest form of charity.

By Mr. Vardharajan | Ref: A Thought for Food