I was prompted by the very thoughtful writing of Umudi Efe Differson (pen name Diffson James https://diffson.substack.com/archive) to mention this out of sequence.
the cover is so bogus, if the title is about Bhagwat Gita. That is Shah Jahan the Mogul Emperor, Krishna the Blue Overlord Of The Yadavs and some scattered concubines of then society.
Wow! Thank you for enlightening me!! This is most intriguing. When I ordered the book I requested the translation by Juan Mascaro (it appealed to me out of the various audio readings) and that is the one they got in for me. It is published by Penguin. I am definitely going to look into that a bit further.
Incidentally, I pointed out on my mention of Massie's 'Peter the Great' that the subtitle is incorrectly printed as "His Life and Works" whereas the correct subtitle is "His Life and World".
I should have said, both dudes, Khrishna and Shah Jahan. I have very long ago read a book on the Mogul Empire, but remember practically nothing about it.
There is so much I need to reread!
Been reading about Khrishna and it's fascinating how folks then and there were dealing with the same issues that we are today. Should not come as a surprise, but simple minded as I am, I find it utterly fascinating.
I stumbled upon this a few minutes ago...from Wiki.:
"Garuda's links to Vishnu – the Hindu god who fights injustice and destroys evil in his various avatars to preserve dharma, has made him an iconic symbol of king's duty and power, an insignia of royalty or dharma. His eagle-like form is shown either alone or with Vishnu, signifying divine approval of the power of the state.[15]"
This stood out..."signifying divine approval of the power of the state."
Thanks Geoff. I have no further insight but I note that the Bhagavad Gita was written some 200+ years BC so people in other parts of the world were contemplating and discussing morality and right versus wrong long before the Abrahamic version of monotheism. Like you, there is so much I want to read. I am sure that if we studied and compared Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism we would find a lot of common threads. I find a lot of merit in Chinese proverbs and sayings. of Lao Tzu ('Tao Te Ching')
"I am sure that if we studied and compared Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism we would find a lot of common threads."
While I'm neither an expert nor a scholar I have read tranlsations of C's "Analects," and some of Mencius as well, and am pleased to inform you that you are once again correct. That also goes for the little I know about ancient Egyptian writings (e.g., Book of the Dead).
I also stumble upon good stuff a lot which itself never ceases to amaze me. I found myself here because of some of your repsonses, which I appreciate, so thanks for engaging.
That I can relate to what the guy is saying here can be demonstrated by the little story that I have observed that there is a point where a person can have too much wealth, the pursuit of which can be corrupting, but so can inherited wealth be crippling. We've seen that a lot in our extended families. Perfectly beautiful youth who, because they've been handed everythng, wind up miserable and unable to function beyond infanthood. I do not state that as an accusation, but with sadness.
I also find it interesting that this reminds me a lot of Lucian's "Dialogues of the Dead," which is short and very entertaining.
the cover is so bogus, if the title is about Bhagwat Gita. That is Shah Jahan the Mogul Emperor, Krishna the Blue Overlord Of The Yadavs and some scattered concubines of then society.
Wow! Thank you for enlightening me!! This is most intriguing. When I ordered the book I requested the translation by Juan Mascaro (it appealed to me out of the various audio readings) and that is the one they got in for me. It is published by Penguin. I am definitely going to look into that a bit further.
Incidentally, I pointed out on my mention of Massie's 'Peter the Great' that the subtitle is incorrectly printed as "His Life and Works" whereas the correct subtitle is "His Life and World".
Thanks again.
your welcome
Pardon my total ignorance, but I find this very interesting and would like to know your views on the dude.
I beg your pardon - which dude? :-)
(signing off - back tomorrow)
Yeah, I need to get tons of stuff accomplished as well.
Be well!
I should have said, both dudes, Khrishna and Shah Jahan. I have very long ago read a book on the Mogul Empire, but remember practically nothing about it.
There is so much I need to reread!
Been reading about Khrishna and it's fascinating how folks then and there were dealing with the same issues that we are today. Should not come as a surprise, but simple minded as I am, I find it utterly fascinating.
I stumbled upon this a few minutes ago...from Wiki.:
"Garuda's links to Vishnu – the Hindu god who fights injustice and destroys evil in his various avatars to preserve dharma, has made him an iconic symbol of king's duty and power, an insignia of royalty or dharma. His eagle-like form is shown either alone or with Vishnu, signifying divine approval of the power of the state.[15]"
This stood out..."signifying divine approval of the power of the state."
Something about that sounds familiar to me...!
Thanks Geoff. I have no further insight but I note that the Bhagavad Gita was written some 200+ years BC so people in other parts of the world were contemplating and discussing morality and right versus wrong long before the Abrahamic version of monotheism. Like you, there is so much I want to read. I am sure that if we studied and compared Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism we would find a lot of common threads. I find a lot of merit in Chinese proverbs and sayings. of Lao Tzu ('Tao Te Ching')
"I am sure that if we studied and compared Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism we would find a lot of common threads."
While I'm neither an expert nor a scholar I have read tranlsations of C's "Analects," and some of Mencius as well, and am pleased to inform you that you are once again correct. That also goes for the little I know about ancient Egyptian writings (e.g., Book of the Dead).
Book of the Dead is on my shelf - I have to read it. Thanks
Compassionate Mother Kali
You are the stealthy pirate
that sails the seas
of our mindless
hum drum
do-what-others-do existence
With your prey firmly fixed
in your steady gaze
you unfurl your black flag
with skull and cross bones flying in the sun
and stalk our aimless minds
which sail like so many wooden ships
from one meaningless port
to the next
What a sight you are!
With your disheveled long free-flowing black hair
blowing effortlessly in the wind
you direct the universes and all their beings
from the bow of your ship
Your songs of renunciation
detachment
and abandonment of the blind herd mentality
echo endlessly
across the waters of mortality
You are the very spirit of freedom
that dances in reckless unconcerned bliss
overpowering the prim and the proper
the prince and the pauper
trampling all self-imposed scripts of limitation
Victory is always certain
as you storm our ship
that is heavy laden
with the cargo of “I” and “mine”
Most flee in terror
at the sight of your approaching pirate flag
but I have been hunting you!
I am eager for you to steal away
my deluded self interests
and set ablaze my wooden ship
of self-imposed limitations
Mother Kali
I have spotted you in my telescope
just on the horizon of plurality
and I have given the order
to set sail at once!
Day and night
I will watch you closely
not even blinking
so that you will not be able to slip away
I and my motley crew
of mental musings, attachments and fantasies
are ready to join
your pirate band of Divine Marauders
From then on
there will be no captain but you
Like a divine Robin Hood
who sails the oceans of mortal existence
you steal from the bloated opulence
of our wandering thoughts
and give to our thirsting hearts
which long for your
radiant all consuming love
Ethan Walker II
Thank you for the restacks 😊
Awesome stuff there. I would have never known about this except for you. Much appreciated, thanks!
Geoff, the compliment and respect is mutual. We just stumble across things and want to share them.
I also stumble upon good stuff a lot which itself never ceases to amaze me. I found myself here because of some of your repsonses, which I appreciate, so thanks for engaging.
That I can relate to what the guy is saying here can be demonstrated by the little story that I have observed that there is a point where a person can have too much wealth, the pursuit of which can be corrupting, but so can inherited wealth be crippling. We've seen that a lot in our extended families. Perfectly beautiful youth who, because they've been handed everythng, wind up miserable and unable to function beyond infanthood. I do not state that as an accusation, but with sadness.
I also find it interesting that this reminds me a lot of Lucian's "Dialogues of the Dead," which is short and very entertaining.