THE TREASURE OF THOUGHTS...

  An Open Letter to the Last Person I Forgave Is forgiveness actually about the other person—or about releasing ourselves from psychological attachment to an event? — Letters of compassion To, The last person I forgave, Hello there! I hope you’re doing well. And I am glad about what happened. Doesn’t really matter who was less wrong. Maybe we were supposed to do this. I was hurt. Maybe by what you did, or maybe because I let you do it. So, as I said, it doesn’t really matter who was less wrong. I forgave you to relieve you of guilt, if you felt any, and, if not, for myself to have moments of mental peace. I forgave you, as that’s what humans should do. I have nothing but goodwill for you from my heart, as I do have it for other human beings. I might have changed my behaviour towards you now, whether you deserve it or not; I do. I deserve to change in a way that keeps me mentally in place. It doesn’t mean I radiate hate towards you; it is just that I am not allowing myself to get hu...

 The Day Your Brain Invented 'You' Hi! Presenting yet another series special—today let us peep within our brain and ask it, "How do you know I am me?" I love thinking about such odd questions popping into my brain about itself! I happened to read something about 'Ahamkara'—the feeling of self, the identification of self. That fascinated me. Why would our brain biologically be programmed for something like that? Is identity just a piece of information fed to it, or is identity actually a mechanism? Let's begin unfolding this mystery.  First of all, our heart develops before our brain during intrauterine development . So, a thought crossed my mind—could our heart have given our brain its first identity? While science doesn't support this directly, it is certainly an interesting way to think about where the feeling of "self" begins. The progression of identity is fascinating. Up to around 2 years, our brain gradually learns the difference betwee...

  Nobody Has Opinions Anymore — Only Algorithms Do “Are your thoughts yours… or recommended for you?” Well, what is cool and what’s not, according to you, is not really according to you nowadays. Our brain evolved into an epicentre of creation and innovation just because it had the power to think, analyse — without any prompt or suggestions. It took inputs from what’s around, and thought, created, analysed, and opined. Many debates got a place in history books just because things were strongly opined — by oneself. People stood by their thoughts. Unlike today, where your refreshed feed decides what will be the first thought that comes to you. And the next reel decides where it is directed. Your brain then only finds what’s lacking in you, and whatever it is — when visualised with someone else — it automatically starts worshipping it, thinking of it as the ultimate truth. Whatever that person says becomes true for you. Whatever choices that influencer makes sounds cool to you … with...

  Chanakyashreyika Chapter 5 Adarsha – Idealism and Chanakya: Why Should We Have an Ideal? धर्मे तत्परता मुखे मधुरता दाने समुत्साहता । मित्रेष्ववञ्चकता गुरौ विनयता वित्तेऽपि गम्भीरता । आचारे शुचिता गुणे रसिकता शास्त्रेषु विज्ञातृता । रूपे सुन्दरता शिवे भजनता त्वय्यस्ति भो राघव ॥ Cha. Ni. 12/15 श्री गणेशाय नमः। श्री सरस्वत्यै नमः। आचार्यचाणक्यम् अभिवादनम्। चाणक्यश्रेयिका :- अस्मिन् अध्याये आचार्यचाणक्येन भगवान् रामस्य प्रशंसा लिखिता अस्ति। परन्तु आचार्यचाणक्यः अत्यन्तं व्यवहारिकः अन्वेषकः न वा ? तदा किमर्थं सः रामम् आदर्शरूपेण पश्यति ? एतस्य प्रश्नस्य उत्तरम् अस्ति—स्वश्रेयसे , स्वोद्धरणार्थं च जीवने आदर्शः अनिवार्यः भवेत्। चाणक्यः महान् विचारवान् आसीत्। अतः सः अस्माकं जीवने आदर्शस्वरूपस्य महत्त्वं निर्दिशति। अधुना चाणक्यनीतिशास्त्रे लिखितस्य अस्य श्लोकस्य सुबोधं गृह्णीमः। वयं एकैकस्य पदार्थस्य अर्थं पठिष्यामः। धर्मे तत्परता — एतौ पदौ भगवान् रामस्य धर्मं प्रति निष्ठायाः प्रकाशकौ स्तः। रामः सर्वदा धर्ममार्गे स्थितः आसीत्। मुखे मधुरता — इत्यनेन रामः सुवक्...

A hundred followers wish us on our birthdays. Dozens of conversations light up our screens every day. We can reach almost anyone with a single tap. Yet, many of us go to sleep feeling strangely unseen. How did a generation with the greatest connectivity in human history become so familiar with loneliness? The blue feeling. The sinking. All of it wrapped in loneliness. Guys, there is so much about loneliness on the internet these days. It has become a topic for jokes, memes, reels, and endless discussions. But truly, loneliness is a very important phase that comes into your life—rather, it should come. Because this is where you explore. This is where you question yourself. This is where you introspect. But honestly, I want to share a few observations. 1. Missing Things We Never Had We experience loneliness, and most of the time it is because we start missing things we don't even have yet. A perfect friend group. A perfect relationship. A perfect life. Social media constantly shows u...

  Why does one mind light up over astronomy while another pulses with poems? Beneath every passion lies a neural story — a dance between attention, neural valuation, and reward circuits. In this post, we unpack the neuroscience that turns curiosity into lasting interest. It is very human to have interests in vivid things, and sometimes we humans don’t validate each other’s interests and end up arguing. But how does one know what their interests are? And when does one know? And why, in the first place, do we differ in likes and dislikes? Why is our brain crazy for a particular thing? (Mine brain is crazy behind itself btw.) So what actually creates interest? 1. Attention It’s simply love at first sight. Something catches your attention (maybe your brain is free at that time), and you want to explore it further. Then your brain analyses how other people (other brains) react to that thing. Is it validated enough? Will I get rewarded with dopamine? 2. Dopamine: The reward system Your b...

भावना नसणं नाही, भावना थकणं असतं— कधी कधी शांतता ही healing नसते… ती fatigue असते. कधी कधी आपण म्हणतो ना— “काही वाटतच नाहीये आता.” आणि लोक लगेच समजतात की आपण strong झालो. Mature झालो. Practical झालो. पण खरं सांगू? काहीच न वाटणं हे strength नसतं… ते एक प्रकारचं थकणं असतं. मुळातच माणूस हा सामाजिक प्राणी आहे. आणि मानवी मेंदू हा विविध भावनांनी सजलेला आहे. दुखावलं गेलं तर वाईट वाटणारच, राग येणारच, रडू येणारच… हो! प्रत्येक भावनेला व्यक्त करायला सबल मन हवं—स्वतःचंही, आणि ज्यांच्या समोर आपण व्यक्त होतो त्यांचंही. इथं विषय येतो validation चा. काहींना तुमच्या प्रत्येक भावना कळतात, त्यांना प्रतिसादही मिळतो… पण काही ठिकाणी त्या भावनांना किंमत मिळत नाही. आणि असं वारंवार घडलं की बस… मनाला खात्री होत जाते की ह्या भावना वाटून काही उपयोग नाही, त्यांना प्रतिसाद मिळतच नाही. पुढच्या वेळी तीच भावना थोड्या कमी तीव्रतेने उठते. पुन्हा पुढच्या वेळी अजून कमी… मग अजून कमी… आणि कधी कधी तर ती भावना येतच नाही. असं झालं की वाटतं ना— I overcame this. I faced this. पण सत्य असं आहे की त्या भावनेला स्पंदनच नाही आहेत. आण...

  “Arthanushasanam: The Discipline that Sustains Wealth” Verse Reference तस्मात नित्योत्थितो राजा कुर्यादर्थानुशासनम् । अर्थस्य मूलम् उत्थानम् अनर्थस्य विपर्ययः ॥ अनुत्थाने ध्रुवो नाशः प्राप्तस्यानागतश्च । प्राप्यते फलं उत्थानाल्लभते चार्थसंपदम् ॥ Translation: Ever active in the management of the economy, because the root of wealth is economic activity; inactivity brings material distress. Without an active policy, both current prosperity and future gains are destroyed. (1.19.35, 36)       ॥ ॐ श्रीगणेशाय नमः ॥ चाणक्यश्रेयिका — चाणक्यश्रेयिकायाः युष्माकं स्वागतम्। अधुना वयं पश्यामः यत् अर्थानुशासनं कथं कर्तव्यम्? किमर्थं कर्तव्यं वयम्? अर्थानुशासनम् इति पदस्य विवेचनम् — अर्थस्य अनुशासनम्, अर्थस्य विवेकपूर्ण- संयोजनम्  इति ज्ञातव्यम्। मनुष्यैः स्वार्थानुशासनं कर्तव्यम्, यत् तस्य महत् धनं लघ्वपि च। अ र्थस्य अनुशासनं न कर्तव्यम् तदा अर्थस्य अनर्थः भविष्यति। स्वार्थस्य नाशः भवेत्। एतत् व्याख्यायाः अहं लेखकः अस्मि इति सम्बन्धेन अहं अस्माकं निवेदनं करोमि — स्...

  Emotionally Unavailable: Choice or Condition? — Wonders Around Me Series “I’ve noticed a strange kind of people around me…” Welcome to another part of the wonders around me. “In a world learning to feel less, choosing to feel—and to be there—might just be the rarest form of humanity.” Guys, I believe human beings are human because of two things:  intelligence and emotions . Out of these, the first one is easy to transmit nowadays and propagate in any form. No harm. But there’s a catch in the second one— emotions . Yup. Intelligence couldn’t replicate, create, or imbibe emotions into machines. Now, call it a loss for intelligence or a win for emotions—because they are that special. However, today’s generation does not consider them worthy of anything. Yet, they casualise random dating trends to let out emotions manipulatively and speak whatever they want to the other person, who pretends to listen, probably never to meet again. Anyways, everyone feels tons o...

  Chanakyashreyika chapter 3- Know the mantra to win.   सुखस्य मूलं धर्मः। धर्मस्य मूलं अर्थः। अर्थस्य मूलं राज्यं। राज्यस्य मूलं इन्द्रिय जयः। इन्द्रियाजयस्य मूलं विनयः। विनयस्य मूलं वृद्धोपसेवा ।। [1] “The basis of happiness is dharma (righteous conduct/ethics); the basis of dharma is artha (resources/wealth); the basis of artha is rājyam (state/kingdom/governance); the basis of the state is mastery over the senses; the basis of mastery over the senses is discipline (vinaya); the basis of discipline is service to the elders …” चाणक्यश्रेयिका श्रीगणेशाय नमः। श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः। आचार्यं चाणक्यं प्रणम्य अहम् अधुना प्रवचामि — “ विजयस्य मन्त्रः” इति विषये एतत् भाष्यम्। जीवने यशःप्राप्तिः कठिनं नास्ति। दुर्लभम् अस्ति यशःप्राप्त्यर्थं मनोबलम्। अत्र आचार्यः लिखति — “ सुखस्य मूलं धर्मः” । धर्मस्य अर्थः किम् ? धर्मविषये शब्दकल्पद्रुमे वक्तव्यम् यत् — “ धरति लोकान् ध्रियते पुण्यात्मभिरिति वा। धृ + अर्त्तिस्तुहुस्रिति।” एतत् अर्थविवेचनं तु मह्यम् अतिव रोचते। इदम् अर...