The Dharma Dispatch

Nawab Nehru, Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Tyranny: An Analysis   The parallels between Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Nawab Nehru are so glaring and evident that I cursed myself for not noticing them earlier.    Like Tughlaq, Nehru too, regarded India as a playground on which he could play varied sports of his own devising. And like Tughlaq, every single sport that Nehru played, ended up grievously wounding and killing the actual players — real people, the citizens of India.    Like Tughlaq, Nehru’s unrivalled cluelessness was only complemented by his irredeemable megalomania. -- Read the full piece! 📑👍🔖🪔 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/nawab-nehru-muhammad-bin-tughlaq-and-tyranny-an-analysis

Reclaiming Sri Rama Mandir: A Landmark in Recovering Bharatavarsha's Spiritual Freedom   THE PRANA-PRATISHTAPANA OF SRI RAMACHANDRA is one of the greatest landmarks in a prolonged struggle to recover Bharatavarsha’s spiritual freedom. The fact that the usage of the word Prana-Pratishta has become pervasive in the English language media is a definitive indicator of this freedom.   Its significance has parallels in the foundation of the Vijayanagara Empire, the rise of the Maratha power, and the triumph of the Hindu civilisation in 1947, when the combined forces of Islamic regimes and the colonial British were conclusively defeated.  -- Do read my latest essay! 🛕🕉🪔   https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/reclaiming-sri-rama-mandir-a-landmark-in-recovering-bharatavarshas-spiritual-freedom

Reclaiming the Sri Rama Mandir: Lessons and Insights for the Hindu Community ---   SRI RAMACHANDRA HAS FINALLY RETURNED TO HIS HOME. In stellar style. Not an eye was dry yesterday. It is undoubtedly a civilisational triumph.   When an honest history of our period is written say, fifty years later, this will be regarded not merely as a major event but an epoch. It is really the fruition of countless — told and untold — sacrifices and centuries of tapas done by the collective spiritual and cultural consciousness of the Sanatana community.    The Rama Mandir at Ayodhya has become a reality today because Hindus have preserved the memory of its destruction.  ----- This is a piece close to my heart. Do read and share widely. 🛕🕉🪔🛕   Sri Rama Jayam https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/reclaiming-the-sri-rama-mandir-lessons-and-insights-for-the-hindu-community

The Story of the Vira Pancaḻas is a Case Study in Busting the Myth of the Caste System   The Gundlupet inscription of the Vira Pancaḻas reveals eye-opening details regarding several aspects of the Hindu society in the Vijayanagara kingdom and helps us expose the colonial and Marxist myths about the so-called caste system.   The components of the Vira Pancaḻas include those communities which are today recognised by our Constitution as “backward classes” — carpenters, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, stone-cutters, braziers, washermen, barbers, etc. Yet, here is an inscription which tells almost the opposite story.   We must remember that the Vira Pancaḻas were the authors of this inscription. And here, when they describe their educational qualifications, it reads like the resume of a typical Brahmana Pandit or Vidvan! --- Do read the second episode of this exciting history series! 😃📑🕉🛕🪔   https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/the-story-of-the-vira-panca%E1%B8%BBas-is-a-case-study-in-busting-the-myth-of-the-caste-system

The Story of the Vira Panchalas: The Heroic Hindu Business Guild of Vijayanagara   The Vira Panchalas were a group of five artisans who flourished in the Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu regions for over 300 years. Their influence extended to society and politics, and they were masters in gemstone trading, jewelry-making, and merchandising. They also played a significant role in local, provincial, and central politics and were known for their philanthropy.   The stronghold of their power and dominance was in the general area known as the eṇṇe-nāḍu (literally, “oil region”) comprising the contemporary towns of Nanjanagudu, Gundlupete, Terakanambi, Chamarajanagara,  and Haradanahalli.    An inscription from 1372 at the Rameswara Temple at Gundlupet highlights the preeminence of Vira Panchalas. -- The first episode of a new series on The Dharma Dispatch. 📑🛕🕉🪔 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/the-story-of-the-vira-panchalas-the-heroic-hindu-business-guild-of-vijayanagara

Bangalore Nagaratnamma: A Life Dedicated to Tyagaraja   This is an abridged English translation of D.V. Gundappa's brilliant and moving profile of Bangalore Nagaratnamma, a musician par excellence who built a memorial for Tyagaraja in Tiruvayur.   Her personal life during her last days was joyless. Two of her children had died. Another adopted child too, passed away. As the Bhagavatam says, God gives immense suffering to those dear to him. She realized that she would find no solace in anyone or anything except at the feet of Sri Ramachandra. The wealth and the fame that she had earned, she realized, came from the grace of Tyagaraja Swami. And so, she resolved to offer everything that she owned to him and to his chosen deity, Sri Rama. It is hard not to be deeply moved after reading this extraordinary profile. Do share widely! 🙏🕉🛕🪔   https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/bangalore-nagaratnamma-a-life-dedicated-to-tyagaraja

The Congress Party is Consuming the Toxic Fruit of Insulting Maryada Purushottam Sri Ramachandra   IT IS ALWAYS FUN to see the Congress party squirm. The ensuing Prana-Pratishta of Marayada Purushottama Sri Ramachandra is the mother of all spectacles of the aforementioned Congress squirming.  The Congress has scripted its own pathetic fate.  It is the Congress that truly stands isolated. It now resembles an unwieldy sandwich cut into three slices — the pro-Mandir slice, the desperate slice, and the anti-Mandir slice.    How exactly did the Congress think that it could militate against Sri Ramachandra and get away with it unscathed? -- My latest commentary on the history of the Congress Party, which tried to block the rebuilding of the Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.  📑😡🙏🕉🪔🛕 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/the-congress-party-is-consuming-the-toxic-fruit-of-insulting-maryada-purushottam-sri-ramachandra

*The Profound Value System of Kuvara-Lakshma and his Heroic Unit of Garudas* The Garudas were a select unit of bodyguards who safeguarded Hoysala kings. Kuvara-Lakshma was the head of one such unit comprising 1000 bodyguards. When his master Vira Ballala died, Lakshma and his unit gave up their lives in his honour. https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/the-profound-value-system-of-kuvara-lakshma-and-his-heroic-unit-of-garudas

A moving review of my book Stories from Inscriptions: -- "First, my repeated namaskaras to the author for stringing together such a garland of gems from the unknown pages of Bharatavarsha's glorious history. I especially had tears of joy when I read the stories of Govindaraja and also of the Hoysala King who made a munificent grant to the Kashi Vishwanatha temple in troubled times" -- If you haven't already bought it, please click the link below to purchase. 🛕🕉🪔 https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0BLVQK7Y5/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_vote_lft?ie=UTF8&csrfT=hC6K6Xg8jiJK7GnUXA%2Fl8gkPgJ8D5YKmr11tf8%2BQpJatAAAAAGWc7s4AAAAB&reviewId=R3GW9I90NXD8AL#R3GW9I90NXD8AL

The Unknown Hoysala Hero Kuvara-Lakshma’s Ultimate Sacrifice   This essay series narrates an ennobling story from a Hoysala inscription dated 1220 CE. First discovered in 1900-01, it narrates the extraordinary tale of Kuvara-Lakshma, a minister, general and close confidant of the Hoysala monarch, Vira Ballala II.   The inscription is engraved at the bottom of a pillar in the western enclosure of the Hoysaleshvara temple complex in Halebidu.   Kuvara-Lakshma was the commander who stood rock-solid with his master till the very end — in war and peace. The aforementioned inscription, technically called the Garuda Pillar Inscription describes Kuvara-Lakshma in both laudatory and moving terms. -- Read the whole story! 🙏🛕🕉🪔 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/the-unknown-hoysala-hero-kuvara-lakshmas-ultimate-sacrifice

Does a Politician Need Literature?   This is an English translation of D.V. Gundappa's 1950 essay in Kannada titled, "Does a Politician Need Literature?" It has much valuable advice both for aspiring and serving politicians.   The study of literature is thus a prequalification for political life. Literature is the summit of dignity amid the din of everyday, street-level political sloganeering which often clouds judgement and blurs the line separating right from wrong.   Public service without the aid of literature is akin to a dumb person serving a feast in a dark room. -- Do read the full profound essay! 📑🙏🕉🛕🪔 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/does-a-politician-need-literature

The Unknown Order of Arjun Singh that Prevented the Excavations at Ayodhya: Here's the Full Story   In 1992, Arjun Singh, the Human Resources Minister, ordered the Archaeological Survey of India to halt the excavations at the site of the disputed structure in Ayodhya in order to appease the Muslim vote bank. This is a story that has received little attention.   Uncover the dark secrets and historical significance behind this controversial decision! 📑😡🛕🕉🪔 --- https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/how-arjun-singh-blocked-the-ram-temple-excavation-the-full-story

The Best of Dharma Dispatch: 2023   A curated list of the most read articles published on The Dharma Dispatch for 2023 ranked by the volume of traffic. --- AT THE OUTSET, The Dharma Dispatch wishes all its readers a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024. In September 2023, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of launching our sacred initiative dedicated to serving the Sanatana cause.   These five years have been an eventful journey involving much learning, insights, and the sheer joy of digging into and offering rare stories and other content from the inexhaustible treasure-trove of the Sanatana annals.   The response from you, our readership, has only grown by leaps and bounds. We continue to receive much affection and unstinted support from all corners of the global Hindu community and from all strata of society. So, once again, a heartfelt note of gratitude to everyone who have been a part of our journey.  --- Happy reading! 🙏🕉🛕📑🪔 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/dispatches/the-best-of-dharma-dispatch-2023

The North - South Rhetoric is a War against Hindu Dharma in Disguise   In 2016 in a pamphlet titled United States of South India was published by News Minute. It revived the old Dravidian template of a North and South India divide. Its key themes are now being peddled as talking points on TV debates.   When we peel off the layers, at the core, we find that it is nothing but a variant of the familiar anti-Hindu narrative. -- Read the full essay! https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/the-north-south-rhetoric-is-a-war-against-hindu-dharma-in-disguise

The Worst Nightmare of the Congress Party is the Building of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. I wrote this in 2019. And now, look at loony behaviour of the Congress and its ragtag INDI partners. 😂😂🕉️🕉️🕉️🚩🚩🚩 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/the-worst-nightmare-of-the-congress-party-is-the-building-of-the-ram-mandir-at-ayodhya

Banana: How the Food of our Devatas became an Inseparable Part of the Sanatana Social Life   The banana is such an inseparable part of the cultural and social life of Bharatavarsha that we have taken it for granted and do not pause to inquire into its hoary history and imprint in our daily life.   An example is given below.   Just our Devatas, even ghosts were fond of bananas. The annals of our profuse folklore all the way up to the delightful Chandamama comics authoritatively declare the fondness of ghosts for milk, sweets and plantains. Ghosts can be invoked or made to leave after satiating them with this feast. If a ghost is feeling particularly greedy, it possesses a man or woman and departs only after a gluttonous bout.  A real-life episode illustrating this ghostly propensity occurred sometime in the late 19th century in Kolhapur. -- Read the concluding episode of this series! 🙏📑🕉🛕🪔🍌 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/banana-how-the-food-of-our-devatas-became-an-inseparable-part-of-the-sanatana-social-life

Dear friends: I'm happy to announce the publication of my debut novel in Kannada titled *Dootavakya*. For more information, see the announcement below, by my publisher. Seeking your wishes and blessings. Thanks! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 👇🏼 ಶತಶತಮಾನಗಳಿಂದ ಅಡವಿಯ ಹೊಕ್ಕುಳಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ಪಾಡಿಗೆ ಇದ್ದಂತಹ ಅಜ್ಞಾತವಾದ ಒಂದು ಪುಟ್ಟ ಸಂಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ವಿನಾಕಾರಣ ಮುಘಲ್ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯವು ಕೆಣಕುತ್ತದೆ. ಆ ಸಂಸ್ಥಾನದ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವಕ್ಕೇ ಕಂಟಕ ಒದಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಕೇಂದ್ರಬಿಂದುವಿನ ಸುತ್ತ ಹೆಣೆದುಕೊಂಡಿರುವ "ದೂತವಾಕ್ಯ", ೧೭ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಒಂದು ಕೀಲಕಘಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುವ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ. ಅನೇಕ ರೋಚಕ ಘಟನೆಗಳನ್ನೊಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಕೃತಿಯು ಆ ಕಾಲದ ಭಾರತದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ, ಸಮಾಜದ ಚಿತ್ರಣ, ಜನಜೀವನ, ಸಂಚು - ಒಳಸಂಚುಗಳು, ಮುಘಲ್ ಅಂತಃಪುರದ ಒಳಗುಟ್ಟುಗಳು ಹಾಗು ಇನ್ನೂ ಅನೇಕ ವಿವರಗಳಿಂದ ಪರಿಪ್ಲುತವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಎಲ್ಲದರ ನೇಪಥ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುವ ಕಥಾನಕವು ಮಾನವಸ್ವಭಾವ ಹಾಗು ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಮೌಲ್ಯಗಳ ಹಲವು ಪಾರ್ಶ್ವಗಳನ್ನು ಸ್ಪರ್ಶಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ಮುಖ್ಯವಸ್ತುವಿಗೆ ಅಂಟಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಇತಿಹಾಸದ ಕೆಲವು ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ಅಂಶಗಳು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದಿರುವಂತಹ ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ಪರಂಪರೆಗೆ ವಿನೂತನವೆನ್ನಬಹುದು. ಇತಿಹಾಸ ತಜ್ಞರೂ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ ಲೇಖಕರೂ ಆಗಿ ಹೆಸರಾಗಿರುವ ಗಂಭೀರ ಚಿಂತಕ ಶ್ರೀ ಸಂದೀಪ್ ಬಾಲಕೃಷ್ಣ ಅವರ ಮೊದಲ ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯಿದು! ಅದೂ ಹೃದ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಆ ಕಾಲಮಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಸೂಕ್ತವೆನಿಸುವಂತಹ ಸೊಗಸಾದ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ!! ಓದಿ ಸವಿಯಿರಿ! https://sahityaprakashan.com/product/doota/ ಅಥವಾ 9448110034 ನಂಬರಿಗೆ 340/- ರೂ ( 2 ಪ್ರತಿಗಳಿಗೆ) ಫೋನ್ ಪೇ / ಗೂಗಲ್ ಪೇ ಮಾಡಿ, ವಿಳಾಸ ವಾಟ್ಸಾಪ್ ಮಾಡಿದರೂ ಸಾಕು! 10 ಪ್ರತಿಗಳಿಗೆ 1700/- ರೂ ಕಳಿಸಿದರೆ ಸಾಕು!! https://sahityaprakashan.com/product/doota-10-copies/ ನಮ್ಮ ವೆಬ್ ಸ್ಟೋರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಈಗಲೇ ಬುಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ, ಹೊಸವರ್ಷದ ಮೊದಲ ಓದಿಗಾಗಿ ಇಂಥದೊಂದು ಅಮೋಘ ಕೃತಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ!!

A Few Basic Guides for Decolonising the Hindu Psyche   India’s experience with alien invasions and regimes dates back to nearly a millennium. The story of the all-round oppression of Hindus by these regimes is as prolonged and painful as it is well-known. Yet, throughout that period, not one alien philosophy or religion has managed to influence our philosophical core even one bit.  The Hindu society still hasn’t perhaps realized that this is the unmatched strength that it has at its disposal and that it needs to rediscover it.     Decolonisation cannot be taught through books or in classrooms. Those are crutches at best. Decolonisation is a civilizational endeavour in which the entire Hindu society should consciously participate.  -- Read the concluding essay of this series! 📑🕉🛕🪔 https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/a-few-basic-guides-for-decolonising-the-hindu-psyche

The Hindu System of Philosophical Inquiry Contrasted with the Western Intellectual Milieu --- There is a fundamental difference between the Western and the Indian intellectual tradition. The Western intellectual tradition, which developed as a consequence of a revolt against Church hegemony, completely rejected the Christian God and replaced him with materialism. This opposition to God does not exist in the Santana tradition because we had harmonized the material with the spiritual and we elevated the spiritual to the philosophical. Thus, each had their well-defined places. From the very ancient times, Bharatavarsha has always had a tradition of emperors and kings who renounced everything and became Sanyasins and Brahmajnanis. However, in the entire history of the West (including its pre-Christian past), we don’t find a single king like Janaka or Vishvamitra or Dhanga. Rishis are a far cry. And so, when we talk about intellectual discourse, decolonization, etc., we need to begin here, at the fundamentals. 🕉🛕🪔📑 -- Read the whole piece and share it widely. https://www.dharmadispatch.in/commentary/the-hindu-system-of-philosophical-inquiry-contrasted-with-the-western-intellectual-milieu