Evergreen Essays: September 2026

Monday, September 07, 2026

Normal greed and ambition begin to disappear

Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

The Literary Genius of the Bhagavad Gita: Phanopoeia 1.1

Have you ever noticed that the entire Gita is seen and heard with the drishti of Sanjaya. A unique diopter shot may need to be created by the cameraman if this were a movie

The Gita is two narratives at the same time, that of Vyasa and that of Sanjaya inserted into the story. Why this trope?

We never witness the Gita directly. It is always through an intermediary. And when we come to Vishva Darshana of Sri Krishna in chapter 11, we have another witness, Arjuna. We see it through his eyes

What a genius of visual narration!

https://x.com/AmazingVedas/status/2096570901269479468

The Literary Genius of the Bhagavad Gita 1.1

धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः ।

मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय

Let us look at the key motifs that will recur through the book: धर्म, क्षेत्र, कुरु, सम, युयुत्सव:, मम, किम्, जय

They will weave through the texts in different vibhaktis, grow or change until the crowning revelation of १८.६६

Let us go more microscopic and look at the matrix of seed sounds: the key ones here are ध, म, क्ष, क, य, स

You will see them create their own musical interweaving and symphonic development through the text in various permutations and combinations

Dhatus and nirukta will play the same way and create unique alankaras depending on the need of the logopoeia or content

You will see shlesha, yamaka, punarukti, anuprasa, vakrokti as shabda alankara. And tulna, roopak, utpreksha, lakshana etc along with some unique tropes in this masterly work of art.

https://x.com/AmazingVedas/status/2096565941618274648

Vedic Insight: Why Soma Is Needed?

Why does Indra take birth when the prana and subtler intelligence is fed with Soma?

Because once the prana and mind are fulfilled with the taste of bliss the normal greed and ambition begin to disappear. Similarly, once Mitra and Varuna or Love and vastness of consciousness take birth one becomes more intelligent

For intelligence needs viveka or discrimination. For that to happen all that muddles clarity such as one’s own inadequacy or inferiority, greed, pettiness and lack of harmony needs to be resolved. That is why we see Indra (and other devas) being fed Soma constantly, insistently throughout the first seven suktas of the Veda. And as he is fed with Soma he grows stronger and bigger and powerful in action ज्यैष्ठयाय सुक्रतो

https://x.com/AmazingVedas/status/2096343332611817830

Is Agni Atma Prakasha आत्मप्रकाश?

What is atma prakash आत्म प्रकाश? It is a Vedic Vedantic insight into the nature of the Atman

The Atman is not an object. But we still know it. How?

There is no external light upon it. Yet we see it. How?

The Vedantic answer is that the Atman has and is its own light. Through which we know it exists

But this knowledge is aparoksha अपरोक्ष

Not direct or प्रत्यक्ष since it is not an outside object

Nor indirect or परोक्ष since we know it without any other means

So Vedanta says it is aparoksha अपरोक्ष or not indirect

It is filled with its own light through which we know it That लाइट is आत्मप्रकाश atma prakaasha

I have always felt that Agni is this Atma Prakasha through which I know myself, and know that I am. And because this light exists I can be aware of the light of the universe तमेव भांतमनुभाति सर्वम् Everything shines only because it shines (Chhandogya Upanishad 2.2.10)

Feel free to disagree. Would love to hear how you perceive self existence

https://x.com/AmazingVedas/status/2096465174278373674

@PariksithSingh author of Sri Aurobindo & The Literary Renaissance of India, in conversation with @MakrandParanspe exploring the greatest teacher Sri Aurobindo’s genius, vision, literature & dream for humanity. @AmazingVedas youtube.com/live/Z2Z8RoGoI…

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2096221811583205424

Join @MakrandParanspe for a compelling discourse on Swami Vivekananda’s true philosophy of education—its vision, purpose, and power to shape character, minds, and society. youtu.be/Eqf5AEGPITU?si… @PariksithSingh @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2096297811528847622

Read The Age of Sri Aurobindo by @PariksithSingh powerful invitation to discover Sri Aurobindo’s prophetic vision of human evolution, awaken our consciousness, and help shape the new world he foresaw.@MakrandParanspe @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2095568505739296962

Can Hindutva be understood only politically? Join @MakrandParanspe as he discusses his new book Hindutva and Hind Swaraj: History’s Forgotten Doubles, exploring Gandhi, Savarkar, and India’s civilizational debate.youtu.be/KXNeeytSZmQ?si… @PariksithSingh @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2095980224441975268

What happens when a nation rediscovers its civilisational soul? “Nation Rises When Sanatana Dharma Rises.” @PariksithSingh & Sanjay Dixit explore Sri Aurobindo’s towering vision and the Vedic sutra at its heart. youtu.be/mleViWC_KoI?si… @MakrandParanspe @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2096705749661741375

Join @PariksithSingh as he decodes Vedic yajna, Sanskrit mantras & Krishna’s teachings—revealing practical wisdom on surrender, dharma, Agni symbolism & Brahman consciousness for daily life. youtu.be/rw2MXXoJQ6c?si… @MakrandParanspe @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2096659699135582406

Join Guruji Shri Nandkishore and @PariksithSingh as they explore Sanatan Dharma and the essence of true independence. Moderated by @MakrandParanspe dialogue to inspire thought and awaken consciousness. youtube.com/live/m3teG7yr_… @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2096585457224298798

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2096297811528847622

A thought-provoking conversation on the role of ideology in education and academia at OLF 2026. Authors Ratan Sharda and Makarand R Paranjape, Sri Aurobindo Chair (Hon.), Vedere University explore “Ideology in Academics: Left, Right, Who is Right?” in a session moderated by journalist and author Ravi Shankar. Watch the live here: facebook.com/watch/live/?re…

https://x.com/Xpress_edex/status/2096176401833668786

Author Ratan Sharda and Sri Aurobindo Chair (Hon), Vedere University Makarand Paranjape speak at #OLF session Ideology in Academics: Left, Right, Who is Right? #OdishaLitFest @PrabhuChawla @santwana99 @NehaSonthaliaP1 @Siba_TNIE @NewIndianXpress @AdityaBirlaGrp

https://x.com/XpressOdisha/status/2096172434672304399

Wonderful lecture delivered at the IHC ICPR study Circle by Professor Dhananjay Singh chaired by Professor K.G Suresh and introduced by me @kg_suresh @DhananjayaJnu @icssr @IHCDelhi

https://x.com/ProfessorPuri/status/2096561780487344237

https://auroramirabilis.blogspot.com/2026/09/anniversary-celebrations-of.html

The standard view of evolution is that it’s a process guided by randomness, and hence its results, as amazing as they are, are meaningless. But if we think of our genes as a kind of text, then we can understand evolution as a process of interpretation, and reinterpretation. And interpretation implies meaning. Organisms and their development are guided not by chance, nor by a deterministic genetic code, but by the trickling down of experiences and memories and goals. This view allows us not only to find meaning in an otherwise meaningless universe but opens up the space for freedom and moral responsibility as the interpretation of the genetic text we’ve been given, argues David Haig. Tap the link to read more now. iai.tv/article s/from-…

https://x.com/IAI_TV/status/2096637078150713381

You can study time for years and still never come close to understanding it, argues physicist Ivette Fuentes. In this debate, she narrates her fascinating journey through studying time through the lens of quantum physics, which included some unexpected discoveries, but still left her without an answer. Join her alongside philosophers Hilary Lawson, Wahida Khandker, and Tim Maudlin in “Time’s great mystery”. iai.tv/video/times-gr…

https://x.com/IAI_TV/status/2096599896191066295

From Western-centric visions of the liberal world order to the Enlightenment story of history as Reason’s onward march, we rightly distrust grand narratives. | bit.ly/41U3tpb But Ayşe Zarakol argues that without them we struggle to make sense of the world.

https://x.com/IAI_TV/status/2096623962859942148

This is an extraordinary letter: Dissident poet turned president Vaclav Havel, writing from prison, on how to hold your greatest failure

https://x.com/themarginalian/status/2096636847204016227

Walt Whitman's field guide to being yourself – the trial and triumph of Leaves of Grass

https://x.com/themarginalian/status/2096764638415228973

How to think like a sunflower – Wendell Berry (so wise, so wistfully missed) on turning conflict into collaboration

https://x.com/themarginalian/status/2096771930892255351

The Peace of Wild Things – Wendell Berry's poetic antidote to despair, animated

https://x.com/themarginalian/status/2096759102546288844

At the link, the best of The Marginalian this week in one place — Wendell Berry (so missed!) on creativity, love, and how to have enough; Joan Didion on letting go; the power of being a liminal person: mailchi.mp/themarginalian…

https://x.com/themarginalian/status/2096676562217087249

India's climate diplomacy: the role of ideational dimensions and material structures for climate leadership

R Saryal - The Round Table, 2025

… of Yoga for climate change, what I call ‘Modi(fiying) Yoga’, was yet ‘another
product of yoga’… 94), which contained traits of both the historical Yoga and
contemporary transnational Yoga. … and ‘biopolitical discourse’ of Yoga, which was …

[PDF] Community-Based Wellness Tourism: A Phenomenological Study in Taro Bali Tourism Village

PE Wirawan - SHS Web of Conferences, 2025

… Most tourists with wellness goals typically require activities such as yoga, hiking,
and self-… Yoga activities in the mountains or spas by the beach are one way to
unwind from work [22], … The potential for health tourism is quite diverse, including …

[PDF] The Kunbi Community of Uttara Kannada: A Comprehensive Study of Migration, Culture, and Livelihoods”

ST Mahamood, SY Mugali - NEW MAN

… Communal song and dances are integral to Kunbi social life. Whether it's the
joyous occasion of a wedding, the celebratory atmosphere of a moonlit night after
the paddy harvest, or simply a gathering in open spaces or threshing grounds …

[PDF] Contours of Indian Elements in Persian Imagination: Literary and Linguistic Encounters in Pre-Modern India

M Rehmatullah, SR Khan - Synergy: International Journal of Multidisciplinary …, 2025

… Ghazal, masnavi, and qasida became integral to South Asian poetic expression,
and Persian idioms and metaphors were indigenized through regional linguistic
creativity. The result was a unique hybrid linguistic culture, equally at home in …

[PDF] Why should Economics Textbooks begin with Kautilya and not Adam Smith?

V Krishnatray

This chapter challenges the dominant Eurocentric narrative that positions Adam
Smith as the undisputed founder of economic thought. It reclaims intellectual space
for Kauṭilya, the 4th-century BCE author of the Arthaśāstra, whose state-centric …

[PDF] The Re-emergence of Non-material Factors in International Relations

L Le - VNU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2025

… Similarly, India has promoted philosophies of life and practices such as yoga as
tools for advancing peace, health, and spiritual values in IR. The United Kingdom,
meanwhile, launched its ‘GREAT Britain’ campaign, described as its most ambitious …

Nutritional and Lifestyle Interventions

AP Singh, A Goyal, A Aggarwal, NS Sethi - Impact of Incomplete Metabolism on …, 2025

… Emotional resilience and mental clarity can be achieved by incorporating stress-reduction
practices li e yoga, meditation, and deep … Incorporating stress-reduction
techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing fosters emotional …

[PDF] Ancient Indian Science of Exercise Familiar with the Neighborhood

VDS Thero - 2025

… The concept of no permanent self (anatta) is integral to the teachings of the
Buddha. According to the teachings of the Buddha all … The Science behind Yoga
and Stress: The neuroscience behind Yoga can help clarify why regular Yoga is so …

[PDF] Indigenous knowledge and happiness in higher education: A systematic review

B Kimwere, J Ndolo, J Waigwa, EW Mugo, KN Omoi - African Quarterly Social Science …, 2025

From ancient times to the current digital era, the pursuit of happiness has remained
the most painstaking human endeavor. This paper presents a systematic review of
peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 to explore the application …

[PDF] INCULCATION OF VALUES THROUGH EDUCATION: RELEVANCE IN TODAY'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FOR CREATING A BETTER HUMAN SOCIETY

R Babu - … Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR). https …, 2025

… Values are integral to the process of education. They are not add-ons. All
education is, in sense, value education. '… Spiritual values are piety, meditation,
yoga, self- … Values are integral to the process of education. They are not add-ons …

Tuesday, September 01, 2026

An encounter with the unfamiliar

Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

We bid goodbye to one of the rare men of our age who understood that the great crisis of modern civilisation was not simply environmental, economic or technological. It was a crisis of belonging. May the earth you so loved receive you gently, Wendell Berry.

From 'The Unsettling of America':

"The disease of the modern character is specialization. Looked at from the standpoint of the social system, the aim of specialization may seem desirable enough. The aim is to see that the responsibilities of government, law, medicine, engineering, agriculture, education, etc., are given into the hands of the most skilled, best prepared people. The difficulties do not appear until we look at specialization from the opposite standpoint—that of individual persons. We then begin to see the grotesquery—indeed, the impossibility—of an idea of community wholeness that divorces itself from any idea of personal wholeness.

The first, and best known, hazard of the specialist system is that it produces specialists—people who are elaborately and expensively trained to do one thing. We get into absurdity very quickly here. There are, for instance, educators who have nothing to teach, communicators who have nothing to say, medical doctors skilled at expensive cures for diseases that they have no skill, and no interest, in preventing. More common, and more damaging, are the inventors, manufacturers, and salesmen of devices who have no concern for the possible effects of those devices. Specialization is thus seen to be a way of institutionalizing, justifying, and paying highly for a calamitous disintegration and scattering-out of the various functions of character: workmanship, care, conscience, responsibility.

Even worse, a system of specialization requires the abdication to specialists of various competences and responsibilities that were once personal and universal. Thus, the average—one is tempted to say, the ideal—American citizen now consigns the problem of food production to agriculturists and “agribusinessmen,” the problems of health to doctors and sanitation experts, the problems of education to school teachers and educators, the problems of conservation to conservationists, and so on. This supposedly fortunate citizen is therefore left with only two concerns: making money and entertaining himself. He earns money, typically, as a specialist, working an eight-hour day at a job for the quality or consequences of which somebody else—or, perhaps more typically, nobody else—will be responsible. And not surprisingly, since he can do so little else for himself, he is even unable to entertain himself, for there exists an enormous industry of exorbitantly expensive specialists whose purpose is to entertain him."

https://x.com/infinitchy/status/2094689870686130338

Vedic Paradigm: The Subject as Subject

My prior post on abstractions becoming devas in the Veda was perhaps not clear. Let me try again

You see an abstract is itself an abstraction

The Vedic Rishis did not see the intellect as having an independent existence or interest. They described things as they are. Not theory. Reality

Whom are they describing? Themselves. This is the crucial distinction

When I say I love Agni, Agni is not sitting outside to be described. Agni is my state. It is I. There is no duality here

Does this make sense? I am Mitra or I am becoming friendly in RV 1.2.7. Or I am invoking my transformation to a friendly loving state and person. There is no separation

The world outside is an abstraction that goes away on a deeper meditation. The ego is an abstraction that is the creator of the sense of I. Aham- kara, the creator and creation of the sense of I. But,

The Veda is an entirely different ballgame. It is not describing a dualized universe but something very intimate, profound, आत्मीय

That is the crucial difference between boys and men.

https://x.com/AmazingVedas/status/2094747004362486018

Explore the enduring relevance of the Vedas in today’s world—from education & Swaraj to self-governance, heritage, and darshan. Reflect on Vedic thought and its profound vision of the unity of existence with @PariksithSingh & @MakrandParanspe youtu.be/5iJrq2ypIWM?si… @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2094531674327421093

It’s time to revamp education. Vedic wisdom offers a radical shift from rote learning to questioning, curiosity, critical thinking, and original thought—preparing Gen Z to think, not just remember. Join @PariksithSingh & @MakrandParanspe youtu.be/gikU7K7kViw?si… @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2094770749529538735

Unlock the secrets of Vedic grammar! Explore how Vyakaraṇa connects language, consciousness, and spirituality—and discover the profound power of sound and vibration in the Vedas. Join @PariksithSingh & @MakrandParanspe on Amazing Vedas! youtu.be/J38A3f1qT5s?si… @AmazingVedas

https://x.com/sriaurobindochr/status/2094485377352446164

क्या Vedas सिर्फ हजारों साल पुराने धार्मिक ग्रंथ हैं, या उनमें आज की Gen Z के सवालों के लिए भी कुछ meaningful है? Don’t just inherit answers. Learn to ask better questions.

Book: Veda for Gen Z Author: Pariksith Singh

https://x.com/VedaforGenZ/status/2094726142146314512

Ancient wisdom. Modern questions. A generation looking for clarity. Veda for Gen Z by Pariksith Singh brings timeless Vedic ideas into today’s world in a simple, relatable, and practical way. Reviewed by @ARanganathan72 ji #VedaForGenZ @PariksithSingh #GenZReads @BluOneInk

https://x.com/VedaforGenZ/status/2094326739187232898

Being seen is one of the greatest privileges and one of the greatest risks. — article written by Christine J Ko, MD doctorsonsocialmedia.com/creativity-fee… via @somedocs

Although I feel pressed for time and would never want to be seen as a less than diligent physician, hobbies help me stay grounded in humanity through remaining fully aware of my shortcomings. Writing helps me be a better doctor. The more I write, the more I am unable to not write, but the more I write, the risk of jeopardy seems greater.

Anyone putting a part of themselves out into the world, whether it be in the form of a creative pursuit like a book or trying to sustain a connection with someone, is vulnerable, creating an opportunity for rejection.

https://x.com/somedocs/status/2094435632458125657

You might have the most brilliant ideas in human history since Aristotle, but if no one knows who you are nothing will come your way. By contrast, once you begin to get stuff out there writing opportunities snowball. Suddenly people are asking you for pieces here and there, for contributions to their journals and conferences, and so on. Writing issues more writing. This is true even of blog writing. When I think of people to contribute to conferences and edited collections, these people are usually people I’ve corresponded with or who have blogs that interest me. Had they not posted their random thoughts I wouldn’t have thought about them.

However, there is another reason that the more you write the more you will write. Writing is like kudzu. Kudzu is a vine common to the south that grows at about a foot a day. It’s a really amazing (and irksome!) plant. This is how it is with writing as well. Writing grows from writing. Writing produces the imperative to write more. This is because, as you write you discover new themes, new concepts, and things that need to be worked through. Like a growing crystal, writing expands. In my view, one of the biggest mistakes aspiring writers make lies in trying to write before you write. By this, I mean that many writers, myself included, try to have their ideas before they write their ideas. But things just don’t– at least for me –work this way.

Now, of course, just as you need a seed to form a crystal in a supersaturated solution, you need a seed to start writing. However, the seed is not the idea. The idea is something that only comes into being in the process of writing. It is not something that is there prior to writing. The point is not to have the idea before you write, but to allow the idea to emerge in writing. And once you’ve produced a lot of chaff, you then get to the arduous work of polishing and organizing. In this regard, it is a necessity to write obsessively and all the time. This is where ideas are born, not before the act of writing.

The drive for originality is also a big impediment to writing. On the one hand, we suffer from a sort of transcendental illusion. We (or I) think to ourselves that if we have an idea it can’t possibly be original precisely because the idea is familiar to us. It is not new to us. But writing is not for us, but for others...

An encounter with the unfamiliar, with alterity, generates an unassimialable kernel with respect to what I had previously been focusing on. That kernel functions as a seed to throw thought in motion, generate new conceptual spaces, form a weave of relations to make sense of these disparate worlds, thereby generating the work of writing.

https://larvalsubjects.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/advice-on-writing/

[HTML] Big bang Questions 2

ALL POST, WBNWASE DIRT

… General relativity describes curved space-time and is an integral part of every
current theory of universal origins, including the big bang theory and Guth’s … We
are constitutionally spiritual by nature and therefore our happiness can be perfectly …

[PDF] HEALTH & NUTRITION

S SRIVASTAVA, S DIETICIAN - 4th Issue–July-Sept., 2025; Holistic Yog-Holistic Health

… They are complex organic compounds with nitrogen as an integral part. Proteins
are made up of small units called amino acids . … Mental training: Patanjali
describes Yoga as–‘Atha Yoga Anushasanam (vFk; ksx% vuq'kklue) Yoga is nothing …

[PDF] Continuity of health of soul and body: in the context of philosophical views and medical paradigms

NA Meiramova, AO Tursynbaeva - Bulletin of the Karaganda university History …, 2025

… The human being is a complex living entity viewed as an integral system of soul
and body. The inner spiritual world and the external biological … The Yoga system
aims to achieve balance between these two principles through disciplined practice …

[PDF] Indigenous Learning: Community Learning Culture to Achieve SDG's 2

MI Hilmi, AT Hendrawijaya, A Hufad, M Kamil… - International Conference on …, 2025

This study aims to analyze the patterns and ways of learning the transformation of
indigenous knowledge and its implications in shaping community food security
behavior as one way to increase food security to achieve Sustainable Development …

[PDF] Gender Empowerment Through Weaving Corporative-A Cross Cultural Comparatives Study of Assam and Manipur

S Konjengbam, R Chakravarty - International Conference on Smart Systems and …, 2026
… Weaving has been an integral part of life in Northeast India for centuries. Beyond
being a source of livelihood, it represents cultural identity… It was suggested that
interventions such as health camps, ergonomic loom design, insurance coverage …

[HTML] Connecting the Mind and the Body Through the Breath: Introducing Breathwork in Graduate Healthcare Professions Curriculum

M Jenschke - ASIANetwork Exchange A Journal for Asian Studies in …, 2026

… yoga, including breathwork practices. I have interwoven these practices, based in
physiological science, into the academic setting where I teach in a nurse anesthesia
program. In what follows, I describe my journey through advanced practice …

[PDF] The Indigenous Art of Curing: Unfolding the Mayong Story

R Hazarika, S Hazarika - International Conference on Smart Systems and Social …, 2026

… practices combined with tantra-mantra rituals, which form an integral part of the cultural
heritage and ancient knowledge system of the area… Minanath created the Nath
sect, which emphasised yoga for attainment of nirvana or moksha with Buddhist …

[PDF] Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (Feb; 2025), pp. 24-32, 39;(March 2025), pp. 20-25

G Stavig

… Sorokin predicted that Sensate Culture would come to an end and be replaced by
either the Integral or Ideational Culture. As a middle path, Sorokin refers to the
Integral (Idealistic) culture mentality. “Quantitatively it represents a more or less …

[PDF] The Role of Mindfulness at Work in the Evolving Global Business Environment and Work Culture: An Exploratory Study

S Manjunath

… In today’s context, mobile and mobile apps have become an integral part of one’s
life and a vital need for every individual, both at work and in their personal lives. It is
relevant to note that the technological … Some of the new HR initiatives are such as …

Evergreen Essays