Not every novelist writes within a Vedantic framework, yet many works of Indian fiction do lend themselves remarkably well to Vedantic rereading. This is especially true when a novel or short story is shaped by inwardness, moral conflict, duty, renunciation, suffering, attachment, or the search for a stable self. In such cases, the Vedantic lensContinue reading “Vedantic Retrospective Re-reading of Indian Fiction”
Category Archives: philosophy
Reading the short-story “The Choice” (சாய்ஸ்) through a Vedantic Lens … with Indira Parthasarathy and J. Raghunathan
J. Raghunathan’s short story The Choice is compelling not merely because it stages a conflict between patriotic duty and domestic love, but because it leaves the moral structure of that conflict unresolved in a fruitful way. The story’s emotional power lies in the fact that the reader is never allowed the comfort of a simpleContinue reading “Reading the short-story “The Choice” (சாய்ஸ்) through a Vedantic Lens … with Indira Parthasarathy and J. Raghunathan”
II. “Seed, Flower, Fruit”: A Dialogue on Bhakti and Prappati — A Conversation on the Psychological Ground of Bhakti
The human capacity for devotion begins as a pre-religious seed of attachment and longing, flowers as bhakti in religious life, and ripens as prapatti, the fruit of complete surrender.
I.“Seed, Flower, Fruit”: A Dialogue on Bhakti and Prappati — A Conversation on the Psychological Ground of Bhakti
The human capacity for devotion begins as a pre-religious seed of attachment and longing, flowers as bhakti in religious life, and ripens as prapatti, the fruit of complete surrender.
What need for “Atma Samarpanam” by a “Prapannan”: A KAALAPSHEPAM question on a nuance in the “Sri Rahasya Traya Saaram” of Vedanta Desika
A sishya attending a series of lectures on Rahasya Traya Saaram (of Sri Vedanta Desika) humbly requested the Acharya to provide an explanation on the doctrine of Atma Samarpanam . Dandasamarpanam to our KAALAPSHEPAM acharya swamin, Today’s lecture on the doctrine of Atma Samarpanam was very enlightening indeed and gave me a good idea aboutContinue reading “What need for “Atma Samarpanam” by a “Prapannan”: A KAALAPSHEPAM question on a nuance in the “Sri Rahasya Traya Saaram” of Vedanta Desika”
From Dorian Gray to King Yayati: A 70-Year-Old’s Epiphany on the Traps of AI
By M.K.Sudarshan June 27 2026: Chennai, India In Oscar Wilde’s classic novel, “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” (1891), a beautiful young man named Dorian Gray wishes that a painted portrait of himself would bear the physical burdens of his aging, hedonistic lifestyle, and moral decay, allowing his actual body to remain flawlessly young and untroubled.Continue reading “From Dorian Gray to King Yayati: A 70-Year-Old’s Epiphany on the Traps of AI”
Sir, I Only Want to Tend My Garden Patch in peace
I am an ordinary citizen, if that is what I am called when the State is in a good mood and when the paperwork agrees with my face. I do not want to be dazzled by doctrines, nor trapped in the glittering maze of legal distinctions between nationality, citizenship, identity, proof, presumption, and recognition. IContinue reading “Sir, I Only Want to Tend My Garden Patch in peace”
Self-Knowledge on Credit: The Dangerous Appeal of Instant Enlightenment
How retirees buy consolation instead of doing the work of the Self By M.K. Sudarshan Chennai , India : June 21, 2026 “Another cool evening,” Raghunathan said, drawing his shawl tighter as they rounded the old banyan. “The park’s the only place these days where people don’t ask you for your net worth or yourContinue reading “Self-Knowledge on Credit: The Dangerous Appeal of Instant Enlightenment”
““Eureka” at Srirangam: The Shared Dawn of Viśiṣṭādvaita””
“When the teacher and his faithful disciple together beheld the soul and the world as truly real, and the living truth of Viśiṣṭādvaita dawned.” by M.K. Sudarshan ______________________________ I. The teacher and the disciple: setting and relationship In the great temple-town of Śrī Ranganātha, where the tidal hush of devotion meets the disciplined flame ofContinue reading “““Eureka” at Srirangam: The Shared Dawn of Viśiṣṭādvaita”””
The Sacred Thread That Politicians Have Torn: How the Sutra Has Been Weaponized in Tamil Nadu
By Sudarshan Madabushi In Hindu ritualism, the thread—or sutra—carries deep significance and emotive value that transcends mere symbolism. The Mangalya Sutra solemnizes the wedding vow, binding two souls in eternal union. The Yajñopavītam (janeu) inaugurates a young brahmacharin into the study of the Veda and the pursuit of Brahma-gnyāna. Our most sacred philosophical texts—the BrahmaContinue reading “The Sacred Thread That Politicians Have Torn: How the Sutra Has Been Weaponized in Tamil Nadu”